At this moment, the true great era began in full. With such huge benefits on the line, the ninja had completely broken their chains.
Do it!! Go all in!!
They would found their own nation, take a share of the Earthly Sage Kingdom's big pie. The New World was only just beginning. In ten or twenty years, their clan might well be among the top in the world.
Shanks' arrival, for the ninja world, did not bring collapse because of battle strength or power systems.
If you looked purely at battle strength and power systems, the ninja world's changes still followed some kind of pattern.
The real shift was the internal change—political and cultural shifts from top to bottom, changes in the entire world's economic system… and the swelling ambitions driven by them.
True change has never been about raw power—it's always been about this kind of terrifying change from within.
Look back just two years ago—what ninja clan would dare to even think about becoming one of the world's top powers? What a joke.
Back then, ninja clans were still worried about all kinds of village matters. Even those with bigger ambitions were focused on pursuing peace in the ninja world and so on.
Or like the Akatsuki, a terrifying group that wanted to take revenge on the ninja villages—making the great villages feel the pain of war so they would treasure peace more.
But what's the situation now? Peace? Peace my ass!!
With the changes in the power system, the shifts in the world have made everyone see even bigger profits.
If in the beginning, the "pirates" were just people from the bottom resisting fate, betting everything for more power…
Then as time went on, more and more was at stake, more and more people joined in, and now there's no way to stop it.
Even if Shanks stepped in, it wouldn't stop.
The whole world, from top to bottom, had joined the game, and the "world nobles" who already controlled most of the resources were also the ones most likely to win.
So would the sages give up? No way. Even if Master Genichi knew he might die—and had already prepared to sacrifice himself—he still wouldn't give up.
The ninja clans were the same at this moment. Peace? Peace my ass!!
Compared to the past few great ninja wars, or even the blood feuds of the Sengoku era, this new era's war wasn't born from hatred anymore.
It was… something no one could refuse.
Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure… almost every ninja these villages could send was mobilized.
The smaller ninja villages did the same, and even the "Sky Ninja"—who had been hiding and had a grudge against Konoha—jumped out at this time.
They directly pledged loyalty to the World Government. As for their grudge with Konoha? Just childish nonsense from the past, all a joke.
Still, when Ichidai Kiyomu saw the Sky Ninja's massive floating "Ancor Vantian" he couldn't help but be a little stunned.
After the World Government's order was issued, countless strange ninja and hidden clans came out of hiding.
A week later, Chiriku received a letter from Shikaku. By then, the Marines were already preparing for another attack.
After reading Shikaku's letter, Chiriku fell silent.
"That guy Shikaku… helpless as always. But even if he sees clearly, so what? In a time like this, all we can do is move with the era."
"In the beginning, everyone wanted to stop Shanks, to stop the pirates. But now, even the World Government is pushing this era forward.
It's just… a little too bloody."
Chiriku tossed Shikaku's letter into the fire. The World Government had already begun clearing out some non-member nations—
All for the stability of the Earthly Sage Kingdom.
And by now, massive forces were rushing toward the New World battlefield. The whole world was in motion.
But moving troops wasn't that fast, especially for ordinary people. For them, one week wasn't enough to reach the front lines.
But clearly, many of those already in the New World were not ordinary—especially the pirates.
So when Shanks saw the latest news from a passing "News Bird," he finally put down the big hunk of meat he was eating.
Reading the paper, a long-lost smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha! As expected of me!! I've already gotten the World Government to take me this seriously."
Seeing this, Shisui and Jiraiya took the paper for a look.
"This is bad. Looks like the World Government is going all out, bringing in this much power."
Shisui frowned. From what he read, he could already see the World Government's resolve—an unprecedented level of danger, like they didn't care about their own survival at all.
"With this much power, we can't possibly stop them. They're trying to force us to make the first move."
Jiraiya immediately spotted the problem. But the real issue was—whoever made the first move would be at a disadvantage.
