The construction of the Solarity Tower in Seireitei was progressing smoothly.
With the support of Central 46 and the nobles, there were no obstacles left in the way.
On the Soul Society's side, the captain of the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, was in charge of overseeing the project and had come to Konoha to study and discuss the technology required for building the Solarity Tower.
To this end, both sides reached an agreement: the Empire would only provide the technology, while the construction of the Solarity Tower in Seireitei would be entirely handled by the Soul Society, with no interference from the Empire.
As a token of appreciation for the Empire's generosity, Seireitei promised to gift over a hundred Asauchi.
The vast material wealth of the living world meant that there was little the Soul Society could offer as a gift—perhaps only Zanpakuto held enough value.
After the exchange conference, relations between the Empire and Seireitei had stabilized.
The Shinigami had also begun integrating into the living world, guiding and purifying Hollows.
A stable order had begun to take shape.
Eastern Sea, Province of the Land of Water.
Two figures flew across the sky, hovering in midair.
"If I had known you could fly, I should've given you the sea patrol mission back then," Kakashi said to Hakumen.
"Would've saved me from wandering around the ocean for so long."
Hakumen replied, "I don't want to use this ability. The only one who should freely soar through the skies is His Majesty."
Kakashi chuckled. "His Majesty is broad-minded—he wouldn't care about such things."
As they conversed, they suddenly noticed a blue light streaking toward them from the fleet below.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was a person—his entire body was engulfed in blue flames.
Seeing the approaching figure, Hakumen's eyes flickered.
He raised his hand, instantly gathering chakra, as a golden energy sphere formed in his palm.
Kakashi reached out and stopped him, saying, "He's the one we're looking for."
Marco's expression showed surprise and wariness upon recognizing Kakashi. "It's you!"
He clearly remembered Kakashi—just recently, he had personally witnessed this young man engage in a titanic battle at sea with his old man.
"Where's your captain?" Kakashi asked.
Marco remained silent for a moment, his blue-flamed wings flapping.
He glanced at Hakumen standing beside Kakashi before finally saying, "Come with me."
He turned and flew back down to the sea, landing on the deck of the largest ship in the fleet.
As Kakashi and Hakumen descended, they immediately noticed a massive figure floating quietly on the water nearby—a colossal six-meter-tall body lying on the sea's surface as if basking in the sun.
"That's Whitebeard."
Hakumen's eyes widened in astonishment at the sheer size of the man.
This was far beyond the physique of an ordinary human.
There were many people on the ship, and upon seeing Kakashi and Hakumen, they all became visibly wary.
However, under Marco's reassurance, no one acted rashly.
Splash—
Apart from the sound of the waves, the area fell into a deep silence.
The man floating on the water didn't seem to notice them—or perhaps he was simply asleep, showing no reaction for a long while.
Hakumen glanced at Kakashi from the corner of his eye.
Seeing that he remained silent, Hakumen also calmed himself and waited.
Finally, the giant stirred.
Stretching lazily in the water, as if just waking from a nap, he suddenly leaped up.
A massive shadow cut through the sky before landing heavily on the deck, causing the entire ship to tremble from the impact.
On the pirate ship, Whitebeard strode directly to the main seat, which had already been prepared for him, while his crew stood in formation on either side.
"A familiar face has arrived. Are you here for a drink?" he said with a hearty laugh, looking at Kakashi.
Kakashi remained silent, while Hakumen took a step forward and said, "Whitebeard, we are here under His Majesty's orders."
Whitebeard only gave Hakumen a calm glance before turning back to Kakashi. "So, you're not here to drink, huh?"
This dismissive attitude made Hakumen frown slightly.
Kakashi spoke, "Whitebeard, we have no ill intentions. We've come with sincerity to negotiate with you."
Hearing this, Whitebeard smirked.
His enormous figure leaned forward slightly in his chair as he gazed down at the two men.
"Oh? Sincerity?"
"Do you even know what we are?"
Kakashi's eyes flickered. "Pirates."
Whitebeard continued, "Those who live on the sea cannot tolerate having shackles placed upon them. So, when you bring true sincerity, I will welcome you to drink on my ship."
Hakumen's voice deepened. "Whitebeard, are you determined to make an enemy of the Empire?"
Upon hearing this, Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter.
His powerful voice echoed across the sea, and his crew joined in, laughing along with him.
