New World—
Shanks was completely dumbfounded when he saw the unexpected guests on his ship.
What was going on?
How did all these people suddenly end up on his ship?
Shanks' mind was struggling to keep up.
Before he could figure it out, Yahiko walked over, laughing.
"Hmm... so you're the Shanks that Nagato mentioned? Hahaha! I'm Yahiko, founder of the Revolutionary Army.
Nagato sure has been through a lot. I never expected him to be from the Uzumaki Clan, and on top of that, he even has an elder like you, Shanks."
Hearing Yahiko's words, Shanks glanced at the others.
Shisui stayed silent. So did Haku.
Only Zabuza gave Shanks a slight nod while striking a proud pose.
After all, Shanks was now the strongest person in the ninja world, and the Uzumaki Clan barely had any members left.
So, wasn't he naturally the head of the clan?
Yahiko and his group had no idea what had happened over the past few years.
They couldn't take advantage of much, but playing the role of an elder brother figure to the Revolutionary Army was definitely possible.
"Yahiko?"
"Yep."
Yahiko nodded, then glanced at himself, looking a bit awkward.
"This current state feels... a little off.
Hmm... I have no idea how this Edo Tensei thing even works.
But I guess I'll just have to deal with it for now."
Yahiko finished speaking and introduced the two companions behind him.
"This is Furido, and this is Kyosuke of the Vairocana Guard."
Furido was a monk with a simple and honest look, holding a Zen staff in his hand. He didn't seem like someone you'd want to mess with.
Of course, compared to the strange-looking group on the ship, Furido actually seemed quite kind and approachable.
Especially when you considered the guys on Zabuza's ship, whose entire appearance looked like it had been distorted by extreme training.
As for Kyosuke of the Vairocana Guard, he was a young man with facial markings. But given that he was by Yahiko's side, his strength was probably not to be underestimated.
"Alright, let me think about what's really going on here... You were all brought back by the Edo Tensei, which means the Revolutionary Army has other plans?"
Hearing Shanks' words, Yahiko smiled. As expected, this guy was just as Nagato described in his letters—a sharp and intelligent man.
But Nagato placing him here probably meant there was another reason. There must be something about this man that Yahiko needed to learn… or rather, something that made Nagato trust him.
"That's right. This is a letter from Nagato to you, Shanks. It contains all the Revolutionary Army's plans and arrangements in the Shinobi World."
"And… our short-term plans as well."
Yahiko took out the letter, and Shanks didn't ask too many questions—he simply opened it.
After reading the contents, Shanks let out a breath of relief. Nagato had already learned about the Sage and was planning to take action against him.
"Nagato's reaction is just as I expected. But this time, things might get really chaotic.
Even though the New World can draw away some of the heat, there are still many powerful figures in the Shinobi World. Nagato placed you all here as a precaution."
"Be ready to support the Revolutionary Army at any moment."
After reading the letter, Shanks felt a bit more at ease. Fortunately, there were no major problems.
It looked like Nagato was simply preparing to launch the Fourth Great Shinobi War. But from Shanks' perspective, the war didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore.
Because the truly insane battlefield was actually on his side. Just thinking about how many people he had to deal with gave Shanks quite a bit of pressure.
He had no idea how many sages the enemy could gather. If they got overconfident and sent just one person to challenge him, he wouldn't be too worried.
But based on Shanks' own experience, that kind of one-on-one fight was unlikely to happen. True powerhouses knew how to make smart choices when facing an opponent like him.
Shanks was confident in himself—if it was a one-on-one fight, he was unbeatable in the Shinobi World. Unless the Sage of the Six Paths crawled out of his grave, that was a different story.
But at that thought, something crossed Shanks' mind.
"Looking at it this way, that guy should be coming back soon. The process might be a bit complicated, but… this era needs him too."
Shanks thought of the aging Madara from the past. Now that he understood Madara's true identity, he finally grasped what kind of emotions the man must have carried back then.
