Watching the old mayor's figure disappear on the mountain path, the confident smile slowly faded from Eric's face, his eyes turning grim.
He knew exactly how powerful that energy was. Back then, he hadn't understood just how terrifying that man had been.
But as he grew stronger himself, Eric gradually realized how frightening Shanks truly was.
His mind replayed the past scenes repeatedly - how that sword light had split the darkness, cleaving through the surrounding warships.
He remembered... the searing pain from the bone-deep scar on his chest.
These memories were what forged Eric into the powerful swordsman he was today.
He'd thought himself strong enough, but... it still wasn't sufficient.
"What a pain. Should've just run away earlier. Now I have to deal with these guys, and they're no small fry."
Eric didn't recognize the people on the ship, but his instincts warned him—
At the very least, those who faced Shanks back then all had some innate talent, even if they hadn't awakened Observation Haki.
This was Eric's intuition - those people were definitely not ordinary cannon fodder, let alone that one who could use Conqueror's Haki.
Moreover, Eric had originally been a "pirate" himself. As one of the first generation pirates, he knew well that few in this group were decent people - most were desperate outlaws.
Given enough power, they could easily overturn the entire ninja world.
This was Eric's confidence - in himself, and in pirates. No one understands you better than yourself.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Eric's footsteps echoed through the empty town. When he reached the spot where the little girl had been earlier, he picked up the flower on the ground and naturally tucked it into his hair.
Then, he straightened up, and in that moment, his entire presence changed.
"In that case, let me see what you've got.
I survived the blade of the Four Emperors. Even among conquerors, there are levels to this power."
Eric walked toward the port at the base of the mountain. Energy seeped from his body, and the footprints he left behind were quickly covered by countless small flowers.
As he made his way down, flowers bloomed along his path.
At the port below, the people who had docked their ship turned their gaze toward Eric as he descended from the mountainside.
They couldn't see him clearly, but the sheer intensity of the life force he gave off was overwhelming—it was affecting the entire port.
The most shocked were, of course, Yahiko and his two companions. They had only recently been brought back through Edo Tensei. Although they knew the world had changed, they had never truly experienced how much.
"Let's go take a look."
Yahiko curiously gazed ahead before running toward Zabuza's ship with his two companions.
Zabuza's ship had already reached the port, and by now, Jin had led a group to block Eric's path.
Negotiating with the locals was their job. Jin, after all, was one of Zabuza's most trusted men—sending him was the best choice.
As a result, the road leading to the port was now blocked by more than twenty towering men, each over 2.5 meters tall, with massive upper bodies and rough, scarred faces.
They took this situation very seriously and showed no sign of underestimating their opponent.
To be fair, Jin and his men had acted this way even when they worked for Gato—it was a matter of respect.
Even though they were pirates now, they weren't the kind to oppress ordinary people. Simply put, they had standards.
They wouldn't stoop to dirty tricks.
Meanwhile, on Zabuza's side, Yahiko stood with Daibutsu and Juzou the Vajra, watching the situation unfold with curiosity.
"Is he an enemy?"
Yahiko asked.
"Not sure, but I doubt anyone would dare attack us. Besides, we're pirates, but we don't mess with civilians.
Jin is just handling negotiations to reassure them."
Zabuza explained. Yahiko was being too cautious—there was no way anyone here would pick a fight with them.
"Really?"
Yahiko glanced at the scene ahead, not entirely convinced by Zabuza's words.
"Of course. You just don't get it yet, which is understandable—"
Before Zabuza could finish, a dazzling blade light suddenly slashed down from afar.
Boom!!!
The ground split open from the strike, sending dust and debris flying.
Zabuza was momentarily stunned. Before he could react, Yahiko and the others had already rushed toward the battlefield, fully prepared.
At the center of the chaos, Jin was just as shocked. He had no ill intentions, yet the other side had attacked without warning.
"Damn it! You coward!"
