Deep within the hidden rain village, the area was now a wasteland, thick smoke from the explosions lingering among the collapsed walls and broken ruins.
Nagato suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face pale as paper.
Though he had used all his strength to forcefully suppress his body and unleash Shinra Tensei, barely managing to block Roy's overwhelmingly powerful final strike, the cost was severe—he himself had suffered heavy injuries, his chakra nearly depleted, and his life force was rapidly fading.
Obito Uchiha watched as Roy unhesitatingly cut down three pillar-like sections from the Gedo Statue, the fury and frustration within him intertwining until he could barely breathe.
His fists clenched tightly, but he could only stand by and watch Roy's figure recede into the distance, powerless to do anything.
"Hmph, what a terrifying guy. For one of Danzo's subordinates to be this strong? It's simply unheard of."
Nagato's low voice echoed through the ruins, revealing deep caution.
Just then, a strange black-and-white figure suddenly rose slowly from the ground, like a ghost emerging from the shadows—it was Zetsu.
"Zetsu, do you have any intel on that guy?" Obito Uchiha's voice was unusually heavy; against such a formidable enemy, the importance of intelligence went without saying.
"No." Zetsu's answer was direct, and he was not lying.
At that moment, even he was deeply confused—when had such a powerful existence appeared in the ninja world?
Judging by the power Roy had displayed, he had undoubtedly surpassed the threshold of Kage-level and reached an entirely new height. In this era, unless Madara Uchiha could truly be revived, there was likely no one who could stand against him.
"Cough, cough…" Nagato struggled to sit up, his weary eyes flickering with complex emotions as he fixed his gaze on his "cooperative" partner, Obito Uchiha, trying to discern the truth from his reactions.
"Who are you really? There's no way Madara Uchiha would retreat so easily."
But Obito remained silent. The anger and sense of defeat surged within him like a tidal wave. Roy's appearance had humiliated him, and that was something he could not accept.
In the end, he chose to escape, activating Kamui and vanishing from the spot.
"Cough, cough…" At that moment, Konan quickly arrived by Nagato's side, gently helping him up and leading him away from this dangerous place.
The other members would be arriving soon, and they absolutely could not let them see Nagato in his current weakened state, or all their efforts would be for nothing.
"Although there's been a slight deviation in the plan, once Madara Uchiha is revived, all difficulties will be resolved."
Zetsu calculated silently in his mind, watching Nagato's coughing figure with a deep frown.
He realized that for the sake of the larger plan, he had to act quickly to help Nagato recover.
"It seems it's time to use some measures to help Nagato regain some strength…"
Zetsu muttered quietly, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth. In truth, it wasn't that he lacked the ability to restore parts of Nagato's body; he had simply refrained from doing so to keep Nagato's power in check.
However, Roy's appearance had completely shattered the original balance, forcing him to reconsider his strategy.
"Heh heh, Obito is far too incompetent. Looks like I'll have to rely on Nagato to capture the tailed beasts after all."
Zetsu grinned, his eyes gleaming.
…
In the distant sky, a dazzling golden beam sliced through the air, carrying an undeniable presence, finally landing steadily on an open expanse of flat ground.
"Whew, that was intense."
Roy exhaled lightly. Facing three powerful opponents—Nagato, Konan, and Obito Uchiha—at the same time had required even him to be cautious.
In his hand, Roy tightly gripped three special branches—the core sections he had cut from the massive statue's body.
These three branches were no ordinary pieces; much of the Gedo Statue's power was channeled through them.
"How strange. Even though they've been cut off, they still seem to contain some kind of life force."
Roy gazed at the branches in his hand, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
He could sense a vitality flowing through them, something hard to describe, as if they still possessed their own will and life.
To better understand the secrets of these branches, Roy slowly channeled his own chakra into them.
As the chakra flowed in, the branches seemed to activate, their surfaces glowing with a faint luminescence as they grew more animated, even seeming to struggle to break free and sprout.
At the same time, a grand yet sinister aura emanated from the branches, causing Roy to frown.
"Ten-Tails, a unique creature of the Ōtsutsuki clan—the seedling of the Divine Tree."
Roy silently recalled the plot details he knew. "They say that only when the Ten-Tails devours an Ōtsutsuki member can it fully awaken and transform into a true Divine Tree."
At this thought, Roy fell into contemplation.
If he planted these three branches, imbued with the Ten-Tails' power, in the world of One Piece, not only would they likely fail to realize their true value, but they might also attract unnecessary trouble.
After all, the Ōtsutsuki clan's obsession with the Ten-Tails was well known. If they actually took notice, the consequences would be dire.
Weighing the pros and cons, Roy decided to take them back to his own world and hand them over to Vegapunk, the genius scientist, for research.
[Ding, special item detected!]
Suddenly, the interface of the chat group Roy belonged to flickered with an unusual light, and the emotionless voice of the virtual administrator sounded in the group chat.
Roy's gaze instantly locked onto the chat group notification, a wave of indescribable surprise rising within him.
The chat group hadn't given him any individual notifications in a long time.
He quickly read through the administrator's message.
[This item holds significant value. You may choose whether to surrender it.]
The words echoed in his mind, making him grip the branches tighter as a contemplative gleam flashed in his eyes.
"What's in it for me?" Roy quickly calmed down and asked the crucial question.
There was no such thing as a free lunch. Since the system was requesting the surrender of the item, there had to be a corresponding reward.
Otherwise, who would be foolish enough to hand it over?
The chat group's virtual administrator seemed to have anticipated Roy's reaction, as another message popped up: [By surrendering one Divine Tree branch fragment, the system can activate one Divine Tree branch fragment, briefly merging it with you to restructure your chakra.]
This message made a flash of delight appear in Roy's eyes.
Activate the branch? Restructure the world of chakra?
This was undoubtedly what Roy had been dreaming of.
If he could merge with this branch containing the Ten-Tails' power, even for a brief time, it would be enough to bring him immense benefits.
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