Chapter 384: They're Not Planning to Attack This Place, Are They?
On the ground, Uchiha Dali's clone was still facing off against the Marines.
Meanwhile, high above in the sky, Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki and the real Uchiha Dali were already preparing to leave.
A massive, pitch-black space-time gate appeared overhead.
Under the gaze of the entire world, Uchiha Dali and Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki stepped into it together and vanished completely.
That scene, unsurprisingly, caused an uproar throughout Marineford.
"Hey, hey, hey, what was that? How did those two just disappear like that?"
"Up in the sky… was that a black hole just now?"
"Could it have been some kind of teleportation portal? Where did those two go?"
"They're completely gone. Did they leave?"
"..."
Everything had happened too suddenly, and Uchiha Dali and Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki left too quickly. Most people had no idea what had just occurred.
In fact, the majority hadn't even clearly seen that last moment.
Only Uchiha Dali's clone knew exactly what was going on.
Watching his true body depart, he turned his gaze back to Sengoku and the others.
"So, what's your decision?"
"Life… or destruction? Right now, your fate is in your own hands."
"The countdown begins—ten seconds."
With that, he actually began counting down.
At the same time, on the sea outside Marineford, a massive pirate ship was passing through the Gate of Justice.
On the deck, the Red-Haired Shanks and his crew stared at the distant sky with looks of shock and uncertainty.
"Boss, what was that thing just now?"
Lucky Roux asked in astonishment.
They too had seen the sudden appearance of that space-time gate in the heavens.
Shanks shook his head gravely. "Not sure. But two terrifying presences just vanished."
"Yeah, I sensed them too," Benn Beckman replied. "There were two incredibly powerful beings in Marineford just now—but when that massive black hole appeared, their auras vanished as well. Really strange…"
"You think they left through that portal?"
Yasopp voiced his own confused guess.
None of them could answer that question.
Even with their top-tier Observation Haki, they hadn't been able to grasp what truly happened. For those relying on ordinary eyesight, it was even less possible.
"In any case, we're about to reach Marineford. Everyone, prepare for battle," Shanks warned.
...
At the World Government's seat of power—the Holy Land, Mariejois.
Inside the Council Chamber, the Five Elders were on high alert, looking as though facing an imminent crisis.
"Those two were clearly allied with that brat—and from the looks of it, they might even be twins!"
"They're not planning to come here, are they?"
The bearded Elder with the golden mustache voiced the concern aloud.
The enemies' sudden disappearance over Marineford might have seemed like good news—after all, it meant those unwanted interlopers were no longer meddling in the war there.
But considering that one of the mysterious men had openly declared their intent to rule the world before vanishing, it was hard not to feel uneasy.
"If they really come here, that'll be a problem."
The Elder with the large beard said gravely.
To deal with the crisis, the World Government had already deployed most of its elite forces.
Over two-thirds of the God Knights had been sent to Marineford, leaving less than one-third to guard the Red Line.
Given the enemies' overwhelming strength, if they truly were coming for Mariejois, there was every reason to worry.
"It seems we must be ready to take action ourselves."
The bald Elder wearing glasses said calmly.
The others, hearing this, all released an astonishingly powerful aura in unison.
The world only knew them as the highest authorities of the World Government.
Few realized that each of the Five Elders was also among the strongest fighters alive—their combat power rivaling the world's most renowned warriors.
At that same moment, Imu—who had also received reports of the situation—was preparing to join the battle.
Her power was unfathomable; no one knew just how strong she truly was.
However, whether it was Imu or the Five Elders, none of them realized that Uchiha Dali didn't even consider them worth his attention.
His true enemy was hidden somewhere among the stars.
...
In the cold, pitch-black depths of space—
Near a vast asteroid belt, the figure of Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki slowly emerged from the void.
This asteroid field had once been the sacred ground of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Long ago, internal strife had erupted among the clan, leading to war. In the end, the clan's holy land was obliterated in the flames of conflict, and countless clan members perished.
This wasteland had since become their graveyard.
But Àoshiki hadn't come here to mourn his fallen kin.
He slowly descended onto one of the asteroids.
Though from afar it looked no larger than a human body, up close its true scale was immense—Àoshiki standing upon it appeared as nothing more than a speck.
In a flash, he appeared before a shattered stone monument and began reading the inscriptions carefully, as if searching for something.
He was looking for clues.
Unbeknownst to him, Uchiha Dali and his younger brother Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki were already on their way there.
After a long search, Àoshiki still couldn't find what he sought.
He frowned, then instantly created hundreds—no, thousands—of shadow clones, dispersing them in all directions.
"Shibuna buried the fallen clansmen here and supposedly sealed a great power along with them. Find that entrance!"
He ordered his countless clones, who immediately began their search. His true body joined them as well.
After some time, they still found nothing.
Àoshiki's irritation grew.
"Damn that Shibuna! He sealed our clansmen's remains here long ago—where the hell is it? How am I supposed to open that accursed vault?"
As he struggled to figure out how to enter the Ōtsutsuki clan's forbidden grounds and claim the power he desired, he suddenly sensed two powerful auras approaching.
Àoshiki's eyes narrowed sharply as he looked up.
Within seconds, a space-time gate appeared in the void.
From it, Uchiha Dali and Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki stepped out side by side.
The moment they locked eyes, both sides recognized each other.
Àoshiki's gaze turned icy cold. "You two really are like haunting ghosts—you actually tracked me here!"
Kyōshiki replied coolly, "So my hunch was right after all, Àoshiki. You really are coveting whatever lies within the Ōtsutsuki clan's forbidden grounds."