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

Kado slowly recounted the intelligence he had gathered. On their own, the details didn't seem particularly significant, but when pieced together, they revealed just how insane the underground black market merchants' recent actions had been.

"But lately, a lot of merchants have started reassembling fleets, and some nobles from various nations are getting involved too."

"Get to the point," Zabuza said impatiently. He wanted to know exactly what the enemy was doing—and more importantly, how they were going to deal with it.

"We're going to make a killing!"

Kado went straight to the most important point, and instantly, Zabuza, Haku, and Kin fell silent.

"…"

Kado also fell into silence. Wasn't it you, Lord Zabuza, who told me to get straight to the point?

He recalled his past experiences—usually at this kind of moment, he'd be getting beaten.

"Mr. Kado, there's no need to go straight to the very end. Maybe... start with the point before that one," Haku gently reminded him. Making money was Kado's concern, not theirs.

"Dark has been using us to stir up momentum. Behind the scenes, he's assembled a fleet of over fifty thousand people. It's made up of underground black market merchants and criminal organizations, and some nobles have been secretly involved too."

As Kado spoke, Zabuza felt a chill creep up from beneath his feet—this time, it wasn't Haku playing with ice nearby. It was a real, tangible dread only someone who had experienced war could understand.

Fifty thousand people. That wasn't just some skirmish—that was a war.

All to deal with one person—Shanks.

Compared to Zabuza and Kin, Haku remained far more composed.

"So basically, Dark has been loitering outside the Land of Waves not to fight us, but to act as bait—to draw in more people. From the very beginning, Dark wasn't here to fight us. He wanted everyone to see that he had the power to stand against the Blade-less Pirates."

"More importantly, no matter how you look at it, and no matter how you investigate it, the only information anyone can find is…"

Haku looked at the others and gently parted his lips.

"That Dark was defeated by Shanks—his ship was even cut in half, and he nearly died at sea."

"But before that, Dark was just an ordinary black-market enforcer. After he returned, he had the power of a Devil Fruit user capable of standing against the Blade-less Pirates."

Haku pointed out the most critical piece of information. Even with all their resources, that's all they could confirm.

Once all the events were connected, the missing pieces of the puzzle filled themselves in naturally.

The most logical explanation? Dark had been operating in the waters between the Land of Waves and the Land of Water—where he somehow got hold of information about a Devil Fruit.

So, he defected. Because to him, a Devil Fruit was more valuable than any amount of money.

As for the so-called "fight" between Dark and Shanks—that could also be logically inferred.

Obviously, Dark somehow managed to steal a Devil Fruit from Shanks—paying for it with his ship.

Even with only basic details, everything fit perfectly.

"So we were played by that bastard Dark?"

Zabuza finally understood. Honestly, anyone should've figured it out sooner, but they hadn't.

Not because Zabuza was dumb—but because he knew too much.

Like the fact that Shanks didn't even have a Devil Fruit. Hell, the guy lived like a savage on some remote island.

Because they knew too much, they never even considered that possibility.

But outsiders—others—believed that:

"Dark stole a Devil Fruit from Shanks. And within just two weeks, used it to gain the strength to stand toe-to-toe with the Blade-less Pirates."

"It wasn't just us who were used—everyone involved was used. Coming from the black market, Dark understood the greed of merchants and the rules of the underground world better than we do."

"If eating a Devil Fruit could grant such power, even Mr. Kado here couldn't resist the temptation."

Kado nodded in agreement. He knew the value of strength. He'd risk everything—wealth, power, even his life—to gain it.

"If only there were a Devil Fruit that let me beat Zabuza…"

As he fantasized, Kado suddenly felt weightless. He was hoisted up, and moments later, his plump body was dangling from the port's mast, making it creak under his weight.

"So what do we do next?" Haku turned back to Zabuza. He had a rough idea, but in times like these, the captain's will was paramount.

"Fifty thousand men! Even with Conqueror's Haki, Shanks might not be able to handle that. Sure, he could run—but knowing that guy, he won't."

"As the captain of the leading ship of the New Era, the only thing Shanks can do is break through."

Zabuza wasn't even sure if Shanks could survive against that kind of force.

