The moment he touched the "white powder," a surge of disgust rose in Logan's heart, silently confirming what he already suspected.
D-rugs.
The officials of the Land of Waves were secretly dealing in illegal drugs.
Logan hated two things the most—gambling and drugs.
A small hand reached out and gently tugged on Logan's sleeve.
Sasuke.
It was rare to see such a cold and distant look in Logan's eyes. The child had never seen him like this before.
"I'm fine," Logan said softly, though his voice carried an icy edge. "But..."
He glanced at the dozens of boxes filled with "white powder" stacked on the ship, then looked ahead.
An old, rust-covered fishing boat was approaching. Its sides bristled with black gun barrels, and atop the deck stood forty shirtless, dark-skinned sailors. Swords and axes hung from their waists, and their expressions turned fierce when they saw their comrade sprawled on the ground.
Without hesitation, they drew their weapons and charged at Logan.
"…They're coming," Logan said calmly. "Star Platinum."
This battle was over before it truly began.
No one could take a single punch from Star Platinum.
The moment they got close, fists met flesh. Every attacker vomited blood and was thrown backward, crashing into the sea at even greater speeds than they'd charged.
"Ghost!"
Terrified cries erupted as the remaining crew turned and scrambled back to their boat, abandoning their comrades in sheer panic.
"Get lost!" Sasuke shouted after them, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He was enjoying this journey with Logan. It was a road where they could face danger, express themselves freely, and settle their own scores.
Ninja?
What ninja?
He had no intention of simply enduring anymore.
But that grin quickly faded from Sasuke's face.
Shouts rang out from the fishing boat. The cannons turned and aimed their way.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three cannonballs blasted forth in a tight arc.
"Star Platinum!" Logan raised his arm and pointed.
With a roar, Star Platinum spun in the air and delivered a powerful kick, knocking one shell off course. He caught the other two in his hands, flexed his iron-like arms, and hurled them back with explosive force.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three shells screamed through the air, shattering the sound barrier. They left only a blur on the retina as they raced toward the enemy vessel.
Then—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the water as the fishing boat was torn apart. Screaming crew members were flung into the sea amidst the flaming wreckage.
The battle ended as suddenly as it had begun.
The stunned passengers slowly came to their senses, realizing they had survived. Relief filled their faces.
Even in a ninja world full of chaos, trading in D-rugs was strictly forbidden. There was only one cargo hold on the ship, and such valuable, moisture-sensitive goods would always be stored there.
Anyone who saw what they saw wasn't supposed to leave alive.
But they were alive.
They collapsed onto the deck, clutching their chests as their pounding hearts began to calm.
"I'm saved…"
The sea breeze blew gently across their faces, and that overwhelming sense of survival washed over them. They looked at Logan's back—not tall or bulky, but in that moment, he gave them a sense of security that no one else could.
Without another word, Logan ordered Star Platinum to hurl all the boxes of white powder into the sea. He tossed the unconscious bald warrior in after them, then slapped the remaining crew awake.
"You have two choices," Logan said coldly. "Sail... or sail."
Life was precious.
The terrified crew immediately nodded and bowed, eager to please. They scrambled to their feet and began operating the boat with renewed vigor.
After Logan and his group left...
The bald warrior resurfaced, coughing and spitting seawater toward the cargo ship in frustration.
"Idiots! I've sailed these waters my entire life. You think I'm going to drown now?!"
There was a lifeboat on the destroyed ship, and some crew who had fallen overboard were already searching for him. It wouldn't take long before they regrouped and made their way back to the Land of Waves.
"You're dead, brat! You touched Lord Gato's goods! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, someone will find you and chop your head off!"
He spat, seething with rage.
Just then, a bloodied crew member surfaced beside him, gasping for air, eyes wide with terror. "Sir! F-Fish… fish…"
"Fish?" The bald warrior raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "It's just fish. What are you so scared of?"
A shark maybe?
But no, he knew these waters well. Sharks didn't swim here.
"The fish have gone mad!"
The crewman shouted in panic.
To prove his point, a small palm-sized fish leaped out of the water—then dove straight into the crewman's open mouth and bit his tongue.
"AHHH—!"
The man screamed, trying to pull it out, but a second fish bit his hand. A third gouged out one of his eyes.
The bald warrior was stunned, unable to believe what he was seeing.
These fish weren't supposed to be aggressive.
What terrified him even more… were their eyes—
A vivid ruby red.
The telltale signs of extreme drug stimulation.
The drugs Logan had tossed into the ocean… the fish had eaten them.
The sea had become a pool of madness.
The bald man suddenly realized that the sea around him was unusually calm. Too calm. Where were the others?
He looked down…
The sea was red.
A sea of scarlet, full of fish driven mad by the drugs.
"No… stay back!" he screamed, his voice piercing the sky.
---
Logan slowly withdrew his gaze.
Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Logan flicked him on the forehead with a smirk.
"If you've got something to fart out, do it now."
Sasuke rubbed his head, looking awkward. "I was just thinking… are we being too high-profile?"
He was talking about the fishing boat.
It felt amazing at the time.
But looking back, it was reckless.
Once they docked, Konoha could just ask around and easily find out they'd arrived in the Land of Water.
"It was high-profile, sure," Logan said. "But that's the nature of making a choice."
Sasuke frowned. "But that moment when I threw the kunai… that was just emotion."
Logan shook his head.
"Emotion is just the fruit of your value system. A cold-blooded ninja like Danzo would never act on emotion. Can you picture him risking everything just to save someone like Momo out of anger?"
Sasuke was silent.
"But is it… right?" he finally asked.
Logan rubbed his head gently.
"There's no absolute right or wrong," Logan said. "If you really want to define it, then there are only two things that make a choice right."
He raised two fingers.
"First—your choice must come from careful thought and truly reflect your heart."
"Second—you must be willing to bear the consequences."
Sasuke fell silent, thinking about what he'd done.
Was he willing to be hunted down by Danzo just to save Momo?
Yes.
After the Uchiha massacre, he didn't want to see anyone else he cared about get hurt.
Gradually, Sasuke began to understand.
"Logan, you're amazing. Not just strong on the outside but also…"
He placed a hand over his heart.
"…powerful here too."
Logan smiled and accepted the praise.
Amazing?
In the real world, he had been nothing more than a loser.
Things had been fine in school, but once he started working, he couldn't fit in with corporate life. He couldn't tolerate corruption or fakeness.
One day, he stopped his boss from sexually harassing a female colleague. It caused a huge stir.
But in the end, the woman claimed it was all a misunderstanding.
From then on, Logan became the guy who "couldn't read the room."
His manager made life difficult. His coworkers shunned him.
They thought he'd regret it.
But Logan didn't.
He hadn't done it to save her, or to take revenge on his boss.
He did it because it was wrong. Plain and simple.
Just like today.
Of course, doing the right thing requires strength.
In his previous life, that strength came from his technical skills.
In this life… it was the JOJO System.
As for the meaning of choosing the "right"...
Logan leaned on the railing, letting the sea breeze brush across his face. He heard Momo's laughter and Sasuke's smug little snort.
Momo ran up and gave Sasuke a huge hug.
Sasuke stood frozen in place, stunned.
Logan's lips curled into a soft smile.
Maybe… this is the meaning.
Wooo—wooo—
The ship's whistle echoed.
At dusk, they finally arrived at the Land of Water.
pàtreøn (Gk31)