New World, or more accurately, this new era.
Before Golden Lion appeared, Orochimaru was the second biggest pirate only to Shanks. He was also the only strong person from the ninja world besides Shanks who had Conqueror's Haki. Plus, his body was ridiculously strong as a Devil Fruit user.
Unlike other Devil Fruit users, Orochimaru wasn't afraid of the sea or the weakening effect of sea stone. This was because he was so big, and also because he could fly.
Once you reach Orochimaru's level, sea stone suppression becomes very difficult. It's not that it doesn't work at all, but it can't be used on Orochimaru easily.
Sea stone weapons are hard enough to make, let alone use.
Sea stone is a material created from the fight between the world's will and invading wills. Even though it's a physical object, it has the world's will against those who don't belong.
Normal people can't resist this special property, and by "normal" I mean... everyone except Shanks.
Shanks was targeted by the world's will the last time he was in the center of the Red Line.
That stuff would probably kill a normal person because the level of that targeting power is too high to defend against. Only Shanks' ridiculously strong will can block it.
But even he didn't block it completely, because while Shanks' will is incredibly strong, it can't compare to the world's will in sheer quantity.
Ordinary people can't defend against this kind of targeted will, so it's best to avoid it, especially if you're a so-called "strong person."
The main enemies Orochimaru faces are the strong people from the four ninja villages besides Konoha. It's already a big deal that so many of them are out here to keep him in check.
Going back a few days, the main forces of the four villages had gathered. Led by Raikage A of Kumogakure and Killer Bee, the Gyuki Jinchuriki, people from each village came together.
On the East Sea battlefield, Granny Chiyo, acting as the temporary "Kazekage", didn't come, and neither did Tsuchikage Onoki of Iwagakure Village. So, many things needed to be discussed before the battle.
"It's been almost a year since the battle in the Land of Wind. You all should have a general idea of Orochimaru's strength. But in the East Sea battlefield, Orochimaru showed power far beyond what we imagined."
"To put it simply, in addition to having an extremely strong body, Orochimaru also has many powers that only Logia Devil Fruit users have."
"You could even call Orochimaru a walking natural disaster. And so far, Orochimaru has only been injured once, in the Land of Wind. In all other battles, he hasn't been hurt at all."
It was Terumi Mei who spoke. She had read all the battle reports from the East Sea and learned a lot from Killer Bee.
Terumi Mei speaking up also shows that the relationship between Kirigakure and Kumogakure is quite special.
But that's normal. Kumogakure and Kirigakure aren't far apart, and Terumi Mei is very skilled.
At least for now, Terumi Mei is definitely a trustworthy teammate.
"Not been hurt?"
Onoki was a little surprised. Not being hurt since the Land of Wind is a bit much.
It's not just that he hasn't been hurt, but Orochimaru has been in many battles and killed many sages since then.
"Yes, on the front lines of the East Sea, Orochimaru wasn't injured even when facing that sage."
"So, when we face Orochimaru, don't think about defeating him. Just do what we can."
"He's still the second person in the ninja world to go against the sages. Orochimaru's strength is probably far beyond our imagination."
Terumi Mei's words were simple. They were there to stop Orochimaru, not to eliminate him.
There's no need to waste too much effort and time. But even if they don't want to waste time, they still have to be careful when facing Orochimaru.
"I've prepared a lot of sea stone, but it looks like it won't be of much use."
After hearing this information about Orochimaru, Granny Chiyo was also a little disappointed.
Unlike the other villages, Orochimaru and Sunagakure Village are true enemies. Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage. With that alone, it's perfectly normal for Granny Chiyo to want Orochimaru dead.
As for Konoha? Did Orochimaru do anything to Konoha? No, the Third Hokage killed himself, right? You can't blame Orochimaru for that.
So, of the five ninja villages, only Sunagakure Village is truly at odds with Orochimaru.
"It's not completely useless. At least it can protect some of our forces."
Granny Chiyo equipped all the sea stone she brought on her puppets. This sea stone was also strange and looked barely passable.
This shows that the sea stone technology isn't mature enough to refine these things because of the level of mining and forging.
But it's clear that these things will definitely shine in the future.
The Land of Wind may not have much else, but the huge sea stone mine left behind for historical reasons is very valuable.
Now that more and more Devil Fruit users are appearing, Sunagakure Village is worth befriending, even just for future plans.
But Onoki had already seen this, so the relationship between Sunagakure Village and Iwagakure Village is relatively close.
Sunagakure Village has resources but lacks people.
And Iwagakure Village has people.
They don't have any geniuses, but Iwagakure Village has a lot of mid-level ninjas.
And you think Kirigakure and Kumogakure don't want this sea stone? Of course they do.
"But the quantity is too small. It probably won't be very useful against Orochimaru."
Terumi Mei thought for a moment. She didn't know how much sea stone Chiyo brought, and to be honest, they haven't tested it much.
"Do you want to test it?"
Onoki looked at Killer Bee not far away. Killer Bee has also become a Devil Fruit user and is very strong. Like Orochimaru, he has a powerful Mythical Zoan fruit.
"Well...it works on the normal state, but for the dragon form, it needs to be at least as big as Orochimaru's claws, and it has to stay attached to him."
Killer Bee didn't want to try. He's already tried it.
"It looks like it can only be used against ordinary ability users. But the sea stone itself is very strong, so its defense should be good."
"It's just too hard to use."
Everyone complained again. If the World Government stepped in, sea stone technology wouldn't be so weak. But the World Government's focus is clearly not on this.
"It's good that it's hard to use. Otherwise, we wouldn't have this opportunity. We need to use these things this time, and we need to use them a lot."
Terumi Mei looked at Granny Chiyo. She didn't care about the so-called World Nobles and World Government.
