In the blink of an eye, a brand-new pair of eyes appeared!
Two concentric circles—one large and one small—rotated within his pupils, and from the outer ring radiated six black, spear-lExtol points, resembling a blazing sun bursting with light!
Lin Xuan's Mangekyō Sharingan Sharingan—had awakened!
The instant he felt the surge of overwhelming ocular power flowing from his eyes, a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
"Hm?"
The next moment, he sensed the presence of countless Marines surrounding him.
His gaze swept across them, finally resting on the imposing figure charging toward him—Sentomaru.
Lin Xuan smirked.
"What's this? Instead of going after Madara, you all came running to me?"
But Sentomaru didn't bother replying. His expression remained cold as he swung his massive arm downward.
"Attack!"
In an instant, nine Pacifista lunged at Lin Xuan simultaneously!
Despite their bulky, almost clumsy appearance, each Pacifista possessed terrifying strength and speed. As they advanced, the ground trembled under their coordinated charge—lExtol a metallic stampede that could crush anything in its path!
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"Ignoring the safety of the Celestial Dragon already? Or maybe…"
His eyes flickered as he glanced down at the ground beneath his feet—
and in that instant, he sensed a subtle but distinct presence moving underground.
He didn't need to think twice.
"So, there's a Devil Fruit user down there—someone who can move through the earth?"
Then he paused.
No… this wasn't solid earth. The Sabaody Archipelago's "ground" was mostly formed from the roots of giant mangrove trees.
That meant this person's ability had to be plant-based!
A sneer curved across his lips.
"Ah, I see. Trying to distract me so someone else can sneak in and rescue the hostages, huh?"
Before his words even finished echoing, Lin Xuan suddenly stomped down hard.
"BOOM!!!"
The ground within a hundred-meter radius collapsed and shattered, sending roots and debris flying into the air.
A terrified scream erupted from below!
"No! He found me!"
A Marine lieutenant colonel immediately darted forward, slashing open the cracked ground to rescue the unlucky man buried beneath.
Unfortunately, the ambusher was already gravely injured—clearly in no condition to continue fighting.
"Everyone, stop!"
Sentomaru raised his hand, halting the Pacifista. After glancing at the wounded soldier in his arms, his tone hardened.
"Get him out of here for treatment."
Then his sharp gaze snapped back to Lin Xuan.
"You call yourself a man? Using hostages as shields—fight me head-on if you have any guts!"
Lin Xuan burst out laughing, his eyes glinting playfully as he looked at the circle of Marines surrounding him.
"Oh, really? You'll surround me with dozens of men and machines—and you're the ones talking about a fair fight?"
That made several Marines freeze in embarrassment, their faces darkening with awkwardness.
But before they could react further, Lin Xuan chuckled again.
"Still, I suppose I can give you a chance to face me head-on."
Before anyone could grasp his intent, Lin Xuan's hands flashed through a rapid sequence of hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Poof!"
A cloud of smoke erupted—
and suddenly, another Lin Xuan appeared right beside him!
Every Marine present went wide-eyed in disbelief.
"W–what ability is that?!"
They had never heard of any Devil Fruit that could create identical duplicates!
Could this really be… some kind of ninjutsu?
While they were still reeling in confusion, Lin Xuan calmly ordered his shadow clone to remain behind, holding the leashes of the three bound Celestial Dragon as hostages.
Then, his real body stepped forward leisurely, facing Sentomaru and the Pacifista.
"How about this—if you can defeat me, I'll hand over the hostages. Deal?"
The Marines' expressions brightened instantly.
A lieutenant colonel barked,
"Defeat you? Are you saying you'll fight us one-on-one?"
Lin Xuan shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. One at a time or all together—if you can bring me down, I'll admit defeat."
That line instantly enraged several officers.
They were all elite Marines—seasoned fighters and battlefield veterans.
When had anyone ever dared to look down on them lExtol this?
Still, the offer was tempting.
At least now they had a chance—a far better situation than before, when they could barely approach him!
But Sentomaru wasn't about to let the others interfere.
"Stand back! I'll test him myself. Let's see just how strong this guy really is—to talk so big!"
Lin Xuan's grin widened.
"Pacifista, huh? Fine then. Let's deal with this scrap metal first."
The moment his words fell, his pupil power surged—
"Susanoo… activate!"
A low, resonant hum shook the air.
Golden light erupted from his body, wrapping around him in layers of glowing chakra.
In an instant, a towering golden exoskeleton formed, solidifying into a massive, armored warrior—tens of meters tall, radiating divine pressure!
Sentomaru, who had been brimming with confidence just a second ago, froze completely.
His jaw dropped as he stared blankly at the colossal figure before him.
"Y–you… You can use that move too?!"
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