Naruto: The Legend of Red Haired Shanks

Amado was probably the most speechless person in all of this. 

He had been quietly conducting research in a remote area, keeping track of the battlefield while using the power of the Dragon Veins to study the world's energy reserves. 

Then, just as he discovered another Dragon Vein not far from the ruins of Roran, both of them exploded. 

To be honest, Amado hadn't expected the Dragon Veins to explode at all—he had no idea what was going on with the Gelel Stone's mine next door. 

And when the explosion happened, he didn't get off easy either. All his equipment was destroyed by the energy blast, and he was knocked out on the spot. When he woke up, all his research data was gone. 

Luckily, Amado had a good memory and could recall most of his work. 

"As for the Gelel Stone, I did manage to gather some information. I got it from Gato. 

I've also done some research on the Gelel Stone recently." 

Amado let out a long sigh. There was no way Shanks could take all the blame for this. To be fair, no one in this group was entirely innocent. 

But Shanks just happened to be the biggest name involved. 

"Oh? Did you find out anything?" 

Shanks asked curiously. He had uncovered some things from the Dragon Vein in Roran, but when it came to scientific research, it was better to leave it to the experts. 

"Let's start with the Dragon Vein in Roran." 

Amado pulled out a report, while Shisui sat quietly beside him, listening. 

At this point, the Red-Haired Pirates only had three members, including Amado. Shisui knew nothing about research. 

But as the second-in-command, he needed to learn whatever the captain knew. 

This put some pressure on Shisui. Being around someone like Shanks meant that even if he didn't intend to learn something, he would end up picking it up anyway. 

"The Dragon Vein in Roran works pretty much the way Captain Shanks suspected. 

Its main function is to record everything that happens in the ninja world. So, in a way, the Dragon Vein of Roran allows people to travel through time." 

"Of course, it's not actual time travel. It's more like... traveling into past memories. But since both the mind and life force are involved, it's almost the same as real time travel." 

Amado explained. 

"Then why did Shanks' body disappear?" 

Shisui asked the question that had been bothering him. If it worked the way Amado described, then Shanks' physical body should have remained. 

"He didn't disappear. He entered another space." 

Amado pulled out a diagram. It showed a massive sphere with countless tendrils branching out from it, and the sphere itself was divided into layers. 

"What is this?" 

Shisui was completely confused. 

"Looks like... a map of the ninja world's crust?" 

Shanks said, feeling like he understood. Wasn't this just a geological map? 

Hearing Shanks' comment, Amado, whose head was wrapped in bandages, had a speechless expression. 

"This is a diagram of the life energy in the ninja world. 

The central part represents the core life force of the ninja world, while these tentacle-like extensions are what people call the Dragon Veins—basically, the outward-reaching, detectable parts of the world's energy core." 

"And this layered structure here acts as a barrier between the ninja world's spiritual and life energy and the outside world, protecting both sides." 

Amado explained that these layers weren't just for protecting the life of the ninja world but also for shielding its core life source. 

"So, it's kind of like electrical resistance?" 

"More or less. There are some differences, but that's a good way to put it." 

Amado nodded. Talking with someone like Shanks was so much easier. 

Why couldn't those people back then be like him? Especially that ridiculous lord from the Land of Snow—what a headache. 

"So, when Captain Shanks entered Roran's Dragon Vein, his body was pulled into these layers. The system analyzed him within the structure and determined the point in time he needed to reach. 

It's a very complex process, but that's the basic idea." 

Amado continued explaining, and this time, Shisui finally understood. 

He didn't get all the details, but he grasped the overall concept. 

At the same time, he was even more impressed by his unpredictable captain. 

So, if this task had been given to Amado, he wouldn't have been able to pull it off either? 

At that moment, Amado seemed to sense Shisui's doubtful gaze. 

"..." 

"This is something only Captain Shanks can do. No one else in this world is capable of it. So, a few unexpected outcomes are perfectly normal." 

"What about the Greyral Stone?" 

Shisui didn't dwell on it and instead asked about the stone. 

Shanks also looked over with curiosity. 

Without hesitation, Amado pulled out the intel he got from Gato. 

"This is the information Gato obtained from a trading caravan—records on the Greyral Stone." 

"The Greyral Stone was discovered by an ancient nation and used for scientific advancements. 

According to the records, the stone has the ability to generate matter. With it, one can create all fundamental materials of the ninja world without any other conditions." 

"In simple terms, the Greyral Stone can produce water, soil, rocks, and other basic materials." 

At this point, Amado glanced at Shisui, who blinked and looked around. 

