Ōtsutsuki Zero-shiki stood atop the Ten-Tails' head, lost in thought. Without warning, he commanded the Ten-Tails to lash out a tail at Chiga, attempting a surprise attack—an art he had clearly mastered.

But Chiga had anticipated this. His Susanoo raised its sword in a flash, deflecting the incoming strike. In the same motion, Chiga extended his hand, unleashing a powerful Shinra Tensei.

The Ten-Tails, towering several thousand meters high, was blasted backward like a balloon caught in a storm. However, Zero-shiki was just as adept with repulsive force. With a pulse of energy, he countered Chiga's technique, neutralizing the blast and stabilizing the Ten-Tails.

Chiga didn't let up. Susanoo's sword sliced downward, unleashing a massive energy beam. Had Im been controlling the Ten-Tails, he would've had no choice but to tank the hit and wait for the beast to recover.

But Zero-shiki wasn't so crude. With a smirk, he waved a hand, and a transparent barrier shimmered into existence before the Ten-Tails, blocking the strike entirely.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Loguetown.

Two rival criminal factions clashed in a back alley. One side was led by a cocky man with a grassy green rooster-comb hairstyle. Facing him was a burly, bald brute with a face like rugged stone, veins bulging with anger.

"Bartholomew! You've gotten too full of yourself! Do you need me to teach you a lesson!?" the bald man bellowed.

Bartholomew casually scratched his ear, utterly unbothered. Then, to the shock of everyone, he turned, unzipped his pants, and started peeing right there in front of them.

This blatant act of disrespect drove the bald man into a rage. He turned to his crew and shouted, "Shoot that bastard dead!"

The subordinates didn't hesitate. Annoyed with Bartholomew for some time, they drew their weapons and opened fire without remorse.

Yet Bartholomew's men didn't panic. They'd seen this before. Their boss casually raised his arms, crossed his middle and index fingers, and assumed a bizarre pose. A transparent barrier snapped into place, blocking every bullet with ease.

Bartholomew was a Barrier-Barrier Fruit user—Paramecia class. His barriers were absolute. So far, no one had broken through.

But the bald thug didn't back down. Gripping a dagger, he charged directly at Bartholomew.

Bartholomew looked at him like he was watching a clown. With a flick of his fingers, he pushed the barrier forward—his custom offensive maneuver.

As the barrier advanced, it looked as if the bald man would be flattened. But just before impact, the barrier vanished—dissolving into thin air.

Bartholomew's smirk dropped instantly.

"Nani!?" he exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.

The bald man didn't question his luck. Seizing the moment, he rushed in and drove the dagger forward.

"Boss! Watch out!" one of Bartholomew's subordinates yelled.

Snapping back to reality, Bartholomew twisted aside at the last second, avoiding a fatal blow but still receiving a deep stab to the waist. He groaned, then kicked the bald man away with brute strength, sending him sprawling.

The bald man's crew froze in place, stunned.

Though Bartholomew loved to flaunt his Devil Fruit powers, he wasn't weak in close combat either. But today, he'd been caught off guard.

He tried the pose again. Nothing happened.

His power was… gone?

This had never happened since he ate the fruit. Shaken, Bartholomew waved his hand to his men.

"Retreat."

They didn't argue. The group fled the scene, leaving the rival gang dumbfounded.

As they made their way back, Bartholomew kept striking the same pose repeatedly, refusing to give up. One of his subordinates couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Boss… is something wrong with your body?"

Bartholomew glared at him. "Shut up. Nothing's wrong."

"Maybe you didn't get enough sleep?"

Bartholomew slowly turned to face him with a deadpan stare. The subordinate took a few steps back, regretting his words.

Without responding, Bartholomew reached into his coat and pulled out a crumpled photo. It was a picture of Uchiha Chiga in full Admiral uniform, taken at his promotion ceremony.

Bartholomew looked at it with a mix of longing and reverence. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face.

(Wtf...)

"Chiga Senpai! Please, tell me what's happening to me!!!"

He dropped to his knees and cried out, eyes to the heavens, striking the pose one more time.

"Boss! Your ability is back!" someone shouted.

Bartholomew opened his eyes—and there it was. The familiar transparent barrier shimmered before him.

With a thump, he collapsed to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.

"Chiga Senpai!!!"

Back on the Red Line…

The sword beam dissolved against the transparent barrier. Chiga frowned.

"Is that the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's power?"

Ōtsutsuki Zero-shiki chuckled. "Indeed. When you control the Ten-Tails, you gain access to the power of every Devil Fruit. Some abilities are more useful than I expected."

Chiga narrowed his eyes.

"Then try this."

Susanoo sheathed its sword and bent its arm, assuming a charging stance. A white glow radiated from its clenched fist.

Zero-shiki crossed his arms. "That's Whitebeard's ability, isn't it? Using it through Susanoo? Not bad at all."

He remained confident. The barrier still stood before the Ten-Tails, and he was certain of its strength. It was a conceptual defense—capable of blocking anything tangible.

But Chiga's expression shifted slightly, and his Rinnegan pulsed with purple light. A glowing doorway opened in the center of the barrier.

Zero-shiki's face froze.

"Nani!? That's…"

BOOM!

Susanoo's fist slammed into the air, fracturing it like brittle glass. Emerald-green cracks spread for miles as a monstrous shockwave erupted from the impact.

The shockwave passed cleanly through the newly formed doorway, bypassing the barrier entirely. It struck the Ten-Tails—and Zero-shiki standing on its head—head-on.

Reality warped under the pressure, space itself shattering into a thousand fragments.

---

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