Kakuzu decided to stop thinking about it. He knew his place—if the sky came crashing down, there would always be someone taller to hold it up. He had survived for decades with that mindset.
After seeing so much, he had learned to stay calm.
The state of the ninja world wasn't his problem to solve. He had no ambitions—his only hobby was making money. In a way, Kakuzu was just a guy who got paid to show up to work.
But since he was the only one in the Revolutionary Army who could actually make money, he figured it was fine. As a veteran, taking care of the younger ones who were bad with money seemed normal.
Half a month later, Kakuzu finally found Orochimaru on the southern seas of the Land of Wind.
At this moment, Orochimaru was preparing to go deeper into uncharted territory. Of course, he was still in the planning stage.
Having witnessed the massive explosion in the Land of Wind firsthand, Orochimaru understood the power of the Dragon Vein. He wasn't one to take risks blindly. Just in case, he had already reached out to Dark.
Dark was in the waters west of the Land of Earth. Shanks was now in the southern seas of another land. And Orochimaru was in the southern waters of the Land of Wind. With this setup, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Even so, Orochimaru remained extremely cautious.
He had been working with Hiruko to study the Dragon Vein's power, but progress was slow.
The battle against Shanks had affected him more than expected. The oppressive force of the world's will had messed with his mind, leaving him in a constant fog. His ability to focus on research had dropped significantly.
Because of this, Orochimaru was even more unwilling to face Shanks again. He couldn't understand how that man managed to stay clear-headed under such immense pressure.
"Orochimaru-sama, the Revolutionary Army's Kakuzu is here."
"Kakuzu? That guy came looking for me before. What does he want this time?"
Orochimaru frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Kakuzu, but he had his own matters to deal with.
"I'll go meet him. I have a feeling something big has changed in the New World."
Orochimaru spoke up, and Hiruko, standing beside him, paused for a moment before saying,
"I'll go too."
Hiruko didn't wait for Orochimaru's response. He simply took off his coat. His research had reached a stopping point, and he still hadn't found the right direction for his Devil Fruit.
There was no rush for now.
"This guy…"
Orochimaru gritted his teeth. Hiruko really didn't see him as the captain, huh? But thinking about it, now that he had become the strongest creature, Hiruko was probably unhappy about it too.
Orochimaru smirked and walked toward the island's port.
At the port, Kakuzu was looking at the gathered ships—at least fifty, including several large ones.
Judging by the numbers, Orochimaru's fleet had at least two thousand people.
As Kakuzu observed the others, the pirates on the surrounding ships were also eyeing him. They were quite curious about this man.
"That guy's clothes… He's with the Revolutionary Army, right?"
"Probably. But why would the Revolutionary Army be hanging around with us pirates?"
"Hmph, in this era, only the strong have a say. The Revolutionary Army might be fighting to free the common people, but they're too weak.
Our boss, on the other hand, is someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Shanks."
A pirate crossed his arms, his face full of admiration.
They weren't qualified to follow Shanks, but Orochimaru wasn't bad either.
For these rookie pirates who had just set out to sea, Shanks was already a legend.
They had no way of even getting close to him. Just being able to follow a veteran of the pirate era was already impressive.
Sure, the pirates roaming the seas today might not seem that strong, but if you compared the numbers, the difference was obvious.
Back then, when ninja villages sent teams on missions, it was usually one Jonin leading a few Genin.
But now, when ninja villages were hunting pirates, they couldn't afford to be that careless.
Take pirates like Zabuza and Dark, for example—an entire ninja village could send a force after them and still fail to take them down.
It was way too easy to escape on the open sea.
And then there were the next-tier pirates, like Ross Jess and Kagarro Peak—veterans of the old era. Even if a ninja village sent three or four Jonin, or even elite Jonin, they still might not be able to capture them.
That's how much things had changed.
Ordinary people had reached a level where they could fight against Jonin and even elite Jonin.
Maybe they weren't as strong in direct combat, but they could definitely hold their own.
And besides these well-known pirates, there were countless other smaller pirate crews, rogue ninja who had defected from their villages, and more.
The first batch of people who became pirates were now considered veterans of this era.
And these people had nothing but admiration for Shanks.
They had faced him in battle and survived to tell the tale. Now that the Great Pirate Era had begun, did these rookie pirates really think they could just walk up to Shanks?
Did they think they could challenge him?
They'd have to get past these veterans first.
