Lin Xuan ignored Vince's shock. His gaze remained fixed on the place where Blackbeard and the others had died.
After a moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Soon, however, he relaxed and smiled softly.
"Interesting."
He had always been fascinated by what happened after a Devil Fruit user died—how, after some time, the same fruit would reappear somewhere in the world.
After killing Blackbeard and the others, Lin Xuan had activated his Rinnegan and kept observing the spot where they fell.
And sure enough, he had discovered something.
It was extremely well hidden, almost impossible to detect. But with the Rinnegan active, Lin Xuan had clearly sensed it—
The corpses of Blackbeard and the others had quietly disappeared.
If he were to use Edo Tensei on Blackbeard now, Lin Xuan believed the resurrected version would no longer possess the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
And before long, that Devil Fruit would reappear somewhere in the world.
"Devil Fruits… demons, huh? Heh."
Lin Xuan chuckled softly and said nothing more.
Then he turned to Ace and teased him with a smile.
"Why is it that every time I see you, you're about to get killed? This is the second time I've saved you, isn't it?"
Ace rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
He had to admit it was true. Last time, he had nearly been executed by the Navy, triggering the Summit War.
He really had almost died at Blackbeard's hands again this time.
Still, Ace bowed sincerely to Lin Xuan.
"Thank you, President Lin, for saving my life."
Lin Xuan waved his hand, uninterested in dwelling on it. His gaze shifted toward the only remaining forest on the island.
At that moment, a figure walked out from between the trees.
It was Orochimaru—more precisely, one of his clones.
The real Orochimaru was still in Sabaody Archipelago, continuing his experiments.
As for why this clone was here, it was because Lin Xuan hadn't come to this island just to relax.
Through intelligence gathered by people from Ohara, he had learned that someone's DNA—someone he wanted—could be found here.
That was his real purpose.
If he could obtain that DNA and use Edo Tensei to resurrect its owner, it could become a powerful asset.
"All done," Orochimaru's clone said hoarsely, handing over a small vial.
Lin Xuan took it and immediately had the system analyze it.
Before long, the result came back.
It confirmed his suspicion.
What he held was the DNA of the former ruler of the seas before Roger—
Rocks D. Xebec.
That was right.
Lin Xuan's goal had always been to find Rocks' DNA and resurrect him.
As the legendary overlord of the previous era, Rocks fascinated Lin Xuan.
After all, among the current Four Emperors, three had once been members of the Rocks Pirates.
Not to mention Shiki the Golden Lion and Captain John—both of whom had also served under Rocks.
If he could bring Rocks back through Edo Tensei, the impact would be enormous.
There was even a chance that Kaido's Beasts Pirates and Big Mom's crew might join the Ninja Guild Alliance because of it.
No matter how he looked at it, it was worth trying.
Without hesitation, Lin Xuan took out the White Zetsu he had prepared in advance and gave the order.
"Begin the preparations."
Orochimaru immediately started arranging the formation and forming hand seals.
"Edo Tensei!"
Several days later, Sabaody Archipelago.
On this day, the harbor was filled with ships of all kinds, making the usually quiet Ninja Guild unusually lively.
"I've been hearing about the Ninja Guild nonstop lately. I finally came to see it for myself!"
"So this is their headquarters? I thought it'd be luxurious, but it's surprisingly simple. Still, those buildings look completely unfamiliar."
"Look at that giant tree in the center of the island. Doesn't it feel strange? It's like it's alive."
"Oh my god, I recognize that guy! He can control sand—he even used Crocodile as a weapon!"
"And that woman in black… isn't she the one who wiped out CP9? I can't believe I'm seeing her in person!"
As more and more people arrived, the harbor grew increasingly crowded.
When they saw the sights of Sabaody—or recognized some of the ninjas on the island—many couldn't help but cry out in amazement.
Especially when they saw the towering tree at the island's center, reaching high into the sky.
They had seen it before through live broadcasts, but witnessing it with their own eyes was a completely different experience.
It left them deeply shaken.
Although many people had gathered on the island, there was no chaos.
After all, this was Ninja Guild territory.
Unless someone wanted to die, no one dared to cause trouble here.
This time, a huge number of people had come to attend the world conference.
Most factions didn't send just one representative—they brought entire guard teams with them.
However, these guards were not allowed to enter the inner areas of Sabaody, to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Many people were dissatisfied with this arrangement.
But when they thought of Lin Xuan's overwhelming strength, none of them dared to complain.
As time passed, more and more people arrived.
The turnout for this conference was far beyond expectations.
Then, all of a sudden, someone in the crowd cried out in shock.
"What—what is that?!"
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T/N:
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