Land of Water
——
The Five Great Shinobi Villages, the world nobles, and the sages from the World Council had all gathered in the City of Water.
Countless Marines had locked the city down from every angle. All the Marines from the East Blue were now assembled here.
On the sea, nearly a thousand warships lined up in perfect order.
Every major nation had sent representatives.
Even the big-name news outlets that had risen in this new era showed up to cover the event.
Below the Marine base in the City of Water, reporters had already set up their cameras.
On the outer edge stood row after row of Marine troops—most led by ninja, though many were elite fighters who had grown up in this new age.
Beyond the Marine forces stood the regular citizens of the Land of Water, all staring with eager eyes at the high platform.
Behind the platform was an even higher stage where the "Five Kage," now recognized as the "Five Elders," sat in their seats.
Behind them, the banners of their villages clearly showed who was who.
Standing beside the Five Kage were the richly dressed sages—each one powerful and carrying an aura of strength.
By now, most of the sages no longer had the arrogance they once showed.
Instead, their faces were serious.
As for the man at the center of today's event, Chiriku, his mood was just as heavy.
His inauguration ceremony should've been held long ago, but no one expected the chaos Shanks caused to come so quickly.
Because of that, the East Blue fell into total disorder, and Chiriku had to gather all available forces just to stabilize things.
Why did it take him so long?
Well… because Obito and Black Zetsu don't have a brain between them.
To put it plainly, on the Revolutionary Army side, Obito and Black Zetsu had zero strategic thinking. They weren't even playing the same game as the pirates.
That's why Chiriku had no choice but to step in himself.
And not only did he step in, but Obito and Black Zetsu were still trying to play their own games, which only made things harder for Chiriku and wasted a lot of time.
Of course, it wasn't like Chiriku was clueless during all that wasted time—by now, he had a clear grasp of the situation out at sea.
The pirates were way more troublesome than expected.
And the world government was also much more complicated than imagined.
When he saw the fire in the eyes of the Marines and the hope in the eyes of the ordinary people, Chiriku felt an even heavier weight in his heart.
"The Ninja Creed has been separated from the common people for far too long. No matter what we do, the people only ever feel the rule of the world nobles.
We can't fix a thousand years of distance with just a few months or even a few years. Even if the world nobles' rule is a mess, the people have already grown used to this kind of order."
Chiriku wore a Marine cloak, with the big word "帅" (Commander) printed on his back.
His tall figure climbed the steps one by one, and in the sky, his image was projected through a ninjutsu screen.
With all eyes on him, Chiriku finally appeared before the people.
Chiriku once had a kind and calm face, but now, fully serious, his expression carried a strong presence and a fierce energy.
Especially because of the Great Buddha Fruit, the aura of authority and power around him had become even stronger.
"Is that the Marine Fleet Admiral?"
"The legendary Mythical Zoan, Great Buddha Fruit user.
The Marine's Supreme Commander—Chiriku!"
"So strong—what a presence!"
"With Chiriku as Fleet Admiral, the pirates are finally going to be driven out. This is amazing!"
"Fleet Admiral Chiriku!!!"
"Long live the Marines! Long live justice!!"
The crowd of civilians broke into loud cheers. The moment Chiriku appeared, it was like they saw a ray of hope.
They truly felt the world government's determination.
Against the pirates, the Marines were fighting with all they had to protect the people. The world government really was trying to do its job. Their taxes weren't being wasted.
In that moment, the light in the people's eyes became brighter, more real, more passionate.
"Fleet Admiral Chiriku!!"
"Fleet Admiral, please hang all those pirates!"
"Fleet Admiral..."
"…"
Hearing the people's loud voices, the Marines also felt more confident than ever.
Every sacrifice, every effort—they were all worth it.
They were fighting to protect these people, fighting for justice, and everything they gave was meaningful.
As for another group, their eyes were fixed on Chiriku with burning ambition.
The position of Marine Fleet Admiral!
If Chiriku could become the Fleet Admiral, then maybe they could too.
This was their era—a new era just for them.
