Shinju stood at the edge of the massive crater.
In the center of the pit, a group of people leapt down from a ship one after another.
At the front was a boy wearing a straw hat, his red vest fluttering in the wind.
The boy's gaze swept over the surrounding ninjas. He stared at the strange-symbol headbands in confusion, then his eyes locked onto a genin practicing ninjutsu not far away.
The genin formed hand seals and spat out a burst of flames.
"Oooooh! Where is this place?! So awesome! Can you all do magic?! Is there meat?!" the straw-hat boy shouted, his voice echoing through the woods, brimming with pure curiosity.
His arm suddenly stretched out like rubber, wrapping around the trunk of a distant tree, and he slingshotted himself over—getting right up close to watch the genin still forming seals.
The ninjas of Konoha spread out warily, tightening their grips on their kunai.
They had never seen an ability like this.
How could someone's arm possibly stretch dozens of meters?
Shinju's consciousness sank into the system.
[Detected an unknown energy system. Beginning analysis.]
[Analysis Target 1: Rubber Fruit. Category: Paramecia. Principle: Reconstructs the eater's bodily gene sequence, granting rubber-like physical properties. Weaknesses: Seawater, Kairoseki (Seastone).]
[Analysis Target 2: Haki. Category: Mental energy application. Divided into three types: Busoshoku no Haki (Armament Haki), which can be treated as high-density energy externalization for offense and defense; Kenbunshoku no Haki (Observation Haki), an extension of perception for prediction; Haoshoku no Haki (Conqueror's Haki), a mental shock used for intimidation.]
Data flooded through Shinju's mind.
So that was it—one power directly altered the body's material nature through a strange fruit, while the other was a technique that refined spiritual force to the extreme.
Completely different from the chakra system, yet arriving at similar outcomes in certain ways.
Shinju's eyes moved over every member of the Straw Hat crew.
The straw-hat boy contained an astonishingly vast vitality.
The green-haired swordsman had trained his body to the absolute limit.
The blond cook's leg techniques were formidable.
And that navigator—she looked ordinary, but her mental sensitivity was razor-sharp.
"Hey. Who's the strongest swordsman here?"
A voice interrupted Shinju's thoughts.
That green-haired swordsman—Zoro—had three swords at his waist, and his hand was already on a hilt.
His gaze passed over everyone, finally fixing on two people behind the crowd.
Madara and Sakumo.
Zoro didn't need introductions. Pure instinct told him the truth.
Those two carried something that belonged to swordsmen—or rather, to true power.
"I want to challenge you! We'll decide who the world's greatest swordsman is!" Zoro's fighting spirit surged.
Sakumo looked at Zoro like he was staring at an idiot.
Madara merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye, as if he couldn't be bothered.
Madara held his massive war fan and gave Zoro's direction a casual swing.
In an instant, crushing wind pressure erupted.
Zoro felt danger explode through his nerves. He didn't even have time to draw—his whole body was swept up and hurled backward, smashing through and snapping more than a dozen trees.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew froze in shock. They knew Zoro's strength, yet he'd been taken out that easily.
"Zoro!"
"Dammit, you stupid moss-head!"
Sanji was about to rush over, but his attention was stolen by something else.
Tsunade and Mei were standing there, watching the outsiders with amused interest.
Sanji stopped dead, his eyes practically turning into hearts.
"Ah! Beautiful ladies! What a marvelous country—this is heaven! Please allow me, the lowly cook Sanji, to dedicate my lifelong culinary art to you!"
He dropped to one knee in a perfect knightly pose, completely forgetting his companion who'd just been blown away.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, while Mei covered her mouth and laughed softly.
On the other side, Nami had already sidled up to a Konoha merchant.
"Excuse me—what currency do you use here? Ryo? And compared to our belly, what's the exchange rate?" She pulled out a small notebook and began calculating how to dig up business opportunities here.
The entire scene devolved into chaos.
Shinju watched this group whose logic was impossible to predict, and he felt just how troublesome this was going to be.
Just then, a rich aroma of bone broth drifted in from the direction of the village.
It was Ichiraku Ramen.
Luffy, who was still gripping a tree trunk and peering around curiously, sniffed hard.
His expression changed instantly.
"Meat! That's the smell of meat!"
His body tensed, his skin flushing red as steam burst from his surface.
"Gear Second!"
The ground cracked under one stomp as he became a red afterimage, shooting toward the source of the scent.
He was unbelievably fast—most chunin couldn't even track his movement.
Shinju vanished from where he stood.
In the next second, he appeared at the curtain of Ichiraku Ramen.
Luffy was already seated at the stall, pointing at the largest "deluxe chashu ramen" on the menu, drool practically spilling out.
"Boss! That one! Give me ten bowls!"
"Sorry, customer—today we only have one bowl of deluxe chashu ramen left," Teuchi wiped sweat from his brow, sounding troubled.
"One bowl left?" Luffy's face collapsed.
"That's right! That last bowl is mine!"
A lively voice rang out.
Naruto came charging in, windmilling with energy, and plopped down right beside Luffy.
"ossan! Hurry, hurry! I'm dead tired from training today—I'm eating that!"
"No! I got here first!" Luffy yelled back.
"I reserved it first, dattebayo!" Naruto shot back, eyes wide.
They pressed their foreheads together, neither willing to give an inch.
"Um… how about you split it?" Teuchi suggested.
"No!" they shouted in unison.
"I've got it!" Naruto clapped his hands. "Let's compete! Whoever eats more ramen gets the last bowl of deluxe chashu ramen!"
"Great idea! I accept!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Count me in!" A chubby figure squeezed in—it was Choji.
He was still holding a bag of chips. "When it comes to eating, I won't lose."
And just like that, an unexpected glutton contest began.
Bowl after bowl was set down—and vanished at a visible speed.
The empty bowls piled higher and higher in front of Naruto, Luffy, and Choji, soon towering over their heads.
Every customer around them stopped eating, staring in stunned silence at the horrifying spectacle.
Sasuke stood not far away with his sword in his arms. Watching Naruto's outrageous eating, he ultimately said nothing—just looked on in quiet resignation.
Shinju stood to the side, watching this farce unfold.
Each of them was full of flaws. They acted without any plan, following nothing but impulse and preference.
Freedom.
That word surfaced in Shinju's mind.
And he, Shinju, had always pursued absolute stability—an ironclad order.
These two ideas didn't mix at all. Perhaps neither was truly right or wrong.
On the system map, several faint points of light flickered within a vast blue region.
Those points were other system fragments scattered across the Grand Line.
If he wanted the system to become whole, he would have to go to that world.
This group of pirates, though accidental intruders, might also be an opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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