Shuten Doji was nervous—his heart had been in his throat ever since he heard that the Caribbean Realm had been seized by Great Yi.
If he didn't escape in time… what sort of fate awaited him?Just imagining it made his scalp tingle. He didn't dare dwell on it.
"I agree—we must leave!This place can no longer sustain us. If we can't live here, then we find somewhere else.We're pirates—we won't be driven to death."
One after another, pirate captains voiced their support for leaving the Caribbean.
Asking them to settle down and become law-abiding citizens?Honestly, that was a mental barrier few could cross.
They were pirates—used to living off the blade, not toiling in fields.
They abhorred the idea of honest labor, of digging in the dirt for food. It was instinctive resistance. Unless they had no other choice—they'd never submit.
"But I think… joining Great Yi might not be a bad option," a calm voice interjected.
It was Jack Sparrow, shaking his head.
"If Great Yi accepts us, we can be cleansed of our past.We wouldn't have to live day by day, unsure if we'd eat tomorrow."
A few pirates nodded in agreement.
They were tired of licking blood off knives, weary of a life teetering on the edge. Heading into a new realm sounded grand—but who knew what awaited?
Any new realm would already have established powers—existing rulers who wouldn't tolerate new forces muscling in.
Going there meant war, bloodshed, and conquest.
It would have to be carved out in blood.
Soon, the grand hall split into two camps.
Some wanted to flee to a new realm.
Others wanted to submit and start over.
At the center, the Pirate Emperor sat in silence, brow furrowed.
Even he felt the headache coming on.
"Emperor, it's time. You decide—what should we do?"
All eyes turned toward him.
The title of Pirate Emperor wasn't won through talk. It demanded power, prestige, and a record of deeds.
He had forged the infamous Pirate Codex, restraining pirates from committing indiscriminate slaughter or annihilation. That code ensured the pirates endured, siphoning wealth but not triggering full extermination.
Of course, that didn't make them any more likable to the victims.
"Hmm…" the Pirate Emperor exhaled deeply.
"I agree. We must leave the Caribbean Realm.
Great Yi is here. We might hold out for a while, but not forever.
In the end, we'd be drained dry.
However—those who wish to surrender and settle down… I respect that too.
Let us part ways peacefully. Everyone chooses their own fate."
"Wise words, Your Majesty."
Many pirates voiced their support.
"Emperor, what lies on the other side of the portal?What kind of realm is it?Can the Pirate League truly survive there?" Blackbeard asked cautiously.
The Pirate Emperor's eyes darkened.
"That realm is called the Naruto Domain (火影界域).
It is said to be home to countless shinobi, gods, and monsters.
They claim there are eight million deities in that world.
I've only been there once—just a glimpse. I didn't explore it in depth.
But even that brief glance told me: it's a dangerous place.
The powers there are entrenched.If we go, we'll be invaders—and we will be repelled.
Whether we can gain a foothold… I can't say.That depends on fate."
Even the Pirate Emperor, despite his composure, had to admit:
The idea of eight million gods was terrifying.
If they were truly Innate Gods—beings born of heaven and earth—then this wasn't a realm, it was a nightmare.
Even a single innate god possessed immense potential. Their cultivation would rise on its own, as if heaven were nurturing its children.
Eight million of them?
They could sweep through entire realms, crush dozens of worlds.
Just thinking about it made one's blood run cold.
"Eight million gods!? Are you joking?" Blackbeard leapt to his feet.
"That's even more absurd than a dream!Are you saying we're going there… to die?!"
The whole hall trembled with unease.
None of them wanted to believe it was true.
"Regardless of whether it's real or not," the Pirate Emperor said slowly,
"The Naruto Domain is dangerous.
It won't be easy to gain ground.
Once we go… there is no return.
We won't be able to come back to the Caribbean.
So make your decisions carefully."
"The portal is ready.
If you plan to go, prepare immediately.
If not… leave now.
I hope you survive."
He didn't believe they were all Innate Gods—but it was clear: that world was not to be trifled with.
Still… it was their only way out.
BOOM—!!
"Enemy attack!"
"Quick, get to the ships! We're under siege!"
"Look—it's the Great Yi fleet!"
"Seven-Colored Skyships—they've found us! How did Great Yi discover Shenlong Island!?"
Just as the hall was filled with tense deliberation, chaos erupted outside.
Screams, roars, shouts—fear swept the island like wildfire.
"What's happening?"
"Let's move!"
The pirate captains rushed outside, eyes widening in horror.
A massive fleet had surrounded Shenlong Island.
It was Great Yi's Seven-Colored Skyship Legion.
Seven corps, each with one hundred skyships—seven hundred in total—approaching from all directions.
Though fewer in number than the pirates, these skyships radiated an aura of overwhelming power.
Even without a shot fired, their presence alone was enough to break morale.
"Damn it!
The coordinates of Shenlong Island… have been exposed!" the Pirate Emperor spat.
His eyes flashed coldly.
"Captains—Great Yi is here.
Shenlong Island is compromised.
I will now activate the portal.
Begin passing through, one by one.
But… Blackbeard, Shuten Doji—
You two will lead the resistance.
Hold off the enemy. If necessary—destroy their warships.
This is war."
War had arrived.
Suddenly.Inevitably.
"Damn you, Great Yi! You've left us no choice!" Blackbeard roared.
"Let's go down swinging!"
"You bastards!
Get your asses back to your ships!
If we're going down—we'll make them pay!
So what if Great Yi is strong!?
We outnumber them a hundred to one!
Let's break their damn teeth!"
The pirate captains shouted, rallying their crews.
Though they feared Great Yi, they were still pirates—ruthless by nature. Corner them, and they'd bite back.
War drums thundered.
Countless pirates rushed aboard their warships.
They took command immediately—aiming their Sea King Cannons at the enemy fleet.
"Tch… savages to the core," scoffed Zhou Yu, general of the Blue Legion.
"Push them hard enough and they'll lash out. But we came here to finish this."
"Exactly," snorted Gan Ning from the Red Legion."They dared raid us back then.
It's time we settled the score.
Let them taste Great Yi's divine wrath.
'Offend Great Yi—even if far away—you will be destroyed.'"
They hadn't forgotten.
Many had died defending the Iron-Blood Great Wall during the pirate invasion.
It was a blood debt.
"Blood must be paid in blood," said Xu Chu of the Yellow Legion, his eyes steely.
"This time, we're here to avenge our fallen."
"The might of Great Yi… is unstoppable!" Zhou Yu bellowed.
"Ready the God-Slaying Ballistae!
Target: enemy pirate ships.
Fire!!"
Each Seven-Colored Skyship carried three hundred ballistae—capable of 360-degree rotation, supported by arrow boxes holding nine bolts each for rapid reloading.
This vastly increased their rate of fire.
"Target locked!
Fire!!"
Bolts screamed through the air like thunder.
"FIRE!!"
"Sea King Cannons—blow those skyships out of the sky!!"
The pirates unleashed everything—plasma cannons, magma bombs, meteor mortars, golden javelins, venomous dragons—a bombardment of destruction.
Plasma flares ripped across the skies, bursting with terrifying power, slamming into the incoming skyships.
In the heavens, the two forces clashed—bolts against cannonfire, steel against fury.
The Battle of Shenlong Island had begun.