"How do you plan to deal with us?"
Chinjao lay heavily wounded on the sand, forcing the words out with difficulty.
"I never intended to kill you from the start. But you kept pushing me again and again, so I had no choice but to fight back.
Though the battle caused quite a bit of damage here, I believe you'll be able to restore it soon enough."
Arima glanced around the battlefield, feeling that he hadn't actually struck too hard.
At first, he had thought about using True Several Thousand Hands, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
If he had crushed Kano's navy completely, the nation would soon fall into chaos and war.
"You're pitying us?"
"It's not you I pity, it's the ordinary people living in this country. Without you here, this place would soon be swallowed up by other pirates."
"You… you're not like other strong men. You're very different."
Chinjao's heart twisted with mixed emotions at Arima's words. For a moment, he didn't know how to treat this man.
"Do as you see fit. Oh, and one more thing, help me keep an eye out for a woman named Nico Robin."
After speaking, Arima tossed a transponder snail into Chinjao's arms.
Chinjao slowly reached out and picked up the snail from his chest. He lifted his head, ready to ask something more, only to find that Arima's figure had already disappeared completely.
"What a strange, mysterious man. Looks like our Kano navy finally kicked an iron wall.
When I get back, I'll make sure to give Sai a good beating. That brat needs to learn some sense and stop stirring up trouble every single day!"
The thought of Sai, the other culprit in this disaster, made Chinjao's blood boil.
Just then, the trembling reporter who had risked his life edged closer, stopping a short distance from Chinjao.
"E-excuse me… Lord Chinjao?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Chinjao had no intention of giving the reporter a hard time, after all, he'd noticed earlier that Arima had paid special attention to this little journalist.
"Um… what did Lord Arima say to you just now?"
"What exactly do you want to know?"
"His origins, his purpose at sea, and… and what he just told you."
At this point, the reporter had no choice but to push forward with his interview.
"Him? He said he's the Third Hokage of Konoha. 'Konoha' must be some hidden but powerful organization somewhere on the seas.
I've never heard of it myself. But unlike most strong men, he cares about ordinary people, and he clearly doesn't have much fondness for us pirates."
Chinjao recalled the conversation, while also intending to spread Arima's name through the journalist's pen.
For some reason, he felt a natural respect for the man, even though they had fought as enemies. Maybe it was because Arima had spared their lives in the end.
Meanwhile, Arima returned to his ship in a flash using the Flying Thunder God, then released everyone from Kamui's space.
"Ugh, I'm starving! Aunt Naomi, let's hurry and make some food!"
Kushina complained impatiently.
"You silly girl, still so rash and restless. Not even a bit calmer!"
Even as she scolded, Naomi was already heading quickly toward the kitchen, ready to cook a feast for everyone.
"Brother-in-law! You and Sis must've crushed the enemy just now, right?"
As soon as Nawaki came out of Kamui's space, he rushed to ask Arima about the battle.
"Your sister just had her first real fight using even a drop of Armament Haki. She's still got plenty of room to grow. Once you all master Haki yourselves, then I'll let you join the battles."
"So that means I have to wait forever?"
"Not forever. Our next stop is Marine Branch. We'll borrow a Rokushiki training manual from them."
"Brother-in-law, that's bandit behavior!"
Nawaki couldn't help blurting it out. He didn't want the man he admired most sneaking around like a common thief.
"Do you still want to learn Haki or not? For a shinobi, infiltration isn't stealing."
Arima flicked Nawaki's forehead with a knuckle.
"Fine then… but can we avoid killing anyone? I heard most Marines are actually devoted to justice."
"We're shinobi. Sneaking in is child's play. As long as we don't alert them, there's no need for fighting or killing. Besides, you little brat, you're old enough now.
Don't cling to such naive thoughts! The justice they uphold, is it really theirs, or the World Government's?"
"You're right… I almost forgot, I'm still a shinobi, even in this world! Brother-in-law, I don't get politics very well, so I'll just focus on training hard.