They wouldn't be crushed by the Earthly Sage Kingdom's power, but the enemy had numbers on their side.
Likewise, without using the power of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, they can't really fight them. But once they do use it, they'll be crushed by the power of the New World, which still puts them at a disadvantage.
"If more people get involved, it'll be different. The sages have plenty of secret techniques, and there's a good chance they'll gather enough power to take you out, Shanks.
If they bring together tens of thousands of elite fighters, you might not be able to hold them off."
Shisui spoke, wanting to see what plan Shanks had. Of course, Jiraiya also looked over.
Shanks froze, scratching his chin with his right hand and eyeing the two of them suspiciously.
"You two… don't tell me you haven't thought of anything?"
"Huh? Don't tell me you haven't prepared anything?"
"I've never even met the sages from the Earthly Sage Kingdom.
Jiraiya, you're a sage yourself—shouldn't you know more about them? And Shisui, you've dealt with them before, so shouldn't you be the one coming up with a plan?"
Shanks was dumbfounded. I mean, you guys have the useful connections here—shouldn't you be handling this?
Hearing that, Jiraiya and Shisui also went blank. Come to think of it… he had a point.
But why was Shanks dumping such a big problem onto them just like that?
"Forget it, we still have time to prepare. Still, doesn't it feel like we've been in this exact situation before?"
Shanks scratched his head.
Now he understood—this was just like the old Three Kingdoms story: the coalition of eighteen warlords joining forces to take down Dong Zhuo.
And right now, he was basically Lü Bu, guarding Hulao Pass.
The more he thought about it, the more familiar it felt. And it was entirely possible the other side would really try something big.
Normally, Shanks wasn't afraid of being ganged up on.
But this time felt different. Who knew what kind of secret arts the sages had?
"If they're willing to make such a huge sacrifice, it means their goal must be completely different from mine—and a very important one at that.
There's no way it's that simple."
Shanks didn't know what the sages were after. In fact, most of the sages themselves probably didn't know the real reason, because the sacrifice they were making seemed far too great to be worth it.
Only Master Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu knew the truth behind it.
What really bothered Shanks was the sages' secret arts. They could use a technique to transfer the cost onto others, which meant they could sacrifice part of their forces to unleash even greater power.
If it were a hundred or two hundred people, Shanks was confident he could handle it. Even a thousand or two thousand, he could still hold his ground.
But if it were tens of thousands—or even over a hundred thousand—then Shanks was sure he'd be dead.
Of course, if they truly had such a technique, Shisui probably wouldn't have survived before. Still, better safe than sorry.
"Any way to stop them?"
"At the moment, no. And they can't stop us either.
It's just… neither side knows much about the other. It's a matter of who can hold out longer. But for now, we don't have enough intel, so we'll have to see how others react first."
Shanks shook his head. So far, not a single pirate had shown up here. But after seeing the World Government's movements, he figured it wouldn't be long.
He was also curious about who exactly was leading the sages. Someone with the guts to pull off something this big couldn't be an ordinary person.
Shanks looked up at the sky. His power had already reached its limit. In fact, if not for the new era being opened, he would've hit that limit long ago.
"The New World doesn't have enough people, so sharing intel is hard.
And with the sages blocking the seas, it's going to be a huge problem for anyone trying to come over from that side."
Shisui spoke, saying that for now they could only wait for pirates from other seas to arrive before they could really understand what was happening outside.
"It's fine, there should still be a month or two left.
But I'm really curious about who that sage actually is."
Shanks touched the handle of his katana. To be honest, he wasn't interested in fighting at all right now.
But the aura of that person was definitely something else.
"Could it be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Shisui looked at the newspaper report about the reincarnations of Asura and Indra and spoke.
Although he hadn't met the person face to face, from the last encounter, Shisui could already feel how strong they were.
That kind of careful mind and overwhelming presence.
"No, it can't be the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage of Six Paths isn't dead yet."
