Amidst the explosion, Deidara had half his body blown apart. But dust from the surroundings rapidly condensed, quickly restoring him to his original state.
"Hehehe, true art is an explosion! Hm!"
He inhaled the lingering traces of the blast in the air, maintaining a savage and crazed expression.
"This maniac!"
Even the powerful ninjas brought back through Edo Tensei couldn't help but curse under their breath. This guy truly didn't distinguish between friend and foe. If they hadn't dodged early or blocked the blast, they would have been caught in the explosion too.
Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "The Akatsuki members may be mad, but they're definitely strong!"
Thanks to Deidara's explosive performance, Lin Xuan had just gained over forty million reputation points.
Deidara was indeed a tough opponent. In the Naruto world, he had caught Nagato's attention for a reason. If not for running into Sasuke with lightning-based countermeasures, he might not have died so easily.
"Good thing he didn't use C4 Karura or go straight for self-destruction, otherwise we'd probably have to change battlefields!"
Maybe I should let him blow himself up just once, for the spectacle?
Of course, Lin Xuan only entertained the idea for a moment. Even though the Edo Tensei bodies could regenerate from any damage, it'd be way too embarrassing to be blown to pieces in public. These guys still had pride, after all!
He wasn't planning to end the battle anytime soon—after all, the longer this dragged on, the more reputation points he could farm from the Marines.
Then a thought popped into his mind: Since Deidara was summoned by me through Edo Tensei, even if he self-destructs, would it even hurt me?
Probably not. None of them could truly die, and he'd remain unharmed. In fact, it might be fun.
But it wasn't just the ninjas reacting—Crocodile and Doflamingo were both visibly shocked.
They each had explosive Devil Fruit users under their command—Mr. 5 of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit and Gladius of the Pop-Pop Fruit—but this new guy? His destructive power clearly outclassed both of them.
Despite their inner turmoil, they didn't show it outwardly.
"That guy's pretty strong," Doflamingo muttered in his usual cocky tone, but behind his sunglasses, his gaze had grown far more serious.
Crocodile gave him a side glance, still wearing his usual cold expression, but his eyes showed he wasn't exactly calm either.
Even Moria, with his ever-annoying grin, was visibly shaken. His huge body trembled slightly—perhaps imagining what it would be like to face Deidara in a one-on-one fight.
Dracule Mihawk's gaze became sharper. He looked like he was getting eager for battle.
Jinbei wore a stunned expression.
Bartholomew Kuma remained emotionless as ever, like a cold machine.
As for Boa Hancock, after her initial shock, her eyes drifted back to Lin Xuan. She whispered to herself, "Such powerful subordinates… this man really is something else…"
At the same time, people around the world were witnessing the battle through a live transmission. The image of Deidara's massive explosion was broadcasted everywhere, stunning viewers across the globe.
In one sea region, aboard a certain island under the Whitebeard Pirates…
A large figure with a signature white mustache sat in a chair, getting IV treatment. Whitebeard's gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him as Marco the Phoenix stood beside him, reporting the intel they'd gathered.
"Shinobi, huh? What interesting beings… Gurararara!" Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh and took a huge swig of sake.
Marco wanted to stop him, but knowing Whitebeard's personality and current condition, he held his tongue.
All the commanders were gathered today, and watching this extraordinary battle play out only added to their excitement. Many were nodding and expressing admiration—they could see clearly just how powerful these "ninja" were. It made them itch to fight them head-on.
One person was absent—Ace. He had already gone off in pursuit of Blackbeard, who had murdered his crewmate and stolen the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Whitebeard paused after laughing, and a flicker of concern crossed his face—clearly, he was thinking about Ace.
Elsewhere, in a small tavern on a remote island, what had been a lively, noisy atmosphere suddenly turned quiet. Everyone was glued to the screen on the wall, eyes wide with shock.
"That explosion… was that the power of a Devil Fruit?"
"Who the hell are these so-called ninja? They look terrifying!"
"Wait—look at the blond guy! His limbs were blown off… and they're regenerating? What kind of power is that!?"
Everyone in the bar was frozen in disbelief, watching as Deidara's severed arms began rapidly regenerating in a swirl of dust. It was beyond anything they'd ever seen—limb regeneration?!
In a shadowed corner of the tavern, a few quiet individuals sat watching the screen as well.
One of them was a red-haired man with scars over his left eye—and only one arm.
It was none other than the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Captain, what do you think?" the ship's doctor Lucky Roo asked in a hushed voice.
Shanks smiled, then said seriously, "Me? I'm using my eyes to look, of course!"
Ben Beckman: "…"
The rest of the crew burst into laughter. Trust their captain to crack a joke even at a time like this.
Beckman looked like he was about to explode from frustration but held it in—he knew he couldn't win a fight against Shanks anyway.
Thankfully, Shanks didn't drag the joke on. He turned serious again.
"They're strong. If this keeps up, the balance of power in the seas might be shaken."
"I don't know where they came from, but their abilities are strange, ancient… and powerful. I have a feeling this ocean won't stay calm for much longer."
The rest of the crew nodded solemnly.
Even though they weren't there in person, it was clear from the screen alone—these so-called "ninja" were terrifyingly strong. Even the Red-Haired Pirates wouldn't be confident facing them.
At that same moment, far across the sea, the Big Mom Pirates and Beasts Pirates were also fully focused on the chaos erupting in the Sabaody Archipelago.
The entire world had shifted its attention to the battle.
And the age of legends… was beginning to stir once more.
----------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]//allbluestories