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"Capture me? Kehahahahaha!"
Golden Lion Shiki burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
The pirate captains joined in, mocking the bold declaration.
"Kid, I pitied you, thinking you were just some shadow cast under your older brother. But it seems you're too arrogant to appreciate kindness."
"I expected the Navy to get involved, but just two people? Did you seriously think you could cause trouble here with only that?"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, barriers around the surrounding rooms fell, revealing countless pirates clad in black, armed with swords and knives. Their sharp eyes gleamed with amusement as they surrounded Uchiha Kitaro and Gion.
"I have 81 pirate captains and over 5,000 men here. What do you think you can accomplish with just two people? This is recklessness, not strategy."
"Recklessness? You misunderstand," Kitaro replied with a sly grin. "We're not just a two-man team. Who said it's only the two of us here?"
"What? Are you claiming you brought two thousand people instead? Impossible. This island is covered with surveillance. Any large group would've been spotted instantly."
"Well, you guessed it—two thousand, precisely! And while it's not quite 5,000, the quality speaks for itself. If necessary, they could handle not just 5,000, but 50,000!"
With a swift hand sign, Kitaro declared: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
In an instant, the palace was filled with thousands of identical clones of Uchiha Kitaro, of course in the appearance of the disguised non-existing Uchiha Akira.
"What?!"
Everyone froze in shock.
Even Gion, wide-eyed, was left speechless. She had never seen this technique before. "Two thousand Akiras?" This... is so amazing."
With a smirk, Kitaro asked, "Now, does your 5,000 still seem like a big number?"
"Grr..."
Even Golden Lion Shiki was taken aback. "What is this ability? Cloning? A Clone Fruit?"
"Attack!" Kitaro ordered calmly.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
In perfect unison, the clones formed hand seals. From each mouth erupted a massive, blazing fireball, about two meters in diameter.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The combined power of two thousand fireballs obliterated the palace in an instant.
"AAAHHH!"
"NOOO!"
Amidst the explosions, anguished cries filled the air.
CRASH!
Shiki emerged from the smoke, his face contorted with rage as he looked at the ruins of his palace.
"My palace! My men! My plans! You've ruined it all!"
This was the culmination of twenty years of meticulous planning, all destroyed by one insolent brat.
Shiki's fists clenched as he activated his Devil Fruit powers.
RUMBLE!
Two nearby mountains cracked and rose into the sky under Shiki's command.
"I don't care who you are! You dared to ruin my plans, so I'll crush you right here!"
With a furious roar, Shiki hurled the two mountains toward Kitaro and Gion.
"Giant Rasengan!"
Dozens of clones leapt into the air, each wielding a massive spiraling sphere of energy.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions filled the sky as the Rasengans shattered the two descending mountains into rubble.
"What?!" Shiki's confidence wavered.
Kitaro smiled. "Seems like I'm the one with the numbers advantage now."
"Don't get cocky, brat! Numbers alone don't guarantee victory! Let me show you my true strength!"
Shiki raised his hands, causing the ground beneath them to fracture and rise.
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki (Lion Menace: Earth Coiling)!"
The shattered earth transformed into massive lion heads that roared as they surged toward Kitaro and his clones like a tidal wave.
"Giant Rasengan!"
The clones fearlessly charged into the oncoming lions, smashing them apart with Rasengans.
Under the relentless assault of nearly two thousand clones, the massive lion heads crumbled in mere seconds.
"Damn it!" Shiki growled, his face darkening. His ultimate attack had barely slowed them down.
"Take him down," Kitaro commanded.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The clones surged toward Shiki like a relentless tide.
"Don't underestimate me!" Shiki bellowed.
"Zanpa: Slash Wave!"
Shiki swung his sword-like legs, unleashing a barrage of devastating slashes.
"Moonwalk!"
The clones skillfully evaded using aerial maneuvers, advancing toward Shiki in unison.
BOOM!
The ground below split from the force of Shiki's attacks, but the clones were undeterred. They closed in, raining punches and kicks upon him.
"Damn it!" Shiki cursed, desperately dodging the relentless attacks. Never before had he been so humiliated—chased and cornered by mere clones.
"Shishi: Senjindani (Thousand Slice Valley)!"
Shiki retaliated with a flurry of kicks, sending waves of sword energy at the approaching clones.
But the clones weren't fazed.
"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon—Incessant!"
In unison, they unleashed countless vertical slashes, a storm of blades that overwhelmed Shiki's attacks in an instant.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sheer volume of strikes obliterated everything in their path, forcing Shiki to flee in panic.
Shiki breathed heavily, beads of sweat dripping down his face. "Good thing I escaped... If I hadn't, I'd have been shredded to pieces..."
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