Relying on their strength, their Devil Fruits... and the swords in their hands, they believed they could get everything they wanted in this time.
Honor, power, status…
In this era, nothing is impossible.
If you can rise to where you are now, then there's no reason you can't rise even higher. This is the new era!
The more excited the crowd became, the heavier Chiriku's heart felt.
Step by step, he walked up onto the high platform.
Facing everyone in front of him, and the reporters watching closely, Chiriku slowly unfolded the paper in his hand.
"I am Chiriku. Starting today, I will serve as the World Government's Marine Fleet Admiral, in charge of all Marine affairs."
At this moment, it wasn't just the people in the Water Capital watching.
People all across the ninja world were watching too.
In the past few months, communication technology had begun to spread, and thanks to merchants, major towns now had synchronized radio projection systems. The entire ninja world was rapidly advancing.
Right now, people everywhere across the ninja world had stopped what they were doing to watch Chiriku on the screen.
"In the past two months, countless pirates have appeared at sea, bringing chaos and suffering to civilians.
So many families were torn apart in this chaos. So many nations were destroyed by these pirates."
"The creation of the World Marines is meant to protect order, to defend justice for all, and to keep civilians safe from harm."
"Pirates are the greatest evil of our time."
"In the name of justice, the Marines will wipe out that evil. Victory will belong to the Marines, and to justice!"
The voice of justice echoed throughout the ninja world.
Hearing Chiriku's firm voice, countless civilians shouted with excitement.
"For justice!!"
"Long live the Marines…"
"Victory will belong to the Marines…"
"…"
In that moment, countless Marines felt their fighting spirit ignite. The justice they stood for was their belief.
"Long live the Marines!!"
"For the Marines! For justice!!"
The Marines shouted too, their justice spreading across the world.
But under all this "justice," a few still stood calmly in place.
Kakashi watched with a quiet, unreadable expression.
Naruto looked heavy-hearted. Behind him stood passionate Marine soldiers—soldiers who were fighting for the civilians behind them, yet unaware of the sages and nobles above their heads.
Sasuke's face was cold as ever. He had no sympathy for fools, and no kindness
Meanwhile, in the Land of Snow.
Sandayu stared at the big screen showing Chiriku, and the fire in his heart—once quiet—was burning again.
"Koyuki!!! If we let the Marines fully take over the Land of Snow, then nothing bad will happen to us."
Sandayu rushed to find Princess Koyuki.
But just as he pushed open the door, Kazahana Dotō walked out—with Hidan right behind him.
When Sandayu saw the clothes Hidan was wearing, he froze.
But Hidan and Kazehana Doto didn't care about him at all.
"Y-You… Koyuki, do you know your uncle was working with the Revolutionary Army?"
"..."
Kazahana Koyuki nodded with no expression on her face.
"Sandayu… why do you want to become a minister of the Land of Snow?"
"So the people of the Land of Snow can live decent lives. I don't want to be the ruler, and I don't want to see the people here turned into tools for the World Government."
"There's no Revolutionary Army here either."
Koyuki let out a long sigh.
The Land of Snow… was too harsh.
This place should never have had nobles.
Her uncle had ruled for so long, yet under him there were only three ninja. Aside from that, nothing was left.
Even if he killed her father, what then? The people here were already suffering enough—should they really keep being used by the nobles?
"Koyuki… can you really face your father after all this?"
"I can face the people of the Land of Snow!"
Koyuki's anger finally showed.
This same kind of scene was happening all over the world.
In the Land of Wind, the Marines behind Gaara were excited, but Gaara understood—the World Government was lying.
Shikamaru looked at the wounded soldiers around him, people who had barely made it out alive.
Ino stared at the still-unconscious Chouji beside her. At that moment, Chouji slowly opened his eyes.
His wounds still hurt.
But it wasn't just the pain—it was the image of his friends dying right in front of him. Regular people who didn't even know Ninjutsu, civilians who'd only trained for a few months.
Chouji squinted, and tears slid down his face.
His voice trembled.
"Shikamaru… I don't want this. Why… why did this happen? Why is everyone fighting?"
