Arima only smiled faintly at Shanks' mention of the "Fifth Emperor."
In his heart, the world of One Piece was never his true home.
He and his family would eventually have to return to the Shinobi World, where a far more troublesome enemy still awaited him.
The evening breeze carried the sound of waves lapping against the hull.
The curious crew members aboard the Red Force had long since gone back to their quarters, leaving only Arima, Shanks, and Beckman on the deck.
Shanks asked, "So, what are you planning next? Want to come with me to the New World?"
Arima shook his head. "I want to make a trip to Ohara first."
Shanks and Beckman exchanged glances, their faces showing faint confusion.
Shanks frowned and asked Beckman, "Didn't Ohara get wiped out by a Buster Call?"
Beckman flicked the last bit of his cigarette into the sea and replied, "Ten years ago, CP9 raided Ohara under the charge of studying the Poneglyphs and arrested a large number of scholars.
No one knows exactly what happened afterward, but it led the World Government to unleash a Buster Call on the island. That place has long since been reduced to ruins beneath the sea."
Now it was Arima's turn to be confused.
"What is CP9? And what exactly is a Buster Call?" he asked.
Shanks scratched his head and explained, "CP9 is a secret intelligence agency under the direct command of the World Government. Its full name is Cipher Pol Number 9.
These secret divisions are ranked from 0 to 9, ten in total.
As for the Buster Call, it's a special military operation authorized by the World Government, where the Navy launches an indiscriminate, destructive bombardment against a targeted area to completely wipe out everything there."
Thwarted before he could even begin, Arima felt a stab of frustration. He muttered darkly, "The World Government is even more wicked than looting pirates. Someday, I'll pay them a visit."
His tone then shifted as a thought crossed his mind. "What about the books on the island?"
Shanks shrugged. "Take a guess. If you can't guess, I won't tell you. But every last book was consumed by the flames."
Arima rolled his eyes at him.
Though he had heard the truth he least wanted to accept, he still pressed on, unwilling to give up hope. "And the people on the island? Did they all die?"
Shanks teased, "You sure seem invested in that place! What, did some relative of yours live there?"
Arima didn't bother hiding it. "I just wanted to study the Poneglyphs. After all, this world has a blank century of history. But… Ohara is gone."
This time Shanks stopped playing coy.
"There was one survivor, Nico Robin. She should be about eighteen or nineteen now.
At only eight years old, she was branded by the World Government as the 'Devil Child' and given a seventy-nine million berry bounty."
Beckman added, "She's the user of the Flower-Flower Fruit. Fortune has favored her, despite being hunted for years, she's managed to survive.
They say she's the only person alive who can read the Poneglyphs."
Hearing this, Arima realized there was still a sliver of hope. He resolved to keep an eye out for news about the girl named Nico Robin.
At that moment, Shanks pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat and handed it to Arima.
"We're leaving the West Blue tomorrow. We can't linger here any longer. Take this Den Den Mushi, if you ever need me, use it to contact me."
Arima accepted the small, cute, white snail, eyeing it with curiosity.
Shanks reminded him, "Den Den Mushi are common communication tools.
You can even catch a few and raise them yourself. But the one I'm giving you is rare, don't lose it, and make sure you feed it properly."
Arima and Shanks had hit it off quickly, but with their parting tonight, who knew when they would meet again?
As a farewell gesture, Shanks pulled out a blank sheet of paper, tore it in half, and handed one half to Arima while keeping the other.
He explained, "This is my Vivre Card. It's made by mixing fingernail clippings into a special material, representing the owner's life force.
The two halves will draw toward each other. I doubt you have a Vivre Card yet, so take mine. When you make it to the New World someday, you can use it to find me."
Arima carefully stored the half-sheet away.
As a return gift, he took out a Flying Thunder God kunai and handed it to Shanks.
"I don't care much about this 'Fifth Emperor' thing, but I'll definitely be making moves in the future. If you ever hear of an organization called 'Konoha,' come find me."
Shanks examined the kunai closely, then suddenly asked, "Are you… a ninja?"
Arima blinked in surprise. "Of course I am! Why? Have you met other ninjas before?"
Shanks' curiosity was instantly piqued.
"I heard the Wano ninjas had incredible abilities. I didn't expect to see it firsthand today! Do you know the Clone Jutsu? Can you use Earth Style? Lightning Style?…"
Arima realized Shanks was acting a bit manic again. Shaking his head helplessly, he turned away and said, "Shanks, Beckman, farewell."
With a puff of smoke, he vanished.
Shanks stared in awe. "Ninjutsu really is amazing! Even with my Observation Haki, I couldn't see how he disappeared. It was like, poof, and he was gone!"
Beckman glanced at the distant Konoha Senju ship.
"So his powers all come from ninjutsu… Who would've thought Wano produced someone this formidable? How did Kaido never cross paths with him?"
Shanks clapped Beckman's shoulder. "Why overthink it? That's your problem, you're too clever for your own good. Anyway, I'm certain he won't be our enemy in the future."
Arima hadn't planned on humoring Shanks' nosy requests, but in the end, he couldn't resist showing a little of his ability.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he returned straight to his room, only to find Tsunade resting on his bed.
When she saw him, Tsunade quickly got up, helping him take off his outer cloak as she asked, "I heard from Nawaki that you learned how to use Haki from Shanks. How does that power feel?"
Arima chuckled.
"You're curious too, aren't you? Honestly, Haki would suit you perfectly. Armament Haki coats your body in a black armor-like shell.
Observation Haki lets you sense and predict opponents' movements, and Conqueror's Haki allows you to crush enemies' spirits from afar."
A thought struck him suddenly, and he said, "Let's test Haki inside the Kamui dimension."
With that, the two of them vanished from the room.
Inside Kamui's space, Arima stood before Tsunade, his entire body cloaked in Armament Haki.
He said, "Tsunade, hit me with everything you've got. I want to see how tough this Armament armor really is."
She gathered chakra into her right fist and drove it straight into his chest, sending him flying and slamming him into the ground with brutal force.
Regret immediately flickered in her eyes, had she gone too far? But when she saw that Arima was completely unharmed, her worry eased.
She walked over, carefully inspecting the black armor that covered him, even giving it a few solid knocks.
The sheer defensive power of Armament Haki left her astonished. That single punch could have easily demolished a thick fortress wall, yet he hadn't even flinched.
Arima then said, "Now, let's test Observation Haki. I'll close my eyes. Come at me with everything you've got, I won't defend myself at all."
Tsunade asked, "But you'll still use Armament Haki for defense, right?"
Arima smiled. "Don't worry, you won't even touch the hem of my clothes."
That statement instantly ignited her fighting spirit. She knew he never made empty claims. If he was this confident, then there was no need for her to hold back.
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