For eight hundred years, the World Government had ruled the seas, gathering endless secrets and intelligence, nearly omniscient about everything happening across the oceans.
And when it came to Devil Fruits, their understanding was absolute.
No matter how strange or varied the abilities were, given time, the World Government had catalogued them all.
There was practically no Devil Fruit that they did not know of.
Yet now, Jaygarcia Saturn stared at the golden mountain-like Nine-Tailed Fox in utter disbelief.
He had never seen such a terrifying creature.
At first glance, it resembled someone who had eaten the Zoan, Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Beast Model: Nine-Tailed Fox.
But there was a problem—this Devil Fruit had long been recorded by the Government, including illustrations of its form. The "623 specimen" was nothing like the giant fox before his eyes.
In truth, that "Nine-Tails" form from the records wasn't even qualified to carry the shoes of this colossal golden fox.
What shook him more was the destructive energy raging within it. The sheer pressure made even him feel unsettled, nearly afraid.
Inside the Nine-Tails' body, Naruto studied the spider-bodied Gorosei with great interest:
"What's going on? Could it be this pirate world, just like the shinobi world, has powers beyond Devil Fruits and Haki?"
When he crossed over, he'd only seen Luffy reach Whole Cake Island. He hadn't seen the Gorosei's storyline yet.
Sengoku explained:
"He is the Child of the Devil, Uzumaki Naruto, a shinobi. You should've seen him years ago."
Jaygarcia Saturn's pupils shrank.
"That brat… from back then!?"
Back at Ohara, Saturn had already taken notice of the blond boy, intending to study his body.
But before they could act, Naruto had vanished without a trace, as if evaporated from the world.
The World Government had assumed he'd died.
Who could've imagined, more than a decade later, that very blond brat would reappear, invading the Holy Land and slaughtering hundreds of Celestial Dragons.
And just as they prepared to capture him again, Naruto had disappeared once more.
No one had thought that same boy would return like this—terrifying beyond belief, brimming with energy that inspired fear itself.
The atmosphere grew tense. Naruto cast a sideways glance at Whitebeard, then at Shiki, Rayleigh, and the others.
"Do you really need to look that grim?"
Whitebeard's voice rumbled low:
"Uzumaki Naruto, you don't understand. These monsters possess immortal bodies. Only supreme Armament Haki can wound them. If all five arrive together, even I would find it troublesome."
"Immortal bodies!?" Naruto raised his brows, staring at the spider-like Gorosei.
"You mean they can't be killed?"
"That's right."
Whitebeard nodded, concern flickering in his eyes. If this battle dragged on and all the Gorosei descended, even the Whitebeard Pirates could be annihilated.
"How interesting…"
Naruto's curiosity sharpened. The Nine-Tails' massive right claw ignited with golden flames as it came crashing down on Saturn.
Saturn frowned, raising his staff and unleashing fearsome Armament Haki to meet the blow.
BOOM!!!
Flames erupted in every direction—but Saturn remained unscathed.
Naruto barely blinked. The fox's claw pressed down harder, power surging as it slammed into Saturn.
Sengoku shouted in warning:
"Uzumaki Naruto's strength rivals Whitebeard's!"
Saturn's face darkened as he struggled beneath the fox's paw, snapping irritably:
"You should've told me that sooner!"
With a thunderous crack, the claw forced the staff down, golden talons piercing straight through Saturn's swollen abdomen.
Blood gushed forth.
Naruto frowned in disappointment.
"What the hell? You look like some giant purple spider, belly all swollen—yet instead of webbing, you just spew blood?"
Saturn staggered back, face pale.
He hadn't grasped Naruto's power, hadn't braced himself—only carelessness had let the claw pierce his gut.
To Naruto's surprise, the wound closed before his eyes. Flesh knit back together unnaturally fast.
It wasn't mere regeneration. It was as if he truly possessed an immortal body—like Tsunade's Byakugō no In (Strength of a Hundred Seal).
"This is getting fun… could it be that the peak powers of this pirate world are not inferior to the monsters of my shinobi world?"
Naruto's eyes blazed with battle heat. The golden fox's voice thundered:
"Whitebeard, I don't have time to waste here. I'll strike once more—then I'm leaving."
He had come to Marineford to make his name known, not to linger endlessly.
Whitebeard, hearing this, steeled his resolve. His eyes locked on Garp, and without hesitation, he swung his blade down.
Barrett seemed intrigued by the Gorosei, but Saturn had already distanced himself.
Sengoku shouted anxiously:
"Jaygarcia! The Navy can't hold these monsters back! Summon the other Gorosei—or the Holy Knights—now!"
Saturn's face twisted, his pride burning.
"I know! Stop pestering me!"
He was one of the Gorosei, supreme rulers of the World Government. Ordinarily, he would never expose himself to such danger.
But now, there was no choice. They couldn't let Marineford fall.
It was, after all, their greatest military stronghold.
Yet even so, he dreaded fighting these old-era pirates. They all knew his weaknesses.
Glancing at Rayleigh, Shiki, Barrett, Saturn activated another pentagram array.
Meanwhile—
Naruto drew a deep breath. The golden fox's mouth gathered raging chakra, compressing it into a black sphere.
The moment the dark orb formed, Saturn's heart jolted violently. It felt as though unseen hands had gripped his chest, stealing his breath.
His head snapped toward Naruto, his eyes wide with fear.
"Wait! Uzumaki Naruto! What is that thing!? We can negotiate—"
But even with an immortal body, for the first time in ages, Jaygarcia Saturn felt death itself looming from Naruto's Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bomb).
(End of Chapter)
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