Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group weren't in a hurry. After that battle, they all needed some time to recover.
In any case, they couldn't afford to have any more dealings with Orochimaru. It was better to wait and see how others would react first.
It wasn't until half a month later that the four of them finally saw a massive pirate ship passing by on the sea.
Then, Kiyosu Iemitsu lit a nearby bonfire, sending thick smoke into the sky.
"Speaking of which, it's easy for us to blend in as normal people, but what about you?"
The three of them looked at Kiyosu Iemitsu. With the way he looked, there was no way he could disguise himself.
"Just say it's a Devil Fruit ability."
Kiyosu Iemitsu shrugged. In a place like this, running into a Devil Fruit user wasn't unusual at all.
"But aren't we keeping too low a profile by disguising ourselves like this?"
"Yeah, I mean, we're sages, after all."
"Doesn't matter. I'm not interested in leading the charge. Those old guys came up with all these theories, but instead of showing up themselves, they sent us here to test them out."
Yamano Shishi complained.
Most sages were just researchers, always thinking about how to get stronger.
And since they were born as sages, they had longer lifespans, which meant they spent their time studying all sorts of things. Their knowledge was broad, but not always practical.
But because they studied too many different things, their field was full of all kinds of conflicting theories.
At first glance, it looked like they had a solid foundation in research. But in reality, they only had theories—just theories.
Were these theories actually useful? Not really.
It was like a bunch of scientists arguing over whether the force of falling rain was strong enough to kill someone. Why not just test it out directly?
And as for Fukuda Kiyomu—why did people say he was insane? Because he wasn't part of the theory crowd.
Well…
They said he used to be. But at some point, a contradiction in his own theories made him switch to a more hands-on approach.
As a result, he ended up clashing with a few theory-obsessed sages. Those sages? Fukuda Kiyomu wiped them out.
After that, he started "reforming" the so-called sage academic world.
To hell with theory—what was the point of all those words if no one actually did anything?
So many theories, and not a single one had led to anything useful.
Simply put, in Fukuda Kiyomu's eyes, the sages were completely useless.
Rikudou Sennin had spoiled them, turning them into nothing more than theory-making machines. That was why Fukuda Kiyomu wanted to change these weaklings.
And the result? Well, you couldn't say it was a complete failure.
At the very least, sages today had become much more capable in real combat.
They were no longer the type who had tons of theoretical knowledge but zero real-world experience.
"Either way, I'm not going to be the one leading the charge."
Yamano Shishi raised his hand. His body was now weak and hollow. He used to be a strong man, but now he looked thin and frail, like an addict.
His life force had almost been completely drained.
"I'm the same."
"Yeah, let's see how the others react first."
The other two sages agreed. They had overestimated themselves earlier.
Since they had already come out, they should stay low-key. No—more than that, they should be underhanded.
Meanwhile, on a pirate ship, a young man in a black coat and hat noticed black smoke rising from the island. He felt a bit puzzled.
"Captain, should we go take a look?"
"Yeah, let's check it out. Anyone showing up in a place like this probably isn't just an ordinary person."
Dom Peak spoke. He was just a rookie pirate who had recently set sail.
Back in the southern sea of Land, he had met Shanks once. That single meeting gave Dom Peak the chance to set sail and become a pirate.
For the Peak family, having just one pirate—Kagero Peak—was enough. Kagero was a capable man and had even been the head of the Peak family.
Because of that, the entire family had given him their full support. But Dom? He wasn't at that level yet.
He didn't even qualify to set sail.
If not for Kagero giving Shanks some respect and going easy on his useless younger brother, Dom wouldn't have been allowed to leave at all.
"Captain, isn't this too dangerous?
The South Sea is close to the Land of Wind. If we run into someone with a Devil Fruit power, we won't stand a chance."
One of Dom's crew members spoke up. Dom was still too inexperienced—randomly approaching an island like this could be risky.
"It doesn't matter. Do we have anything valuable on this ship?"
Dom smiled casually, as if it wasn't a big deal.
"The most valuable thing on this ship is our lives. But since we've already set sail, our lives don't matter as much anymore.
Our real destination is the New World, Sada."
The one speaking was Dom's assistant—the ship's vice-captain, Sada.
