"White Dragon..." Kaido's voice came low. Dangerous. "Aside from you, the strongest Marines here are Onigumo, Doberman, and Strawberry."
He paused.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"Just Vice Admiral-level fighters."
His grin widened.
"On the pirate side?" The words came smug. "Excluding me, there are five Admiral-level combatants. Nearly a hundred Vice Admiral-level ones."
He let that sink in.
"I don't need to defeat you, White Dragon." His tone turned vicious. "I just need to stall you for a little while..."
His eyes gleamed with savage anticipation.
"...and then every Marine in G-1 Base will be slaughtered."
Battlefield Assessment
Kai raised an eyebrow.
Glanced down at the chaos below.
He's not wrong.
Compared to a single G-1 Base, Kaido had gathered nearly half the pirate forces of the New World.
Overall troops: Pirates dominated.
High-end combat power: Pirates dominated.
Complete advantage.
After just minutes of fighting, the Marines were already losing ground.
Onigumo, Doberman, Strawberry—all Headquarters Vice Admirals, far stronger than branch officers—faced Admiral-level pirates.
After just a few exchanges: covered in wounds.
At this rate...
Fifteen minutes. Maybe less.
Total massacre.
Yet Kai's expression showed no panic.
He looked at Kaido calmly.
"Stall me for a little while?" His tone stayed light. "You seem pretty confident, Kaido."
Then his smile shifted—became something different.
"Well then..." Amusement colored his words. "...I'm curious how you plan to stall this technique."
Hand Seals
Kai's hands moved.
Fingers interlaced. Forming patterns.
Kaido frowned.
What is he doing?
The movements looked deliberate. Purposeful.
Some kind of ritual?
Devil Fruit activation?
Any ninja from the Naruto world would've recognized it instantly:
Hand seals.
Preparing to release a jutsu.
And the jutsu Kai was about to unleash—
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Impossible Numbers
Poof. Poof. Poof.
Smoke erupted behind Kai in a continuous chain.
Then Kaido's jaw dropped.
Hundreds of Kai Mitarashi appeared in the air.
No.
Thousands.
Completely identical copies.
Some stood straight. Others held their heads at angles. Some crouched on invisible platforms, yawning.
All real.
All solid.
All THERE.
"Clone Fruit!?" Kaido's voice came strangled. "You didn't eat some Divine Tree Fruit—you ate the Clone Fruit!?"
But confusion followed immediately.
Wait.
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia described the Clone Fruit clearly:
"Deceptive abilities. Creates clones with identical appearance. Zero combat ability. Shatter when struck."
Even awakened versions just made more clones.
Still useless in battle.
So why—
Reactions Below
"So many White Dragon Admirals!?"
A Marine's voice carried shock.
"Hmph!" A veteran pirate sneered. "Just the Clone Fruit—only good for intimidation. No real use."
"Right!" Another pirate agreed. "Keep killing! Slaughter all the Marines!"
They resumed their assault with renewed confidence.
Just a parlor trick.
Nothing to fear.
Shadow Clone Complaints
"Clone Fruit?"
Kai chuckled.
Completely unbothered by the assumption.
Didn't bother explaining to Kaido.
"Alright everyone..." His tone stayed casual. "...go down and take care of these pirates."
"Tch." One shadow clone's voice came annoyed. "You're way too lazy, original!"
"Seriously!" Another complained. "Something that could be solved with one move, and you make us do it!"
"What a pain." A third sighed. "Whatever. Let's finish this quick so we can disappear."
Black lines appeared on Kai's forehead.
Complaining about myself.
To myself.
Should I scold myself?
Each shadow clone was formed from one of his own thoughts. Except for lacking a real body, being slightly weaker, and being under his control—
They ARE me.
But despite their complaints, the clones moved instantly.
Scattered toward the battlefield like a swarm.
Onigumo's Battle
On a pirate ship, Onigumo fought desperately.
His opponent: "Pauper" Morik.
Bounty: 743 million berries.
Brutal. Gambling addict. Constantly broke—hence the nickname.
Weapon: A massive spiked club.
Combat power: Admiral-level.
After several minutes, Onigumo was exhausted.
The gap is too wide.
Vice Admiral versus Admiral-level...
...like a chasm.
"AHAHAHA!" Morik's face twisted with vicious glee. "DIE FOR ME!"
The spiked club came crashing down.
Next moment, this Vice Admiral's skull gets crushed.
Excitement blazed in Morik's eyes—
His expression froze.
Movements stopped abruptly.
Terror flooded his face.
He looked down slowly.
A blood-stained pale hand had pierced through his chest.
When—
His vision went black.
Dead.
Lightning Cutter
"Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter."
The words came calm. Almost bored.
Morik's body crashed to the deck with a heavy thud.
Onigumo stared at the figure behind the corpse.
Kai. With his faint smile.
But...
Clone Fruit has no combat ability.
How—
"Alright, continue fighting, Vice Admiral Onigumo."
The shadow clone's tone stayed light.
"There are still many pirates waiting for us to eliminate."
Then he vanished—flashing toward another pirate.
Onigumo stood frozen.
That wasn't a clone.
That was REAL.
Around the battlefield, similar scenes played out hundreds of times.
Shadow clones engaged Admiral-level pirates.
And won.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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