Just as the massive meteor was about to collide with the plaza, Chiga calmly activated the power of the Gravity Fruit.
In an instant, the falling meteor froze in mid-air, as if time itself had halted it.
Fujitora had anticipated such a response. He slammed his staff-sword into the ground, sending another surge of gravity to push the meteor downward again.
However, the added force barely increased its descent speed. The meteor, though massive, now fell sluggishly—its threat neutralized.
Chiga raised his hand slightly.
With a subtle twist of his fingers, the meteor detonated mid-air. It disintegrated into countless fragments of dust, which scattered harmlessly over the arena like ash after a firework.
The first true clash between the two had ended—brief, but telling. Fujitora's gravity-based assault had no real effect.
But he didn't falter.
Without hesitation, he pulled his sword from the earth. Gravity energy surged around the blade as he slashed forcefully through the air.
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!"
A horizontal gravitational wave howled toward Chiga, warping the very space it passed through.
His Rinnegan glowed. A moment later, a transparent repulsive force erupted outward.
A half-spherical shockwave blasted from Chiga's body, slamming head-on into the gravitational slash. The space between them buckled under the collision.
The exchange lasted less than a second.
Fujitora's attack shattered. The shockwave surged forward, catching him directly.
He gritted his teeth, trying to brace with his staff-sword—but he'd underestimated Chiga's strength.
The repulsion sent him skidding backward, his heels carving deep trenches in the arena floor before he slammed into the wall beneath the audience stands.
A cough echoed as Fujitora pulled himself out from the cratered wall. His purple kimono was torn, and dust clung to his frame.
He looked battered—but not broken.
This was the first time he had been completely overpowered by someone using similar abilities. Yet rather than dismay, a spark of excitement flickered in his expression.
Even so, he realized something: against Chiga, the Gravity Fruit alone was insufficient.
He coated his blade in Armament Haki, the hardened sheen cloaking the staff-sword. With a blur of motion, he vanished.
Fujitora reappeared at Chiga's flank—his speed surprising, especially given his heavy-set physique. He was faster than the Vice Admirals who had used Soru earlier.
Chiga's speed, already remarkable, was honed to an extraordinary degree by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, pushing it far beyond typical boundaries.
Without turning, he summoned the Susanoo Sword—its edge wrapped in pure Destruction Haki—and swung.
The two blades collided.
A tremor rippled through the air. Fujitora's pupils narrowed. The next moment, he was forced into a mid-air roll to absorb the shock. He landed several meters away.
The impact from that single swing had nearly shattered his grip. He had poured nearly everything into that strike—and it had been overwhelmed effortlessly.
Fujitora steadied his breathing.
He had one last option.
His gaze swept across the audience of Marine soldiers, then settled back on Chiga.
Using that here... was risky.
Chiga, noticing the hesitation, called out calmly,
"You're thinking of using your Devil Fruit Awakening, aren't you?"
Fujitora blinked, then slowly nodded.
"Then go ahead. I've always wondered what Gravity Awakening looks like. Don't worry—while I'm here, no one will be harmed."
Fujitora trusted him completely.
With no more doubt, he raised his staff-sword, the tip pointing straight down. A deep hum resonated as a dark purple ring expanded from beneath his feet.
It grew rapidly, engulfing the entire arena.
A crushing pressure descended on the plaza. Marines began to groan, sweat dripping as their bodies were pinned to their seats by an unseen force.
Chiga raised a hand, forming a clear repulsive barrier that extended over the audience stands.
Instantly, the pressure lifted from them. Marines collapsed into their chairs, gasping in relief.
But that wasn't the end.
"Awakening: Fierce Tiger's Strength!"
A pillar of dark purple light erupted upward from the ring.
The ground beneath them cracked and splintered under the crushing gravity, forming deep fissures across the arena floor.
Chiga floated above it all, arms outstretched.
A spherical barrier enveloped his body, then expanded outward. Every trace of the intense gravitational field vanished, erased as if wiped away by a celestial hand.
Fujitora's expression shifted.
Even his awakened Gravity powers were suppressed—completely nullified by Chiga's command over the same force.
Realizing there was no point in continuing, he sheathed his blade, bowed, and said solemnly,
"Admiral Purple Kirin… your power is beyond comprehension. I concede."
Chiga slowly descended, chuckling.
"You're impressive too. But that meteor earlier? A little underwhelming."
He raised both hands.
Above him, the half-body Susanoo took shape—towering and radiant, a spectral warrior of destruction. Its presence shook the air itself.
Though blind, Fujitora could sense it.
And he was stunned. The energy radiating from Susanoo wasn't simply powerful—it was absolute.
A purity of destruction that crushed all beneath it.
In the stands, the crowd erupted.
"Admiral Purple Kirin said it's the guardian spirit of the Uchiha Clan!"
"It's incredible! What kind of clan produces something like that?!"
"I wish I was born Uchiha…"
"Give it up," someone muttered. "Didn't the Admiral say he's the last Uchiha alive? The only way to join that clan now is… through his children."
A sudden gleam entered the eyes of several female Marines.
They stared at Chiga with expressions far more intense than before.
Oblivious to the growing thirst in the crowd, Chiga had already clasped his hands together. His voice echoed across the sky.
"Heavenly Obstacle Shocking Star."
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