"Captain Dom..."
Sada wanted to say something but stopped. He knew what was on Dom's mind.
Dom himself understood the rules of the sea well enough. But since he had chosen this path, he was no longer the cautious merchant he used to be.
A pirate had to have guts.
"If you don't have the spirit to embrace this vast sea, you won't survive in the New World. That's what *he* taught me, Sada."
"I don't get it. Is Shanks really that impressive?"
Sada shook his head but still steered the ship toward the island.
"You don't need to get it.
You just need to know that out here on the sea, even if it's dangerous, there's nothing to fear. Just bring the ship in."
Dom spoke with confidence. Sada was an experienced guard, but he wasn't very smart—he followed rules too strictly.
That was both his flaw and his strength. It was exactly why Dom trusted him the most.
"Alright, I don't really get why, but I trust you, Dom."
Seeing the confident smile on Dom's face, Sada also felt a bit more confident himself.
And what was going through Dom's mind?
Shanks' charisma? That wasn't just charisma—it was his presence, his spirit.
Just because he had come into contact with that man, even his older brother acknowledged that he was qualified to set sail. That was the kind of influence Shanks had, the kind of respect his name carried.
On the other side, when Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group saw the ship coming straight toward them, they let out a sigh of relief. Good, no need for any extra moves.
This time, they didn't need to reveal their strength. They just had to blend in and go with the flow.
By the time Dom's ship arrived, Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group were already waiting by the shore. Dom and Sada stepped off the ship.
For a moment, Dom was taken aback when he saw how the four of them were dressed.
He had a sharp eye for these things. Even though the four of them looked quite disheveled, it was clear that they weren't ordinary people.
"If you need any help, feel free to come aboard."
Even so, Dom was only surprised for a brief moment before returning to normal.
They were dressed like nobles, and not just any nobles—high-ranking ones. But this era was no longer the age of nobility.
He had even met Shanks before, so why would something like this shock him?
So, Dom didn't waste any words.
His straightforwardness actually made Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group pause for a moment.
"Thank you."
Kiyosu Iemitsu expressed his gratitude and followed Dom onto the ship.
At the same time, the four of them became even more cautious. Dom's relaxed attitude, rather than putting them at ease, made them feel even more uneasy.
"I am Kiyosu Iemitsu. May I ask how I should address you, Captain?"
"Dom Peak. Just call me Dom."
Dom spoke calmly and in an even tone, which made Kiyosu Iemitsu respect him a little.
Look at this guy—so young, yet already so composed. And then look at those so-called nobles who spent their days doing nothing, leeching off their country. Useless. Absolutely useless.
"Captain Dom, aren't you curious about the four of us?"
"There's nothing to be curious about."
Stepping onto the deck, Dom turned back and looked at the four of them.
"In the New World, nothing is surprising. Here, even Devil Fruit users are common."
"But you four seem pretty strong. So why were you in a place like that?"
Dom led them to the dining area, where food had already been prepared.
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
Kiyosu Iemitsu expressed his gratitude.
Although Dom hadn't asked many questions, since they were going to be on his ship, it was only right to share some information.
Of course, there was no need to tell the whole truth—just enough to get by.
From their conversation, Dom picked up on one key point: these four were quite powerful.
Even though they had been defeated by Orochimaru, the fact that they had survived an encounter with him already made them remarkable figures.
"If you don't have any other plans, you're welcome to stay on my ship for a while.
I could use some strong people on board. Of course, it won't be for too long, and you're free to leave anytime."
Dom was polite to Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group, placing no restrictions on them.
To Dom, these four didn't seem like pirates at all.
And to Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group, Dom didn't seem like one either.
Simply put, it was comfortable being around someone like him.
"If Captain Dom is willing to take us in, that would be great.
We might actually need to stay on your ship for a few months."
"But, what are your plans next, Captain Dom? After all, a pirate as dangerous as Orochimaru is still out there in these waters.
Running into him would be extremely risky."
Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group had already backed down—they didn't want any more trouble.
Hearing this, Dom chuckled.
"Why would I go looking for Orochimaru?"
"Our course is set. We're heading to meet up with my brother, Kagaruo, along with another pirate crew—the Ross Pirates."
Dom pulled out his sea chart and log pose.
The chart marked many locations, but out in the open sea, relying only on a map wasn't enough.
"We haven't actually entered the New World yet. Once our pirate crews gather, we'll finally qualify to go there.
We've chosen a relatively safe route, one that won't cross paths with Orochimaru. But even then, we'll probably run into quite a few other pirates."
"..."
As Dom explained, Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group were completely lost.
They had never learned about any of this.
As sages, they were far removed from the lower levels of society. They had no idea what went on in the underground black market or what kind of things were being traded there.
But when they found out that Dom's log pose was actually pointing toward a dragon vein, their expressions became quite interesting.
Wait, what? This kind of thing exists?
If they had known, why would they have bothered tracking Shanks and Orochimaru? They could have just gone straight for the dragon veins themselves!
The real issue was that they didn't even know where the dragon veins were.
And now, they were finding out that any half-decent pirate out here already knew their locations?
Did that make them look stupid?
No, it wasn't just a matter of looking stupid—they felt like complete fools.
Of course, after realizing how clueless they had been, Kiyosu Iemitsu and his group became even more determined to stay on Dom's ship.
They had finally realized that these pirates were nothing like the low-level ones they had encountered before.
Only now did they truly start to understand the pirate world.
As they spent more time on the ship and got to know the crew, their attitude toward Dom changed. At first, they didn't care much, but over time, they started taking him more seriously.
Because they noticed that while Dom wasn't particularly strong, that was only because he barely trained.
But he knew a lot—far more than they did. And more importantly, he had connections with Shanks.
After a few days, everyone had gotten familiar with each other.
Dom's side learned that Seishu Iemitsu and his group were extremely powerful "ninjas." Meanwhile, Dom's side had picked up even more information.
Every night, the four of them would go over a huge stack of pirate bounty posters, studying them carefully.
"Looks like we won't need to leave the ship after all."
"The Rose Pirates, who are working with Kagero, aren't as simple as they seem. Dom mentioned this to me today."
Seishu Iemitsu pulled out a bounty poster with Karin's photo on it.
"That child from the Uzumaki clan?"
The sages all knew about the Uzumaki clan. Even though they had never met them, there were only four of them left, so it wasn't hard to connect the dots based on written records.
"It's not just about the Uzumaki child.
See that straw hat? That was once Shanks' hat. Now, it's on this kid's head. Just that hat alone is enough to earn her the respect and support of countless pirates."
"But in my opinion, that hat's significance goes beyond that."
"Shanks may not be right in the head, but you can't deny he's got great foresight. This hat is his backup plan for whatever's coming next.
He doesn't care about most things, but at the very least, he won't let anything happen to this kid. This hat doesn't just represent Shanks—it represents the entire Uzumaki clan."
"..."
"..."
"So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that staying with these people will keep us safe."
Seishu Iemitsu, the strongest among them, just said the most cautious thing.
"Hah? Since when are we afraid of danger?"
"I mean, if we're on the same battlefield as Shanks, we can at least make sure his sword doesn't come down on us."
Seishu Iemitsu added another remark.
That shut everyone up.
This guy really was planning to seek out Shanks. They wouldn't dare.
But Seishu Iemitsu knew they wouldn't dare, which was exactly why he said it.
Now, with a safety net in place, things were different.
Because their real target wasn't Shanks. It was that old lunatic.
At that moment, in the waters of the West Sea, near the edge of the New World…
Over thirty massive pirate ships had completely surrounded Dark's ship.
Dark was covered in blood, his body covered in all kinds of wounds. On the entire ship, he was the only one still standing.
"Looks like your strength isn't even close to what the rumors say. You're way too weak, Dark!"
A wild and arrogant voice rang out from the sky.
A man in a long robe held a corpse in his hand and casually tossed it onto the deck.
Lying before Dark were four bodies, all dressed in noble robes from the ninja world. Clearly, they were all sages.
And the man descending from the sky was none other than the recently infamous pirate—"Golden Lion—Jiken."
"If you can't even handle trash like these so-called sages, I don't see what qualifies you to be Shanks' rival."
Seeing the four bodies in front of him, the blood-covered Dark let out a relieved smile.
"I never said I could be a match for Shanks, Golden Lion."
