The vast room was empty aside from the Five Elders. The silver-haired girl from moments ago had vanished without a trace. Only a faint fragrance lingering in the air proved she had ever been there.
"Hmph. Was she here to provoke us?" said the Elder with the birthmark, veins bulging on his forehead, face dark with fury.
"Just childish tantrums," said the flat-hatted Elder coldly. "If she thinks this level of provocation is enough to make us wary, she's far too naive."
"To think she can oppose us with something like that..." the blond Elder snorted. "She truly doesn't understand the consequences of her actions."
"Since she dares to challenge us directly, we can't ignore it anymore," said the sword-wielding Elder, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "It's time to show her what true power means."
But just then, they seemed to sense something. Their expressions suddenly changed as their figures flashed—reappearing outside the grand hall. When they looked up at the sky, their pupils shrank sharply.
Above the clear blue sky, a massive black sphere had appeared from who knows where. Inky black and enormous, it was so huge it nearly blotted out the entire sky, casting the land below into shadow.
It was several times larger than even Mary Geoise itself.
Before it, the sun itself paled in comparison.
What shocked the Five Elders even more was the overwhelming power they could sense emanating from the black sphere—a soul-shaking, terrifying aura. Even they felt a chill of fear.
What is that thing?
The black sphere, brimming with that dreadful energy, descended with unstoppable force—its target: Mary Geoise.
Panic broke out among the residents. The terrified Celestial Dragons fled in all directions, screaming and crying in hysteria. The city was gripped by a chaos akin to the end of the world.
The black sphere descended closer and closer to Mary Geoise, nearly touching it.
With such size and weight, even if it were just a rock, its fall would pulverize the entire city into dust.
What now?
They didn't want to die!
Just as despair consumed the people, the black sphere in the sky suddenly vanished—like it had evaporated into thin air.
The panicked residents were stunned. Looking up, they no longer saw the dreadful sphere but a sky of blue and clouds of white. It was as if the terrifying vision had all been a dream.
The Five Elders, who had been ready to act, let out a small breath of relief—but their faces remained grim.
Because the energy contained within that sphere had been far too immense. Even they hadn't been fully confident in their ability to destroy it.
"Was she... threatening us?" asked the birthmarked Elder, his face dark.
"It seems so," said the long-haired Elder solemnly. "We truly underestimated her."
The others looked equally troubled.
This was a blatant threat.
A blatant slap in the face.
No one had ever dared to threaten them like this.
It was outright rebellion.
Meanwhile, on Upper Yard, the so-called God's Island—
BOOM!
With a dull thud, a fat, ball-shaped figure was sent flying, crashing hard into a tree. Bang! A burst of blood sprayed from his mouth as a large front tooth flew out.
Kaguya walked over and was about to deliver another kick when she suddenly sensed something. She turned her head and looked in the direction of Mary Geoise, a smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
So, the Five Elders couldn't sit still anymore. It seemed her recent activities had finally raised their alarm.
The Kaguya that had appeared at Mary Geoise earlier wasn't her real body—it was a shadow clone. But even a clone, infused with chakra from multiple worlds' dragon veins, possessed immense power—far stronger than her form during the Naruto era.
As for the massive black sphere in the sky—that had been her Expanding Truth-Seeking Ball.
As one of the most powerful jutsus, even the Five Elders would have to seriously consider whether provoking her was worth the risk.
That's right—Kaguya had placed a shadow clone near the Five Elders long ago, just to monitor their actions at any time. Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.
Occasionally giving them a warning could keep them cautious—she had no intention of letting her mission be interrupted.
"Damn you, who the hell are you?!" the fat ball of a man struggled to his feet and growled.
He was Satori, one of Enel's four High Priests.
"A mere weakling like you isn't worthy of knowing my name," Kaguya snorted coldly.
"How dare you look down on me!" Satori roared in anger. He clapped his hands, and countless white spheres emerged, forming a massive serpent-like dragon with gaping jaws that lunged toward Kaguya.
"Surprise Ball Dragon!"
"Die!"
But as Kaguya looked at the dragon, disappointment filled her eyes. "I thought it was a Devil Fruit ability."
She had initially assumed Satori possessed Devil Fruit powers, but now it was clear he was just using a combination of Dials—stuffed with odd materials. With Kaguya's eye techniques, she could easily see through the trick.
"If it's not a Devil Fruit, then don't pretend like it is," Kaguya said angrily, raising her arm.
"Banshō Ten'in."
As soon as the words fell, the dragon seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and was yanked backward.
"What?!"
Satori was horrified as the dragon spun back and wrapped itself around him.
His face turned pale with fear. He knew all too well—he'd packed that thing full of explosives.
"Didn't you love riddles?" Kaguya sneered. "Then let's see—can you guess whether you'll survive this one?"
She clenched her outstretched hand.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the air. Flames surged skyward, smoke billowed everywhere.
Thud! Satori, charred black and reeking of roasted meat, collapsed to the ground, smoke still curling from his mouth.
"Someone like this dares call himself a priest? More like a pig farmer," Kaguya scoffed.
At that moment, three dark shadows suddenly leapt out from the dense forest, attacking at lightning speed.
