Rumble!
The Holy Land of Mariejois had descended into utter madness. A grand battle had erupted, but it was no longer a structured war—it was total, senseless chaos.
It was as if an instinctual switch had been flipped. Every Devil Fruit user on the battlefield seemed to have fallen into a collective fit of insanity. They had lost all reason, leaving behind nothing but a primal, bloodthirsty urge to kill.
The sheer number of Devil Fruit users present was staggering. From the Whitebeard Pirates alone, powerhouses like "Phoenix" Marco, "Fire Fist" Ace, and "Diamond" Jozu were among the afflicted. Without warning, these formidable warriors began launching indiscriminate attacks on everyone around them. Caught off guard, dozens of allies were cut down in an instant.
"Kill!"
Even Whitebeard let out a guttural roar.
He swung a massive fist, unleashing the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit. The very atmosphere shattered like glass, web-like fissures spiderwebbing through the air. The resulting shockwave sent members of the New Era Alliance flying, their bodies mangled as they coughed up blood.
"Pops! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"
"Damn it, what is happening? Is the Old Man losing his mind?"
"Get back! He's attacking again!"
BOOM!
Another earth-shattering explosion rang out. Whitebeard swung his polearm, Murakumogiri, with a force that could topple mountains. The ground beneath Mariejois split open, swallowing groups of panicked pirates.
Whitebeard did not stop. With another roar, he charged back into the fray, a mindless engine of destruction. Beside him, Marco and Ace were engulfed in their respective flames, their powers erupting in a chaotic frenzy that devastated friend and foe alike.
On the other side of the plaza, Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, let out a haunting howl. He, too, had succumbed to the madness, his winds tearing through the ranks of his own subordinates.
Even the World Government's forces weren't spared. Fleet Admiral Sengoku transformed into a towering golden Buddha, his massive palms slamming down toward the New Era Alliance with divine fury. Every Devil Fruit user, regardless of their faction, had become a puppet of rage.
"Luffy! Wake up! What's happened to you?"
"Chopper, it's me, Usopp! Don't hit me!"
The battle had become a nightmare. Those who didn't possess Devil Fruit powers were forced into a desperate defense, unable to understand why their comrades had suddenly turned into monsters. They fought with their hands tied; these were their friends, their family. They couldn't bring themselves to strike back with lethal force, and that hesitation was proving fatal.
To make matters worse, the Emperors—Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and the Golden Lion Shiki—were rapidly approaching from the coast, followed by the high-ranking members of their respective crews. All of them were in the same state of mindless bloodlust.
As these monsters joined the fray, the tide turned instantly. The New Era Alliance, which had initially held the advantage, was forced into a bitter retreat, their casualties mounting by the second.
Watching the carnage from the sidelines, Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "What is the meaning of this?"
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Obito looked on with equal bewilderment. They couldn't fathom why Whitebeard and the others would suddenly turn on their own allies.
Even Lin Xuan found the development unexpected. However, his confusion didn't last long. He soon received a message from Konan, relaying the findings of the Ohara scholars.
"So, that's how it is," Lin Xuan murmured.
The information from Ohara provided the missing pieces to a puzzle he had been trying to solve for a long time. It explained the strange sensation he felt after killing Blackbeard, and why the powers of the Devil Fruit users he had brought back through the Edo Tensei felt... hollow.
The Devil Mother Tree... The Devil's Will...
"Things just got a lot more interesting," he noted.
The scholars' discovery aligned closely with his own theories, though the scale of the control was beyond what he had imagined. Seeing the Alliance struggling and confused, Lin Xuan raised his voice to be heard over the din of battle.
"This is the power of the Devil Mother Tree! It can manipulate the will of anyone who has consumed a Devil Fruit!"
"What?!"
The revelation struck the battlefield like a thunderclap. Much like the scholars when they first learned the truth, everyone was paralyzed with shock. But with the berserkers closing in, there was no time for contemplation.
Madara and the other Edo Tensei shinobi prepared to intervene and stabilize the lines. However, the "revived" Celestial Dragon ancestors who had been standing behind Imu finally made their move.
BOOM!
The ancestors intercepted the shinobi mid-air. Their strength was far greater than it had been in their previous encounters, fueled by some dark, burgeoning power. They managed to lock Madara and the others in a stalemate, preventing them from assisting the crumbling Alliance.
The situation was becoming critical. While non-users like Roger, Shanks, and Rayleigh were incredibly powerful, they were being swarmed by the combined, mindless might of Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, and Sengoku. Against such a concentrated force of nature, even they were being pushed to the brink.
Seeing the desperation of the Alliance, Queen Otohime's face paled. She leaned in and whispered urgently into the ear of the Mermaid Princess, Shirahoshi.
Shirahoshi's eyes widened in shock. She looked toward Lin Xuan, her expression trembling with fear, but as she took in the sight of her falling friends, her gaze hardened with a newfound, iron-clad resolve.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
In that instant, deep beneath the waves surrounding the Red Line, colossal shadows began to stir. Massive, ancient beings—creatures capable of sinking entire islands—heeded the call. They surged toward the surface, heading straight for the Holy Land.
The Ancient Weapon, Sea King Poseidon, had been unleashed.
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T/N:
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