Wanting to protect Konoha while avoiding harm, what a complete fool; there's no such thing as something perfect in this world!
"Sasuke."
Uzumaki Naruto looked at Uchiha Sasuke, slowly spreading out his palm, with a complex expression on his face: "Do we still need to continue? It's actually unnecessary..."
"I...give up."
Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth, interrupting Uzumaki Naruto's words with a cold expression, then slowly closed his eyes and lay down on the ocean's surface.
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto fell into silence.
"Sasuke, Dad wants us to go home!"
Marco's voice suddenly reached their ears.
Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes, glaring at the flying phoenix in the sky: "Hurry up and pick me up, I'm running out of strength!"
"Hey hey hey, hold on a bit longer!"
The blue phoenix spread its wings, flew to the surface, grabbed Uchiha Sasuke's body, and slowly flew away, leaving only Uzumaki Naruto standing in place.
Uzumaki Naruto didn't feel any joy in victory; he simply looked down at the ring on his chest, the ring of an official member of the Akatsuki.
Uzumaki Naruto sighed, looking up at the flying phoenix in the sky, his mouth suddenly curled up into a smile.
"That guy Sasuke... finally has lots of friends, right?"
Because the entire Seventh Class knew how Uchiha Sasuke was without a place to belong; finding a place in this world was indeed something to be happy about.
This matter...
Is more worth celebrating than so-called victory.
This battle, which lasted a day and a night, finally ended.
Unfortunately, Uzumaki Naruto didn't know that after Uchiha Sasuke returned to the Moby Dick, the captains were most curious about Uzumaki Naruto.
These fools didn't care about Uchiha Sasuke's loss.
They were just curious about the relationship between Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, because intuitively, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto seemed to have a good relationship.
On the Moby Dick.
Uchiha Sasuke sat on the deck, slowly reminiscing about his past friendship with Uzumaki Naruto: "That guy was the dead last at Ninja Academy... uh... I was the number one... After graduation, we were placed in the same team..."
"Hey, Sasuke, don't brag too much!"
"Idiot, I'm serious!"
"Gura la la la la... Saki, don't interrupt him, go prepare the feast!"
"Yes, Dad! But I still think..."
"Idiot, go prepare the feast!"
Marco knocked Saki on the head and rolled his eyes: "Stupid Saki, are you afraid your future will be too happy?"
Uchiha Sasuke couldn't beat Uzumaki Naruto...
Can't he at least hang up and pound Saki the cook?
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the distant Saki, leaned on the railing, and continued: "Though I do find Naruto a fool, sometimes he's reliable..."
"Really? He seems like a serious person!"
"Perhaps because he's been learning to become Hokage recently..."
"Hokage?"
"It's the village leader, just called Hokage."
"Is the village so strict that it requires study?"
"Considering that guy Naruto's power, that village might have the strength of a Four Emperors Pirate Gang, capable of launching a war at any time, though now they're under Akatsuki's control, and Naruto has joined Akatsuki too..."
"A Ninja Village..."
"If we beat Akatsuki and save people from that village, we could recruit many comrades!"
"Idiot, don't dream, that's Akatsuki! The Hundred Beast Pirates may have become their pawns! Anyway, it's not bad that Akatsuki rules that village..."
"..."
The whole Whitebeard Pirates listened to Uchiha Sasuke talk about his experiences with Uzumaki Naruto, occasionally with Portgas D. Ace chiming in.
Until Uchiha Sasuke slowly mentioned the Akatsuki organization, the atmosphere gradually grew heavy, as the Whitebeard Pirates knew Akatsuki was the organization Sasuke feared.
"My older brother is a member of Akatsuki..."
Uchiha Sasuke closed his palms, calmly continued: "Later, my brother protected me by joining Akatsuki, after meeting Ace, I became a pirate, and defied the Leader of Akatsuki's will, so I didn't want us to clash with Akatsuki..."
His words, partly true, partly false.
Uchiha Sasuke slowly raised his head, looking at the night sky, and whispered: "The leader of Akatsuki, the one called God within the organization, enjoys manipulating others' destinies..."
"Manipulating destiny?"
Flower Sword Vista couldn't help but feel curious, extending his fingers and shaking them: "How could such a thing as destiny be manipulated?"
This matter...
Sounds unreliable.
Destiny sounds somewhat ethereal.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates had confused expressions, suspecting Uchiha Sasuke might be mentally disturbed from losing to a childhood companion...
Only the gaze of Marshall D. Teach changed slightly.
Because he had interacted with Akatsuki members, witnessed the true face of Uchiha Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi, the man who instantly saw through his thoughts!
Destiny...
It's not ethereal!
"I don't know..."
Uchiha Sasuke shook his head, his eyes heavy and complex: "That guy monitors everything in this world, the encounters between people, the cycle of life and death, all perhaps within his control, blurring reality and illusion..."
For instance...
The war between them and the Hundred Beast Pirates must be manipulated by Uehara Naraku, yet Uchiha Sasuke couldn't grasp Uehara Naraku's true purpose.
To thwart the Whitebeard Pirates' invincibility at sea?
Or for some other reason? Or, is this the moment he finally targets the Whitebeard Pirates?
"Gura la la la la..."
Whitebeard shook his head and laughed, comforting Uchiha Sasuke: "Sasuke brat, life's journey won't halt for so-called destiny. Do you want to drink a big glass tonight?"
"Dad, but I've just put you on IV drip!"
Marco stood nearby, unable to resist interrupting Whitebeard, muttering: "Plus, you can't drink for the next week, no, for a month..."
The Whitebeard Pirates weren't disheartened by the temporary setback, and the Hundred Beast Pirates slowly withdrew from the sea.
Meanwhile, the Navy, monitoring this sea, began new actions after both Four Emperors Pirate Gangs withdrew.
When naval warships, along with Kakuzu, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Doflamingo, the three Seven Warlords of the Sea, met, they immediately pursued the Hundred Beast Pirates under Yakushi Kabuto's command...
Along the pursuit...
Navy Headquarters Admiral Kizaru...
Encountered the greatest crisis in history!
The Akatsuki's real goal in manipulating the collision between the two Four Emperors Pirate Gangs was finally entering the closing-in stage!
The members moving in shadows finally revealed their hunting fangs in the dark!