One day, I'll become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha! By then, I'll have big brother Nara to advise me."
"You're still young. Train more. In a few days, I'll start teaching you Sage Arts.
Before, I worried your body couldn't handle the strain of senjutsu chakra. But here, in the pirate world, I've found a way for you to train it safely."
Arima always doted on his brother.
"Really? Finally, I get to learn Sage Arts!"
Overjoyed, Nawaki bolted off to share the good news with his sister.
Arima smiled, then turned to his younger sister. "Natsuka, you should prepare yourself too. I'll teach you Sage Arts as well."
"You're the best, Brother! Thank you!"
Natsuka lit up instantly, running over to hug him tight. What thrilled her most wasn't the training, but the fact that her brother still cared for her just like always.
"And what about you, little Nono?"
Arima crouched down and pulled the small girl into his arms. Since arriving in the One Piece world, her smiles had grown rare. He knew she missed her mother.
"Brother, I want to study medicine. I want to be the ship's doctor aboard the Konoha Senju."
Her eyes were firm as she looked up at him.
"Alright then. Next time, I'll buy you medical books from this world.
You can combine ninjutsu with their medicine. I've heard there's an island on the Grand Line called Drum Island, famous for its doctors. We'll make a trip there."
"Thank you, Brother!"
Overcome with excitement, Nono kissed Arima on the cheek.
Just then, Tsunade stepped onto the deck with Yuna in her arms.
"Arima, are we really heading to Marine Branch 80 next?"
"No. First, we'll check the treasure location on the map given to us."
Arima pulled out the worn, tattered parchment from his chest.
"How far is that place from here?"
"It's actually on the way to Branch 80. While we're en route, I can teach you all a special body technique, Moonwalk. It lets you kick the air and move freely above ground."
"That's one of the Rokushiki, right? Moonwalk?"
"Exactly. I learned the details from Chinjao during our fight."
Arima recalled how he'd interrogated the man with his Sharingan while hauling him out of the sea.
"That's perfect! My last opponent kept dodging my attacks with Moonwalk, it was so frustrating."
A trace of regret flashed across Tsunade's face.
"You silly girl. Don't worry, I'll help you get the training methods for all the Rokushiki techniques."
"Thanks, Arima! Then I should give you a kiss too!"
Before Arima could react, Tsunade looped her arm around his neck and kissed him deeply.
Blushing furiously, Nono bolted away. She had never seen grown-ups kiss before.
On deck, the scene drew smiles. The others quietly slipped away to give them space.
Kushina, hiding in a corner, muttered with envy.
"Aren't you afraid Tsunade-nii will crush you?" Natsuka asked, startled by her friend's boldness.
"I don't care. For Arima, I'd risk it all!"
"T-then… good luck, I'll cheer you on… at least in spirit."
Flustered, Natsuka could only offer verbal support.
"No! You have to create opportunities for me, "
"You traitor! I treat you as my best friend, and you want to become my sister-in-law? Trying to climb above me?"
Natsuka puffed up in mock anger and made as if to flip Kushina's skirt.
The two young girls chased each other around, laughing and shrieking. Sadly, no one else was around to enjoy the glimpse of blooming youth.
Meanwhile, after his affectionate moment with Tsunade, Arima gently tapped her forehead and asked, "Do you think the future has already changed?"
"I don't know. Unless… well, like Kushina said, if I really married you, then maybe that would mean the future has changed for good."
"Instead of keeping Kushina in check, you're actually egging her on?"
"All your fault! I don't care anymore. With Pure Gold, I can live for hundreds of years without even trying.
If we don't have some more people around, we'll die of boredom! Besides, you need four people for playing games, don't you?"
"You and your nonsense."
Arima chuckled, brushing her words aside.
But deep down, the thought lingered. Maybe the future's path really had shifted. Could it be that parallel worlds existed, where another version of him was still just an ordinary shinobi?
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