Dark didn't ask what had happened, because it didn't matter to him anymore.
On the ships behind them, the survivors were mostly injured, but not a single one had backed down.
Everyone was quietly preparing for the next battle. Kagaro even strapped a bundle of explosives to himself.
The fight ahead wouldn't be easy—it might cost them their lives.
As ordinary people, they could only give everything they had to fight for that slim chance of victory.
This kind of tactic wouldn't work against Shanks, but against regular ninja, it might just do the trick.
"Never thought we'd end up fighting ninja one day."
"Yeah… But if we get our hands on a Devil Fruit, it'll all be worth it."
"Getting stronger, standing tall in this world—it's better than hiding like rats in the black market."
Despite their words, everyone was smiling.
They had nothing left to lose.
Ruling the underground black market was fine, but people always wanted more.
If they had the chance, they would never choose to stay hidden forever.
Only weaklings with no ambition were content to live in the shadows for life.
---
Land of Fire – Konohagakure
During the Chunin Exams, Konohagakure wasn't exactly peaceful.
The Anbu had been active all over the Land of Fire, especially near the Land of Waves.
So whatever information needed to be gathered, Konohagakure had already obtained it.
But unlike other villages, Konohagakure didn't react strongly to the situation.
In fact, it didn't react at all.
Because they had known everything from the start.
Itachi and Kisame had shown up in Konohagakure, only to be "driven away" by Danzo—at a cost, of course.
Weren't those two part of the Revolutionary Army?
As for any other intelligence, none of it really mattered.
Konohagakure was in a state of *"not seeing the full picture because they were inside it."*
From the very beginning, the rumors Gato had spread were meaningless.
What mattered was the doubt these rumors created.
Once that cycle of suspicion started, it could never be undone.
Ordinary pirates and black-market traders wouldn't overthink it—they had never even considered making enemies out of ninja.
But the other villages were different.
After three great ninja wars, the grudges between villages were a tangled mess.
Who knew if Konohagakure would suddenly hit them with something devastating?
But Konohagakure wouldn't see it that way.
First of all, they had no grudge against him. Second, Konohagakure knew his true situation and hadn't taken action against anyone.
With these two things combined, how could Konohagakure suspect that something was wrong?
So even now, the only thing they had noticed was the sudden appearance of a lot of pirates in the Land of Fire.
And these pirates had already been taken care of by Anbu and most of Konohagakure's lower-ranked ninjas. For now, there was no chance of pirates getting anywhere near the village.
However, among these twenty thousand pirates, elite ninjas from other villages had also slipped in.
Terumi Mei had thrown away anything that could link her to Kirigakure. Now, she looked just like a pirate—a true boss of the underworld.
"Raikage, when are we finally going to make a move? We've been relying on these pirates for five days now, and they haven't even managed to break through Konohagakure's defenses."
Terumi Mei had already made contact with Kumogakure. They were on the same side in this, so working together was the best option.
"Mizukage-sama, don't rush. The moment we make a move, Konohagakure will notice, and things will get messy."
.......
Mabui, standing next to Raikage, frowned. Even she wasn't sure how to handle the situation anymore.
"If it really comes to that, I'll take the lead with the pirates."
Zabuza, who had been standing in the back, finally spoke.
Originally, he had been out at sea helping Shanks hold off enemies. But for some reason, a bunch of pirates had ignored Shanks and instead headed straight for Konohagakure.
By sheer coincidence, Zabuza ran into Kirigakure's fleet at sea. In the end, Terumi Mei decided to put aside their differences and form a temporary alliance with him.
"But Zabuza, aren't you a ninja too?"
"Who said our captain is a ninja? Our captain is the great Zabuza of the Blade-less Pirates! Every pirate at sea knows his name!"
Hearing Mabui's words, the pirates around Zabuza got upset and immediately spoke up in his defense.
The ninjas were speechless. They had just called Zabuza a ninja, and yet these pirates acted like it was some kind of insult.
"Zabuza left Kirigakure a long time ago. Now, he's truly a pirate—one of the biggest names in these waters."
Terumi Mei pulled out Zabuza's bounty poster without even blinking, and the pirates behind him looked proud.
Look at this! This is the strength of our captain! This bounty proves how powerful he is!
Meanwhile, Zabuza glanced curiously at Terumi Mei. Did she really feel no shame pulling out that bounty poster? Did she not realize who put that bounty on his head?
But Terumi Mei acted like she didn't notice his gaze. She had already ordered Kirigakure to cancel their hunt for Zabuza.
