Since both Gato and Kazahana were rulers of their respective nations, they had a place at the meeting—though their seats were tucked away in a corner.
For them, that was actually a good thing. Small countries were treated as small countries, while the Five Great Nations held their usual dominance.
"Ambition is necessary. Without it, how can we survive in this chaotic world? The Land of Snow isn't the Land of Waves or the Sea Country."
Kazahana sighed.
The former "ruler" no longer had such grand ambitions. Now, all he wanted was to protect the Land of Snow.
His older brother had completely ruined the country with reckless decisions, leaving it in shambles. It was beyond ridiculous.
Of course, to the nobles, wasting resources like that was nothing unusual.
But seriously—did they even understand what kind of place the Land of Snow was? Did they really think their so-called "nobility" meant anything? What a joke.
At this point, the Land of Snow was already falling apart. Kazahana had no expectations left—all he wanted was to keep it stable under his rule.
Even though he turned against his own brother, cutting him down along with some of his brother's retainers, you can't really say Fūka Nutō deserved to die in the original storyline.
Fūka Koyuki tried to kill Fūka Nutō so many times, yet he never went all out against her.
Naruto was only locked up, nothing more.
Despite the Land of Snow being such a big place, Nutō only had three subordinates.
That's even worse than Gato.
This guy really pushed the Land of Snow's finances to the absolute limit. He wasn't good at making money, but he was ruthless with himself.
He squeezed out every bit of funding he could.
In the entire "Land of Snow" arc, did you ever see Nutō do anything truly evil? Not really, right?
Now look at Sandayū—he was just a retainer, yet he kept plotting to restore Koyuki to the throne so he could take control of the Land of Snow himself.
Someone like that would be considered a traitor in many situations.
So when Nutō wiped out his brother's retainers, it wasn't really a big deal. What else were those people if not useless? They held high positions but spent their time oppressing the common people of the Land of Snow.
And now? Given the situation, Nutō could barely keep the Land of Snow running.
"The Land of the Sea?"
"How did Sanjima Gekkou end up sitting behind the Land of Water?"
Gato glanced at the seating arrangement.
There were still a few empty seats behind the Land of Water's spot, and among them sat a chubby man who looked nervous, shifting in his seat with a hint of fear on his face.
He looked like a cowardly noble.
"The Land of the Sea is under Shanks' protection, sure. But even so, isn't this a bit much?"
Nutō couldn't quite figure it out either. Shanks' stance didn't align with the World Government.
This was definitely going to be a topic for discussion later.
"Silence!!"
As noon arrived, a young man in a blue-and-white robe stepped into the center of the massive meeting hall.
It was Ichidai Kiyomu, the sage that Jiraiya had seen in the Capital of Fire.
Alongside him were four other sages, each representing one of the four great nations.
Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was the strongest, so it was only natural that Ichidai Kiyomu led the meeting. As for the agenda, it was obvious they had already discussed it in advance.
Otherwise, the looks on the others' faces wouldn't be so grim.
As the hall gradually fell silent, Ichidai Kiyomu smiled warmly.
All eyes were on him—some filled with anticipation, others with confusion, unsure of his identity.
Many were watching with eager expectations…
No matter what was on their minds, they had all come here for one reason—to hear the final verdict.
"More than a year ago, a man appeared in the ninja world. With his arrival, the once-peaceful ninja world was thrown into chaos again.
And this time, the chaos was worse than ever before."
"From commoners to nobles, from samurai to ninjas…
The pirates spare no one. In this age of turmoil, civilians can't even protect their families, and even nobles are constantly in danger."
"Some ninjas abandoned their villages and defected, choosing to become pirates instead.
Even samurai who once held onto their honor have thrown away their pride to become ruthless pirates."
"Not long ago, a massive explosion in the Land of Wind nearly destroyed the entire nation. Over ten thousand civilians lost their lives, their bodies reduced to nothing."
Hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. A creeping sense of dread filled the air.
Many people had heard about the incident in the Land of Wind, but they never realized it was this severe. Just one explosion had killed over ten thousand civilians??
"Damn those pirates!!"
"Those pirates deserve to die. Sink them all into the sea."
"Kill them!!"
The commoners on the outer edges of the meeting hall started getting worked up.
They were the ones who had truly suffered because of the pirates.
Now, in their eyes, the pirates were beyond forgiveness.
As for the casualties in the Land of Wind? What a joke. That rundown place losing tens of thousands of civilians?
But whatever. This kind of thing could be easily made up by Ichidai Kiyomu.
Seeing how fired up the crowd was, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind slammed the table.
"The Land of Wind and the pirates are sworn enemies. As the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, I take full responsibility for failing to protect our people."
"But I promise everyone, in the future, I will make sure Dark's head is hung up in the Land of Wind. And as for Orochimaru, he will die at the hands of the Land of Wind's Marine."
"Shanks…"
Seeing that the Daimyo was about to say more, a minister quickly pulled him back.
Talking trash about the first two was fine, but mentioning the last one was unnecessary.
"Daimyo-sama, you can't mention Shanks… You just can't…"
Pulled back to his seat, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind finally realized his mistake and scratched his head awkwardly.
Oops, got carried away with the tough talk.
"Good!!"
"The Daimyo of the Land of Wind speaks well!!"
"I trust the Land of Wind's Marine."
"The Land of Wind's Marine will surely defeat the pirates."
"..."
Hearing the Daimyo's words, the crowd stood up in support. A great nation should take responsibility like this.
And honestly, this kind of grandstanding did feel pretty good.
"The countries that have suffered from pirate attacks aren't just the major nations. The ones that have suffered the most are the small nations because, in the eyes of those pirates, order doesn't exist. Pirates are the worst criminals in this world."
