Whoosh!
The roaring sound of the ocean tide exploded in everyone's ears.
The sea surface churned like a rampaging giant beast, whipping up towering waves.
The surging torrent of water rolled forward like a massive mountain, its speed and power far beyond the imagination of these low-level East Blue pirates.
In a near-instant, it completely swallowed the gatling fire-serpent attack, turning into a sheet of white waves that engulfed the tall bow of the ship!
However, the power of the Water Release wall did not stop.
It plunged straight toward Krieg's flagship—
That massive warship with three decks.
Standing at the bow, Krieg's eyes were filled with unprecedented panic!
His eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
He screamed as he fled back to the deck:
"Stop it! Quick, stop it!!!"
Yet on the deck, led by Gin the Man-Demon, hundreds of pirate crew members all had their pupils contract and cold sweat break out as they faced this oncoming surging torrent!
"Run! Find somewhere sturdy to take cover!" Gin roared in despair.
The crew scattered in all directions.
Some pirates, as large and bulky as wild bulls, desperately used iron chains and wooden planks to secure their bodies.
However, in the face of such formidable natural force,
all efforts were in vain.
The violent seawater slammed heavily onto the deck in an instant, washing away everything. Countless wooden crates, heavy cannons, all sorts of melee weapons, and crew members were swept into the ocean like blades of grass.
Seeing this, the crew members on the surrounding pirate ships grew even more panicked.
"Captain Krieg! Everyone!"
"They can actually control seawater! We picked the wrong people to mess with!"
"Big Brother Gin!!!"
"Oh no! Captain Krieg's mainmast has been snapped in half by the water!"
"Look! They're gone! Those ten people from just now are gone!"
......
The current came fast and went just as quickly.
When the deck was revealed once more,
the triple-decked giant ship had been crushed by the fallen, thick mainmast.
Scattered across the deck, a few pirate crew members were still breathing their last.
"No! No, please!"
At the broken railing, Krieg screamed hysterically.
His hands tightly gripped a hemp rope as he hung over the side of the hull.
Suddenly,
several figures against the light appeared above him.
Black shadows shrouded them, revealing pairs of eerie, red eyes.
So frightened was Krieg that his soul grew cold, as if he were looking at the Grim Death.
"My lords, I was wrong! I promise I'll never attack your country again! Please spare my life and let me redeem myself through service!"
Krieg cried out, begging for mercy.
A few pairs of cold Sharingan stared at him.
Shortly after,
under the gaze of thousands of his subordinates on nearby vessels, Krieg was bound hand and foot and shoved onto the deck.
Having snatched back his life, Krieg gasped for breath.
"Krieg, order your men to lay down their arms and surrender, and sail the ships into the port to face punishment," Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice.
Recovering his wits, a cunning gleam flashed in Krieg's eyes.
Suddenly,
violent tremors erupted from all over the ships.
The Uchiha members swept their cold gazes across the surroundings.
More than a dozen nearby pirate vessels were seen closing in on this battered three-decked giant ship.
Boarding planks and grappling hooks connected the ships one by one.
A startling number of ferocious pirates charged over, weapons in hand.
"Hehe~"
Krieg—a man embodying cowardice, cunning, and treachery—smiled.
With a violent struggle, he snapped the restraints on his hands and feet.
With an arrogant and overbearing demeanor, he declared:
"Devil Fruit users, are you? I am the overlord of the East Blue!"
Countless ferocious pirates shouted battle cries as they charged in from all sides of the ship.
Their faces were painted with a bloodthirsty fanaticism.
Gin the Man-Demon was the first to toss a heavy golden battle spear from a corner toward Krieg:
"Captain, your weapon!"
Krieg raised his hand and gripped it.
The heavy golden battle spear weighed a full two thousand catties.
Armed once more, Krieg wore a brutal smile, his eyes flashing with a craving for battle.
He held the battle spear aloft, standing on the deck like a god of war, his voice echoing across the sea:
"Lads! Slaughter them for me! I am the overlord of the East Blue!!"
However, faced with the swarming pirates, the ten Uchiha members appeared exceptionally calm.
They stood their ground, as if entirely unthreatened.
Not a trace of panic crossed Uchiha Fugaku's face as he commanded coolly:
"Prepare for battle. Subdue them using Genjutsu and Earth Release—avoid killing them. The country needs these laborers."
"Understood!"
Following his command,
the Uchiha members stood in place and executed their dōjutsu.
In an instant,
the pirates charging at the front fell as if into a dream; their movements slowed, and their eyes grew hazy,
until they stood frozen in place, completely motionless.
Yet the number of pirates was staggering.
No matter how powerful the Sharingan Genjutsu might be, it could not withstand a sea of humanity.
Immediately,
Fugaku and the other nine rapidly formed hand seals, their hands moving with fluid grace.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Break."
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison."
"Earth Release: Yellow Mud Swamp."
......
In a flash,
massive amounts of rock and quagmire spewed forth across the warship.
A vast number of pirates were imprisoned by sturdy rock pillars or sank into the swamp, unable to move.
Even Krieg was trapped by a cage formed from more than a dozen rock pillars erupting from beneath his feet.
Seeing his subordinates lose their ability to act one by one,
anger and panic intertwined on Krieg's face.
Inside the cage, he swung his battle spear,
shattering the rock pillar before him with a single blow.
Boom!!!
His battle spear came with an explosive effect, and paired with his monstrous strength, ordinary Earth Release ninjutsu struggled to trap him!
Krieg charged toward Uchiha Fugaku!
However, Uchiha Itachi stood before Fugaku with an expressionless face.
"Why the Uchiha Clan is called the strongest and feared—let me show you the power of a Kekkei Genkai."
Itachi murmured.
Krieg's ferocity did not wane; even though his opponent was a mere kid, he swung his battle spear high, preparing to smash the person before him to pieces with a single blow.
The next instant,
Itachi's Sharingan eyes glared wide!
Tsukuyomi!
Krieg's movements froze instantly.
He felt the world spin wildly around him,
the surrounding scenery transforming into a world interwoven with blood-red and black-and-white!
As for himself,
he was nailed to a cross floating upon a sea of blood, unable to move an inch.
Directly opposite him,
Itachi stood holding a katana, staring at him expressionlessly.
"What! Where is this? What did you do to me, you bastard brat!"
Krieg tried to unleash his brute strength, only to find he couldn't summon even an ounce of force.
"How long can someone like you, who knows nothing of Genjutsu, endure?"
Itachi murmured.
The katana in his hand slowly pierced into Krieg's abdomen, then slowly pulled out.
The excruciating pain made Krieg's eyes bulge instantly, his pupils contracting violently!
"Ah!!! Bastard! I'll slaughter you!" Krieg screamed in despair.
The next instant,
his wounds healed,
yet the lingering echoes of the pain still reverberated through his brain.
When Krieg came to his senses,
the single Itachi before him had turned into three!
Before he could catch his breath,
the katanas in the hands of all three pierced toward his abdomen once more.
"Ah!!! Isn't this Genjutsu! It shouldn't hurt! How is this possible! Ahhhhh!!!"
Krieg's miserable screams echoed through this Genjutsu space.
Itachi remained cold and aloof, administering punishment as he spoke:
"In this Tsukuyomi space, whether it is space, time, or mass, everything is controlled by me. You'd best not think of this as an ordinary Genjutsu, because the pain is entirely real. For the next seventy-two hours, I will continuously stab you with this blade."
......