There were only three people in the room. 

"Why are you explaining it in such simple terms to me?" 

"Because I thought you wouldn't get it." 

Amado's words made Shisui's face darken. 

"Oh? So this is Armament Haki?" 

"Hey, you!!" 

Hearing Amado's sarcasm again, Shisui couldn't hold back anymore. Was this guy always this sharp-tongued? 

Well, to be fair, Amado was still young and full of energy. It made sense for him to have a sharp tongue. 

After all, he was one of the top scientists in the ninja world. 

"Alright, alright, just tell us the result!" 

Shanks waved his hand. Armament Haki? This was the Land of Water, not the Grand Line. 

Wait, no, this was the Naruto world, not some live-action One Piece where people could fully cover themselves with Armament Haki right from the start. 

"Anyway, the result is that there's no need to worry about the Land of Wind's barren land anymore. 

In the next few months, those explosion-formed craters will turn into thriving valleys. As long as the Kazekage isn't an idiot, history books will definitely remember him as the greatest Kazekage ever." 

"..." 

 Hearing this, Shanks rested his chin on his hand, looking completely shocked. Then… 

"Wait, shouldn't I get the credit for this?" 

"Someone has to take the blame. And when it comes to 'trying to destroy the world,' you, Captain Shanks, are the perfect scapegoat." 

Amado shrugged, and Shisui, standing nearby, had to admit—it actually made a lot of sense. 

With everything that happened in the Land of Wind, it was only natural that people would see them as world-destroying criminals. 

Otherwise, how do you think that bounty went up so fast? 

"I told you we shouldn't have killed Danzo. He would've been the perfect one to take the blame for this." 

"Danzo is already taking the blame. 

From the intel coming out of Konoha, they knew about the Dragon Vein, and we had contact with Danzo. So now, even the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is blaming Konoha." 

Shisui explained. Looks like Danzo really was getting dragged into this mess. 

At this point, no one involved in this was getting away clean. 

Even the Revolutionary Army was caught up in it. 

Hearing Shisui's words, Shanks paused for a second. Danzo was already taking the fall? In that case, why not push more onto him? Blaming a dead guy always worked. 

Seeing Shanks' expression, Shisui sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

Their captain really had no shame sometimes. Like when they were using Orochimaru—sure, both sides were taking advantage of each other, but Orochimaru was downright despicable, while Shanks was just… a low-class opportunist. 

But still… 

"I was the one who made Danzo reveal his plan using Genjutsu." 

Shisui explained. Since people already saw them as terrorists, he might as well drag down as many people as possible. 

Hearing this, both Shanks and Amado gave him a thumbs-up. No doubt about it—everyone was getting better at this game. 

"Aside from the fertile valleys, there's also the land and people who got blown into the sky… They probably aren't coming back down." 

"The power of the Gelel Stones will keep the land locked in the sky, forming a stable ecosystem up there. 

So, for now, there's no need to worry about it falling back down." 

"For now? How long are we talking?" 

"A thousand years, at least. Unless something interferes—like, say, someone decides to destroy those floating islands." 

Amado replied. 

Using sheer manpower to bring down an island shouldn't be possible under normal circumstances. But in today's Shinobi World, things are rarely normal. 

So, it's definitely possible. 

After hearing Amado's explanation, Shanks more or less understood what was going on. 

Thinking about it now, entering the Dragon Vein, being analyzed by it, and with part of the world's consciousness taking the form of a "pirate"—was the formation of Skypiea also his fault? 

No, no, if someone has to take the blame, let Danzo do it! 

"As long as nothing happens within a thousand years, that's fine." 

Hearing Amado's words, Shisui let out a sigh of relief. 

Otherwise, if all that land came crashing down, it really could wipe out an entire nation. 

"Also, due to the Dragon Vein's eruption, the life energy across the entire Land of Wind has become much stronger. 

The animals there will go through a period of evolution… and so will the people. Even ordinary people will have their bodies strengthened." 

"But now that the armies of the Five Great Nations have entered the Land of Wind, the pirates won't be able to enjoy this power." 

Amado continued. 

This kind of physical enhancement was pretty crazy. 

It was like boosting everyone's base stats. And these weren't just any stats—these were *base* stats. 

And that included "level-up" stats too. 

In other words, for the foreseeable future, the soldiers of the Five Great Nations would completely overpower the pirates. 

"What about the navigational compasses?" 

"Through Gato's network, we've already sold over a hundred of them." 

Amado replied. 

Now that the Five Great Nations were mobilizing, a new era for pirates was about to begin!