"Shanks, is something big happening in the Shinobi World?"
Zabuza asked. It seemed like a serious problem.
"Not really. And we still have time. If things move fast, we have about a year. If it drags out, maybe two or three years.
That should be enough time for us to settle the situation in the New World first."
Shanks said calmly. But the moment he finished speaking, everyone else realized something felt off.
Shanks rarely considers anything a big deal, so when he does, it must be something truly significant. There aren't many things in this world that he actually takes seriously.
"It looks like a major shift is happening. By the time we return, the entire ninja world might be unrecognizable."
"Let's hope so. The chaos in the ninja world might help divert some attention away from New World."
Shisui pondered for a moment. The turmoil in the ninja world didn't have much to do with ordinary people.
On the contrary, as the chaos spread, more people would likely set sail toward the sea. The era of great pirates had already arrived—this was how the times were meant to be.
One thing about ninjas is that when the time comes to sacrifice, they don't hesitate. And when it comes to sacrificing others, they don't waver either. There's no room for excessive kindness, and even Haku couldn't be that merciful.
"Here are Orochimaru's ninjutsu notes. They're all about his research on the Edo Tensei technique. I hope this helps you."
"From now on, we'll be working together. Let's take care of each other."
Yahiko smiled as he handed everything over to Shanks. Shanks accepted the materials, and surprisingly, Orochimaru's side handed them over without much trouble.
It made Shanks a little suspicious—was Orochimaru planning something? But for now, Orochimaru wasn't in these waters, and Shanks knew he was deliberately avoiding him.
"This is going to be troublesome."
Shanks was also interested in Edo Tensei and the reincarnation system of the ninja world. It was directly related to what he was planning to do next.
So, he had to take his time. There were things he needed to fully understand before making a move. He had already caused a major incident in the Land of Wind by acting carelessly before.
Now, if possible, Shanks really wanted to see what the new era of the ninja world would look like.
Three days later, after passing through a violent thunderstorm, Shanks and his crew finally spotted several islands.
"The Flower Archipelago. This is the place marked on the map. It's said that in spring, the entire archipelago blooms with countless flowers, but they all wither overnight, only to bloom again the next day."
"This is also one of the overseas locations noted by merchants."
Haku excitedly pointed toward the islands in the distance. The land was covered in vibrant colors—proof that the islands were indeed full of blooming flowers.
And, surprisingly, there were signs of people living there.
Though the seas beyond the mainland weren't heavily populated, they weren't completely deserted either.
The Flower Archipelago was clearly a lively place. The fact that merchants knew about it meant it must have once been a frequent stop for traders.
At that moment, the people on the island also noticed the ship approaching. After all, half the storm clouds in the sky had been sliced apart—there was no way anyone could miss it.
"Is that… a ship from the outside world?"
"Probably…? It's been so long since we've seen an outsider. What's going on in the world? What happened out there?"
On a small town halfway up the hillside, people watched the approaching ship, their voices filled with curiosity.
Over a year ago, fewer and fewer people visited the Flower Archipelago. Eventually, it was as if those travelers had disappeared altogether. No one ever came again.
The islanders had sent people out to investigate, but those who left never returned.
Of course, this was because the ninja world was changing too fast. By the time their scouts tried to return, it was already too late.
And now, the only ones coming back were Shanks and his crew.
"Chief, the flag on that ship… Something seems off about it."
"What's wrong with it? It just has a skull on it. That's normal for people from outside."
"Is… is that so?"
"I don't know either, but having visitors is a good thing. No point worrying about it."
The old town chief scratched his head awkwardly while the people behind him fainted one after another.
Well… they weren't sure either, but…
"Quick, quick, quick! Get Eric ready to back us up, or those deep-sea monsters will come out again!"
The old town chief urged. Eric was the strongest person on this island, having been here for over six months.
