He has even mastered Haki, and you say this is Naruto?

He could slash through ships with a single swing, carry an overwhelming aura, and possessed swordsmanship the likes of which no one had seen before. Add to that his unmistakable red hair.

From the Land of Waves came rumors of a legendary pirate—so powerful that even the captain of the Blade-less Pirates had to steer clear.

The captain of the ship at the forefront of the New World, sailing the Grand Line ahead of all others—one of the Four Emperors: Red-Haired Shanks!!

"R... R-Red Hair... Red-Haired Shanks!!!"

Captain Dark trembled, his sword slipping from his hand onto the deck.

"That great pirate... Red-Haired Shanks."

Shanks wasn't surprised that he was recognized.

In fact, he had already guessed his own identity. No matter how much of a genius he was, he couldn't possibly be one in ten million. Judging by his age, he wasn't exactly young anymore, so he must have already sailed the seas for some time.

His so-called "training" these past months was more of a recovery of his former strength.

"But even these pirates recognize me... As for that assassin guy—makes sense if he doesn't know me. Those from covert divisions wouldn't be familiar with bounty posters."

Shanks didn't care too much. So what if he was recognized? He wasn't trying to hide it. Besides, the other party were pirates too—no harm done.

These pirates weren't even strong enough to warrant his interest. Their bounties probably weren't worth much either.

Meanwhile, the people on the merchant ship were stunned. Santayufu's glasses had fallen off, Yukie was dumbfounded, and the gray-haired director stared at the cameraman beside him, suppressing his excitement.

"Did... did you get that on film?"

The director asked with a trembling voice. No matter how calm he usually was, witnessing that scene left him dumbstruck.

"Yes… we got it."

The cameraman nodded.

"Though… it's a photo."

"What?"

"Didn't you say we only needed still shots for location scouting?"

Their voices brought the others back to their senses.

"Looks like... we're saved."

"Seems he's not our enemy."

Santayufu regained his composure. Seeing Shanks pass by them and head straight for the pirates gave him a great sense of relief.

Everyone else exhaled too. If Shanks hadn't appeared, they might have died here.

Soon, the merchant ship docked next to the pirate ship.

Though the crew lacked in combat ability, having spent years operating in the shinobi world, they understood how to deal with powerful people.

"Honored warrior, thank you for saving us!"

"Thank you, sir! If not for you, we would've surely perished."

"..."

Shanks only scratched his head shyly in response.

"I'm not a samurai. I'm a pirate too."

"..."

Silence. Everyone was stunned. The fastest to react was the gray-haired director.

A blur, and the next moment, the director was already kneeling on the ground.

"Great pirate sir, I'm blind! I didn't see your face or hear your name! Please don't kill me!"

"Oh, I'm Shanks."

Shanks cheerfully extended his hand to introduce himself. The director quickly got up and shook his hand.

"I'm Director Okamura."

"..."

Okamura's heart sank into despair.

Damn it. This despicable pirate saw through his disguise with such ease! It's over. He's definitely going to die at the hands of this pirate now.

He should never have come to this chaotic place. First the Water Country, then the Land of Waves—finally escaped only to run into one pirate crew, and now an even scarier one.

The silence lasted till nightfall.

That Evening – A Pirate's Feast

On the beach, a bonfire crackled. The director squatted alone in the corner while everyone else celebrated. All the joy belonged to them; he had nothing.

He had knelt a bit too fast during the day, and now, he was paying for the awkward aftermath.

Near the bonfire, Shanks had tears streaming down his face.

"Woohoo! So good!!"

"This is amazing!"

Crispy grilled meat sprinkled with spices, and two large barrels of sake on the side.

Listening to the sizzling sound of the roasting meat, Shanks felt pure bliss. The aroma of protein and spices rising together under the flames was heavenly.

His eyes sparkled.

This is what being a pirate is all about. After months of harsh training, he was finally enjoying a proper feast.

Even if he was heading out to sea, he'd make sure to eat well first.

