In the blink of an eye, a pair of brand-new pupils appeared!
At the center were two circles, one large and one small, nested within each other. The outer circle extended six black spikes, resembling a glowing sun!
Lin Xuan's Mangekyō Sharingan had successfully awakened!
Feeling the immense ocular power emanating from his eyes, a smile immediately spread across his face.
"Hmm?"
The next moment, he instantly sensed the surrounding Marines closing in on him.
His gaze swept across the area and finally settled on Momonga, who was charging toward him with fierce momentum.
He couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you guys coming after me instead of dealing with Madara?"
However, Momonga didn't answer his question. Instead, with a cold expression, he abruptly waved his hand.
Instantly, all nine Pacifistas lunged at Lin Xuan!
Despite their massive, bulky appearances, these Pacifistas were not to be underestimated. Their speed and strength were astonishing, and their movements were overwhelmingly powerful, as if they could smash through any obstacle in their path!
Seeing this, Lin Xuan was slightly surprised. "You're disregarding the safety of the Celestial Dragons? Or…"
Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the ground beneath him, where he keenly detected a presence moving toward him.
Lin Xuan didn't need to think hard to realize that this was undoubtedly a Marine with some kind of earth-moving ability—or rather, an ability related to trees, since the ground of Sabaody Archipelago was mostly composed of roots!
He couldn't help but sneer. "So, you're just trying to distract me while someone else rescues the hostages!"
Before his words even faded, he abruptly stood up and stomped his foot down hard!
"Boom!"
The ground within a hundred-meter radius around him instantly collapsed and shattered. A pained scream erupted from beneath the surface!
"Damn it! We've been discovered!"
A Marine lieutenant commander shouted in alarm and rushed to the source of the scream. With a slash of his sword, he cut open the ground and pulled out the injured Marine.
Unfortunately, the Marine was already severely wounded and unlikely to continue fighting.
"Everyone, stop!"
Momonga immediately ordered all the Pacifistas to halt. After glancing at the injured subordinate, he barked, "Take him away for treatment!"
Then, his gaze returned to Lin Xuan as he roared furiously, "Using hostages as leverage is cowardly! If you have the guts, fight me head-on!"
Lin Xuan burst into laughter and mockingly scanned the surrounding Marines. "You've got a whole army surrounding me, and you have the nerve to call me out for not fighting head-on?"
The Marines' expressions stiffened, their faces flushing with embarrassment.
To their surprise, Lin Xuan then added, "Even though you're shameless, I'll give you a chance for a fair fight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he formed hand seals and activated a jutsu he had just purchased from the Prestige Shop.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Poof!"
Another version of himself appeared on the spot, leaving Momonga and the others utterly dumbfounded.
What kind of ability was this?
They'd never heard of a Devil Fruit that could create clones!
Could this really be some kind of ninjutsu?
While they were still stunned, Lin Xuan left his shadow clone behind, holding the three leashes and guarding the hostages, while his real self strode forward.
He eyed the towering Pacifistas with interest and said, "How about this? If you can defeat me, I'll hand over the hostages. Deal?"
Hearing this, Momonga and the others brightened visibly.
A Marine lieutenant commander asked sternly, "Defeat you? Are you saying you'll fight us one-on-one?"
Lin Xuan shrugged. "Whatever you want. Single combat or a group fight—it's all the same to me. If you can take me down, I lose!"
This statement infuriated many of the Marines.
After all, every Marine officer here was an elite among their ranks. When had they ever been looked down upon like this?
But on second thought, this was actually a good thing!
In their eyes, this situation was far better than the hopeless standoff earlier. At least now they had a chance to rescue the hostages!
Moreover, they refused to believe that so many of them working together couldn't defeat Lin Xuan!
However, Momonga felt there was no need for everyone to attack at once.
He barked, "Stand back! I'll have the Pacifistas test just how strong this guy really is, to dare say something like that!"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan's smile widened. "Pacifistas, huh? Then I'll just destroy these hunks of junk first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he focused his mind and unleashed his ocular power.
"Susanoo!"
"Hummm!"
Momonga and the others only saw a golden light suddenly envelop Lin Xuan's body, rapidly forming a massive skeletal structure that soon transformed into an armored golden giant dozens of meters tall!
In an instant, Momonga's fighting spirit evaporated. He stared dumbfounded at Lin Xuan and stammered, "Y-You… how do you know this move too?!"
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T/N:
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