The Konoha Senju had been sailing the seas for nearly half a month now. The initial sense of novelty was gradually fading.
At the start of the voyage, Arima and the others, completely inexperienced with seafaring, made a string of laughable little mistakes.
They had even run into hailstones the size of boulders crashing down from the sky. Fortunately, their strength allowed them to respond swiftly, narrowly escaping disaster.
Then came several days of unbroken rain, until at last, the skies cleared on this day.
By now, the food they had brought along was nearly exhausted, so their eyes turned toward the ocean.
Acier reminded them, "Many sea fish are poisonous. Be careful when eating them!"
Tsunade, unconcerned, replied, "We're medical shinobi. Poisons are no threat to us."
Acier tilted his head. "Shinobi? What's that?"
Tsunade chuckled, explaining, "Where we come from, those who carry out missions are called shinobi! Shinobi endure what ordinary people cannot endure."
Just then, Kushina asked, "What are we eating today?"
Activating his Byakugan, Arima scanned the waters and asked, "How about tuna?"
Kushina's eyes lit up. "Seared tuna steaks would be delicious! Too bad we ran out of lemons."
Nawaki quickly chimed in. "Brother-in-law, see if you can find some grouper! I want steamed grouper!"
Arima nodded, surveyed the waters again as though gazing into his own fish tank, and after a moment lifted his head.
"There's a coral reef up ahead. A whole school of grouper is gathered there."
Tsunade also placed an order. "Arima, can you find squid? I'd love some grilled squid."
After sweeping several times and finding nothing, Arima didn't want to disappoint her. "I'll go down myself. Wait here."
With that, he leapt overboard and vanished beneath the waves. Before long, he reappeared on deck via Flying Thunder God, then emptied a variety of sea fish from his Kamui space.
Naomi, the ship's cook, immediately called everyone to help transfer the catch into the kitchen's holding tanks.
After lunch, with little to do, everyone lounged on deck, sunbathing.
It was then that a pirate ship appeared in the distance, bearing down fast on the Senju.
Nawaki, on lookout duty, quickly spotted the anomaly and alerted the others.
Arima thought for a moment, then told Kushina, "Slow down and let them approach. We need information from them."
Less than half an hour later, the pirate vessel caught up. A burly, savage-looking man brandished a great blade and bellowed, "Stop your ship, or we'll kill every last one of you!"
Arima signaled Kushina to cut the engines.
Seeing their obedience, the pirates grew excited. They had already set their eyes on this fine vessel, and the beautiful women aboard promised even more spoils.
Just as their captain was about to order his men forward, his body lurched uncontrollably, pitching across the sea and crashing onto the Senju's deck.
Along with him, his first mate, second mate, and navigator were also dragged over.
The remaining pirates froze, realizing they had run headlong into a steel wall. None dared move, fearful of provoking slaughter.
Arima stood with his family, towering over the captives. "Who are you? And what's today's date?"
The captain stammered, "We're the Theo Pirates… just set out not long ago! Today is March 9th 1510!"
Arima pressed on. "What are the major powers ruling the seas now?"
They rushed to answer, "The Marines, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea are the strongest forces! Among them, 'Red-Haired' Shanks, one of the Yonko, hails from our West Blue!"
"Tell me about this Shanks," Arima demanded.
At his name, the captain straightened with pride.
"He's got striking red hair, looks barely thirty, and is the youngest of the Four Emperors. His swordsmanship is unmatched! He's our West Blue's pride, the man closest to the Pirate King!"
Arima asked a few more questions, but their knowledge was shallow. Clearly, pressing further would yield little.
Still, they had dared whistle at Tsunade and the others right in front of him. How could he let that slide?
Drawing an iron nail from the enemy ship, Arima held it aloft, pointed toward their hull, and said coldly, "Let this be a lesson. Railgun!"
With a thunderous crack, the nail, propelled by electromagnetic force, punched through the ship's belly like a cannonball. Whether they lived or died was no concern of his.
The Konoha Senju set sail once more.
The four prisoners, having witnessed Arima's terrifying display, abandoned all thoughts of rebellion.
From then on, every chore aboard the ship fell to them.
Nawaki, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief, he had been stuck with cleaning duty for days, using Shadow Clones to keep up, but the fatigue was wearing him down.
The next morning dawned calm and clear. Blue skies, white clouds, seabirds circling above, perfect weather.
The four captives rose early to clean without being told.
The previous night, they had been shocked to realize that every crew member seemed to wield powers like those of Devil Fruit users.
Overwhelmed with awe, they began to serve eagerly, hoping to follow these people in the future.
During his morning training, Arima noted their diligence and nodded in approval. After all, to build power in this world, manpower was essential. If they proved useful, he wouldn't be choosy.
At that moment, the pirate captain approached with a worn-out map, handing it to Arima.
"Boss, this is a treasure map I stumbled upon. It's what brought me here… and what led me to you!"
"What's your name?" Arima asked.
"My name's Theo!" the man said excitedly.
Arima nodded. "Theo, I know you want to follow me. But first, I'll test you. Return to your homeland. When you hear of an organization called 'Konoha,' come find us. But earn your people's respect through recognition, not fear or brutality."
Tears welled in Theo's eyes. "Boss, I'll pass your test. You can count on me!"
Arima smiled, encouraging him onward.
The rest of the morning passed peacefully, with no foolish pirates daring to provoke them.
After lunch, Kushina and Natsuka napped in hammocks. Nawaki pestered Arima about the secret of the Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade.
Mito and Naomi enjoyed the breeze on the third deck, while Nono helped Tsunade care for the two little ones.
It was then Arima spotted a large vessel approaching head-on. As it drew near, its details became clear.
It dwarfed the Konoha Senju, a three-masted ship with a red dragon figurehead crashing through the waves.
White sails billowed, the foremost emblazoned with a skull marked by a crimson scar slashing across its left eye socket, and crossed swords beneath.
The other ship's crew had noticed them too. Soon, both vessels were within each other's guard range, though neither showed intent to strike.
Arima's gaze settled on the man at their head: a young figure with striking red hair, a scruffy beard, and sharp, spirited eyes. A sword hung at his waist, though his left arm was missing.
Arima immediately had a guess about his identity.
The man called across, "Friends over there! Where are you headed?"
"To Kano!" Arima replied. "And you must be Shanks, one of the Four Emperors."
The red-haired man chuckled. "Oh? Am I that famous already? Care to come aboard for a chat?"
Tsunade and the others all turned curious eyes toward the ship.
Kushina instantly recognized him.
"Arima, that's Shanks, isn't it? One of the Yonko, and red-haired indeed! If we were back in the shinobi world, I might have mistaken him for one of the Uzumaki clan!"
Shanks's crew also noticed Mito and Kushina. His first mate, Benn Beckman, teased, "Two of them have the same hair color as you. Think they're your relatives?"
Shanks only smiled, but inside, he grew wary. Meeting such a formidable group out of nowhere made his instincts sharpen.
He could sense the depthless strength of the man standing opposite him, on par with his own.
The red-haired woman on the third deck also radiated a power that might even surpass Benn Beckman and the others.
When had such mysterious and powerful figures appeared on the seas? Their ship's emblem was unlike any pirate flag he had seen before.
Even as he stayed cautious, Shanks couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. These people… they were even more enigmatic than himself.
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