Jin's fist swelled with power, muscles rippling from his arms to his back, veins bulging across his skin.
He hurled a terrifying punch straight at Eric.
The force of the strike blasted away the surrounding dust, leaving a massive crater in the ground.
Blood dripped from Jin's arm.
"He actually cut me…!"
Jin's expression darkened. He had used Tekkai to defend himself, yet Eric had shattered his defense.
Jin might have been just a minor character, but under Zabuza's command, even the most insignificant member had been through intense battles.
Fighting Naruto and his group was one thing, but after that, they ran into plenty of pirates at sea. And once they reached the Land of Wind, they encountered many more ninjas.
Jin's strength had grown step by step.
Not to mention, he had also trained for a while on Starlight Island. Right now, he was definitely stronger than some regular Jonin.
"Despicable? If anyone here is despicable, it's you pirates!"
Eric's eyes narrowed slightly. Just from this brief exchange, he already felt uneasy. If even a low-ranking scout from their group was this strong...
And their intentions?
A group of burly men with fierce expressions surrounding him, grinning as they spoke: "Are you alone? We mean no harm, so let the others come out too."
What kind of friendliness was that? That was just blatant intimidation.
Don't talk about stereotypes—wasn't this exactly how things usually went? The only reason Zabuza's group didn't find it strange was because they had personally witnessed Jin's transformation.
Before, they just didn't look like good people. Now, they barely looked human at all.
And as for stereotypes, they were nothing unusual.
Don't call this fantasy. If you were in some country and happened to have dark skin, in this kind of situation, the other side would've probably emptied several magazines by now.
"This is your last chance. This place is not for you."
Eric's figure flickered. The only trace left behind was a few scattered flower petals at his feet before he completely vanished from sight.
Buzz!!
Jin's body instantly turned black as he pressed his palms together.
"Tekkai—Immovable Bodhisattva!"
Boom!!
A massive shockwave exploded from his palms, spreading outward in all directions. It was an extreme display of muscle control—what seemed like a simple burst of air carried immense force.
But just before he activated Tekkai, Jin's arm muscles had already vibrated dozens of times. At that moment, his muscles seemed to come alive, covering his hardened body like a tangled network of roots.
That was the only way to describe it—interwoven like roots.
Jin had pushed his body to its absolute limit. Extreme development, extreme control, constantly drawing out every bit of power hidden in his muscles.
This was the furthest a normal human could push themselves—squeezing out every last drop of life force, forcing his body beyond its limits.
Over and over again, he pushed himself, even though he had already mastered Tekkai. He still used moves that put his own body at risk.
That pitch-black color on his skin—it wasn't Armament Haki. It was... compressed flesh and blood.
Bang!!
Waves of shockwaves burst outward, layer upon layer, completely neutralizing the incoming blade strike. The once-deadly blade light scattered into petals within the air currents.
Eric's figure appeared above Jin, his body twisting under the force of the shockwave. His skin rippled like waves, his entire face starting to distort.
Rip!!
The blade... moved.
Even under the crushing shockwave, Eric's blade moved once again, its dazzling light piercing through the turbulence.
"You... are not worthy of stopping me!!"
In the next instant, Eric's blade sliced through the shockwave. A brilliant blade light, dozens of meters wide, spread out and shot toward the ground.
The ground shattered inch by inch beneath the force of the blade. And in that instant, a dark shadow flashed by, slamming Jin away.
As the blade slashed down, flower petals danced in the air, now mixed with tiny fragments.
Meanwhile, Jin had already reached Yahiko's side.
Yahiko looked down at the deep crack stretching beneath his feet. Inside the crevice, flowers bloomed, filling the gaps.
His gaze shifted toward Eric in the distance.
Eric's shirt had been blown open, revealing his chest. What stood out was the crack running across it. Within the crack, flowers bloomed and withered in a cycle, and with each bloom and decay, waves of life energy surged into his body.