"That's why, after such a long struggle, with the shared determination of all nations, we have finally broken through the pirates' interference and successfully held this meeting today."
"The founding meeting of the World Government!"
As Ichidai Kiyomu's words echoed through the hall, the deep expectations in everyone's eyes turned into a hopeful light.
The World Government had finally been established!!
Even though the pirates had tried to stop it from the shadows, the World Government still came into existence under these circumstances.
As for those who knew the truth, they just scoffed. Pirate interference? What interference? The pirates hadn't actually done anything.
Wasn't it just conflicts of interest between the great nations?
But the commoners didn't know that. The smaller nations didn't either.
Small nations had no right to communicate with the Five Great Nations.
"The World Government was created to deal with the pirates, a righteous organization formed for justice. The Marine exists to uphold justice in this world."
"Led by the Five Great Nations, all military forces of these nations will now be united under one name—Marine."
"The Marine isn't meant to serve any one country or any one person. It exists to bring peace to the entire world."
"This peace requires everyone's effort. Anyone who passes the basic selection process can join the Marine, becoming a force for world peace, a force against the pirates."
Ichidai Kiyomu's words were directed at the commoners, but also at those with ambition.
The Marine was formed to fight pirates, and they could back up their words with action.
If you had the ability, the Marine could offer you a better future.
No matter who you are, in the Marines, there are no borders between nations.
There's only one divide: the World Government or the pirates.
"The Marines! A force created to fight pirates.
At last, the end of the pirates is near."
"Hahaha, as long as I can join the Marines, I can have the power and money I want. With that choice, who'd still want to be a pirate?"
"Those idiots. The so-called new era had just begun, and they already ran off to become pirates. But now, *this* is the real new era."
"With the World Government established, as long as you're strong enough, you can become a Marine officer. Then you can have anything you want, right?"
"A Marine with no national ties, built to protect world peace and fight against pirates?"
"…"
Even people outside the conference heard those voices. Whether it was for their own idea of "justice," hatred toward pirates, or their own ambition—
Becoming a Marine was now a real option for them.
And the formation of the Marines was a huge reassurance for all the nations.
Since the Marines don't belong to any one country, there's no need to worry they'll only protect the interests of the Five Great Nations.
Of course, that won't happen.
The Marines are fair. It all comes down to strength.
Still, the Five Great Nations are the strongest, so if the Marines end up being filled with people from those countries, there's not much anyone can say.
Even so, having the Marines will still help bring more stability to smaller nations.
"More importantly, the Marines were formed to deal with pirates.
Starting today, the World Government will place bounties on all pirates. Anyone who captures or kills a pirate can turn them in at any Marine base for the reward."
"Choosing to become a pirate means standing against the World Government—and against justice itself."
"To show the world that the World Government means business—
I'm announcing the very first bounty!"
"World-class pirate. One of the Four Emperors of the New World. Red-Haired Shanks.
Bounty: Four Billion!!"
Ichidai Kiyomu's voice echoed through the conference hall and far beyond. And when people heard the number—"four billion"—everyone froze.
Four billion!!
A full four billion berries.
That kind of crazy bounty made a lot of people feel dry-mouthed and nervous.
The World Government had just been founded, and already they doubled Shanks' bounty. Is that man really that dangerous?
Even Gato, hearing that number, couldn't keep his calm. Behind those little black glasses, his eyes started to show fear.
"Four billion!!"
"Does the World Government even have that kind of money? That's four billion!"
"…"
Not just Gato. Even Kazahana Futou, standing nearby, couldn't stop shaking when he heard that number.
For the ruler of the Land of Snow, it was a shocking blow.
Four billion!!! He couldn't even imagine it.
"That man… is he really *that* terrifying?"
"That's the man who started the pirate era. The strongest in the world."
"The very first day the World Government is formed, and they're already going after *him*? Are the Marines really not afraid?"
"This is the strength—and the boldness—of the World Government."
At that moment, the crowd quieted down.
But Ichidai Kiyomu wasn't done speaking.
"Because of Shanks' special status, the World Government hereby declares that Shanks is stripped of his position as ruler of the Land of Whirlpools, but will retain his title as a World Noble."
"The new ruler of the Land of Whirlpools will be Uzumaki Naruto, another member of the Uzumaki clan."
Ichidai Kiyomu dropped yet another bombshell.
This time, no one could stay calm.
They had no idea this was coming.
"What??"
"Shanks is stripped of his role as ruler of the Land of Whirlpools but keeps his World Noble status?"
"Wait, wasn't Shanks a pirate? How did he end up being the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools?"
"Wasn't that country destroyed a long time ago?"
"Hahaha, well, not anymore. The Land of Whirlpools is back now. It was revived without even needing a ruler present."
People began talking all at once.
They had just issued a bounty on Shanks, and now suddenly, his status was being officially recognized.
Everyone was stunned.
Shanks is the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools?
Shanks is a World Noble?
But as far as they knew, the World Government laws are pretty protective of the World Nobles, right?
As for Shanks' background, Ichidai Kiyomu even presented solid proof from their sages, and it was printed directly on the back of the new bounty poster.
Now, Shanks' bounty poster had become the most expensive one ever made.
Of course, that's what some people were focused on. Others were more interested in the identity of the new ruler of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Uzumaki Naruto? I remember that kid—he's from Konohagakure, right?"
"Isn't he from the Land of Fire?"
"Isn't this kind of thing by the Land of Fire way out of line?"
"I object! Why should that Uzumaki Naruto kid become the ruler of the Land of Whirlpools?"
The Raikage, who had been sitting silently, suddenly stood up, glaring at the sound-asleep Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, we all deserve an explanation from you!!"
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