The West Blue was usually a portrait of serenity, the sea breeze brushing across the water like a delicate brushstroke on a canvas.
That peace shattered in an instant.
Boom!
The once cloudless sky was suddenly devoured by roiling black clouds. Thunder rumbled as lightning tore through the heavens, and a torrential downpour lashed the sea with savage fury.
The ocean heaved.
A colossal black tree plummeted from the firmament, slamming into the waves with enough force to trigger a localized tsunami. A remote, uninhabited island nearby was swallowed whole by the rising tide.
This was the Devil Fruit Mother Tree. Yet, it bore little resemblance to its former majesty; its trunk was jagged with scars, and its once-lush canopy had been stripped bare, leaving behind nothing but gnarled, skeletal branches.
A blur of motion streaked through the air. In the blink of an eye, a figure descended upon the Mother Tree, bringing with him a crushing wave of destructive power.
Screech!
The Mother Tree let out a piercing, metallic shriek. Its remaining branches lashed out like the tentacles of a giant octopus, each one erupting with the distinct power of a different Devil Fruit as it launched a desperate counterattack toward the sky.
Crasssh!
A deafening explosion rocked the atmosphere. This time, the Mother Tree's final defenses were futile. Uchiha Madara's Six Paths Staff swung with celestial weight, shattering the branches and carving a massive fissure down the center of the trunk, nearly cleaving the ancient entity in two.
"Hmph. I will make you understand that your strength is nothing before mine," Madara declared, his voice cold and brimming with arrogance.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A torrent of fire erupted from his mouth. It didn't just flicker; it surged forward like a burning ocean, a wall of incinerating heat rushing toward the tree.
Trembling with primal terror, the Mother Tree tapped into its internal reserves. An outburst of freezing energy surged forth, erecting a massive wall of ice to shield itself from the inferno.
Pshhh!
Fire met ice. The resulting collision generated a colossal plume of steam, instantly veiling the battlefield in a thick, white mist.
"Susanoo!"
Madara unleashed the Perfect Susanoo. The towering ethereal warrior materialized, its massive blade humming with concentrated chakra. With a single, fluid horizontal slash, the blade cut through the mist and the very ocean itself. The sea was parted in a clean line, the water unable to close the gap for a long, breathless moment.
"So strong... Uchiha Madara is terrifyingly powerful!"
"The people of the Shinobi Guild are all monsters among monsters. Never provoke them, or you won't even know how you died."
"I'm more curious about who is stronger now—Uchiha Madara or Chairman Lin Xuan?"
Across the world, those watching the live broadcast felt their hearts leap into their throats. Madara's combat prowess was beyond comprehension. Every strike carried the weight of a natural disaster; many onlookers genuinely feared he might accidentally destroy the ocean itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle raged on, turning the sky and sea upside down. Nearby islands trembled under the shockwaves.
Seeing the collateral damage, Lin Xuan finally moved. He stepped forward to stabilize the surrounding area, shielding the distant islands from being swept away by the mounting waves.
"In the face of Uchiha Madara, you have no chance of victory!" Madara sneered, his laughter wild and confident as he sent the Mother Tree tumbling back with a single, chakra-infused punch.
The Mother Tree was a pathetic shadow of its former self. Covered in deep gashes and charred bark, it looked utterly wretched. Worst of all, the wounds dealt by Six Paths power refused to heal.
If this continued, it would be ground into splinters.
Driven by a mixture of fury and survival instinct, the Mother Tree erupted with a sinister black radiance. All its remaining energy channeled into the Ancient Weapon, Uranus. It swung a final, desperate blade of energy.
The world lost its color. Day and night seemed to flicker in an instant.
A vortex of berserk energy swept forward, the sheer pressure causing the surrounding space to crack like a shattered mirror. This was a suicidal strike aimed directly at Madara.
Instead of retreating, Madara's face lit up with an ecstatic, battle-hungry grin. He laughed loudly, "Perfect! Let me see just how strong your final struggle can be!"
He flew forward, diving headlong into the center of the terrifying cataclysm.
Rumble!
The surface of the sea exploded. Marine life that hadn't escaped the area disintegrated instantly, dyeing the churning waters a grim, crimson red.
In the sky, the Mother Tree's attack manifested as a black sun, a void that seemed to consume everything in its reach.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the center of the darkness. With a violent wrench, it tore the shroud of black energy apart.
The resulting shockwave pulverized several small, uninhabited islets in the vicinity. Fortunately, Lin Xuan had already evacuated any residents, or they would have perished in the localized apocalypse.
"It seems you've lost!"
Madara descended from the heavens, his hand reaching out to seize the withered trunk of the Mother Tree.
Complete terror finally broke the ancient entity. It let out a desperate plea: "Lord, have mercy! I am willing to submit! I will serve you!"
Madara paused his assault, though his hand remained clamped firmly onto the trunk. His chakra thrummed beneath his palm, ready to tear the tree apart at a moment's notice.
He turned his gaze toward Lin Xuan, unwilling to make the final decision on his own.
Lin Xuan, having heard the plea, knit his brows in thought. "Devil Fruits are the primary source of power in this world. If we kill it now, there won't be any more fruits produced. That would be a bit of a waste."
The Mother Tree seized on the hope, its voice trembling with excitement. "Yes! If you spare me, I will provide you with a never-ending supply of Devil Fruits. You can build an invincible army and rule this world with ease!"
"You make a good point," Lin Xuan nodded, a look of contemplation crossing his face.
The Mother Tree felt a surge of triumph. It was already beginning to scheme, calculating how it might use the Devil Fruits to manipulate these humans and eventually turn the tables.
However, Lin Xuan's next words shattered its delusions.
"Madara," Lin Xuan said calmly. "Eat it."
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T/N:
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