238 Fire Fist Ace

Grand Line.

"Guurarara~ Ninjas?"

On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard glanced at the newspaper and tossed it aside with disdain.

Marco picked it up, chuckling. "This has to be some kind of joke."

Vista leaned in, curious. "Danzo? Hokage? Ninjas? What is this nonsense? Are they serious?"

The Whitebeard Pirates, having been to Wanokuni themselves, knew well that no real ninjas existed in this world.

Joze spoke in his deep voice, "It's probably just a mercenary group using the 'ninja' gimmick to market themselves. Look at that Danzo interview—he's all about selling services."

Marco smirked. "Still, Morgans' newspaper usually has some credibility. Maybe there's more to this than we think."

"Come on, you're not seriously suggesting ninjas are real?" Vista laughed. 

"Hahahaha, that's ridiculous!"

"Hahahaha, you've been reading too many fairy tales!" 

Embarrassed by their teasing, the skeptical crew member muttered under his breath, "I didn't say I believed it. You're all laughing like plucked chickens..."

Konoha Village's emergence was too short, only three months from its emergence to its success.

Its influence was limited to North Blue, barely making a ripple beyond that region. Without this newspaper, most people wouldn't have even known Konoha Village existed.

No wonder the Whitebeard Pirates don't believe it, ninjas only exist in legends.

It's like someone suddenly claiming that cultivators exist and that one of them destroyed Wanokuni with a single sword. 

Even if such a story appeared in the news or video, most people would dismiss it as a product of clever editing unless they witnessed it firsthand.

"Fire Fist Ace? Pirate Supernova?" 

Marco turned over the newspaper and noticed another eye-catching headline.

It is written above that this Pirate Ace is also a legendary figure.

It described a new pirate, Ace, as a rising legend. Despite only being in the public eye for a few months, his strength had already surpassed that of all the other rookies, making him the only Pirate Supernova of the year.

"Dad, this Ace is a Logia user with the Mera-mera Fruit. No wonder he's developing so quickly," Marco said.

"Ace, Ace," Whitebeard repeated, his face showing a hint of nostalgia. "Roger's sword was also called Ace. I really miss that bastard Roger."

"After Ace enters the New World, Marco, please take someone to make contact with him personally."

"Ah?" Marco was surprised. "Dad, do you like this Ace and want to adopt him as your son?" Every pirate group needs fresh blood, and once supernovas enter the New World, the Four Emperors usually try to recruit them.

Whitebeard squinted as if seeing Roger through the midday sunlight. "If his character is good, bring him over."

...…

After reading the report, Danzo was slightly displeased with Morgans for not using the title "Hokage" in his name.

"Hiruzen, those kings are cursed seal by us and won't be able to resist. I think it's better to eliminate them to avoid future problems," Danzo suggested.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and said: "No, we still need them to disguise ourselves. Don't forget why we appear as mercenaries."

Lynch's rise has made world governments cautious. One similar incident is enough to cause alarm. 

If something like what happened in West Blue occurs in North Blue, the world government won't tolerate it.

To avoid suspicion, they chose the mercenary approach. While they were behind the destruction of those countries, they also accepted money to help eliminate the threats. 

Technically, they distanced themselves from the destruction, focusing only on profit.

This strategy, where they don't care about territory but only money, helped ease the world governments' concerns.

The kings of the most profitable countries have already been secretly controlled by Danzo using the "Root Seal." 

Danzo's Root is a powerful curse. If any of these kings were to reveal the secrets of Konoha Village, they would die instantly.

In this way, whether it is to expand the territory in North Blue or to reduce the World Government's fear of Konoha Village, both goals can be achieved perfectly.

When Danzo thought about it, he felt that he was a genius.

The only thing that makes Danzo unhappy is probably that old guy Sarutobi Hiruzen is always against him. 

It felt like they were naturally at odds, constantly pushing in opposite directions. 

Whenever this happened, Sarutobi Hiruzen would always come up with his own counter plans, something Danzo hated the most.

"Hiruzen, we should strike while the iron is hot and help those countries grow as quickly as possible."

"No. The number of CP agents around us has increased recently. We are being targeted by the World Government and need to stay quiet for a while."

"Damn it! Hiruzen, don't forget, Lynch-sama wants us to take control of North Blue as soon as possible."

"Danzo, you're too extreme. Lynch-sama also said we should prioritize safety."

"Hiruzen! Why can't you just listen to me? How will we accomplish anything if you're always so cautious and fearful!"

"That's enough, Danzo! I'm the Hokage!"

"Hiruzen! You'll regret this!"

"Bang!" Danzo slammed the door and stormed out of the Hokage's office.

Inside, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back with a satisfied look. It felt so good to use this tactic to put Danzo in his place. 

It worked every time, especially when seeing Danzo's frustrated and helpless face. It was as refreshing as drinking a cold glass of water on a hot summer day.

"Danzo-sama and Hokage-sama seem to have this drama every day," Hyuga Neji murmured as he watched Danzo walk away.

"Yosh! This is the bond of youth, Neji!" Rock Lee grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Just like us!"

Neji sighed, "I really want to die. Why is no one on my team normal?"

Meanwhile, in the capital of West Blue, Lynch set down the newspaper and called Sasuke.

"Lynch, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked, dressed in white, his Kusanagi sword at his side and arms crossed, speaking coldly.

"Sasuke! How many times have I told you to call me Lynch-sama!" 

Uchiha Mikoto pulled Sasuke's sleeve angrily.

Now that Sasuke is older, Mikoto could no longer spank him. 

Three months ago, when Sasuke hadn't fused yet, Mikoto noticed that Sasuke was growing up and understood why flowers bloomed so brightly.

"I'm sorry, Lynch-sama. These are just children who don't know better," Uchiha Mikoto apologized, bowing. Her posture revealed a dazzling white that was hard to look away from.

Seeing his mother apologize for him, Sasuke gently helped her up and reluctantly said, 

"Lynch-sama."

Lynch smiled at the scene. It was clear that no one was more important to Sasuke than his mother.

"It's fine. This child doesn't comfortable to do it, so there's no need to pressure him"

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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