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

Kidomaru spoke up as well.

"Ten minutes. I can wait no longer than ten minutes.

Jirōbō, don't forget—your life belongs to Lord Orochimaru."

His tone was fierce and threatening.

This time, Jirōbō nodded solemnly."I'll retrieve what I left and then leave immediately."

With that, his figure vanished into the curtain of rain.

His steps quickened, and his breathing grew heavier.

Likewise, Duck's pace grew faster. Eventually, he leaped forward while holding onto the mast.

There were no words. Fueled only by a single will born from his refusal to fall—Stand. Fight on.

Whoosh—!!

A powerful gust howled as Shanks' silhouette was blocked by the shadow of the mast. His target was clear.

But—

"Time for you to sleep too."

With a kick off the ground, Shanks vanished from where he stood.In the next instant, he appeared directly above Duck.

No technique, no flash—just a punch enhanced by pure Conqueror's Haki.That single punch smashed Duck back down again.

Boom!

The deck beneath exploded into a deep crater. A shadow emerged beside Duck, kicking away the falling mast.

"Captain!! I'm back."

Jirōbō now stood between Duck and Shanks. Duck had fallen completely unconscious, and in that final moment, he barely sensed someone had arrived.

But Jirōbō's expression was resolute as he locked eyes with Shanks.

Jirōbō wasn't particularly strong—his strengths lay in raw power.In terms of speed and technique, he wasn't weak either—but it depended on who he was facing.

And against Shanks? He didn't stand a chance. Even just standing in front of Shanks in his current state would come at a steep cost.

"Shanks, don't take another step forward. As long as I'm here, you won't lay another finger on Captain Duck."

Clenching his fists tightly, Jirōbō forced his chakra to circulate through his body, struggling against the crushing pressure of Conqueror's Haki.

His muscles bulged under the flood of chakra. His heartbeat quickened, blood surged faster, and a faint red hue spread across his body.

"I can't even enter Curse Mark form! Under the suppression of this Haki, I can't fully use its power…"

He could only access a quarter of the Curse Mark's strength. Shanks' Conqueror's Haki was terrifyingly effective at suppressing it.

After all, Shanks' Haki was born from forcibly severing ties to Sage Mode—an inverse power resulting from that drastic choice.

And the Curse Mark? It was essentially a primitive derivation of Sage Mode. Naturally, it was hard-countered by Shanks' Haki.

"Some sort of body-enhancing technique?"

Seeing Jirōbō's transformation, Shanks realized he was different from the others.

While the rest were like amateurs fumbling through power, this chubby guy had truly trained.

"Interesting. But this so-called technique… it only enhances physical attributes, right?"

Shanks stepped forward. His footsteps echoed clearly through the rain—but to Jirōbō, each step thundered like rolling storms.

With every stomp, Jirōbō's heart skipped a beat.The aura of a true powerhouse—it pressed down like a mountain.

"No choice. I have to strike now!!"

Jirōbō was sweating profusely despite the rain.He couldn't hold back any longer.

"Arhat Fist!"

He roared, and powerful force gathered in his fists, launching a mystical strike at Shanks that tore the rain apart.

But Shanks simply continued his slow walk.

Jirōbō's blows were fast—but Shanks was faster. Coupled with his fearsome Observation Haki, Jirōbō couldn't even land a single hit.

It was like punching air.

And before he knew it, Shanks stood right in front of him.Jirōbō watched in disbelief as Shanks dodged through his supposedly perfect strikes—each one evaded effortlessly.

"Not bad. But still… not strong enough."

Shanks placed his hand on Jirōbō's head. Jirōbō's eyes filled with fear.

Boom!!

With a single hand, Shanks smashed him down, leaving a human-shaped crater in the deck.

As the red-black Haki faded from his hand, Shanks gazed into the shattered hull below.

"Rising Strike—Double Collapsing Palm!"

Jirōbō pressed his palms together and struck upward.Waves of power traveled through his arms, converging in his palms before erupting skyward.

Boom!!

A shockwave blasted the deck apart, spraying splinters around Shanks.

His hair fluttered, his clothes rustled violently as if about to tear.