Shanks was an emperor of the sea. Even they weren't worthy of standing before him—what made these newcomers think they had a chance?
And so, the veteran pirates humiliated the rookies, labeling them as low-class pirates.
If they didn't respect Shanks… If they didn't respect the pirates of this era…
Then they weren't worthy of calling themselves pirates at all.
They were pirates roaming the vast sea, aiming to challenge the great pirates of this era, not these low-level nobodies stuck in their small worlds.
"On the same level as Shanks? Orochimaru really takes in anyone, huh? Someone actually said that?"
Kakuzu listened to the pirates' chatter, a hint of disdain flashing in his dark green eyes. He wasn't a pirate himself, but he understood just how terrifying and powerful Shanks was.
Orochimaru? He was nowhere near that level.
Maybe in the past, when he had defied life and death, Orochimaru could have gone toe-to-toe with Shanks. If he had been able to use the power of the Dragon Pulse and the will of the world to take down Shanks, then he might have been worthy of standing at the top.
But he lost. He put everything into it, and he still lost.
And because of that, he had no more chances. That was his one and only shot.
That was why Orochimaru had changed so much afterward. He understood himself. And Kakuzu understood Orochimaru too.
"Hehehe… Kakuzu, did you come all this way just to mock me?"
Dark clouds rolled in, swallowing the once-clear sky. The waves grew stronger, crashing against the shore.
A powerful pressure descended from above.
As Orochimaru's deep voice echoed, a towering figure emerged from the depths of the island.
His long white hair swayed in the wind, two sharp horns standing tall on his head.
His upper body was bare, his muscles rippling and gleaming under the light, giving him the presence of an unshakable force.
Flames coiled around Orochimaru, making him look even more imposing.
He also had Conqueror's Haki, but his aura was completely different from Shanks'. Only those who had truly felt Shanks' Haki would understand the difference between the two.
"D-Does this mean… Orochimaru-sama is angry?"
"This power… it's terrifying!!!"
"The legendary Conqueror's Haki… The only two who have mastered it are Shanks and Orochimaru-sama. The mark of a true king."
"That revolutionary… he's dead for sure."
Many pirates trembled uncontrollably under Orochimaru's Haki, some even collapsing unconscious on the spot.
Against such an overwhelming presence, they couldn't even bring themselves to look at him directly.
Everyone's eyes were filled with fear as they looked at Kakuzu, standing on the main ship. He really had the guts to say that—right in front of Orochimaru-sama, no less.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap!!
Orochimaru's footsteps echoed across the port. With every step he took, more pirates collapsed under the weight of his Haki.
Finally, he reached Kakuzu.
Kakuzu was tall, but in front of Orochimaru now, he looked like a child. The difference between them was overwhelming.
Boom!!
From the sky, a massive lightning bolt struck the sea beside the main ship, sending waves crashing and tearing at Kakuzu's cloak. The red clouds on his robes fluttered wildly in the storm, as if they were brewing an even greater thunderstorm within them.
Kakuzu looked up at Orochimaru. Orochimaru looked down at Kakuzu, grinning menacingly.
"Throw all the weaklings who passed out into the sea. Our crew has no place for trash."
"The Beasts Pirates aren't for just anyone to join."
Orochimaru's voice was both commanding and ruthless as he glanced around at the surrounding ships.
A bunch of weaklings like this can't even stand their ground under such intense Conqueror's Haki. They don't even deserve to be on the battlefield.
"W-what…?"
"What did Orochimaru-sama say?"
"Didn't you hear? Throw these useless fools off the ship."
Some pirates were shocked, while others had a hint of excitement and madness on their faces—they had managed to withstand the Conqueror's Haki.
Watching the ones still falling into the sea, Kakuzu's face remained emotionless.
He wasn't worried about Orochimaru making a move against him.
Orochimaru was a cunning, shameless man.
But Kakuzu also knew that Orochimaru had his own limits—his own set of morals.
Even in the official history, Orochimaru had never done anything that was completely irredeemable.
Human experiments? Didn't the Second Hokage do that too? And when Orochimaru did it, wasn't Danzo the one taking the blame?
Besides, Orochimaru had always given people a chance—if they survived, they gained power.
Evil, sure, but with principles.
And let's not forget, in the official timeline, Orochimaru carried out the Konoha Crush plan, but the Third Hokage didn't die at his hands—he died by his own.
Orochimaru even took a beating for it and lost the use of his hands.
Compared to Obito, Orochimaru's character was leagues ahead.
