Sengoku and the others remained on high alert for a long time before finally confirming that Roger, Rocks, and Kong were truly gone.

Behind Chiga, three pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs floated silently, slowly returning to their place. Gion, curious, reached toward one of them.

"Don't touch it," Chiga said firmly, grabbing her wrist. "If you make contact, you'll vanish."

Startled, Gion quickly pulled her hand back. Recalling what happened to Roger, she instinctively took a step away from the orbs.

Sengoku approached with visible hesitation, eyeing the floating orbs with a heavy heart.

"Chiga... they won't come back again, right?"

"No," Chiga replied calmly. "They've been erased. This time, permanently."

"And Fleet Admiral Kong?"

"He's gone. Truly dead."

Sengoku lowered his head. Even though he had prepared for this outcome, accepting it was still painful.

What made it worse was that the souls of Roger and the others hadn't even returned to the Soul World. Chiga couldn't resurrect them, even with Netherworld Rebirth. Their existence had been wiped clean.

Garp placed a firm hand on Sengoku's shoulder. Though his bond with Kong wasn't as deep, he shared in the grief.

Tsuru gently pulled Sengoku into a quiet embrace, comforting him like one would a mourning child—though this particular child happened to be a towering man.

Watching the moment unfold, Gion nudged Chiga in the ribs and whispered, "Do you think Principal Sengoku is about to become my brother-in-law?"

Chiga gave a helpless shrug. "We'll just have to wait and see. But for now, things aren't over."

He suddenly swung his hand forward, shattering the air like breaking glass. A massive shockwave surged toward the distant straw hat-shaped protective shield.

Weakened by the earlier Super Shinra Tensei, the barrier didn't last a second. It shattered instantly, and the palace within collapsed in an explosion of debris.

From the ruins, a dark pillar of light erupted toward the sky. As it rose, the air grew heavy and oppressive.

Then, a chilling voice echoed from within.

"Uchiha Chiga... you've finally arrived. I've waited long enough."

Chiga smiled coldly. "Im. This ends today. Why keep hiding?"

"Heh. Hide? Not at all. I've prepared everything for your arrival."

As the dark light receded, the figure of Im stepped into view.

He appeared surprisingly youthful, his most distinct features being two jet-black rhino-like horns protruding from his forehead. His robe was obsidian, the color scheme a stark contrast to Chiga's luminous Ōtsutsuki form.

A malevolent aura radiated from him, freezing the air and forming frost across the ground.

Even seasoned warriors like Sengoku and Garp felt a pressure bearing down on them, their strength faltering beneath Im's overwhelming presence.

Gion instinctively gripped Chiga's hand, her body trembling slightly—until warmth and reassurance flowed through her at his touch.

Chiga pulled her closer.

"Gion," he said softly, "go below deck with the others. This isn't a fight you can be part of."

Gion looked up at him with worry etched into her eyes. But she understood. Staying would only endanger him.

"You'll come back, right?"

"I promise," he said.

He kissed her briefly, then used Substitution to transfer her, Sengoku, and the others back to the warship below.

Now alone, Chiga turned to face Im, whose twisted grin remained.

"Done playing hero?" Im taunted. "Because after I kill you, they'll be next."

Unfazed, Chiga gently tapped the ground with his staff. A warm, milky-white light enveloped his body.

As the glow faded, his appearance shifted—white robes floating without wind, his feet lifting from the earth. He had fully entered Ōtsutsuki State.

He hovered silently, facing Im at eye level. His gaze drifted across the dark, vertical markings on Im's face.

"This power," Chiga said calmly, "it doesn't belong to you, does it?"

The words struck a nerve.

Im's smile twisted into a snarl, his face contorted in rage.

"You dare!?" he roared. "This power is mine and mine alone!"

But to Chiga, the response said everything: Panic.

He simply shook his head and chuckled. "I didn't say much... but clearly, I hit the mark."

Im's patience shattered. With a shout of fury, he lunged forward, black energy coating his outstretched hand as he tried to grab Chiga's chest directly.

But Chiga vanished before impact, reappearing safely a short distance away.

He hadn't missed what Im was trying to do. That energy wasn't standard Armament Haki—it was something similar to a Truth-Seeking Orb.

If that touched him—even in his Ōtsutsuki body—it would be dangerous.

Im's breathing steadied, and the false calm returned to his face.

"Spatial ability, huh?" he smirked. "Let me guess... Instant Transmission Fruit? No, no—you're not the type to waste time with that. Could it be... the Op-Op Fruit?"

He suddenly raised his hand and traced a wide arc in the air.

"ROOM!"

He laughed with glee. "It is the Op-Op Fruit! You really went and got it!"

Chiga didn't bother replying. He had no concern about Im knowing his abilities—especially not after turning Mary Geoise into a crater.

Im raved for a moment longer before his gaze shifted to Chiga's Rinnegan.

Greed consumed his features.

"What a magnificent pair of eyes," he whispered, licking his lips. "Soon, they'll be mine."

Chiga stared right back at the man's crimson-red eyes. They resembled the Rinnegan—but lacked the complete pattern.

He stayed cautious. Eyes like that often hid unique ocular jutsu, and Chiga knew all too well how dangerous those abilities could be—even for someone at Six Paths-level.

Take Kamui, for example. A Mangekyō ability, yet capable of warping dimensions and ignoring most attacks.

Even Kakashi, a non-Uchiha, had used double Kamui in Obito's body to go toe-to-toe with Kaguya herself.

That, in Chiga's mind, made Kamui the strongest of the Mangekyō techniques.

And if Im's eyes possessed something of that caliber...

This battle would be far more dangerous than anything Chiga had faced before.

---

Patreon is far ahead btw....

Patreon.com/Zphyr_