"I'll take them back and lock them up."
Jiraiya glanced at Kamira and Fugai without much surprise.
He didn't even bother with an interrogation and simply had them sent to Sunagakure. As for their fate? Now wasn't the time to deal with these pirates.
Given the current state of things, it was better to wait for a new order to be established before deciding their punishment.
This was no longer just about a single village—it was an issue that concerned the entire ninja world. Jiraiya wasn't particularly sensitive to politics, so it might be best to have Shanks step in when the time came.
At this moment, both Shanks and Orochimaru had arrived at the ruins of the ancient Roran Kingdom.
Orochimaru was accompanied only by Kabuto, while Shanks had only Shisui by his side.
Over the past ten days, they had been in the Land of the Sea. That place was now essentially under Shanks' control. Though calling it his "territory" wasn't entirely accurate—it was more like the arrangement between Zabuza and the Land of Waves.
He collected protection fees and, in return, ensured the safety of the Land of the Sea.
The people of the Land of the Sea welcomed Shanks with open arms. After all, the money they had been paying to Kirigakure before had to go somewhere—better to give it to him. Besides, now they had the strongest ninja in the world protecting them.
The lord of the Land of the Sea even felt like he could finally stand tall in front of the Five Great Nations.
"I never thought Amado had already discovered the life force of the ninja world. I really underestimated him."
Orochimaru muttered. Amado hadn't come with them, but during their time in the Land of the Sea, he had explained some of his research to Orochimaru and Shanks.
Shanks had to admit—Amado's research confirmed it. The ocean was indeed the birthplace of life in the ninja world.
At the same time, Amado had found a way to awaken the world's life energy to some extent.
"Even though Amado's focus is different from yours, he's really impressive. If you have the time, you should check out the geothermal facilities in the Land of Snow."
Shanks sighed. The ninja world was full of geniuses—it was foolish to underestimate them.
At first, he had thought Amado was just another scientist specializing in modern technology.
But after talking with him, Shanks realized he had been completely wrong.
The geothermal system in the Land of Snow was built by Amado.
How should I put it? It was a case where the client didn't even know what they wanted, while the contractor did—and Amado actually had the skill to make it happen.
Of course, being capable of doing it was one thing. The cost of making it happen was another.
The previous ruler of the Land of Snow had a simple request for Amado—his daughter, Koyuki Kazahana, had never seen spring before. He wanted Amado to build a geothermal system in the valley so that when the snow melted, she would finally be able to see spring.
Thinking about it, Shanks could almost feel Amado's frustration.
Who told you that melting snow means spring has arrived?
Trying to explain that to a fool would be pointless—no way they'd understand.
And the result? The only way to fulfill the request was to use a geothermal system to melt the snow, and then use an even larger underground geothermal setup to completely change the valley's weather.
Amado even reshaped the valley's terrain, using both the landscape and climate to trick the world's natural forces. That was how he managed to tap into the life energy of the ninja world.
"Now that I think about it, Amado is definitely one of the smartest people in the ninja world. If only his talents could be used in the New World instead."
Hearing Shanks' comment, Orochimaru's face didn't change, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Instead of praising Amado's intelligence, I'm more curious—Shanks, how do you know so much?"
Nearby, Kabuto was flipping through the "Scroll of Seals." This was Orochimaru's personal collection, containing every jutsu from Konoha—far more complete than the one Naruto had seen before.
After all, Orochimaru had studied it countless times in the past, so making a personal copy was only natural.
"I'm curious too. Shanks isn't just skilled in politics and strategy—he's also incredibly knowledgeable in science."
Kabuto smiled and threw in a little flattery.
The most ridiculous thing about Shanks was that he always dressed so casually—wearing shorts, looking carefree and laid-back.
If someone called him a drunkard, it wouldn't feel out of place at all.
But back in the Land of the Sea, Shanks could discuss scientific theories with Orochimaru and Amado—sometimes even bringing up ideas that neither of them had ever considered.
That was just insane.
What made it even crazier was that, just like before, Shanks himself had no idea how he knew these things. To him, this knowledge was just common sense.
"It's not that impressive. I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants. Since I'm looking at history from downstream, I can see the general direction things are going."
Shanks scratched his head. How should he put it? He was a time traveler, after all. His memory wasn't perfect, but he still remembered the broad strokes of history.
But to Orochimaru and Kabuto, this statement meant something completely different.
"Downstream of history? Could it be… Shanks' Observation Haki?"
"An Observation Haki that can see the future… If he can truly see what's coming, then compared to us, it's almost like Shanks came from the future to this era."
"No, that's not quite right.
Shanks' Observation Haki doesn't let him see the future all the time. It's like the Great Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku—Shanks can't just see the future whenever he wants."
"But with his level of intelligence, even catching glimpses of the future is enough for him to predict how everything will unfold."
Thinking about the way Shanks had planned out his strategies in the ninja world, Orochimaru had to admit—it was absurd.
Shanks claimed to be standing on the shoulders of giants, but to everyone else, he was the giant.
