As the preliminaries came to an end, there was still one month until the official fourth round, when distinguished guests from several major nations would gather.
During this time, Roy naturally wouldn't let himself idle away inside Konoha Village.
Above the azure sky, a dazzling golden light trail blazed brilliantly.
Roy's figure raced along this trail, his speed astonishing, as if transcending the bounds of space, finally coming to a steady halt outside a village shrouded in rain.
This village was Amegakure, a place of grand scale, perpetually cloaked in dark clouds and torrential rain, giving it an exceptionally mysterious and inscrutable air.
Roy hovered high in the sky, closing his eyes and concentrating, pushing his Observation Haki to its utmost limit.
This invisible force spread out like ripples, silently seeping into every corner of Amegakure, probing the secrets hidden in the shadows.
As his Observation Haki delved deeper, Roy sensed one powerful presence after another. Among these, the most striking were the six entities that were both immensely strong and utterly devoid of life—the Six Paths of Pain.
"How terrifying, the Six Paths of Pain," Roy murmured to himself.
Roy focused his Observation Haki into a single thread, directing it straight toward the deepest part of Amegakure.
Yet, the presence that echoed back surprised him greatly.
In those depths existed two powerful auras. Their strength was no less than that of Orochimaru, and one of them surpassed him, emanating a chilling aura—naturally, it was Nagato.
Vaguely, Roy seemed to hear Pain's signature background music, mysterious and grand.
Not far from these two auras was an even stranger and more unfathomable presence, a vast and malevolent force.
"That's—the Gedo Statue!" Roy's eyes snapped open, a flicker of surprise in them.
He had never imagined that coming here with mere curiosity would unexpectedly bring him into contact with the most hidden secret.
"If I remember correctly, the Gedo Statue's true identity is the Ten-Tails after having its chakra extracted."
Roy muttered to himself. In the original story, the Gedo Statue eventually transformed into the complete Divine Tree.
This was something brought by the Ōtsutsuki clan, a sapling of the Divine Tree, and the very origin of chakra in this world.
"What if I were to snatch a few branches from the Gedo Statue and plant them in the world of One Piece? What would happen?"
Roy's heart raced with excitement.
Whether planted in the One Piece world or used for research, the value would be immeasurable.
"Let's do it!"
Roy gritted his teeth with excitement. Besides, Nagato's Rinnegan was still inside it—he could try to snatch that, too.
It's not like leaving it with Nagato would do any good.
Having decided to act, Roy was resolute.
Of course, before that, he took out a meticulously prepared Root organization mask and uniform, quickly putting them on.
It was the symbol of Konoha's "Root" identity.
"As Konoha's pot king, taking on a few more pots shouldn't be too much, right?"
A playful smile tugged at the corner of Roy's mouth. After all, Danzō was already burdened with so many pots; even if the Akatsuki came knocking, it would only be fitting.
As golden particles shimmered around him, Roy's figure was enveloped in a layer of mysterious light. Then, a brilliant beam shot across the sky, racing straight toward the depths of Amegakure.
At that same moment in Amegakure, Nagato was suddenly struck by an intense sense of unease, as if something was fixated on him.
"What's wrong, Nagato? You seem off," Konan asked, noticing his distress.
"No! Something's wrong!"
Nagato snapped to attention. His sensory jutsu had caught a strange presence—something was breaching Amegakure's defenses at an incredible speed.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Without hesitation, Nagato performed the Summoning Jutsu, swiftly calling the Six Paths of Pain to his side. His instincts told him a crisis was approaching.
Faintly, he felt as though he could sense a terrifying attack, one capable of shaking heaven and earth, rapidly closing in.
Nagato unhesitatingly manipulated the Deva Path, instinctively launching an attack.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Speed is weight!"
A mocking voice suddenly sounded in Nagato's ear, sending chills down his spine.
The very space seemed torn apart by an invisible force, and infinite light instantly filled the skies above Amegakure.
An unprecedented, terrifying repulsive force, deep and immeasurable, clashed with Roy's light-speed kick, the collision sending ripples cascading outward.
A look of keen interest appeared on Roy's face as he studied this power.
"It seems, in such haste, the Deva Path's power hasn't reached its full potential…"
Roy pondered inwardly. Then, the force behind his foot surged again. With a burst of blinding brilliance, Pain's "Shinra Tensei" was torn apart by this power, dissolving into nothingness.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, countless sheets of paper swiftly enveloped Roy from all sides.
Then, the Six Paths of Pain landed with a crash, encircling him and locking him down.
Meanwhile, Konan's true body moved quickly, relocating Nagato to a safer position behind.
"What a true monster," Roy chuckled softly, raising his hands. With a flick of his fingers, countless energy bullets imbued with destructive power scattered like a meteor shower, attacking everything around him.
But surprisingly, the Preta Path leaped forward, its hands wreathed in a strange, unfathomable energy—an energy capable of devouring other energies. Even Roy's overwhelming barrage was absorbed one by one, vanishing without a trace.
"Oh? So this energy can absorb even my attacks?"
A glint of curiosity flashed in Roy's eyes. He decided to test the limits of the Preta Path further.
"Yasakani no Magatama!" Roy intoned. Instantly, endless light energy coalesced into magatama shapes, pouring down like a meteor shower, each one holding terrifying power.
The Preta Path continued to absorb the attacks tirelessly, but then Nagato's expression changed drastically. The other five Paths of Pain retreated without hesitation, as if sensing an impending catastrophe.
The next moment, the pent-up force finally erupted. The Preta Path's all-absorbing hands shattered, its body having absorbed too much energy, ultimately exploding in a thunderous blast.
"Banshō Ten'in!" Just as Roy prepared to press his advantage, an irresistible gravitational force suddenly seized him, as if trying to drag him into an endless abyss.
Roy's form flickered as he attempted to use his special ability to transform into light and escape, but the pull was stronger than he'd imagined, intensifying relentlessly. Even his elemental form seemed unable to break free.
"Could it be that even elementalization can be drawn in by this force?"
Roy mused to himself. Then, with a playful smirk, he deliberately flew toward the Deva Path.
Seeing this, Nagato's eyes turned icy. The Asura Path swiftly summoned its terrifying weaponry, aiming directly at Roy.
But just as the fatal strike was about to land, Nagato's expression shifted dramatically.
In Roy's hand, a finely crafted, coldly gleaming longsword had appeared—the Kusanagi blade he had taken from Orochimaru.
Through his recent studies, Roy had come to understand this sword's absolute, unbreakable sharpness. He speculated its material might rival that of the legendary Six Paths treasures.
"Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!"
Roy intoned, the blade flaring with intense light. A dense layer of Armament Haki then coated it, making the sword even more fearsome.
With a single swing, a terrifying slash tore through the sky, instantly annihilating the Asura Path.
The slash was so powerful it seemed to cleave space itself in two, howling straight toward the Deva Path.
Seeing this, Konan's eyes flashed with undisguised anxiety and worry.
"Roar!" At this critical moment, the massive Gedo Statue behind her suddenly awakened. Like a moving mountain, it leaped forth, its fist slamming into the slash that could destroy anything.
A terrifying shockwave swept across all of Amegakure.
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