Chapter 462

Looking at the innocent-faced Kasau, Ranzuki could only feel a headache coming on.

After understanding the cause and effect of the incident, he was speechless for a moment.

That cat... truly was a cat capable of great things.

With just a simple stare, it had managed to bring down an entire kingdom.

A true legend among cats!

Now the question was, what should be done with this country?

Conquering nations had never been Ranzuki's goal. What he wanted was an impregnable, fully controlled base.

He had received a new mission: to become a ruler of the sea while simultaneously establishing a base that would serve as a bridge between the Sage Shinobi Nation and the world of pirates.

Therefore, this kingdom, unless all its inhabitants were eliminated, was nothing more than a chicken rib to Ranzuki - tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

However...

"Kei, move as many resources as possible from this country, and do it discreetly."

Kei Yuki glanced at Ranzuki questioningly, then left without further inquiry.

After Kei Yuki's departure, Ranzuki turned to Kasau and said, "Kasau, for the time being, take your crew and celebrate lavishly in this country."

"Celebrate?" Kasau was puzzled.

"Yes, I plan to have some fun in this place. When the time comes, during your celebration, you can do this..." Ranzuki said, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Kasau inwardly shuddered.

Ranzuki had shown him that smile before.

And afterward, he had been bedridden for three or four days.

It seemed that those who would arrive in this kingdom in the future were going to be in for a bad time.

A very bad time.

But as long as it wasn't him suffering, who cared about those future unlucky souls?

Thinking this, Kasau also left.

Ranzuki, left alone, ascended to the highest point of the kingdom's palace, a place that overlooked the entire capital.

"I wonder who will come. I'm quite looking forward to it," he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Kasau quickly began the celebration with his crew. While drunk, he "accidentally" let slip some information: their ability to walk on water wasn't some blessing of the sea, but came from some fruits.

These fruits could negate the sea's curse on Devil Fruits, allowing Devil Fruit users to completely overcome their fear of seawater!

Moreover, the abilities of these fruits weren't limited to just that.

After consuming this peculiar fruit, the user would also gain an affinity for the sea, allowing them to control seawater to a certain extent!

The reason they could run on the surface of the sea was because they had consumed that fruit.

There was a reason why this miraculous fruit had remained unheard of for so many years.

The tree that bore this fruit was extremely unique, requiring incredibly specific environmental conditions to grow.

Kasau and his crew didn't know how many of these trees existed in the world, but according to Kasau, the elders of his village had once said that there was only one such tree in the entire world, and it was in their village.

Yes, according to the completely drunk and unconscious Kasau, they all came from the same village.

Their village was called Shinobi Village, a place isolated from the rest of the world.

Why the isolation? Naturally, it was to protect that tree.

This was also the mission of the people of Kasau's village.

And the reason they left the village was because that tree... ran away.

That's right, it ran away.

One of the peculiarities of that tree was its ability to move on its own.

One day, when the people of Shinobi Village woke up and went to pay their respects to the tree as usual, they were horrified to discover that it had vanished.

This terrified everyone in Shinobi Village.

If someone hadn't suddenly recalled the ancient records and remembered that the tree could move on its own, the people of Shinobi Village might have already collapsed.

Thus, the younger generation of Shinobi Village went on a mission to find the tree.

As for why the older generation of Shinobi didn't personally go out to search for the tree, it was said that they had to suppress some kind of monster, called the Ten-Tails or something.

Anyway, that was the story Ranzuki fabricated, "accidentally" leaked by the drunken Kasau, to attract more tourists to the Romilava Kingdom and achieve the strategic goal of boosting the kingdom's GDP.

Simply put, it was a lie concocted by Ranzuki to lure more people into this game.

The story might not be rigorous and sound fantastical.

But for the people in the world of One Piece, with the appearance of Devil Fruit users who could walk on water and control it, what more fantastical things could they not accept?

Most people not only accepted it, but firmly believed it.

Because the powerful young members of the Ninja Pirate Crew were the most compelling evidence of this story.

Why did Kasau single-handedly confront this country? Why did Kasau lead his crew to conquer this place? Because Kasau had seen a leaf from that tree on the prince of this kingdom!

Therefore, he speculated that the tree might be within the royal palace of the capital.

As for whether it was actually there or not, judging from Kasau, who was lying on the ground like a dead dog, yet with a triumphant grin on his face, one could guess the outcome.

That tree was within this palace!

The tree whose fruit granted the blessing of the sea was within this palace.

As long as one could eat that fruit...

Countless hearts were filled with irresistible desire.

Thus, even more people rushed towards the Romilava Kingdom.

...

Countless Devil Fruit users, even if they believed the news to be false, still found their bodies honestly moving towards Romilava.

After all... wouldn't it be fine just to take a look?

With their strength, if they acted discreetly and cautiously, there shouldn't be any problems.

And what if the news was actually true?

That was the ability to not fear seawater, and even control it to some extent!

If the news was true, and they could seize a fruit, then...

Countless Devil Fruit users couldn't help but lick their lips at the thought.

Thus, the entire world was thrown into turmoil.

On the Marines' side, even if Sengoku believed the news to be false, he still dispatched powerful individuals to the Romilava Kingdom.

Although there were no records of this Shinobi Village, Ranzuki and his crew truly weren't afraid of seawater!

What if, just in case, it was true?!

What if the news was true, and because they didn't send anyone, the fruit fell into the hands of some powerful pirates?

Therefore, regardless of the truth of the news, the Marines had to send someone.

Either they would obtain it, or if they couldn't, they had to destroy it!

There were many who shared the same thoughts as the Marines, but there were also quite a few who held different ideas.

In short, the entire world was in an uproar, with countless powerful individuals rushing towards Romilava.

And Ranzuki, the director orchestrating everything, was currently busy in every corner of the capital.

He was either placing something in various locations or seemingly writing and drawing.

This was a technique he had exchanged for, a sealing jutsu...

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