"Captain, the barrier is set up. Even if there's a large chakra surge, no one outside will notice."
Shisui appeared next to Shanks and nodded at him.
Then, Shanks took out the memory seal left behind by Izuna Uchiha—something he had found within the Uchiha clan.
"The Dragon Vein of Roran was sealed by the Fourth Hokage. His space-time jutsu is even stronger than the Second Hokage's.
But if we prepare properly, we might be able to break the seal… and return to the past."
"Shanks, give it to me."
Kabuto spoke. The Fourth Hokage's seal wasn't easy to undo. Destroying it with brute force would be simple, but properly removing the seal was another matter entirely.
Shanks handed the memory-sealing scroll to Kabuto.
Now, they had to use Izuna's memory scroll and lock onto that exact moment in time through the Dragon Vein.
"Seal… release!"
Kabuto pressed his hands together and lowered himself to the ground. In that instant, all his chakra flowed into the earth.
Countless intricate sealing patterns emerged from below, layer by layer, breaking apart. Sweat started to form on Kabuto's face.
It was only now that he realized just how absurdly complex this seal was. The sheer detail in it was no less intricate than the structure of a human body. Undoing it felt more like performing surgery than anything else.
A single mistake, even a tiny one, would cause the entire seal to lock itself again.
As Kabuto continued the unsealing process, Shisui activated a barrier on the side, covering the entire area.
Time passed, and the vast chakra hidden beneath the ruins of the ancient Roran Kingdom slowly began to awaken.
At that moment, Shanks looked up at the sky as if sensing something.
Orochimaru's face turned unusually serious. The moment he saw Shanks' expression change, he understood.
"They're coming?"
"They've started gathering, but it's not too strong yet."
Shanks withdrew his gaze and looked at Orochimaru. His expression was no longer the same as before—now, there was a hint of recognition and approval.
"It's not as overwhelming as the will of the world I once faced, but for you, it will still be a formidable challenge."
"Orochimaru…"
"Heh… hahaha, Shanks!!
The throne of the Four Emperors—I will claim it. I've bet everything on the New World with both hands. Now, let me see what it feels like to stand on a giant's shoulders!"
Orochimaru grinned, his sickly, emaciated face twisting into a crazed expression.
In the next moment, his entire face began to swell rapidly, and soon, his whole body started expanding.
Within seconds, Orochimaru had transformed into a towering figure over ten meters tall. His entire body had turned nearly translucent white.
Countless scales surfaced across his skin.
"Chakra transformation of the body? Orochimaru, this guy…"
Even Shisui couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
For Orochimaru to modify his body to this extent—wasn't this already a step toward the form of a Tailed Beast?
"Kabuto!!"
Orochimaru called out. In this state, he wouldn't be able to maintain his rationality for long.
"Open it!!"
The next moment, the seal on the Dragon Vein was completely released. A terrifying surge of chakra instantly drowned out the energy radiating from Orochimaru's body.
At the same time, Shanks caught sight of the figure appearing at the core of the Dragon Vein—.
"Orochimaru, our deal ends here. The next time we meet, I hope you'll be able to stand before me as a true challenger—so I can see if you're worthy of that empty throne."
Shanks looked up at the towering Orochimaru, their difference in size immense. Yet, his gaze remained the same—as if he were still looking at a weaker opponent.
"Shanks, you really are arrogant. Fine then. When the time comes, I'll let you witness the power of the strongest creature in legend—Four Emperors?"
"I, will become the strongest. You better not get killed by me."
A cruel glint flashed across Orochimaru's face. He and Shanks were not on the same path, nor were they friends.
In fact, they weren't even on the same level. He wasn't even qualified to be Shanks' enemy.
But in the future, that might change.
With that, Orochimaru merged his body into the chakra of the Dragon Vein. At the same time, a Devil Fruit slowly began to take shape on Orochimaru's "body."
This fruit was Orochimaru's ultimate pursuit... the legendary strongest creature— a dragon!
Shanks, seeing Orochimaru's state, didn't say anything more.
He simply turned around and stepped into the swirling Dragon Vein behind him.
"This shinobi world… is finally getting interesting.
Orochimaru, let's see how far you can go. In the end, will you be worthy of challenging me?"
The presence floating in the sky was like a sharp sword, locking onto Orochimaru.
As Shanks entered the Dragon Vein, the chakra within it stabilized.
In the Land of Wind, Karin gazed toward the ruins of Roran, feeling an overwhelming sense of danger coming from that direction.
"What's wrong, Karin?"
Ross Jess followed her gaze, unsure of what was happening.
Technically, he was a Devil Fruit user now, though he didn't quite look the part.
"That place is dangerous. We'd better stay away," Karin warned seriously.
Ross Jess felt the same. That place was beyond their reach.
"Alright, let's head in another direction."
Even though he sensed something important to him in that direction, Ross Jess wasn't willing to take the risk.
Their priority was to find the Shinju Organization.
"I wonder how Shisui is doing right now," Ross Jess muttered to himself as the group disappeared into the endless sands of the Land of Wind.
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