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Kisame roared like a beast, the water around him surging higher and higher—but no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't move another inch forward.
Max smirked. "You've got power, I'll give you that… but it's useless against me."
He raised his left hand. "Fire Fist!!!"
A massive wave of flame burst out, roaring straight toward Kisame.
Kisame jumped back, his hands flying through seals. "Water Style—Water Formation Wall!!!"
Fwoosh!
The battlefield was instantly swallowed in thick steam. Kisame panted heavily. "Alright, enough playing around. I'll end this with my next move."
Before he could act, Max's body flared with purple energy, his fingers flicking out a set of shimmering, multicolored threads.
His speed—boosted by Gear Second from the Gum-Gum Fruit—was beyond imagination.
Kisame barely had time to react before five deep gashes tore across his body.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he just grinned. "Not bad."
The chakra stored in Samehada began to flow into him, and before Max's eyes, Kisame's wounds knit themselves back together.
"I get stronger the tougher my opponent is," Kisame growled. "I don't get tired, and I don't go down!"
Max's eyes widened. "He's absorbing chakra into that sword—then feeding it back to himself as energy!"
Kisame hefted Samehada proudly. "That's why they call me the tailless Tailed Beast!"
"Water Style—Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!!!"
The entire battlefield was suddenly submerged in a massive water dome.
Kisame began to merge with Samehada, his skin turning scaly and blue. "The longer this fight drags on, the weaker you'll get. I'll strip your chakra away bite by bite!"
Max's face hardened. "You really think I'll give you the chance?"
In an instant, Kisame's body transformed completely into a humanoid shark.
He smiled wickedly. "Let's do this!"
Silver threads unfurled beneath Max's feet, letting him dart through the flooded domain at blinding speed.
"You can't escape my water prison," Kisame jeered. "Here, I've got every advantage!"
He lunged forward—his movements so fast the water split behind him.
Max danced across the silver threads, his rainbow strands slicing through the current, but Kisame twisted and weaved through every strike.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, Kisame slammed into him.
BOOM!
Max was sent crashing backward through the water.
"He's become a shark… that means he's breathing through gills," Max thought. "If I just run, he'll hunt me down. I need to hit back—hard."
A surge of energy erupted from his body. He pressed his palm to the water beside him—
—and the liquid instantly turned into white threads.
"String-String Fruit: Awakened Skill—Tidal White Threads!!!"
Max's eyes lit up with excitement. "So this fight… it actually pushed my Devil Fruit to awakening!"
"Alright then, Kisame—let's see you handle this!"
Countless massive white threads shot toward the shark man.
"What the—?" Kisame's eyes went wide. "Strings? How are they this huge?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
He darted through the water like a bullet as the white cords whipped after him like living whips.
Max called out, "This power comes from a Devil Fruit—and awakening is the next level beyond normal ability!"
He pressed both hands into the water, and from that point, the entire water dome began to twist and shimmer.
Kisame's eyes widened. "My water… it's turning into strings?!"
Max's voice echoed through the chaos. "Only a few abilities ever awaken—but once they do, they start changing the world around them."
The white threads closed in from all sides.
"This is insane!" Kisame shouted. "What kind of cursed fruit gives power like this?!"
He swung his hand like a blade—but the threads were too dense, too strong to cut.
In moments, the white cords crashed over him like an avalanche, wrapping his body completely. Kisame was cocooned, trapped tight as a mummy.
[Comment Stream – Multiverse Live Chat]
Luffy (One Piece World): "So that's how strong the Admin really is… He must've gone easy on me back then! Damn it—I've gotta train harder! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Doflamingo (One Piece World): "Fufufufu… That guy can even use my Awakening? Now that's terrifying."
Akainu: "Another monster to deal with, huh."
Frieza (Dragon Ball): "He's gotten stronger again… but I could still crush him with one finger."
Goku: "Heh, the Admin's amazing! I'd love to fight him one day!"
Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail): "Just how many strange powers does that man have?!"
Naruto: "Whoa! He totally crushed that ninja! That's awesome!"
Itachi Uchiha: "Kisame… was defeated? That's surprising."
Mizukage: "To think someone could overpower Kisame… unbelievable."
[Back on the battlefield]
Max stared at the struggling Kisame, now fully bound. "Can't give him a second to breathe… He's too dangerous. I have to finish this right now."
"Eight Inner Gates—Gate of Opening, open!"
"Gate of Rest, open!"
"Gate of Life, open!"
"Gate of Pain, open!"
"Gate of Limit, open!"
A terrifying aura burst out from Max's body, steam erupting as his power flooded the water around him.
A whirlpool spun to life—no drop of water dared come near him.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his skin flushed crimson.
"Still not enough… Sixth Gate—Gate of View, open!!!"
An even greater surge of power exploded outward.
Kisame's eyes went wide. "What the hell is this?! Taijutsu? Who is this guy?!"
In a flash, Max vanished—then reappeared right in front of Kisame.
His fist blazed with frictional fire as he threw a punch that tore through the air.
"Morning Peacock!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
The blast sent Kisame flying, crashing deep into the dirt beyond the water dome.
Then came the system's voice: "Congratulations, Host. You have temporarily defeated Hoshigaki Kisame."
A flash of white light—Max vanished from the battlefield.
Moments later, Kisame clawed his way up from the rubble, bloodied and furious. "That bastard… where did he go?!"
Back in the Super Editing Dimension, Max stretched his arms and let out a long sigh. "What a fight… That was a real haul. Guess fighting strong opponents really is the best training."
The system chimed again. "Host, please proceed to edit the next video. The champions of every dimension await."
Max grinned, already typing away. "Alright, let's get to work."
Half a day later, the screen flickered to life—Luffy's grinning face filled the frame.
[Top 10 Legendary Anime Moments]#6 – Straw Hat Luffy vs. ???
[Stampede Arc] (Rankings are in order, not by power level.)
Douglas Bullet – Former crewmate of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
The footage began to roll.
"..."
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