"Strike now!" Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, barked the order.
Behind him, the ranks of World Government soldiers surged forward. One after another, they leaped into the fray, joining the effort to suppress the rampaging Devil Fruit users.
It was clear that these men had been nursing a fire in their hearts. The moment they received Kong's approval, they threw themselves into the battle with desperate urgency. Among the crazed ability users were friends and comrades; they had no desire to see them mangled or killed in this chaos.
Kong watched them go, a self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. Life truly was unpredictable. Who could have imagined that an invasion launched by the New Era Alliance against the World Government headquarters would end like this?
Even more unthinkable was that he, the supreme commander of the World Government, would find himself fighting alongside his sworn enemies to oppose the very "entity" he was supposedly sworn to protect.
"Hah! At a time like this, who cares about the past?" Kong let out a boisterous laugh.
He charged forward, his entire body coated in pitch-black Armament Haki as he collided with a towering golden figure.
"Sengoku, you bastard! To think you'd let yourself be controlled like a puppet!" Kong roared.
Boom!
Kong unleashed a devastating punch, clashing directly with the golden Buddha form of Sengoku. Though the Devil Fruit Mother Tree had pushed Sengoku's powers to their absolute limit, Kong's sheer martial prowess began to force the Fleet Admiral back.
The surrounding fighters watched in awe. Someone couldn't help but cry out, "Heavens! Is Commander-in-Chief Kong actually this powerful?"
Kong's face darkened as he overheard the remark. What do you mean 'actually'? he thought irritably. Did they think he became the Commander-in-Chief through luck? His light had simply been eclipsed lately by the freaks from the Shinobi Guild.
Today, he would remind the world that the name "Steel Bone" Kong wasn't just for show!
Bang!
A momentary lapse in concentration nearly saw Kong swatted away by Sengoku's massive palm. Startled, he quickly refocused.
"Fine then, Sengoku! You dare raise a hand against your superior? Just wait until I discipline you later!"
Kong bellowed as he pressed his assault, his strikes forcing Sengoku into a steady retreat. Naturally, he had no intention of taking Sengoku's life. He had specifically targeted his old friend to ensure he wouldn't be killed by a less merciful member of the New Era Alliance.
With the World Government's forces joining the fray, the tide of battle finally began to turn.
The combined pressure of the two sides lightened the load significantly, allowing the powerhouses of the Shinobi Guild to pivot toward strategic suppression. The First Tsuchikage, Mizukage, Kazekage, and the Second Mizukage worked in tandem to manifest the Four Red Yang Formation, instantly trapping a large group of ability users within a crimson barrier.
Nearby, the Akatsuki began to demonstrate why they were the premier experts in capturing powerful entities.
Uchiha Itachi flickered through the battlefield, his Sharingan spinning in a mesmerizing pattern. He unleashed wave after wave of Genjutsu. Since it was the "devil" within the fruits driving the bodies, Itachi's potent mental intrusions caused many of the possessed warriors to collapse into unconsciousness instantly.
Other ninjas followed suit, deploying a barrage of Ninjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, and Barriers. The chaotic frenzy of the ability users was slowly but surely being reigned in. As the numbers of the possessed dwindled, the stalemate broke.
Soon, the majority had been subdued. Only the true titans remained—Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki the Golden Lion, Sengoku, and Aokiji.
The end was in sight. Once these "stubborn" holdouts were neutralized, the battle would be over.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A silhouette streaked across the ocean's surface like a stone skipping over water, eventually crashing into the massive vines below with enough force to snap the thick flora like twigs.
Everyone turned to look. The figure pulling himself from the wreckage was none other than Im.
However, the once-regal sovereign was now a wreck. His clothes were shredded, his body was covered in wounds, and his previous aura of untouchable divinity had vanished.
Above him, Lin Xuan descended from the sky.
"Chairman Lin won!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Many had been terrified that if Lin Xuan fell, they would all follow him to the grave. To their shock, the Chairman had concluded his battle even faster than they had suppressed the grunts.
At that moment, several more figures crashed into the ground from the upper atmosphere. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama landed gracefully, having once again dismantled the Celestial Dragon Ancestors. To ensure those "undead" freaks didn't pull another miracle recovery, the duo had literally torn their physical forms apart.
Then, the ocean began to boil.
Crrr-ack! Snap!
Colossal vines erupted from the depths, lashing out at the air with whip-like speed. The displacement was so violent it triggered a series of massive tsunamis that surged toward the shore.
"Damn you... Die! All of you, DIE!"
An ear-piercing, screeching roar vibrated through the air, carried by the swaying vines.
The Devil Fruit Mother Tree had fallen into a murderous rage.
Before their very eyes, a gargantuan tree began to rise from the sea, its trunk thick enough to dwarf mountains. Countless branches unfurled like the reaching arms of a demon, stretching so wide and high that they blotted out the sun itself.
As the Mother Tree's true form manifested, a suffocating, transcendent pressure swept across the entire world.
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T/N:
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