Chapter 39: Just Answer Yes or No

Madara's death felt like the end of an old era. 

And from that day on, Shanks would go to the shore every day, wearing his straw hat, waiting. 

His mastery of Observation Haki had reached the peak, stretching across the sea. The moment a ship appeared, he would leave this place. 

"I've been training for so long. This should be enough. After all, I am the youngest of the Four Emperors—I can't just sit around here forever." 

"With my current level of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, as long as I'm careful, there shouldn't be too many problems." 

Shanks drew his sword. 

In the next moment, it turned pitch black. 

"So this is Armament Haki? This power feels like it was made purely for battle. It's different from Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki." 

This was the best he could do for now. 

There was no helping it—his talent in Armament Haki was terrible. His training had been painfully slow. 

"But it doesn't matter. I've already started way ahead of Luffy." 

Besides, this isn't even Luffy's story yet. No matter how you look at it, I—the youngest of the Four Emperors—am the real main character of this era. 

Shanks' expression was firm. Even if the future called for him to bet his arm, that was a problem for later. 

For now, as a Four Emperor standing at the beginning of a new era, there was no room for hesitation. 

To be an Emperor, all you needed was a firm grip on your weapon. 

As for the other hand? If it became a bargaining chip on the table, so be it. 

One hand to bet. 

The other, ready to flip the table at any time. 

That felt just right. 

Even though he didn't know what was happening outside, Shanks understood one thing—no matter how much things changed, the World Government of the pirate world wouldn't change, the Marines wouldn't change, and the status of the Celestial Dragons wouldn't change. 

If he could use one of his hands to bring about a revolution in the pirate world, then no matter how he looked at it, it was worth it. 

After all, compared to others at this gambling table, the price he paid was nothing. 

Thinking about it that way, Shanks suddenly realized that even if he really lost his hand, he still won big. 

Not to mention—his hand was still there. 

"As expected of me. I've already won big." 

Shanks calmed his mind. After all, he was a wise man. He only needed to think a little to understand the situation. 

"That's right. I know the storyline, after all. In terms of information, I'm way ahead of everyone else. Even without a system or any cheat abilities, my starting point is much higher than others. On the other hand, the biggest uncertainty for me is strength. That's the most unstable factor." 

With that in mind, Shanks realized there was nothing to worry about outside. 

The only person he had come into contact with from the outside world so far was that guy, "Zan." 

"That guy isn't weak, but he's definitely not strong either. Sure, he's done a few things, but think about how many powerful people exist in the pirate world—how much trouble can one 'Zan' really stir up?" 

"If he could actually mess up the pirate world's storyline, I wouldn't even hesitate—I'd bet everything on him right away. Forget the so-called King of the East Blue Sea." 

Thinking about that, Shanks wasn't worried anymore. 

He knew Zan's strength very well. At most, he was around the average level of a Vice Admiral in the Grand Line. 

The only reason he had caught the attention of the authorities was probably because he came from the Marines' assassination unit and knew a lot of classified information, which caused a big stir in Land of Water. 

But as for changing the One Piece storyline? That was impossible. 

Even Shanks' Observation Haki gave him a clear intuition—Zan wasn't capable of affecting the pirate world. 

To be honest, whether it was Shanks' intelligence or the instinctive "intuition" from his Observation Haki, both were terrifying. 

Ever since Shanks had arrived in this world nearly a year ago, he hadn't misjudged anything even once. 

Anyone who had been paying attention to Shanks' situation would know just how terrifying he was. 

A man who had been stuck in one place for so long yet still knew everything about the pirate world—past, present, and future—that was beyond terrifying. 

If a person like that appeared in the pirate world, it wouldn't matter if there was one Warring States or several—none of them would stand a chance. 

After all, unless someone was completely brainless, they would use every bit of knowledge they had as a hidden card. If they revealed anything, it wouldn't be just a minor slip—it would be a decisive move. 

Not to mention, Shanks had mastered the deadly art of "Observation Kill." 

With all that considered, it was clear who the real strategic mastermind was. 

That was exactly why the Great Toad Sage reacted as if facing a major threat the moment he sensed Shanks. 

But all of this was based on one condition—being in the pirate world. 

Shanks wasn't wrong in his thinking. The pirate world's storyline hadn't changed at all. The Blade-less Pirates hadn't even made a ripple in the pirate world. 

Because they didn't exist in the pirate world at all. Not even the smallest disturbance had been made. 

You had to give it to Shanks—even across worlds, he had calculated everything in the pirate world perfectly. 

Of course, this "great wisdom" didn't have any real use. 

Because right now, the Naruto world wasn't just facing a small disturbance anymore. 

… 

In the Land of Water, Hoshigaki Kisame and Itachi sat in a boat, heading toward the Land of Waves.

"Our Akatsuki's origin was the Revolutionary Army?" 

Kisame was a bit curious. He actually didn't know much about Akatsuki's history, and he only heard about the Revolutionary Army through his conversations with Kakuzu. 

"I don't know, but looking into it wouldn't be hard. After all, the leader never really hid anything." 

Itachi spoke calmly. 

Akatsuki had been around for quite some time. If they really wanted to investigate, they could even track down the very first members who joined. 

But Itachi wasn't particularly interested in that. 

"I'm just curious why Zabuza knows so much about our organization." 

Ever since Kisame fought Zabuza last time, he had gone back and trained hard. 

To be honest, even though he and Zabuza didn't get along, when he thought about it, among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Zabuza was actually the one most similar to him—in both personality and actions. 

That was why Kisame had taken an interest in him. 

"If you really want to investigate, you can start with him." 

Itachi pulled out a sealing scroll. This was their current mission. 

"Shanks? That guy even makes you wary. No way I'm going to get myself into trouble." 

Even if Kisame was curious, he wasn't going to go looking for Shanks. He didn't even know who the guy was, but since even Itachi had struggled against him, there was no need for Kisame to test his luck. 

"But sealing shipbuilding materials in a scroll? I wonder what kind of stuff this is." 

Kisame couldn't help but complain. This was the weirdest mission they had ever taken. 

Before, they had always done assassinations, looting, or overthrowing small nations. 

But now, they were being sent to deliver ship materials? 

Well, as long as the payment was good, they'd take the job. Plus, this stuff belonged to Shanks, and they were supposed to deliver it to Zabuza. Kisame figured he might as well take the opportunity to have another fight with him. 

What the Akatsuki members didn't know was that a certain item they had been keeping as an offering had already had a large chunk secretly cut off. 

Uchiha Madara—when he said he'd do something, he did it. He never owed anyone favors. 

It was just a small piece of the Divine Tree. 

A tiny cut wouldn't be noticed, right? 

Sure, the name of this tree wasn't "Treasure Tree Adam," and it wasn't one of those Divine Trees from the pirate world. 

But still, you can't deny—it was a Divine Tree! 

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