The One Piece world was in complete upheaval because of Hui. This frenzy was further fueled the next day because… the Marines had withdrawn Hui's bounty.
Yes, it was revoked. This was unprecedented; something that hadn't happened in 820 years.
"The Marines… have they completely given in?!" Someone couldn't help but utter these words, disbelief lacing their tone.
"Isn't it obvious? Besides, what else can the Marines do? Keep a god on the bounty list? Do they want him to stroll through their headquarters again?" Another person replied, finding it only natural.
The incident of the Marine Headquarters heist had shown the entire world Hui's power. This power was insurmountable, unmatched throughout the world. Moreover, this invincibility wasn't just individual strength; he alone could subdue the entire world. Just like a god.
Now, Hui was a god!
"Continue putting a bounty on a god? The Marines must be tired of living. I suspect this whole incident was because the god found out he had a bounty and deliberately caused trouble." Someone analyzed, their viewpoint garnering agreement from a large number of people.
After all, if a god discovered they were being hunted, they would undoubtedly be displeased. And wouldn't it be perfectly normal for them to cause a little trouble to vent their frustration?
It wasn't just the onlookers who held this opinion; even within Marine Headquarters, some agreed. While the higher-ups of the Marines remained silent, some tacitly acknowledged this view.
In short, the entire world now firmly believed that Hui was a god! Especially the Marines and the World Government, as they had heard Hui's own words.
Hui had once claimed that he had walked through long ages and seen through distant times.
Wasn't this the very definition of a god?
Previously, everyone had dismissed it as arrogance, the boastful exaggeration of a young man.
But now, they had to take these words seriously. Because this statement could very well be the truth. And the likelihood was extremely high.
The attack on Marine Headquarters had a profound impact on the Marines.
Firstly, in terms of reputation, the incident dealt a devastating blow. This blow demoralized many Marine soldiers. Even lower-ranking officers were listless, seemingly having lost their faith and conviction.
Secondly, it was a blow to the Marines' strength.
In this incident, tens of thousands of Marines perished at the hands of Hui. This number accounted for one-sixth of the total Marine force (the current Marines were not as large as they would be twenty years later). Furthermore, the majority of those who died in this war were soldiers from Marine Headquarters.
These soldiers were stronger than those stationed in branch offices; they were considered elite. However, the loss of these elites was too heavy this time.
To replenish their forces, after much deliberation, the Marine higher-ups decided on conscription.
Not only the Marines, but the World Government also suffered a severe blow to its prestige in this war.
In the past, the World Government represented inviolable authority, the power to suppress the world, an unmatched force. No one dared to challenge the World Government, nor did anyone dare to openly provoke or declare war on them.
This was an aura the World Government had cultivated for 800 years, a subconsciousness implanted in the minds of the people.
For eight centuries, regardless of how the world changed, the World Government's rule remained unshakeable. No matter how ferocious the pirates, as long as they opposed the World Government, their ultimate fate was always the same: annihilation.
However, this time, Hui had succeeded.
He shattered the ingrained image of the World Government in people's hearts, causing the subconsciousness they held to waver.
This was terrifying; it heralded the potential rise of a revolution.
And Minato keenly grasped this information.
He began preparations for the Revolutionary Army.
He believed that by seizing this opportunity, it wouldn't be long before the Revolutionary Army flourished in this world. Minato's mission to overthrow the World Government had, thanks to this incident, achieved a near-perfect start.
However, all of this no longer concerned Hui. Because Uchiha Madara had arrived.
He would leave the following matters to Madara. He needed to return to the Sage Shinobi Nation and unravel the secrets of Devil Fruits.
Hui believed that once they cracked the genetic secrets of the Otsutsuki clan and unveiled the mysteries of Devil Fruits, the Sage Shinobi Nation would undoubtedly experience explosive growth.
This development would be incredibly rapid, allowing the Sage Shinobi Nation to achieve in a short period what would take other intelligent races on other planets hundreds or even thousands of years to accomplish.
By then, they wouldn't need to wait for the Otsutsuki clan to come knocking; Hui would lead the Sage Shinobi Nation to take the initiative, venture into the cosmos, and usher in an era of universal conquest.
"I'll leave the rest to you. The number of people on this planet who can pose a direct threat to you can be counted on one hand. But there are many Devil Fruits that, like the mysterious secret techniques of the Sage Shinobi Nation, can allow the weak to overcome the strong. A slight carelessness, and even you, could stumble."
"Therefore, do not underestimate this world," Hui specifically warned. After all, the Devil Fruits of this world were diverse, with a wide array of unimaginable abilities.
If someone suddenly appeared with a Devil Fruit like the "Equivalent Exchange Fruit" and the World Government sacrificed tens of thousands of lives to forcibly exchange for Madara's life, wouldn't that be a huge fucking loss?
Although such a Devil Fruit had never appeared in history, no one could definitively say it didn't exist.
"Rest assured, this world holds no secrets from me. Here, I am invincible," Madara declared domineeringly. His current strength was truly formidable.
Six Paths Sage Mode, dual Rinnegan, and a Sage Body pushed Madara's overall strength to the level of the Six Paths, and not a weak one at that.
"Good, then I'll return first. Contact me if anything comes up." Hui nodded and stepped into the Teleportation Array, preparing to return to the Sage Shinobi Nation.
After returning, Hui rested for a few days before entering the laboratory to begin researching the secrets of Devil Fruits and the Otsutsuki clan's genes.
For this, he temporarily put aside the Second World project.
However, both Devil Fruits and the Otsutsuki genes proved incredibly difficult to crack. Even with the combined efforts of Hui and Orochimaru, progress was slow.
Several months passed in this manner.
Hui decided to take a break and visit Uchiha Mikoto at Fugaku's home with Tsunade. The reason for the visit was that Mikoto had just given birth.
It was now June of the 43rd year of Konoha. A character of great renown and immense popularity in the original story had been born.
That was Uchiha Itachi.
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