To the disappointment of the shinobi from the Ninja World, the expected scene of the bald monk becoming a "weakling" the moment he touched seawater never came.
What they saw instead was the figure of the bald Gorosei member leaping straight out of the sea, showing no signs of weakness at all.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A Devil Fruit user who's not afraid of seawater? Now that's interesting."
The bald monk gave a cold smirk. "Mere seawater is no threat to me."
"As I thought… there are deep secrets in these waters," Lin Xuan said, his gaze sharp. "The World Government truly isn't simple. Don't tell me... the fatal weakness of Devil Fruits—could it be part of a grand conspiracy of yours?"
But the bald monk only sneered and gave no answer.
"You don't want to talk?"
Lin Xuan didn't seem angry. In fact, his interest grew even more. "That's fine. As long as I kill you, I'll find out everything I want to know."
Kill me, and you'll know everything?
The bald monk frowned, unable to grasp what Lin Xuan meant. Normally, when someone dies, they take their secrets with them—how could he expect to learn anything then?
What he didn't know was that Lin Xuan had a much different plan in mind.
So far, he hadn't used Edo Tensei on any native of the One Piece world. His system could resurrect powerhouses from other dimensions—naturally, reviving locals would be no problem.
Once he killed the bald monk and brought him back through Edo Tensei, no matter how tight-lipped he was in life, he'd have no choice but to spill everything after death.
The more Lin Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became. He could already imagine summoning the resurrected bald monk right in front of the other four Elders and making him fight them. That would surely stun the world—and bring him an avalanche of fame points.
With that thought, Lin Xuan was more eager than ever to take the bald monk down.
The monk had mulled it over for a while but still couldn't figure out what Lin Xuan was planning. He could only sneer and say coldly, "Is that so? Then I'd like to see if you even have what it takes to kill me!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he struck.
The First Generation Kitetsu sword in his hand suddenly blazed to life. With a powerful swing, he unleashed a massive sword slash—
Boom!
A terrifying wave of energy ripped through the air, growing larger as it flew forward. In the blink of an eye, it had expanded to the size of a mountain.
The shockwave was so intense that it made the surrounding seawater and even the air feel like it was boiling. With devastating force, it roared straight toward Lin Xuan's golden Susanoo, as if it could slice the towering figure clean in two.
Everyone nearby was stunned.
"I can't block that slash," Tobirama muttered, his voice grave.
Not far from him, Izuna Uchiha sighed. "I hate to admit it... but he's right."
Most of the others had come to the same conclusion. Aside from Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju—who were both at Six Paths level—none of them had any confidence in stopping that strike.
Dodging it? Maybe. Some thought they could manage that.
But that wasn't the issue right now. The question was: Could Lin Xuan withstand it?
As everyone stared anxiously at the golden Susanoo that loomed like a mountain, Lin Xuan suddenly smiled.
The next moment, his body—along with the enormous Susanoo—vanished into thin air.
The attack slammed into nothing but empty space!
"What?!"
Both the bald monk and the shinobi spectators widened their eyes in shock.
"What just happened?!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Why did he just disappear?!"
"Could it be... the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Hiruzen Sarutobi guessed.
"You're absolutely right," Minato said with certainty. "I never imagined the mysterious leader of this group would even know that technique."
What Minato didn't know was that Lin Xuan had stolen the Flying Thunder God directly from him, using a divine-level copy card. There hadn't been time to ask for permission, so he'd just taken it.
While everyone was still reeling from the surprise, Lin Xuan reappeared—right behind the bald monk—and launched his counterattack.
Boom!
Without warning, the towering golden Susanoo thrust its spear forward like a god's judgment descending from the heavens.
The monk was completely unprepared. The massive spear—like a divine pillar—slammed into him and sent him flying.
But that wasn't the end of it.
As the bald monk flew backward, Lin Xuan activated another jutsu.
"Wood Style: Wood Golem Jutsu!"
From the sea before the monk, a gargantuan wooden figure burst forth. It stood just as tall as the Susanoo, a towering colossus that seemed to shake the ocean itself.
"Holy crap…"
Even Hashirama, who was locked in combat with Sengoku, was stunned.
He couldn't believe that Lin Xuan had not only learned his Wood Style—but could summon a Wood Golem even bigger than his own.
Madara was equally shocked.
Sure, he knew Lin Xuan could copy his Sharingan, so copying Wood Style wasn't much of a stretch.
But what truly astonished him was Lin Xuan's ability to control such a massive Susanoo while simultaneously commanding an equally enormous Wood Golem.
This meant Lin Xuan could effectively fight two top-level battles at once—maybe even more.
As Madara and Hashirama watched in awe, the wooden giant raised a hand and swatted the airborne monk back like a fly.
Suddenly, the once-dominant monk found himself completely on the back foot—caught between the relentless attacks of the golden Susanoo and the towering Wood Golem, tossed back and forth like a rag doll.
After a brief moment of shock, the bald monk roared in fury.
"You dare mock me like this? Insolent wretch! Die!"
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T/N:
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