This attitude made Hakumen's expression instantly darken.
His chakra flared violently, unleashing an overwhelming pressure that swept through the ship like a storm, knocking many of the pirates off their feet.
Marco's expression changed slightly—this white-eyed man was just as powerful as Kakashi!
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
In the next instant, a terrifying pressure, as vast as a mountain, surged toward Hakumen, forcefully countering his aura.
"Kakashi, if you're here to fight, I wouldn't mind stretching my muscles a little," Whitebeard said with a cold smirk.
Kakashi replied, "This world is different from the one you came from. The entire continent is under the Empire's jurisdiction. You are free to do as you please, but if you harm the Empire's citizens, that means making an enemy of us."
Whitebeard let out a disdainful scoff. "Are you threatening me?"
"It's just a notification," Kakashi said.
"A large number of pirates have suddenly appeared on the seas. The Empire intends to cleanse these bandits."
Whitebeard remained indifferent. "Those who fear death would never set sail upon the sea in the first place."
Kakashi countered, "If all pirates truly lived by that ideal, then why does the Shichibukai system exist? The Empire's only goal is to maintain order and protect its territory from bandits. This world no longer holds the things you once sought, Whitebeard. If you were willing to take on the role of leader, it would be a great benefit to all pirates."
Hakumen added, "The Empire plans to establish a maritime guild to unify and accommodate all pirates. We want you to serve as its leader. The only requirement is that you abide by the Empire's laws, and in return, the Empire will not interfere with your affairs. Moreover, the Empire can even provide you with—"
Swish!
Before Hakumen could finish his sentence, a chilling flash of light streaked across his vision.
Instinctively, his entire body tensed with alertness.
Whitebeard had suddenly raised his massive bisento, pointing it directly at them.
At the same time, the surrounding crew members all assumed combat stances, ready for battle.
Seeing this unfold, Kakashi remained calm and unshaken.
"Whitebeard, do you realize how many people will die because of your refusal?"
Standing in front of Whitebeard, Marco scoffed. "What a grand accusation."
Whitebeard remained indifferent. "Kakashi, if you don't leave now, then the only option left is war."
He had fought this young man before.
Back then, Kakashi had easily defeated everyone on his ship, including Marco.
Their battle had shaken the seas, yet neither had emerged victorious.
"..."
The sound of crashing waves filled the air until someone on the ship angrily shouted for them to get lost.
Kakashi ignored the outburst and remained silent for a while before turning to Hakumen.
"Let's go. There's no need to fight."
Swish!
The two of them transformed into streaks of white light and shot into the sky.
Looking down at the fleet below, Hakumen's expression was cold as he muttered, "The next time we come, justice will descend upon you."
Kakashi responded, "They are pirates. It's only natural they don't want to be bound by rules."
Hakumen cast him a sidelong glance. "Are you sympathizing with them?"
Kakashi paused for a moment before replying, "I once spent a day aboard Whitebeard's ship… In some ways, he's a good man."
Hakumen remained indifferent. "Anyone who stands against the Empire deserves death."
Kakashi, however, said, "There are four individuals who hold the title of the strongest on the sea. If Whitebeard refuses, someone else will accept. There's no need to rush."
"…Who's next?"
"Red-Haired Shanks. I don't know much about him, and I've never met him. When we do, we'll probably have to fight."
............
The Archipelago Surrounding the Water Province
"Land at last! I'm the first one off!"
A figure wearing a straw hat leaped off the ship, raising both hands and shouting excitedly.
"I'm second!" a long-nosed man shouted right after.
"I'm third!" a small reindeer-like creature wearing a pink hat followed closely, yelling just as enthusiastically.
The rest of the crew disembarked as well— a green-haired swordsman yawning, a blond man in a suit with a cigarette between his lips, a curvaceous orange-haired woman, and a tall, strikingly beautiful black-haired woman.
"Zoro, you're fourth. Fourth place, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it… Ha~"
"There's a city over there!"
"Perfect, we can stock up on supplies."
"I'm going to get some ingredients."
"I want to go sightseeing, too."
"Ah, Nami, give me some money! I wanna go have fun!"
Bang!
A heavy punch landed on the straw hat boy's head.
He looked up at the one who hit him with teary eyes, wondering why she always picked on him.
