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Sandersonia grew increasingly irritated as she watched Shisui effortlessly dodge her attacks. What frustrated her the most was that he wasn't even using Observation Haki, yet his movements were so precise and fluid that none of her strikes could land.
"How is this possible?!" she thought, her annoyance growing with each missed attack. Each time she lashed out with her serpent-like strength, Shisui would simply vanish from her line of attack, reappearing in a different spot as if he had read her every move in advance.
"Your Observation Haki is impressive," Shisui said calmly, "but you can't replace the importance of the eyes with it. Sharingan doesn't just hypnotize and cast illusions. One of its key powers is extraordinary insight. You can sense my movements, but I can do the same, and more, with my Sharingan."
Sandersonia's face twisted in frustration. "Damn it! What kind of monsters are these? And these eyes—what else can they do?"
Shisui smiled confidently. "Let's continue."
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Shisui called out, and four identical clones appeared beside him, all radiating the same presence and power.
Sandersonia's brow furrowed in confusion. "What kind of sorcery is this? How did one become five?!"
The female warriors in the audience, along with the empress, were equally perplexed, struggling to comprehend what was happening on the battlefield.
Without wasting time, the five Shisuis charged forward, surrounding Sandersonia and launching a coordinated attack. Though Sandersonia tried to defend, her Observation Haki, while powerful, struggled to keep up with the barrage of attacks from five identical opponents.
After a fierce exchange, Sandersonia's defenses began to falter, and she sustained minor injuries. Her Armament Haki couldn't fully block the enhanced strikes of Shisui's kunai. Despite her Zoan Fruit ability giving her resilience, the damage was taking its toll.
"I see you used up your clones, but they couldn't finish me off," Sandersonia taunted, though she was clearly winded.
"That was just the beginning," Shisui replied. "Now it's time to end this."
In a flash, Shisui performed a series of hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique"
Three massive fire dragons erupted from Shisui's mouth, their blazing forms spiraling toward Sandersonia. She barely managed to dodge, but the dragons, under Shisui's control, redirected themselves and sped toward her once again.
The audience screamed in fear as the fire dragons roared past them, but Shisui skillfully kept the attack under control, guiding the flames back toward Sandersonia.
Realizing she couldn't evade forever, Sandersonia gritted her teeth. "Damn you!" she growled, her hair transforming into serpentine beasts once again, surging forward to intercept the flames.
*Boom!*
A massive explosion rocked the arena, sending shockwaves through the crowd. The female warriors and spectators screamed as the platform was engulfed in flames and smoke.
When the smoke finally cleared, Sandersonia lay on the ground, panting heavily. Her hair was badly burned, and her body bore clear signs of injury. She struggled to push herself up, but it was clear she had no strength left to continue.
"You fought well," Shisui said as he approached. "But it's over."
Sandersonia slammed her fist into the ground in frustration. "Damn it!" she cursed. "If the arena weren't so small, if my form wasn't so restricted, I wouldn't have lost so badly."
The crowd was in disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
"Even Lord Sandersonia was defeated!"
"Are men really this strong?"
The shock rippled through the Amazon Lily warriors, and a murmur began to grow. "Does that mean these outsiders have won?"
The Uchiha clan, on the other hand, erupted into cheers. They had secured a major victory.
But the empress, Boa Hancock, was far from pleased. Her expression darkened, and she bit her thumb in irritation.
These men, these "disgusting men" as she often called them, had dared to defeat her warriors. Worse, she could feel her control slipping as this new power is going against her.
Even though She felt she had the power to turn them all to stone with ease, yet they continued to resist like they could defy her. That made her even more angry.
"Wait!" Hancock shouted, her voice ringing through the arena. "This battle isn't over yet!"
The crowd fell silent, confused by her sudden declaration.
"You agreed to three duels, but we've only had two. That means the winner hasn't been decided yet," Hancock continued, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
One of the Uchiha clan members shouted from the stands, "Hey! Lady Hancock, are you trying to cheat?"
With an innocent expression, Hancock batted her eyes. "Cheat? Me? Oh no, you all said three duels, but no one said anything about two out of three. Besides, this is Amazon Lily, and here, I'm the one who is making the rules."
The crowd erupted in support of their empress, crying out, "Lady Hancock is always right!"
Many men in the Uchiha clan found themselves captivated by Hancock's beauty, their hearts racing as they watched her. Even hardened warriors couldn't help but be drawn in by her charm. Yet, the Uchiha were born with strong spiritual power, allowing them to resist her allure, even if just barely.
"I don't care if you call it cheating or feeling aggrieved," Hancock said with a playful wink. "Because I am so... beautiful!"
Her words caused her loyal female warriors to swoon and cheer even louder.
Akira, seeing where this was going, sighed. "If I don't agree, will you let this go?"
"No," Hancock replied simply.
"Of course not," Akira muttered, exasperated.
With a swift movement, Akira's figure appeared in the center of the fighting stage, facing Hancock directly.
"Come down," he said, his voice calm but commanding. "I know that if I don't defeat you, you'll never accept this loss."
Akira appeared helpless on the outside, but a quiet confidence radiated from his posture. Deep inside, however, he was pleased.
"Everything is unfolding just as I imagined it would," he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips. The reactions, the tension in the air, all of it was playing perfectly into his expectations.
...