"Amazing… So this is the power of a Devil Fruit? It's truly bizarre."
"Devil Fruit?"
Eric sneered, pointing his sword at Yahiko. His arrogance was palpable, and even the flowers at his feet seemed to grow more wildly.
"Even without a Devil Fruit, my blade is just as sharp."
Hearing Eric's arrogant words, the great monk beside Yahiko couldn't hold back anymore.
"Kid, don't get too cocky!"
The great monk gripped his staff and charged forward. How dare this man act so arrogantly in front of Yahiko? Was he really ignoring the leader of the Revolutionary Army?
In the next instant, Eric swung his blade.
At that moment, only one thought filled the great monk's mind…
Fast!! Too fast.
Speed, power, and attack precision—every strike was unpredictable and razor-sharp.
Only when facing Eric's attacks directly did the great monk truly realize just how powerful this seemingly arrogant man was.
This was no ordinary ninja. No, this man… or rather, the power of this era, had long surpassed the world of ten years ago.
This was the power of the present age.
"Incredible… He's unbelievably strong!!"
The great monk looked down at his severed lower half. His mind couldn't even process it. He had no time to react. The difference in strength between them was beyond measure.
It wasn't just that Eric was strong—Yahiko and the others were no longer playing by the same rules. In this era, everyone's power had surged.
It wasn't just Eric. The entire ninja world had changed!!
Not to mention, Eric was someone who had been right at the source of the Dragon Vein's eruption. The power he gained was bound to be far greater than anyone else's.
"This is it?"
Eric's mocking voice rang out.
"I'm not done yet!"
The great monk's body reformed in midair, and he swung his staff down at Eric.
At the same time, Jisuke of the War God's Heaven had also fully regenerated, charging straight toward Eric.
Honor and fairness? They were ninjas!! And not just any ninjas—they were rogue ninjas. Honor was the least of their concerns.
Meanwhile, Shanks and his crew watched from their ship in the distance, enjoying the spectacle.
"It's amazing… So it's not a Devil Fruit ability? Makes sense. The power of a Devil Fruit wouldn't work like this."
"It's probably some kind of island energy, something similar to the Gelel Stone?"
Shanks wasn't entirely sure, but he wasn't too concerned about that.
At the same time, on the other side, Zabuza wasn't concerned about the fight breaking out either.
What caught his attention was…
"That guy's moves… Why are they so flashy? A guy like that…"
Zabuza rushed in as well.
"Damn it. So weak, yet wasting this much money on effects."
Shanks grumbled too.
The light from other people's swords is always a single color, but that guy's sword light in the distance is a mix of bright colors, and it even creates flower petals.
Isn't that just ridiculous? Just that kind of special effect must cost a fortune.
Now, looking at myself—forget special effects, even my clothes are plain. But thinking about it, never mind.
I'm purely a warrior focused on strength, so there's no need to chase after flashy moves.
Shanks looked at his sword. Yep, just as plain as himself.
"But honestly, Zabuza might not even be able to beat that guy, so let's not stir up trouble."
After saying that, Shanks placed his right foot on the edge of the ship, then lightly lifted it.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished. Even Shisui couldn't catch his movements.
The next moment, the battle in the distance suddenly came to a halt. A crisp sound echoed through the air, and then... a massive explosion of fire erupted from the center of the battlefield.
The dazzling sword light and scattered petals disappeared completely. Under the raging flames, everything was wiped away.
In front of Eric was a katana engulfed in roaring flames. The fire burned fiercely, and in its glow, he could only see the sword's owner casually keeping one hand in his pocket.
On his feet were a pair of unique-looking sandals, and as for those flashy floral-patterned shorts… they were quite something.
But when Eric got a clear look beyond the flames—when he saw the red hair blown by the wind and those lion-like eyes—any trace of contempt or irritation in his heart vanished instantly.
"Red... Red-Haired... Shanks!!!"
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