Even knowing how powerful Shanks was, even knowing how strong Conqueror's Haki was—fifty thousand people was overwhelming. Every power has its limits.

"We're going too. If Shanks beats them, great—if he loses, we'll rescue him. He can't die at the front lines of the New Era."

"Besides, I owe that man my life."

Zabuza made his decision without hesitation.

He and Shanks weren't exactly close—but the fact remained: Shanks had saved his life.

Without Shanks, Zabuza would've become a walking corpse long ago.

Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to repay that debt.

Five thousand, fifty thousand—whatever. If anyone could pull it off, it was Shanks.

"So… don't you dare make me repay that debt, Shanks!!"

Zabuza stared out across the sea. It was almost time for the Blade-less Pirates to set sail.

Haku's expression changed too—the warmth in his gaze disappeared as he followed after Zabuza.

He didn't know whether Shanks could deal with fifty thousand men, but he did know one thing:

The Blade-less Pirates definitely couldn't.

Even if the enemy had just one ship with five naval cannons, their crew wouldn't stand a chance.

The merchants may lack other things, but money wasn't one of them.

"If Shanks is truly in danger, Zabuza would risk his life to save him. But… if possible, I hope no one dies."

Haku sighed deeply.

The storm in the New World was coming.

Fifty thousand troops—half of the entire black market's forces were mobilizing.

That's what Kado meant when he said they'd make a fortune.

But money wasn't the goal of the Blade-less Pirates—or Haku's.

"By the way… is it really possible that Dark actually stole the Devil Fruit from Shanks?" Kin asked, scratching his head. As the third-in-command of the crew, he decided to speak up.

"Unlikely," Haku shook his head. With Shanks' strength and observation Haki, how could anyone steal a Devil Fruit from him? Even Dark—or Zabuza—couldn't manage that.

Unless…

"Unless it was on purpose."

Haku looked at Kado, still dangling from the mast, and came to a halt.

Zabuza had said it before—Shanks' strength and intelligence were top-tier. His observation Haki could even predict the future to some extent.

From any angle, Shanks would never create trouble for himself.

Which meant—

"Vice-captain, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. You all go on ahead—I need to ask Mr. Kado something."

Haku had figured it out.

They had been used by Dark.

But what if Dark was also being used by Shanks?

It was entirely possible.

Haku pulled Kado down.

"Mr. Kado, with fifty thousand men mobilized, how much of the underground black market is involved?"

"At least seventy percent. And several nations will also be drawn in. That's why it's such a golden opportunity for profit, Vice-captain!"

Kado assumed Haku had come around. He rubbed his hands together, excited.

Even if they didn't get the whole pie, even half of it would benefit the Land of Waves immensely.

But Haku already had his answer.

"So this is the power and presence of a Yonko like Shanks—even Captain Zabuza respects him."

"Just one Devil Fruit is enough to throw the entire black market of the ninja world into chaos—affecting all of society."

"That's what it means to be a Yonko. Such a simple move… and even knowing what it is, there's nothing we can do to stop it."

In that moment, Haku truly felt the terror of Shanks.

Everything seemed like coincidence. But the deeper you looked, the clearer Shanks' terrifying brilliance became.

Trying to change the ninja world directly was difficult. But if a tree is rotten, it's rotten from the roots—and the black market was the weakest root of the ninja world.

"Looks like we don't need to worry too much. But even so… we can't let Captain Zabuza take that risk."

Haku felt like his brain wasn't enough—forget fighting someone like Shanks, even thinking at his level was impossible.

Even after finally seeing through Shanks' plan, Haku still felt completely outclassed.

"Kado, you'll be in charge of the next part."

"Me?"

Kado pointed to himself. Vice-captain, don't you know what kind of guy I am? What could I possibly do?

"Just spread some simple information. After all, back then in the waters near the Land of Water and the Land of Waves, there weren't just us—there were revolutionaries too."

"Some of Captain Zabuza's former comrades are still in the Land of Fire. Start from there."

"Also, the Chuunin Exams in Konoha have already begun. Even the Kazekage of the Sand Village is attending this time."

Kado understood roughly what Haku meant.

Though it didn't really matter whether he did or not. All Kado needed to do was spread the word—and someone would definitely understand what it meant.