As for why someone else had put a bounty on his head—what did that have to do with Kirigakure? If he tried to twist the story, that would be nothing but slander.
"So if Zabuza leads them, it could actually work."
If she had a choice, Terumi Mei wouldn't have wanted Zabuza to step in at all.
She wasn't stupid. Just like the old master had said, she was a woman who carried the entire village on her back—one of the strongest Kage of her time.
Both in strength and intelligence.
Zabuza was strong, yes. But compared to the real powerhouses here, there was still a big gap.
What made Zabuza truly valuable was his connection with Shanks.
To put it simply, Terumi Mei was using him to borrow Shanks' influence.
That was her way of doing things—the method of a woman who had single-handedly suppressed the Fourth Mizukage and ended the chaos in Kirigakure.
"Then—"
"Captain! Captain!!"
Just as they were hesitating, a large man came running in, shouting at the top of his lungs.
At the same time, several ninjas rushed back in a hurry.
"What's wrong?"
"That group... they're back. They came ashore."
"The ones who went to attack Shanks have appeared on the coast, including Dark."
The ninjas from Kirigakure and Kumogakure also received the news at that moment. Everyone stood up, even Raikage had a serious expression as he got to his feet.
"Karui was taken down in a single move?"
Raikage and Killer Bee hadn't expected it either. A Chunin like Karui had been defeated by a pirate in just one attack.
Zabuza, on the other hand, was curious.
"Lead the way. I want to see those guys for myself."
Zabuza walked ahead, and before long, the group emerged from the forest.
On the beach, over a dozen ships were docked at the shore. The sea breeze rustled the pirate flags on the masts, making them flutter loudly.
At the front of the shore, a towering figure stood ahead of everyone else—just like when he had faced Shanks, standing at the front, leading the charge.
Dark was shirtless, his broad and muscular body wrapped in bandages, all of them completely soaked in blood.
Even his head was wrapped, showing how serious his injuries were.
Behind him, the other pirates were all wounded, looking battered and miserable.
But as soon as the ninjas from Kumogakure and Kirigakure saw them, a natural sense of wariness rose within them.
Raikage looked at the pirates with a grim expression.
"Are these guys really just ordinary pirates? Even with such heavy injuries, they still have that kind of presence."
"They're terrifying. They don't look any different from regular people, but their aura is even stronger than most ninjas."
"Compared to them, those other pirates were nothing but small fry."
Many of the stronger fighters were just as shocked. The more powerful they were, the clearer they could see the massive gap between these pirates and the ones before.
The sheer force of their will was something they could not possibly mistake.
"Boom!"
Dark casually tossed Kayui forward.
Killer Bee, standing next to Raikage, caught him and took a quick look.
Kayui had only been hit in the face once, but that one punch had knocked him out cold.
"What terrifying strength. Is that guy a Devil Fruit user?"
Killer Bee muttered.
"He struck first."
Dark explained. His voice wasn't loud, and it was clear he was weak.
But at that moment, no one dared to underestimate them. No one dared to look down on Dark.
"Looks like you got beaten up pretty bad by Shanks, Dark. What happened to all those wounds?"
Zabuza sneered.
Dark wasn't angry. He simply looked down at Zabuza.
"You should spend more time practicing your swordsmanship."
"We're heading to Konohagakure next. Want to come along, everyone?"
Dark glanced at the crowd and spoke.
The massive figure didn't bring any pressure to the crowd. Instead, it carried a bold and fearless spirit. Even if they didn't move together, it didn't matter to them.
Terumi Mei and Raikage hesitated.
Dark didn't ask again. He simply led his people forward.
"In that case, we're leaving first."
"Why go to Konohagakure? Is it for the Devil Fruit?"
Terumi Mei asked. It was obviously dangerous, so why go? These people weren't fools.
"For the New World!"
Dark answered.
"To stand before that man once again."
"There's no other reason. I was acknowledged by Shanks—I'm one of the great men of the sea."
"..."
Everyone had different answers, but none of them hesitated. They had already decided to go.
Raikage, who had been waiting for his secretary's decision, looked at the pirates. He seemed to understand, yet at the same time, he didn't. As the leader of a village, he wasn't supposed to understand these pirates.
But…
As long as someone has emotions, they can never make decisions with pure logic. So…
"Pirates, let us—Kumogakure—take the lead! The New World won't turn away old relics like us from the past era, will it?"
A put on his headband and faced the pirates.
This time, his decision had no reason, no justification. But he was going to take these people to Konohagakure—
As a ninja!
---
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