Shanks shook his head.
When they heard Shanks say that, Shisui's hand holding the newspaper froze, and Jiraiya also stopped in his tracks.
"Not… not dead?"
The two of them were completely shocked. Up until now, everything about the Sage of Six Paths had just been rumors, but if these words came from Shanks, then it had to be true.
And it meant Shanks had met the Sage of Six Paths before.
Otherwise, Shanks would never say something like that.
"But… it's been thousands of years. How could he still be alive?"
"Yeah, but he really is alive. It's just that guy has been hiding from the world's will all this time, running from its pursuit. Honestly, he's in worse shape than me."
Shanks stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.
"But when the dragon veins erupt and things settle, the Sage of Six Paths should appear. After all, the world is already like this."
"And… Jiraiya, didn't you ask me before about the Otsutsuki clan?"
When Shanks said this, Jiraiya remembered.
But back then, even Shanks didn't really know what was going on with the Otsutsuki clan.
"Even though I still don't know everything, thousands of years ago the Otsutsuki clan had their eyes on the ninja world. So after thousands of years, it's very likely they'll come again.
The only reason the Sage of Six Paths is still alive is probably to deal with those guys."
Shanks smiled as he said this.
"So that's how it is? Then our enemies are…"
"Yeah. They're strong. At least, compared to the ninja world a few years ago, there was no chance at all of beating them. But now… I'm not so sure."
"Perfect. Let me go and see how strong the sages are now!"
Shanks's voice came from outside as he walked away, sounding so casual, like he was just going out to buy groceries.
Shisui looked at Shanks's back. That guy always dressed like a slacker, and even his look was no different from a drunkard.
Even when it was something so huge and serious, he could always say it in such an easy tone.
The firelight reflected in Shisui's eyes.
"Captain, do you want me to go with you?"
Shisui grinned and spoke cheerfully.
"No need, I'm just going to take a little walk."
Shanks waved his hand behind him, and Shisui didn't say anything else.
He just kept a smile on his face.
"This is such an important matter, and that guy Shanks really…"
Jiraiya sighed as well. Shanks didn't give them any time to react at all. For something this big, after saying it, he should have at least let them be shocked for a moment.
"Captain… that's how he is, hahaha!"
Shisui spoke up, his voice cheerful, though it trembled a little.
"If you're really worried, then go take a look!"
Jiraiya quickly noticed Shisui's emotions. Shanks always carried too much on his own.
"It's not worry, it's just… loneliness. Shanks didn't do anything wrong, not even a little selfish thought. But… now it's just us facing the entire ninja world's backlash. Feels like we're the bad guys, huh?"
Shisui spoke awkwardly. He just felt Shanks didn't deserve to be treated like this. That guy… he's too lonely.
It shouldn't be like this…
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Jiraiya smacked Shisui on the head.
"You idiot, who do you think you're looking down on? Don't underestimate your captain's spirit. Even if every pirate out there is ready to fight you, I believe as long as that guy is willing to lower his head, every pirate in the world would unite to help him."
Jiraiya was completely certain. His divine power even carried on Shanks' will.
Jiraiya knew how strong that was. A man like that could never truly be alone.
As an exceptional top-tier sage, Jiraiya didn't seem very strong in combat, and his power didn't look impressive.
But it could stack. Jiraiya understood that no amount of combined wills and beliefs could match that final figure.
He just hoped it would never come to using Shanks' will… because that would mean Shanks is dead…
Meanwhile, over a hundred kilometers away, at the sages' base…
Fukuda Kiyomu and Master Genichi suddenly opened their eyes. The moon above grew brighter, and a gecko-like glow fell from the sky, covering Master Genichi.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"To make that man come here personally… we must be the first to ever receive such an honor."
"Red Hair, huh? Such a terrifying and proud presence."
The two elders leapt into the air, dense sage chakra bursting from their bodies as they flew into the distance.
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