"Director, why aren't you eating?"

Santayufu was happily devouring his food. Nothing makes you feel more alive than a celebration after surviving a crisis.

Even Yukie, usually stoic and serious, had a joyful smile on her face.

"I'm not hungry."

The director mumbled as he shrank away.

"Shanks, come drink with us! Hahaha!"

"Man, thank you so much today, Shanks. I never imagined you'd be such a powerful pirate."

Hiccup!

The crew had already become chummy with Shanks—drunk and cheerful.

They didn't know much about pirates, but through Shanks, they understood that some pirates pursued dreams and treasures rather than chaos.

They understood Shanks because their director, too, was a dream chaser.

Every industry has its dreamers. Shanks was simply a man who aspired to become the freest pirate on the sea.

"By the way, Shanks, aren't you planning to set sail? You could come with us—leave whenever you want."

"Yeah, Shanks. There've been a lot of pirates in these waters recently. We can rest here for a month before setting off."

"A whole month-long feast?"

Shanks looked at the supplies they'd seized from the pirates. Enough to throw a party for a month.

At that moment, Shanks was moved to tears.

Like a poor kid who suddenly struck it rich and bought a whole fridge full of iced tea.

"To throw a month-long party... this is amazing."

Hic!

The merchant captain slurred a reply, half-drunk.

The rest of the crew raised their cups with glee.

"A feast!!"

"A whole month of partying!!"

By the bonfire on the beach, laughter and joy filled the air. Shanks finally understood why he loved feasts so much—it was because training had been so hard all this time.

Karma, maybe? As Shanks, he just couldn't escape the fate of hosting month-long parties.

"But this... this is what being a pirate is truly about!"

Shanks raised his cup high, and in the reflection of the drink, laughter and warmth danced as ripples spread, distorting everyone's joyful shadows.

Elsewhere: Hidden Sound Village

In the shadows of a lab, fluid slowly condensed into a strange fruit with twisted patterns.

Orochimaru stared at it, bloodshot eyes wide.

"Finally… finally a success. So this is what Shanks called a Devil Fruit, huh?"

"HAHAHAHA!! I finally did it!!"

His crazed laughter echoed through the dark, damp lab.

The Devil Fruit... has appeared!!

Orochimaru's joy bordered on madness. Yet beneath it was a growing sense of awe—and fear—toward Shanks' intellect.

Only through real experimentation could he truly grasp how terrifyingly brilliant that man was. The shinobi world had never seen such a thing, and yet, Shanks had deduced it all through sheer logic alone.

"Is it because of the Poneglyphs? Who tampered with history to this degree?"

Even Orochimaru was horrified. Without knowing some of the truth of history, this would've been impossible.

Whoever rewrote history clearly knew far more—and was hiding far more. The power they held must be unimaginable.

Just the thought gave Orochimaru chills.

This was why he revered Shanks' mind so much.

"Lord Orochimaru, is something wrong?"

A subordinate entered, startled by Orochimaru's laughter, thinking he'd gone mad.

"Nothing, really. Just marveling at the gap between people. It's greater than that between man and dog.

But now that Shanks has resurfaced, it means he's ready to face the one who's been hiding in the shadows of history all this time."

Though their paths were different, even someone like Orochimaru couldn't help but respect Shanks' ambition.

"By the way, any leads on Hiruko?"

"Still... still nothing."

"Get the lord of Hozuki Castle to help. Even the politically minded shinobi of Grass should contribute something useful now."

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinate bowed and left.

Orochimaru frowned. Grass Ninja were weak but politically savvy. The fact that they survived so many shinobi wars proved their worth.

As for Hiruko—if there was anyone in the shinobi world whose research into jutsu and kekkei genkai rivaled Orochimaru's, it was Hiruko.

His talents weren't overwhelming but well-rounded—a true all-rounder.

In terms of intellect, Hiruko far surpassed Jiraiya and Tsunade.

In terms of jutsu, he even surpassed Orochimaru and Tsunade.