But that guy never said much—just kept insisting that he had to go back.
Yet, after all his training, just when he was reaching a new level, the Flower Archipelago was suddenly shrouded in thunderclouds, trapping Eric on the island along with everyone else.
Before long, a middle-aged man came down from the mountain. He was tall and muscular, carrying a large katana on his back.
There was still static electricity crackling around him, showing that he had just come out of his training state.
"Old man, why are you calling me down? Don't you know I'm in the middle of training?"
"My strength has been growing like crazy lately. Can you stop bothering me?"
Eric snapped, but the people around him didn't seem too bothered by his outburst. Despite his rough attitude, he was surprisingly kind.
The old town chief, looking a bit apologetic, gave him a grin.
"Heh heh, Eric, we just spotted two ships on the sea. You're the only one who can handle those guys. If you don't, those monsters will probably sink them.
So..."
The old town chief handed Eric a stack of money. Every time they asked for his help, they had to pay him—even though, in the end, the money always found its way back into their hands.
"Ships?"
Eric looked into the distance at the thunderclouds, which, for some unknown reason, had split open, revealing a gap.
"So the storm can open up on its own? But... why would anyone come to a place like this?"
Eric stepped forward, and the crowd parted to let him through. He walked up to a high platform at the edge of town and picked up a telescope.
What he saw were two ships flying skull-and-crossbones flags.
"Pi... pirates! Both ships belong to pirates!"
Eric adjusted the telescope again.
On the first ship, a tall, burly man stood at the front. The rest of the crew looked just as tough.
Eric didn't recognize Jin. Well, he didn't even know Zabuza.
As for the people on the second ship…
Eric looked over. There was a blond man with cracked skin, a younger guy standing next to him, and a bald monk.
"Three weird guys… Strange pirates... No, wait."
Something about them didn't seem normal. Could they be...
Eric remembered the time he had set sail with a certain group. They had claimed they were searching for Devil Fruits.
Their so-called "Devil Fruit user," Dark, had led them straight to Shanks. In the battle that followed, Eric had been caught in the shockwave of Shanks' sword strike.
Even though it was just the aftermath of the attack, he had barely survived.
Eric was sure of one thing—Dark had no chance of winning that fight.
But that was a long time ago. By now, someone must have found a Devil Fruit.
"Eric, what's wrong?"
The people behind him noticed him trembling slightly and grew concerned.
Hearing their voices snapped Eric back to reality. His expression turned deadly serious.
"Old man, take everyone and hide in the mountains. Now!"
"Eric, what's happening?"
The old town chief asked.
"It's them—the pirates!
They might have already gotten their hands on legendary power. Right now, I can probably escape in one piece, but I don't think I can protect all of you.
Get everyone out of here! Those people… they're not going to be easy to deal with."
Just as Eric finished speaking, a massive shadow slowly rose from the depths of the sea, turning the entire water surface black.
The next moment, ripples spread outward, as if a breeze had blown across the ocean.
Then, the shadow vanished.
The wind never reached the town, but…
Just witnessing that power once was enough to burn it into one's memory forever.
The power to suppress all life - the legendary Conqueror's Haki.
That's right, it must be Conqueror's Haki!!
Though not as overwhelming as when facing Shanks before, he could never forget this power.
"Quick!! Get everyone out of here!"
"Run! If we stay we'll die!"
Eric turned and roared, the first time he'd ever lost his temper. Everyone stared at him in shock.
"Waaaah!!!"
A little girl in the distance dropped her flowers and burst into tears.
At this moment, the old town mayor finally spoke up.
"Quick!! Evacuate immediately!"
"RUN!!"
The mayor's words carried the most weight. Though he didn't understand what was happening, he remembered clearly the state Eric had been in when they rescued him.
People really... could die here!!
"Eric!!"
The old mayor looked at Eric who remained standing in place.
"Don't worry, I'll survive... old man."
---
You can read 50 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu