Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan shimmered faintly as his mouth slowly fell open in disbelief.
"This… this power in the sky," he muttered hoarsely. "Just sensing it makes my instincts scream in fear."
Aside from his clash with Hashirama, Madara tasted true dread.
No… not even Senju Hashirama, the so called God of Shinobi, had ever made him feel this level of terror.
Ashveil's presence was even more overwhelming than Hashirama's had ever been.
That man looked calm, relaxed, almost harmless, yet the pressure he radiated felt like the gaze of a god itself.
For the first time in a very long while, Uchiha Madara was completely unable to comprehend the enemy before him.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates erupted into thunderous laughter.
"Hahahahaha. The people of the Shinobi World must be watching this right now."
"What do you think their faces look like after seeing Ashveil's power?" Whitebeard roared toward the sky, his laughter shaking the air.
Golden Lion Shiki joined in with a savage grin.
"Forget them. Even I needed a long time to recover after facing Ashveil for the first time. That power is not something a normal mind can process."
Garp, Sengoku, Kong, and the rest of the Marines also watched quietly. Once enemies of Ashveil, they now stood firmly on his side.
After witnessing Imu's true nature, they finally understood how blind their past choices had been.
Now, Ashveil was fighting for the survival of their entire world.
How could they not support him?
"Go, Ashveil."
"Show them what the Pirate World truly holds."
Even the former prisoners of Impel-down cheered with hoarse voices.
Kaido and Big Mom laughed openly.
"Let that bushy-browed man feel what real terror is," Kaido said with savage delight.
The memory of being utterly crushed by Ashveil resurfaced in his mind. The absolute pressure, the despair rooted deep in his bones.
Watching Might Guy's shaken expression now filled Kaido with twisted satisfaction.
Above the arena, the sky churned violently.
Conqueror's Haki condensed into physical form, and a colossal humanoid palm materialized from the heavens.
It descended with overwhelming force.
The raging energy Might Guy had built up collapsed instantly under the crushing pressure, resembling a divine judgment strike.
Might Guy's crimson aura scattered like mist in a storm.
His charging momentum halted completely.
He stood frozen beneath the massive palm, eyes trembling.
"This power…" he whispered. "It scattered my Eight Gates energy using only its aftershock."
For the first time, the foundation of Might Guy's worldview cracked.
Years of training, pain, discipline, and burning determination, yet all of it felt meaningless in front of this overwhelming existence.
Was effort truly powerless before absolute talent?
Ashveil raised an eyebrow slightly.
Might Guy was strong. To recover even a fragment of composure under his Conqueror's Haki was already something worthy of respect.
Even so, the people of the Shinobi World erupted with renewed shouts.
"Get up, Guy."
"Show him your youth."
Kakashi clenched his fists.
"Go, Guy. Burn it all."
Roaring with willpower, Might Guy stomped into the sky, shattering the air beneath him. The shockwave carved a massive crater into the ground below.
Naruto stared in awe.
"This is incredible. Guy sensei is truly unbelievable."
But his excitement froze the very next second.
With a casual flick of Ashveil's wrist, Might Guy was sent flying like an insect crushed by invisible pressure.
The mere contact with Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki shattered his defenses entirely.
The Eight Gates Formation collapsed instantly.
His teeth were crushed, bones fractured, and blood sprayed through the air.
More terrifying than the pain was the fear that surged from the deepest part of his soul.
"This power… only a god could possess something like this."
"That man… is beyond human."
Might Guy's body tumbled downward like a broken puppet, heading straight toward a towering mountain below.
"Guy."
"Might Guy."
"Teacher Guy."
Lee, Naruto, Kakashi, and the others shouted in desperation.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sound of the space-time pendulum echoed once more.
A beam of light halted Might Guy midair.
Golden energy washed over his body, restoring every shattered bone and torn muscle in an instant.
He gasped sharply, trembling.
The pendulum rang again.
"Victory confirmed."
"Ashveil wins this round."
"Might Guy of the Naruto World is defeated."
A mysterious force pulled Might Guy back to his world.
"Are you alright?" the others rushed toward him.
He steadied himself and nodded grimly.
"I am… but that man's strength is on a completely different level."
Kakashi's expression darkened.
"That power… it defies understanding."
Madara scoffed coldly.
"Hmph. Excuses."
"I thought you were powerful, yet you cannot even defeat one man."
Might Guy roared back.
"You do not understand his terror. Only a god could fight like that."
"A god?" Madara narrowed his eyes, intrigue lighting his gaze.
The pendulum sounded again.
"Next challengers from the Shinobi World."
"Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Madara."
Naruto stiffened as his name was called, immediately activating his Nine-Tails Mode.
"I will win."
Madara stepped forward calmly.
"I will handle this. You cannot defeat him."
Kakashi pulled Naruto back.
"At this moment, only Madara is suitable."
After a long pause, Naruto lowered his head.
Madara lifted his gaze.
"I, Uchiha Madara, accept the challenge."
Dark energy surged as four invisible silhouettes formed around him.
In the next instant, Madara was transported into the duel arena.
Ashveil remained in the center, unshaken.
The duel began.
Madara immediately deployed his Limbo Clones and launched his Six Paths Power.
The sky turned black.
A crushing pressure descended upon the land.
Even the powerhouses of the Pirate World felt the shift.
"That technique resembles Admiral Fujitora's," Marines exclaimed.
Fujitora himself widened his eyes.
"So this is gravity on that scale."
"And yet… he faces Ashveil."
The Shinobi World erupted with excitement.
"That meteor is far stronger than anything before."
"Is that what, Madara could have used on us?"
Ashveil smiled faintly.
Madara's meteor descended.
A colossal, invisible Conqueror's Haki fist surged upward.
The meteor shattered on impact.
Stone fragments scattered harmlessly within the arena.
Madara's heart pounded.
Yet his Limbo Clones were already closing in.
Four unseen figures rushed toward Ashveil at once.
Even seasoned Observation Haki users struggled to detect them.
But Ashveil perceived everything clearly.
_____
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