Dark had always been avoiding everyone, but who would have thought a group of sages would suddenly show up?
Besides, all of Dark's previous "resistance" was purely against slashing attacks. His actual strength wasn't that great.
Of course, he wasn't exactly weak either.
But when facing sages, Dark's weaknesses became obvious.
As one of the earliest Devil Fruit users, his ability wasn't particularly strong—one could even say it was quite weak.
At times, the power boost to his body had its limits.
Still, the fact that he managed to hold out for so long while being hunted by four sages was proof enough of his strength.
"Alright, I've taken care of these problems for you.
Now it's your turn to solve mine."
Jiken didn't waste any words. He came looking for Dark for an important reason.
"Go ahead, if it's something I can help with. But don't expect me to fight Shanks for you—I don't have that kind of strength."
Jiken's ambitions were obvious, but Dark couldn't deny that he had the power to back them up.
"Your strength may be lacking, but your intelligence is good enough. I need your help to claim a Four Emperors seat."
"As for defeating Shanks, that's my problem. I don't need any of you interfering."
Jiken grinned, an arrogant smile spreading across his face.
Beating Shanks? He had a way.
His body's potential could be pushed even further—it just needed time.
And if there was one thing he had plenty of, it was time. Shanks, on the other hand, didn't.
Shanks couldn't afford to wait too long. A mortal's lifespan was too short. Jiken's was far too long.
With such a long lifespan, he had long since viewed others as mere ants. He was completely indifferent to them.
Shanks was the only exception. He could wait. But Shanks couldn't.
"Four Emperors?"
Dark was stunned. This guy didn't plan to challenge Shanks right away—he wanted to become a Four Emperor first?
That actually surprised him.
"Why so shocked? Who do you think I, Golden Lion, am? Someone like Shanks would never lose to some nobody.
Only by becoming one of the world's recognized Four Emperors… only by becoming the most powerful man in this world… only then—"
"Only then will people understand who it was that defeated Shanks.
Even if Shanks loses, it can only be to a Four Emperor like me. That's why this position is mine for the taking."
Jiken's gaze was unwavering, filled with absolute confidence and arrogance.
He believed he could do it. He believed his ambition was great enough to contain even Shanks.
But first, he needed some help.
This battle had to be seen by as many people as possible.
"Hahahaha!!"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Dark saw Jiken's arrogant yet serious expression and burst into laughter, sitting down on the ground.
"What a strange guy. But you really do have what it takes to defeat Shanks.
Since that's the case, I'll do my best to help you. I hope I get to see the day you finally beat Shanks."
Looking at the four bodies in front of him, Dark's gaze grew deeper.
He knew his own strength wasn't that great, but he had a brain. And that was exactly what Jiken needed.
"Hahaha! In that case, let's see if your brains can help me become the ruler of the New World!"
Hearing Dark's response, Jiken laughed loudly as well.
To him, so-called sages were nothing more than clowns.
After living for over a thousand years, he had long seen through them.
Now that they had finally shown up, it was already too late. Far too late.
A pet raised in captivity could never survive in the harsh world of the New World.
Shanks was the true ruler of this new era.
Sages had no right to challenge him.
At this moment, both inside and outside the ninja world, things were growing more chaotic, and the divide was becoming clearer.
One thing stood out: the affairs of the sea and those of the ninja world were slowly splitting apart.
With the appearance of sages, the balance of power among pirates had become even more complicated.
Meanwhile, in the ninja world, the revolutionary army's movements had caused unexpected shifts in the political landscape.
Nagato wasn't making any big moves, but Obito and Black Zetsu were a different story.
As tensions rose, the nations of the ninja world also started to act faster.
By September, the Five Kage Summit and the Five Great Nations' Daimyo Conference were both taking place, with even the leaders of smaller nations in attendance.
Even some sages had shown up at the meeting.
"So, the World Government has finally been established?"
Gato looked around the grand gathering, his eyes scanning the most powerful figures in the world.
Beside him, the towering ruler of the Land of Snow glanced at the "agreement" in his hands, a cold smirk appearing on his face.
"The World Government? What an ambitious organization."
"Gato, why don't we talk about working together first?"
"It seems, Lord Kazahana, that your ambitions aren't small either."
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