"Sit down. I knew you'd be looking for me sooner or later. So? Does the Revolutionary Army need my help with something?"
When Orochimaru said "help," he didn't mean charity—it was a trade. Orochimaru never did anything without getting something in return.
"The organization originally wanted to strike a deal with you, but things have changed. We've received new intel."
Kakuzu sat down on the deck, and Orochimaru followed suit.
"New intel?"
A flicker of curiosity crossed Orochimaru's face. It seemed like this was fresh news.
"Have you heard about the sages among the noble clans of the ninja world?"
Kakuzu asked. Hearing this, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise—he had only recently learned about it from Jiraiya.
"Something related to the sages of the ninja world?"
"Looks like you already know, so I won't waste words.
Not long ago, some reckless sage attacked Shanks. He got beaten up, and in the process, Shanks forced some information out of him.
I got this intel from Gato. It seems the sages have set their sights on the Dragon Vein. But they don't know how to locate it using a Log Pose, so they're targeting Shanks instead."
"What does that have to do with me? No, wait—what exactly did you learn from that sage?"
Orochimaru wasn't the only one who sensed something bigger at play. Behind him, Hiruko and Kimimaro also felt that this wasn't just some small incident—if it involved Shanks, something major was coming.
"See for yourself. Here, I also have a commission from Gato—it concerns you."
Kakuzu pulled out an intelligence scroll.
Orochimaru, Hiruko, and Kimimaro read it, their expressions darkening.
Orochimaru's face even took on a faint bluish tint, like scales forming—he was clearly furious.
Once again, Shanks had used him. He knew the price of transformation would be steep, but did Shanks really have to keep dragging up the past?
"Using me, and also using the Dragon Vein, to lure out all the hidden sages.
I knew from the start that this was Shanks' plan. If he wanted to change the world, there was no way he would let the ancient sages left behind by the old nobility escape. But still..."
"That bastard Shanks actually used me!!"
Orochimaru slammed his fist onto the deck, sending the entire ship sinking several meters into the water. A huge hole appeared on the deck from the impact.
"So that means... the sages will be coming after us next?"
A glint flashed in Hiruko's eyes. Sages? Looked like he had found his target for a Devil Fruit.
"Not just that. You all know what our Revolutionary Army is trying to do. Above the common people in the ninja world, there aren't just shinobi—there are also sages and the ancient nobility.
That means Nagato won't keep using such gentle methods anymore.
He doesn't have time. Shanks doesn't have time either. A world order that has lasted for thousands of years—
they only have a few decades to completely overturn it."
"So..."
Kakuzu's gaze turned ice-cold. Orochimaru had been used, but that was just a small matter.
The real problem was what came next—the event that would shake the entire ninja world!
"So... the Fourth Great Ninja War is going to happen, isn't it?"
"A battle even fiercer than any before. From commoners to sages, from pirates to ninjas.
The power that has been held for thousands of years will be taken back, returned to the people of this era.
A war unlike anything in history—something the world has never seen before."
Even someone as old and experienced as Kakuzu felt the weight of those words.
His body even trembled slightly.
And Orochimaru, who had lived through two ninja wars and witnessed countless deaths, understood the meaning behind it even more.
He fell silent. His once burning ambition now felt unbearably heavy.
Was power that had lasted a thousand years really worth fighting a bloody war for decades to reclaim?
He looked at Kakuzu. The red clouds on his cloak seemed to come to life, turning into a sea of blood where countless lives faded away—commoners, pirates, nobles, ninjas, sages...
The cost was too great. Far too great.
But... this world was already sick.
Orochimaru had seen war. He had even traveled back in time using the Dragon Vein, reliving history itself.
If they didn't act, history would just keep repeating.
When a person is sick, they take medicine. But when the world is sick, it devours people.
At that moment, Orochimaru finally understood. His mind became crystal clear.
Now he knew why Shanks could withstand the impact of the world's will, despite having such a weak body.
Because from the very beginning, that man had aimed his spear at the world itself.
True strength wasn't just about power.
Shanks was willing to bear this heavy burden, to use the blood of the Uzumaki clan to gamble for a different future.
If Shanks could do it, if Nagato could do it, if the Uzumaki clan could do it—then so could he.
"The Dragon, the strongest creature in the world, can bear this burden."
Orochimaru's eyes burned red, filled with rage against this era.
Shanks... This era will remember my name too.
Orochimaru.
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