"Didn't you say… didn't you say nobody was wrong…?"
Hearing Chouji's shaky voice, Shikamaru clenched his fists.
He shut his eyes tight.
His whole body shook.
Yeah… nobody was wrong… Is that really true?
The ninja clans didn't want to give up their power. They didn't want to lose their benefits.
The world nobles refused to give up their status.
And the sages didn't want to let go of everything they had.
If there was someone at fault, it was them.
If someone was wrong… it was Shanks.
Because Shanks didn't wipe them out.
Because Shanks put his hopes in the hands of regular people.
Because Shanks was born a ninja but betrayed the ninja clans.
Because Shanks was one of the world nobles but turned his back on them.
Because Shanks could've become a sage—
But chose instead to become the first *anti-sage* in this world.
"I don't know!"
"I'm sorry… Chouji…"
"I… don't know."
Shikamaru stood up, limping as he walked off into the distance.
He stared at the worn-down ships at the harbor, emotions all over the place.
"This is so hard… Dad, it's really hard. Was I wrong?"
"What should I do… Why did it turn out like this?"
Shikamaru didn't get it. Or maybe he did, but just didn't want to face it.
Not everyone has Shanks' resolve or courage.
Elsewhere, in Kumogakure Village—
Killer Bee looked at the scene on the screen with a strange, heavy feeling in his chest.
"Gyuki… tell me. Are we really not worth Shanks' trust?"
"It's the opposite, Bee!"
Gyuki's voice rang out.
"Shanks trusts everyone. That includes the ninja.
It's just that the ninja don't trust him. Only the pirates believe in him."
"Bee… if you need my power, take it.
Treat me like a Devil Fruit—use my power to the fullest."
"This world needs that power!"
Gyuki's voice was firm and full of resolve.
His power hadn't hit its limit yet.
Now was the time to give it all to Bee.
Bee looked at the white fruit in front of him and asked one last question.
"Will you die?"
"No. If you eat the Divine Tree, my power will reset and restart, speeding up how fast you can master the fruit's abilities.
But you'll also become like other Devil Fruit users—you'll lose your ability to use jutsu, and you won't be able to swim anymore."
"A small price to pay.
As a ninja, I can't just let regular people carry that burden for me!"
"Losing the ability to swim to gain more time—if that's the cost, I'm willing to pay it."
With that, Killer Bee picked up the white fruit and took a big bite.
He didn't understand all of it…
But one thing he knew for sure:
As long as he was around, he wouldn't let his comrades be the ones to make the sacrifice.
This world's rights and wrongs were too messy, but life and death were simple.
He just wanted the people around him to live.
He wanted to protect them.
Meanwhile, in the Shikkotsu Forest—
The now-young-again Oonoki looked at the image in front of him.
The version of him in the image wasn't real—neither was the Tsunade shown.
Oonoki turned around and bowed deeply to the Slug Sage.
"Sorry, Slug Sage… and thank you for saving my life."
"It's fine, but... the five years left—"
"Five years is enough!"
Oonoki smiled with gratitude.
Five years… that's enough. He believed in this generation. He believed in what these five years could do.
...
At the same time, after finishing his announcement, Chiriku stepped down from the platform.
Shanks wasn't wrong. In fact, Shanks was *too* right—so right that it made them, and the World Government, afraid to make mistakes.
And that… was Shanks' biggest mistake.
"Shanks!!"
"Sorry to let you down. I know you don't want anyone to mess things up, but… I'm not like you. The sins under this justice—I'll carry them myself."
At that moment, Chiriku felt the will of the world strengthening him. The power of the World Government and the Heavenly Immortal Kingdom had come down upon him.
He didn't have the wisdom to shatter a thousand years of history, but he *did* have the power to make the world see the mistakes made over those thousands of years.
"Sacrifice is necessary. But this new era—it doesn't belong to you alone, Shanks."
Chiriku stepped down from the platform. The other sages were visibly shocked—the power of the Heavenly Immortal Kingdom had already responded.
"New World, it's war!!"
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