Paulie and the others stared in shock at the massive hole blasted open by Meiser, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
What had they just witnessed?
Not only had two enormous Water Dragons appeared out of nowhere in the sea, but they had also shattered the Aqua Laguna!
Instinctively, Bippley Lulu gulped and stammered, "T-This... is the power of that ninja guy?!"
This was downright terrifying.
"So strong!" Zambai exclaimed excitedly. "With someone this powerful joining us to save our boss, we can definitely do it!"
"Yeah!"
"But it's more than that... This guy can manipulate seawater..." Paulie muttered.
He had seen it clearly—somehow, the other had harnessed the ocean itself, shaping it into two Water Dragons.
Was it Ninjutsu?
In a way, someone like this was the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users. Any Devil Fruit wielder would be at a severe disadvantage in a sea battle against him.
Thankfully, he was on their side.
"BOOM!!"
The Rocketman sped past the enormous hole at breakneck speed, successfully crossing the Aqua Laguna!
"We made it through!!"
"We survived!!"
The Franky Family burst into tears of joy. The thrill of narrowly escaping death was simply exhilarating.
Glancing into the distance and confirming there were no more tsunamis, Meiser calmly turned back and said, "If you notice anything else later, make sure to alert us immediately."
"Got it, Ninja Bro!"
Seeing the admiring looks in Zambai and the others' eyes, Meiser simply smiled and said nothing more.
Once back in the carriage, Luffy immediately bounced over. "That was so cool, Meiser!"
"How did you do that?"
"Those two huge Water Dragons just shot out like whoosh!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Chopper chimed in, gesturing wildly. "Was that Ninjutsu?"
"Nin!"
"Nin!"
"Ninja bro is amazing!" Chimney cheered.
"The youth these days are truly something," Kokoro remarked with a sigh.
The group had been watching from the window, witnessing the entire process—from the formation of the Water Dragons to their devastating strike. It had been awe-inspiring.
"Yeah, Ninjutsu," Meiser replied with a chuckle as he took a seat. "Specifically, Water Release Ninjutsu."
"Water Release?"
"Yep, Water Release," Meiser explained. "It's one of the elemental affinities in Ninjutsu."
"Do you have other affinities too?"
"Of course," Meiser said proudly. "I possess all five Chakra natures, and I've also studied Yin-Yang Release and Sealing Techniques."
He had sneaked into Shimura Danzo's Root organization more than a few times and had even glimpsed some of their Secret Techniques.
For example... the Expansion Technique!
In a way, the Expansion Technique was a manifestation of Yang Release.
Of course, he had also frequently studied the Book of Sealing—something the Third Hokage had permitted.
Nearby, Zoro's gaze toward Meiser shifted slightly as he recalled the words Meiser had once spoken:
(If I truly wanted to kill you, you'd be dead before you even saw me.)
Yes, if the enemy intended to kill them, there would be no need to come aboard this train—they could simply launch such an attack from afar.
A Sea Train hit by this kind of attack at high speed would be no different from crashing head-on into the Aqua Laguna. Either way, it would mean destruction and death.
"Wow, so many different attributes?!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "What other kinds of Ninjutsu are there?!"
"Can you show us?!"
"Now, now, no need to rush~" Meiser said with a smile. "There'll be plenty of chances."
They were about to head into battle—it made no sense to waste energy here.
With that, Meiser stood up and headed toward the control room. Nami had mentioned earlier that she wanted to contact Sanji, and he was curious about the situation on the other side as well.
"Nooo, nooo~"
Luffy clung tightly to Meiser's leg, refusing to let go. "Just show us one move, please!"
"Yeah, Meiser," Chopper added, hugging his other leg. "We're begging you!"
The spectacle they had just witnessed was far too astonishing—they couldn't calm down now.
Realizing he couldn't move, Meiser sighed helplessly at the two troublemakers clinging to his legs. This was just plain unreasonable.
Luffy was one thing—his personality was often childlike—but why was Chopper joining in on the antics?
Well, on second thought, Chopper wasn't much better.
"Hey," Zoro interjected. "You two, that's enough. The battle we're about to face is likely brutal, and the enemy won't give us time to rest."
"If possible, we shouldn't waste energy needlessly."
Though he didn't know the exact conditions for Meiser's Ninjutsu, he was certain it required some kind of expenditure.
Wasting energy to perform Ninjutsu for Luffy and the others could wait until after they rescued Robin.
"Hmph, stupid Zoro."
"Green-haired moss head!"
"Three-Sword Style!"
"Grr—"
A vein bulged on Zoro's forehead as he bared his teeth like a shark. "Did I say anything wrong?!"
"And wait—why did I just hear that damn cook's voice?!"
As he spoke, Zoro began scanning for the source of the voice and quickly locked onto Nami's hand.
Nami had just stepped out of the control room, holding a Den Den Mushi—one that bore Sanji's likeness.
Zoro: "..."
Oh, so that's where it was!
"Hey, hearing my voice must be thrilling, huh?" Sanji chuckled.
"Not at all," Zoro retorted disdainfully. "Guess you're still alive, then."
Despite his words, the slight upward curve of Zoro's lips betrayed his true feelings.
At the very least, he could confirm that Sanji was still in one piece.
"Tch."
Sanji clicked his tongue before continuing, "So I heard our crew has a new member, huh?"
"Hello, I'm Meiser," Meiser said with a smile.
By now, Luffy and Chopper had finally let go of him.
"I'm Sanji," Sanji replied, then paused. He glanced at Usopp standing behind him and instinctively considered introducing him to Meiser.
But after seeing Usopp's expression, he silently sighed and instead asked, "So, you're a Ninja?"
"Huh?"
The moment Usopp heard that word, he perked up instantly.
Franky was the same. As for Ninjas, they had only ever seen them in storybooks before, but none of them had ever encountered a real one.
Now that a living, breathing Ninja had appeared right before them, how could they not be excited?
However, Usopp's eyes dimmed considerably when he remembered that he had already left the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Ah, I'm a Ninja," Meiser said. "What, do you want me to perform some Ninjutsu for you too?"
"Haha, seems like Luffy already made you do that, right?"
"You really know him well."
"Of course," Sanji chuckled. "But let's save that for another time."
Though Sanji was also curious about what a Ninja was like, he knew when to focus on more pressing matters.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Sanji said seriously. "Luffy, I've already figured out why Robin left us, so I need your authorization!"
"What authorization?"
"Authorization to declare war!"