Yet Shanks stood there, unmoved.

He looked at the gaping hole, now twice as large, and spoke coolly:

"Not bad. But your explosive force is still lacking."

He had taken the hit directly.To him, it felt like being slapped. Literally.

"D-Damn it…"

Jirōbō lay at the bottom of the ship, looking up at Shanks.His dazed face slowly turned bitter.

"All this trouble just because I came back for a bag of chips I left behind… and I run into this?"

"Guess my luck really sucks."

With that thought, Jirōbō collapsed, eyes shut.

He had truly come back just to retrieve some forgotten snacks—only to bump into Shanks.

In the end, it wasn't fate.It was just terrible luck.

Meanwhile, Shanks looked up again.

The entire ship was now covered in webs—thick, dense strands of silk.

Not far away, Kidomaru had fully transformed into a spider.

He had a better grasp of the Curse Mark, but even this was his limit.

He knew he couldn't beat Shanks.But Orochimaru once said: if needed, use his name.

"A Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, huh?"

Shanks' gaze remained calm. In this setting, he felt like a boss being raided.

So many challengers… but the level difference was overwhelming.

Still, how many in the seas could enjoy such boss-level treatment?

Once these challengers grew stronger, perhaps it wouldn't be so easy.

"Are you stepping up too?"

"We have no intention of fighting you, Lord Shanks. Let us leave, and consider it a favor our master owes you."

Kidomaru's voice was steady.Only by standing before Shanks could one truly feel the crushing weight of his presence.

This man was as deep and vast as the sea itself. Numbers meant nothing.

**"No need for favors.

Just remember to show me respect in the future. I hope your master knows how to act appropriately."**

"Go. Your lives don't belong here. We'll meet again in the New World. When we do—I hope you still carry the same conviction and ambition."

"This sea needs bold men like you."

With a wave, Shanks turned and walked away—completely ignoring the guarded Kidomaru behind him.

As his Conqueror's Haki dissipated, even the weather began to return to normal.

Of more than a thousand ships, the only man left standing was Kidomaru.

He stood at the bow, watching Shanks' ship return to the island.

"The New World needs us, huh… Lord Orochimaru said the same thing. So this is one of the Four Emperors, Shanks…"

As Shanks left, Kidomaru prepared to take Duck and Jirōbō away.

But just as he lifted them, someone lying in the distance called out.

"Hey! Take us with you too."

Kidomaru froze at the voice.

He no longer looked down on these people—but he wasn't some bleeding heart.

"Why?" he asked.

The speaker wasn't a stranger—he was the captain who had shown the bounty poster of Shanks earlier.

"Shanks knows where the Devil Fruit is. But we don't have the strength to get the answer from him."

"This was a gamble… and we lost. Cough cough..."

The man struggled to sit up, leaning against a nearby post.

"Some of our men deviated from course earlier. They headed toward the Land of Fire."

"So the real Devil Fruit must be in Konoha."

Kidomaru finally understood.Shanks hadn't just spoken to him—he'd spoken to all of them:

"This sea needs bold men like you."

And then he'd said:

"Just have Lord Orochimaru give me a little face. He knows what to do."

"So Shanks meant… they're all qualified to obtain Devil Fruits?"

Kidomaru wasn't sure.But that guy had guessed something right.

"Looks like I was right. The Devil Fruit really is in Konoha."

"I'm Kagaro—Kagaro Peak. I used to run weapons trafficking in the underground black market."

Though badly injured, Kagaro still had the ambition to seek the Devil Fruit.

"The information is indeed in Konoha. But whether you're worthy to get it… that depends on your own strength."

Kidomaru responded.

All the Devil Fruit data was in Lord Orochimaru's hands, and the Chunin Exams were underway.

Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha had already begun.

Which meant—yes, the Devil Fruit was indeed in Konoha.

And Shanks' words likely had deeper meaning.Only Orochimaru could decide what happened next.

"Take as many ships as we can. We don't have much time. Something big's about to happen in Konoha—we need to act fast."

Kidomaru pulled out a packet of healing medicine and tossed it to Kagaro.

"Who exactly are you people?"