What Shiraishi had forged for Uchiha Madara was a war fan, crafted to the exact specifications and design of Madara's original gunbai.
It had to be said that this Sea-Prism Stone weapon was manufactured with remarkable ingenuity. Even Koushirou marvelled at the craftsmanship, completely unable to comprehend how Shiraishi had conceived such a method to fashion the weapon.
In truth, as a ninja of Sunagakure, forging ninja tools and crafting puppets was fundamentally an established craft. Shiraishi had dealt with the Shirogane clan for years and naturally possessed deep expertise in weapons manufacturing.
Though his forging level couldn't rival that of top master blacksmiths, this Sea-Prism Stone weapon was indisputably a fine piece of craftsmanship—hardly inferior to the original gunbai Madara had wielded in the past.
"You only chose to make a war fan because the supply of Sea-Prism Stone was too limited, didn't you..."
"Haha, how could that be!"
His dry comment delivered, Uchiha Madara gripped the war fan. The next instant, he took a step forward and executed a sudden, sweeping turn, releasing countless spectral ghost-fires from the fan that burned magnificently in mid-air.
"Manipulating ghost-fires like that... are your hands itching for a fight, Madara?"
Madara did not deny it. As he swung the war fan, the formidable posture of the legendary Specter of the Shinobi World re-emerged: "Then let's test it out. After our rebirth, just how much has our relative strength increased!"
Faced with Madara's challenge, Shiraishi was not surprised. If he wanted Madara to willingly become a member of his crew, this battle was an unavoidable step.
The duel between Shiraishi and Madara naturally drew the attention of Ivankov, Koushirou, and the rest of the crew. Considering the sheer destructive power their battle would generate, the combat grounds were relocated to an island sector on the outer periphery of Frostmoon Village.
"They've barely recovered and they're already fighting! Still, I can't wait to see this!"
Ace watched the battle without a care in the world, while Ivankov and Koushirou observed with grave expressions, watching how the pair would clash. Perhaps they, too, harbored a genuine curiosity regarding how far their strength had ascended after their physical transformation.
Bang!
Shiraishi and Madara flashed forward simultaneously using Body Flicker, their fists colliding violently. Their arms quivered from the impact, and with a sharp crack, both their feet sank several centimeters into the earth.
Trampling straight into the solid ground?
What is with this overbearing physical conditioning?
In the Naruto world, neither Shiraishi nor Madara had ever neglected their taijutsu training. Thus, after their physical transformation, they unleashed the raw, unadulterated combat power of their bodies.
Unsheathing his blade, Shiraishi absorbed the recoil through his right arm. Taking a deep breath, he condensed a specialized freezing aura around his weapon, drawing a sharp, ringing slash amidst the glittering light.
Madara remained somewhat wary of Articuno's capabilities. Confronted with this chilling slash of ice-bird blade-light, he approached it with extreme caution, weaving countless ghost-fires into a flame vortex to block the strike.
Yet the combined power of Shiraishi and Articuno seemed to blend seamlessly into the Mythical Zoan's energy. The momentum behind the slash was astonishing, causing even Koushirou's eyes to light up on the sidelines.
"Such offensive technique is truly splendid."
Madara was equally formidable. Holding the war fan as ghost-fires swirled around him, he raised a knee and whipped his leg around, executing a tight combination of strikes. ]A single sweep intercepted the blade-light just as Shiraishi materialized behind him, his foot colliding directly with Shiraishi's instep.
The two rapidly shifted their offensive patterns. The Sea-Prism Stone war fan clashed against Shiraishi's silver blade with a heavy metallic clang. As their weapons rebounded, both men charged forward once more, meeting fist to fist.
Feeling the sheer force of his opponent, Shiraishi gritted his teeth: "I've told you—you're the Vice-Captain of this ship."
"Heh, say that after you actually manage to beat me."
Leaping backward with a cold laugh, Madara channeled the power of his Dark Nine-Tails to steady his center of gravity. The ghost-fires behind him shot forth fiercely like a meteor shower.
As the deluge of ghost-fires rained down wildly, Shiraishi faced Madara's assault by coating his silver blade with white frost and crystalline ice, meeting the flames head-on over the sea.
Amidst the flying silver frost, Madara's silhouette vanished strangely before everyone's eyes, as if he had never been there.
An illusory disruption!
Clearly, Madara had mastered the ghost-fire capabilities of the Dark Nine-Tails, skillfully employing deceptive tactics. The next moment, Madara reappeared on the opposite side, his fist enveloped in roaring purple flames.
Shiraishi's upper body was thrown back by the heavy punch, yet he too vanished into thin air.
"Ice can create visual illusions just as easily!"
At that moment, Shiraishi's silver blade unleashed a cluster of brilliant, snow-white cold light that lunged straight for his enemy's face, the combination of attacks seamless and relentless!
As the cold light shot forward in an instant, Madara relied on his formidable physical conditioning to burst forth with raw aura. Nine tails burning with dark flames erupted around his body, thrashing wild energy through the air with him at the center.
Madara's eyes grew increasingly cold. With every move, every shift between offense and defense, he commanded the power of the dark flames, releasing or retracting them at will!
The Mythical Zoan power of the Dark Nine-Tails was gradually developing into a distinct combat style under his command.
Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, several Marine warships appeared on the distant horizon, surrounding Frostmoon Village at extreme speed.
Captain Yellowspring, his face set in a stern expression, led the elite Marines of the East Blue branch to launch a heavy artillery bombardment on the outer perimeter of Frostmoon Village—targeting Shiraishi's ship directly.
With a thunderous boom, a massive hole was blasted straight through the hull of Shiraishi's pirate ship.
Aboard his warship, Captain Yellowspring looked at the distant Sunagakure Pirates with a gloating smile: "Those wretched pirates dared to make me lose face in front of Vice Admiral Garp! Now their ship is completely ruined, hahaha!"
Captain Yellowspring harbored deep hatred for Shiraishi's group. Because of them, the Solar Pirates had been dismantled, and he himself had suffered severe reprimands from his superiors.
Since this strange group of rookie pirates had alerted Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine command in the East Blue had issued a formal scolding while granting Yellowspring three warships. Combined with his original three, he now commanded a total of six warships to thoroughly eradicate this pirate crew.
Red Deer Island was very close to Frostmoon Village, and a simple investigation had quickly revealed their whereabouts. As soon as the additional warships arrived, Captain Yellowspring took advantage of Vice Admiral Garp's rest in Foosha Village to lead his troops here directly, intending to destroy Shiraishi's crew ahead of time.
Considering that the pirate crew possessed a Mythical Zoan capability user, Yellowspring targeted their ship directly from the outset of the assault.
"What? Yellowspring launched a direct attack on Frostmoon Village?"
Garp, who was eating rice crackers, nearly choked: "That idiot... prepare to set sail immediately for support!"
Does that Yellowspring have any brains at all?
Does he truly believe that adding a few ordinary warships is enough to deal with a Mythical Zoan capability user?
As a Hero of the Marines, Garp could not simply watch a colleague march to his obvious death. Thus, windblown and weary, he led his troops toward Frostmoon Village...