BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sea churned wildly as the colossal serpent-like Sea King thrashed about, its mountainous body creating towering tsunamis with every impact.
But its movements grew weaker and weaker.
With a final wailing cry, the mountain-like Sea King let out its last breath and floated lifeless on the surface of the Calm Belt.
At that moment, all the surrounding Sea Kings roared in agitation—
Then, as if obeying an unspoken command, they all vanished beneath the waves.
The chaotic sea suddenly fell silent—
No trace of the creatures remained.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"As expected… these Sea Kings are intelligent—far more so than most would believe."
He remembered in the original story, during the Fishman Island arc, the mermaid princess summoned hordes of Sea Kings, each displaying unexpected sentience.
"This is the pirate world after all. Anything is possible."
With a slight smirk, Naruto raised his hand toward the massive serpent's corpse.
"Kūkimon (Air Gate)!"
With a surge of chakra, a translucent portal split open over the sea. The waters swirled violently, dragging the Sea King's corpse through the gate before it snapped shut.
"That should feed us for days…"
Naruto exhaled and called out to one of his clones at the stern.
"Let's go. Time to get through this sea zone."
"Got it!"
The clone formed hand seals, his chest expanding before he unleashed a powerful wind:
"Fūton: Dai Toppa! (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!"
The wind caught the ship's sails and pushed the Krieg Pirate vessel swiftly across the still waters of the Calm Belt.
"Wow! Naruto-dono, you're amazing!!"
Nami shouted in admiration as she bounced excitedly on the deck, her eyes sparkling.
"So this is the Grand Sea!"
Two months later.
Naruto's journey across various islands was smooth.
Other than a few foolish pirate crews that crossed his path, he faced little resistance as he continued toward Sabaody Archipelago.
At one point, he considered detouring to Skypiea—
But ultimately decided against it.
Based on the timeline, Enel had already eaten the Goro Goro no Mi.
So there'd be nothing to gain from going.
But now—he had a new target.
With keen interest, he scanned the newspaper in his hand.
"Portgas D. Ace?"
There, on the front page, was a fierce-looking freckled youth—
His exploits since leaving East Blue proudly displayed.
Ace had already taken down several infamous pirates and even challenged a Warlord of the Sea.
His bounty was nearly 30 million.
But that wasn't what caught Naruto's attention.
"…He hasn't eaten the Mera Mera no Mi yet?"
Naruto licked his lips, intrigued.
He had always been interested in the Mera Mera no Mi.
Forget looking cool—its destructive power was top-tier, even among Logia types.
If Naruto could get his hands on it, he would gain the fire element—
One of the most versatile and deadly natures.
"I already have the Door-Door Fruit… but since I'm able to move between two worlds, I don't seem to suffer any weakness from seawater."
Stretching lazily, Naruto leapt straight into the sea with a grin.
"Nami! Just half a month more and we'll reach Sabaody Archipelago!"
"That place is full of floating bubbles and fancy shops! I'll buy you a new outfit or two!"
Nami's eyes lit up with joy.
"Thank you, Naruto-dono!!"
...
Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Office
"...He's appeared again?"
Sengoku's expression darkened as he read the intel.
"After vanishing for so many years… Uzumaki Naruto reemerges in the weakest sea?"
He had never forgotten that name—
The one anomaly in the Ohara Incident.
Not just because of his age—
But because of the power Naruto had displayed.
Ninjas. Ninjutsu.
Sengoku had spent years secretly investigating them.
But every report led to frauds and actors. Even the so-called Wano "ninja" were mostly fake.
In the end, even his own men began to think he was crazy.
But he and the high-ranking officers knew the truth:
Ninjas were real.
And Uzumaki Naruto… was the living proof.
"...Why does he still look the same? Still that short?" Aokiji muttered, comparing photos.
He remembered Naruto's figure clearly—
Yeah.
No growth.
Akainu, uninterested in such details, scowled and rubbed a scar on his forehead.
"That brat could already fight me and Aokiji years ago. He's obviously gotten stronger."
"It's no surprise he destroyed a few pirate crews…"
"What I don't get is—where the hell has he been all these years?"
"And why did it take two months for this intel to reach us?"
Sengoku sighed. "He's extremely cautious. Even though he wiped out two pirate crews, not a single report made it out."
"If not for a survivor from the Krieg Pirates being captured, we'd never have known he was in East Blue."
"And now they say he's been spotted somewhere on the Grand Line, but nobody knows exactly where."
Akainu stood up.
"No matter what—we have to catch him. We can't let that kid keep rampaging on the seas."
Sengoku nodded seriously.
"Agreed. His ninjutsu is too dangerous. We need him locked in Impel Down—fast."
But what he really wanted—
Was to have Dr. Vegapunk study Naruto's abilities.
If they could replicate ninjutsu for Marine use…
It would drastically shift the power balance.
Aokiji just sighed in the corner.
Not long after—
The Marine bounty posters were updated.
Uzumaki Naruto
Wanted: 400,000,000 Berries
The message was clear—
To every faction across the seas:
The golden-haired boy had returned.
And his face, once again, was plastered across the world.
...
Fishman Island
The three princes who had once supported Arlong turned pale when they saw the new bounty.
"He's the one who killed Arlong and his crew?!"
"Four hundred million?! That's more than many of the New World pirates!"
"Wait—this guy… he's the sole survivor of the Ohara Incident… and fought two current Admirals?!"
Their voices trembled.
They'd finally realized—
They had provoked a monster.
(End of Chapter)
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