"We've been drifting at sea for over a month… I wonder if anything big has happened lately."
"The Log Pose isn't working for some reason. Let's buy a map of this place first."
The group made their way toward the town, but as they got closer to populated areas, they sensed something was off.
The townspeople's clothing and appearances were somewhat unusual—or rather, everything here felt slightly different from what they were familiar with.
As they looked around, the people on the street also turned their gazes toward them.
"This is a bit strange," Sanji muttered under his breath.
Zoro also became wary—the way the townspeople were looking at them didn't seem particularly friendly.
Nami attempted to approach someone to ask for information, but the moment she spoke, the person ran away in fear, which made her even more suspicious.
As they ventured deeper into town, a group of uniformed individuals suddenly rushed toward them.
Their attire was coordinated, resembling law enforcers, but they were completely different from the Marines the Straw Hats were familiar with.
The group was quickly surrounded, and Zoro instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt, ready for action.
"Hey! Are you guys pirates?" the leader of the enforcers questioned them.
Without hesitation, the straw hat-wearing boy raised his hand and replied, "Ah, yeah!"
The Straw Hat crew: "..."
Nami, unable to hold back, punched him again.
"Idiot! How can you just admit that so easily?!"
"Capture them!"
The enforcers immediately charged forward, swarming them.
The Straw Hats had no choice but to fight their way out, and soon the streets were in complete chaos, filled with shouting and pursuit.
"Run! Run!" Luffy, leading the charge, yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Zoro! Hurry up, they're catching up!" Chopper clung tightly to the green-haired swordsman's shoulder, gripping his clothes in fear.
"Luffy, you idiot! This is all your fault!"
After a frantic escape, they finally managed to shake off their pursuers and hid in an empty alleyway, panting heavily as they sat on the ground.
"What the heck is going on? How did those people know we were pirates?"
"It's all because of Luffy, that idiot, admitting it outright!"
"No, they must have already confirmed we were pirates before they even approached us."
"Maybe someone recognized us from our bounty posters."
Leaning against the wall, Nami sighed helplessly.
"Looks like we won't be able to buy anything here."
Robin, deep in thought, remarked, "Everyone here dresses very uniformly. We obviously stand out as outsiders, which is probably why they were suspicious of us. We should disguise ourselves."
Her suggestion was met with agreement from the crew.
They snuck into a house, "borrowed" some clothes, and changed into them.
When they walked back onto the streets, they noticed that the wary glances toward them had indeed decreased.
"Let's split up. This isn't a place we should stay for long," Nami instructed, assigning tasks to everyone before they each went their separate ways.
Robin wandered the streets alone.
Although she had changed her outfit, her nearly 1.9-meter-tall stature as a woman still made her stand out.
She approached a small bookstall. "Do you have the latest newspaper?"
The bookseller handed her a copy. "That'll be 5 ryo."
Five… ryo?
Ryo? What kind of currency was that?
Robin hesitated as she reached for her money. "You mean…?"
The shopkeeper, growing impatient, repeated, "Five ryo."
Robin paused for a moment before taking out some beri. "Do you accept beri?"
The bookseller looked at the unfamiliar currency in her hand, surprised.
"Which country's money is this?"
Robin: "..."
Could this place be some remote region that doesn't even recognize beri?
Robin quickly glanced at the newspaper in her hands and found that the events recorded were completely unfamiliar.
"The Interdimensional Exchange Conference Concludes Successfully"
"Ten Crown Guards: Lord Uchiha Shisui Delivers a Speech"
"The 22nd Solarity Tower Successfully Constructed"
What… is all this?
The bookseller interrupted her reading.
"Hey, we don't accept that money. Do you have silver ryo?"
Robin had no choice but to put the newspaper down. "My apologies."
After leaving the stall, she pondered deeply.
They had been drifting at sea for over a month, lost due to the sudden failure of their Log Pose.
Looking at things now, it seemed they had arrived in a completely unfamiliar world.
Just as she was lost in thought, a commotion erupted nearby.
Looking into the distance, she saw Luffy being chased by a group of people, his hands and mouth stuffed with meat.
Robin sighed and rubbed her forehead.
She really had a troublesome captain.
But she had no intention of helping him—she knew those people wouldn't be able to do anything to Luffy.
Right now, what she needed to do was figure out where they were.
She needed to gather more information about this place.
--------------
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