Rob Lucci furrowed his brow slightly, a grave expression appearing on his face.
After a long moment, he finally spoke slowly, his voice low and forceful: "The two sides are locked in a stalemate, evenly matched."
As he uttered these words, ripples of surprise stirred within him.
He had never imagined that Roy, a Marine Admiral so young, would possess such immense strength, capable of fighting on par with a powerhouse like Hashirama Senju.
Upon hearing Lucci's answer, Spandam's face flickered with delight for an instant.
He was taken aback for a moment, then the corners of his mouth turned up into a near-maniacal grin.
"Haha, as expected of Admiral Kizaru." He shouted loudly while gesticulating excitedly, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.
At that moment, the fear in his heart vanished instantly, replaced by boundless ecstasy.
In his view, as long as Roy could suppress Hashirama Senju, he would have a chance to survive, and might even be able to accomplish a great feat.
The more Spandam thought about it, the more excited he became, a greedy gleam shining in his eyes.
He resolved that whenever the opportunity arose in the future, he would firmly latch onto Roy's coattails.
On the desert battlefield, Hashirama Senju gazed at the radiant, golden Perfect Susanoo before him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Even though he had utilized Armament Haki to coat the Wood Human, he still found it difficult to withstand Roy's powerful assault.
The golden chakra light surged forward like a raging tide, wave after wave crashing against the Wood Human.
Hashirama gritted his teeth, maneuvering the Wood Human to continuously block the attacks, yet each collision made him keenly aware of the insurmountable gap in power between them.
Under the sustained pressure of the Susanoo, the Wood Human began to develop cracks.
However, Hashirama did not become discouraged by the predicament before him.
On the contrary, a far stronger fighting spirit welled up from deep within him.
To truly contend with Roy, he would have to unleash a deeper level of power.
"This is still far from enough!" Hashirama roared inwardly, his hands swiftly coming together.
In an instant, the natural energy around him seemed to heed his call, beginning to converge wildly.
This natural energy surged in from all directions, swirling rapidly around Hashirama, forming a massive vortex of power.
Enveloped by this formidable natural energy, Hashirama's body began to undergo a wondrous transformation.
His eyes also took on the distinctive appearance of Sage Mode, his pupils gleaming with profound light.
With the augmentation of Sage Arts, the already immensely powerful Wood Human underwent astonishing changes.
Mysterious markings, like living creatures, slowly emerged across its surface.
These markings radiated an eerie light, intertwining and merging to form enigmatic patterns.
As the markings appeared, the Wood Human's aura soared dramatically, its power seeming to stretch towards the heavens.
At this moment, the Wood Human was no longer a mere creation of Wood Release, but a formidable entity infused with the power of a Sage.
With every movement it made, the earth trembled beneath it.
Hashirama manipulated the Wood Human and once again charged towards Roy's Perfect Susanoo.
"Hey, hey, hey. This is supposed to be just an act, but this guy Hashirama is really getting into it."
Roy watched the Wood Human charging fiercely towards him, inwardly grumbling.
Originally, this battle was merely meant to deceive the World Government. According to their pre-arranged plan, the two of them only needed to go through the motions, putting on a bit of a show.
After all, in the world of One Piece, clashes between the strong often stopped at a mutual display of strength. They would exchange a few blows, show their power, and then back off, as no one was willing to easily reveal all their cards.
But now, Hashirama had clearly taken this "act" as a genuine battle.
The excitement in his eyes, the unreserved techniques, all made Roy keenly aware that the former God of Shinobi was now completely immersed in the passion of combat.
Roy shook his head slightly, feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
That was Hashirama's nature; once he started fighting, he would go all out, pursuing the ultimate clash. He just hadn't expected him to be so invested this time.
"Fine, I'll play along with him."
Roy sighed softly. If he forcibly ended the fight now, it would only arouse unnecessary suspicion.
So he quickly began to assess in his mind exactly how much power he should use.
He couldn't go all out and crush Hashirama; that would be far too conspicuous.
Yet if he used too little power, he wouldn't be able to withstand Hashirama's onslaught, which would also expose flaws in their act.
Roy mobilized the chakra within him, carefully controlling his output.
His Perfect Susanoo trembled slightly.
Just then, accompanied by an earth-shaking rumble, the Wood Human's terrifying fist, enhanced by the immense power of Sage Mode, came crashing down towards the Susanoo.
Amplified by Sage Mode, the Wood Human's fist seemed to contain the power to destroy heaven and earth. The air compressed instantly, emitting a piercing shriek.
Surrounding sand and stone were swept up by this immense force, forming a colossal barrier of dust that blotted out the sky.
Roy's gaze sharpened.
On the Susanoo's arm, a golden chakra light suddenly blazed to life.
As the Wood Human's fist collided with the Susanoo's arm, a powerful shockwave radiated outward from the point of impact.
Hashirama concentrated fully on controlling the Wood Human, engaging in a struggle against Roy's Perfect Susanoo.
Just as he prepared to launch another fierce attack, he inadvertently caught sight of Roy's eyes. Those Mangekyo Sharingan had begun to spin rapidly again with frantic intensity.
Hashirama's pupils contracted sharply, a strong sense of alarm rising within him.
"Hour of Twilight." Roy's voice fell, and a strange power began to stir silently.
Hashirama keenly sensed something was wrong with the Wood Human. Its originally vigorous movements had now become sluggish, as if trapped in an invisible, viscous swamp.
Every step it took required immense effort, and each action was countless times slower than normal.
Simultaneously, Roy's Perfect Susanoo slowly raised its arm, a longsword beginning to coalesce in its hand.
This sword was composed of pure chakra, its blade radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The moment the longsword was fully formed, the Susanoo swung its arm violently. An explosive sword wave tore across the dust-choked sky.
What shocked Hashirama even more was that, under the effect of the ability in Roy's left Mangekyo Sharingan, the speed of this sword wave suddenly accelerated, moving so fast it was nearly impossible to track its trajectory.