Just as the three figures were about to strike Kaguya, she looked up with a cold smile. "Just a few nobodies—and you still dare to embarrass yourselves?" As she spoke, she raised her arm and grabbed at the air.
"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu."
Pshk!
Countless sharp wooden spikes suddenly burst out, impaling the attackers. Crimson blood sprayed through the air.
The three of them, bleeding from their mouths and noses, were sent flying like porcupines, soaring into the air before BOOM!—they crashed heavily to the ground.
"The weak should recognize their place. Running out here to die—what are you thinking?" Kaguya scoffed.
These three, if she wasn't mistaken, were also priests under Enel, just like Satori before them. But these bottom-tier grunts didn't even catch her interest. They were too weak, and lacking Devil Fruit powers, she didn't bother taking them seriously.
"How long do you plan to keep watching?" Kaguya turned toward the lush forest, her voice calm. "Do you enjoy watching others fight that much?"
"Hehehehehe..."
A sinister laugh suddenly echoed, and a blinding bolt of lightning struck from the sky, condensing into a human figure.
It was a young man with a headwrap, pale skin, narrow eyes, and sharp features. His most distinctive traits were his long earlobes—so long they nearly touched his chest—and the gaudy earrings dangling from them. Kaguya couldn't help but be reminded of Liu Bei, the sandal-weaver from old tales—there was a slight resemblance.
To make things worse, on his back was a giant ring resembling a hula hoop, with several drums attached. The whole look screamed try-hard fashion disaster.
If he walked down a modern street dressed like that, he'd probably get beaten up.
"You've got guts, coming to my domain to cause trouble," Enel said coldly. "And you even dared injure my priests."
"Your domain?" Kaguya snorted. "Since when did this place become yours?"
Enel spread his arms, his voice filled with pride. "Anywhere I lay eyes upon is my territory. Even if it's not now, it will be."
Kaguya's eyelid twitched. This guy was even more shameless than the Golden Lion. At least Golden Lion never said anything this outrageous. Was ignorance truly that fearless?
"Hey," Kaguya coughed lightly. "Can I ask you something?"
Enel paused. "What is it?"
"When did you escape from the mental hospital?" Kaguya asked, expression dead serious.
Enel froze, his face darkening with rage. "What did you say?!"
"Oh, don't take it the wrong way," Kaguya said. "I'm just saying—modern medicine is pretty advanced. As long as you're not terminally deep in chuunibyou, there's still hope. Don't carry too much mental burden—just cooperate with the doctors."
"You wretch! You want to die!" Enel roared in fury. Even he could tell he was being mocked.
With a shout, his body transformed into a streak of light, and in an instant, he appeared before Kaguya.
"Daring to mock me is unforgivable!" Enel raised his golden staff and swung it hard toward Kaguya's head.
"Your posture for a sneak attack is decent, but that's not quite it."
A melodic voice rang beside Enel's ear. His pupils shrank in shock—Kaguya had vanished from in front of him, and he hadn't even noticed.
How was this possible?
Enel couldn't believe it. He had eaten a Logia-type Devil Fruit—Goro Goro no Mi—and his body was composed of lightning. He possessed the speed of light, capable of defeating enemies before they could even react.
Yet somehow, he had lost in terms of speed.
What shocked him even more was that his always-reliable Observation Haki now seemed useless—he couldn't sense her presence at all, as if she had vanished into thin air.
Who the hell was this woman?
He wanted to transform into lightning and escape, but it was already too late.
"Let me teach you what a real sneak attack looks like," Kaguya said, raising her hand. A black rod appeared in her palm. Her arm swung high, then came crashing down.
BANG!
The rod struck Enel's head hard.
His eyes bulged as he was slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
The earth cracked and shattered, leaving behind a human-shaped crater.
"Trying to act tough in front of me?" Kaguya scoffed, her snort filled with disdain.
"Damn you—!"
BOOM!
Enel burst up from the dirt, lightning-fast as he charged toward Kaguya, grinding his teeth. "You bastard—I'll kill you!"
Kaguya remained unmoved and sneered, "You know, everyone who's ever said 'I'll kill you' to me already has weeds growing on their grave. And you're out here saying stuff like that? Bold of you."
Enel's eyes were bloodshot, practically spewing fire. "El Thor!" he roared, raising his arm. A blinding flash of lightning surged forth.
The electric arcs danced and crackled, distorting the air with their intense heat.
BOOM!
The lightning bolt struck Kaguya head-on, releasing an explosion of blinding light. The sheer heat ignited the surrounding vegetation into a raging blaze.
Enel sneered. "Fool. You shouldn't meddle with powers you don't understand. Daring to mock a god like me… you brought this upon yourself."
"Hey, hey—that's my line."
A charming voice rang out. From the midst of the roaring flames, Kaguya stepped forth.
Her body was still sparking with residual electricity, as if cloaked in a mantle of lightning.
Enel's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible..."
That was several million volts of high-voltage electricity—and she was completely unharmed. Not even a single strand of hair was singed.
"Surprised?" Kaguya smiled calmly.
Enel swallowed hard.
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