As a proper Kage, the only thing she cares about is her village.
"It seems like you have some ideas, Mizukage? I'd like to hear them."
"As expected of the Mizukage. I heard some pirates call you Akainu. That's quite something for them."
Onoki was also interested.
Among the five Kage, the youngest and most mysterious is the current Terumi Mei. Although she hasn't shown much strength, her political skills and courage are unlike those of old folks like them.
And Onoki had Roshi try it out. Roshi's "Lava Release" wasn't successfully turned into a Lava Release Devil Fruit, which means this woman already created some fruits.
Her research on bloodline limits is probably top-notch, coupled with her excellent political skills.
Troublesome, but trustworthy.
Hearing Onoki's words, Terumi Mei just smiled.
"Just some nonsense. Don't worry about it, Tsuchikage."
"But I do know some things from the World Government. The sages have been trying to use sea stone for a long time, but because sea stone contains some of the world's will, once the sages use Sage Chakra to touch sea stone, they will be affected by that will."
"So, the World Government won't focus on sea stone for now, but... that might change after this war."
Terumi Mei warned. As for how she knew? She just happened to hear about it. Anyway, Kirigakure and the World Government aren't on the same side.
"Is that so?"
Hearing Terumi Mei's words, Killer Bee suddenly understood.
"I remember the Mount Myōboku sage mode training is also... um, once the sage mode training fails, the natural energy will spread out and turn people into stone."
Killer Bee has also changed his ways and doesn't rap anymore.
After almost being killed by Shanks' attack, Killer Bee has become very steady... at least on the surface.
"Is that so?"
Granny Chiyo and Onoki looked at each other and naturally understood what Terumi Mei meant.
The World Government doesn't care about these things, but who knows if they will later.
The sea stone mine in the Land of Wind is very large. Sunagakure Village alone can't handle it, and the addition of Iwagakure Village doesn't change that.
If they want to handle it, they have to cooperate. And if they cooperate, they'll naturally get a share of the benefits.
This war is just a trade for most people. Although it's a trade that requires a high cost, it is indeed a trade.
Sunagakure Village has a sea stone mine, Iwagakure Village has a large number of mid-level ninjas, Kumogakure has top-notch military industrial technology...
And what does Terumi Mei, who made the suggestion, have?
She also has something.
"Although we trust you, Mizukage, and believe you're different from the World Government, if we want to trade, you'll probably need to pay something."
"That's natural. As the weakest of the five great ninja villages, it's not easy for Kirigakure to stand on equal footing with you."
Terumi Mei's words were somewhat self-deprecating. As for being a dog for the World Nobles, that's impossible.
From the start, the World Government never thought about having Kirigakure as a dog.
In the beginning, Kirigakure was the weakest. If the Mizukage was an incompetent idiot, then the World Government might have been able to control Kirigakure under normal circumstances.
But the whole world is not normal.
If your Kirigakure's Mizukage is worthless? Then die quickly. We'll find a stronger ninja from the ninja world to be the Mizukage again.
And who would believe that a strong ninja would actually want to be a dog for the World Government?
Even if the World Government assigns someone, they will definitely be top-notch ninjas who won't really listen to the World Government.
If they really listen, it means they're not capable enough, so they'll be killed and replaced.
You can't just hand over Kirigakure to trash.
Don't think this is impossible, because that's how the Daimyo of each country are replaced.
If you're not capable enough, get out of the way and let someone with ability take over.
So, the World Government didn't expect Terumi Mei to be loyal, because it doesn't affect their plans.
Because Kirigakure's growth can hold back the other villages. For example, Kirigakure can participate in the current distribution of benefits.
This isn't a conspiracy, it's just normal political strategy.
But no one in the old era would have played this game. Only after the new era did everyone have to use their brains, and their experience in this regard increased, so they could play this game.
So, when Terumi Mei said "it's not easy," it actually meant that Kirigakure is qualified.
"Most of the people in my Kirigakure are recruited ability users..."
"You should also know that the battle between Dark and Shanks wasn't far from our Land of Water, so most of the ability users in Kirigakure are ordinary people who survived that battle."
"But precisely because of this, my Kirigakure's information network is much larger than you think, especially about... the Red Line."
When Terumi Mei said this, even Raikage A couldn't sit still. Everyone's pupils shrank. How ridiculous is Kirigakure?
"News about the Red Line..."
"The Red Line is just a beginning. It's just a door. As for more, we don't need to know it now."
"We may not have even reached halfway through the Grand Line in the new era."
Terumi Mei had said enough.
But these words were strange, and their credibility was questionable.
"Mizukage, can I ask, what's the source of the information?"
Onoki asked. If it's true, they'll have to carefully consider how much they should pay.
"The information came from Zabuza."
Terumi Mei said directly.
"Huh?"
"Um..."
"!"
Next, everyone was silent.
Wait, you said so much, and you said the information came from Zabuza.
Okay, considering that Terumi Mei and Zabuza were originally colleagues, that's normal. And the credibility of the information source is extremely high, but...
Everyone was silent, and Terumi Mei was a little embarrassed.
The information did come from Zabuza, a long time ago.
But her information network is indeed very large.
Of course, after finding out about Kirigakure's situation, many things could be discussed.
...
At the same time, on the Red Line, Orochimaru, in dragon form, descended from the sky and returned to his human form. Orochimaru staggered as he landed and looked quite weak.
The wound Shanks left on him still ached faintly, but Orochimaru's eyes flashed with madness and a firm confidence.
"Even the remaining power is so strong. But, I finally understand. I want the Emperor's seat."
A fierce glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
The wound Shanks left on him still had Shanks' will lingering on it.
And this time, when he went to the center of the Red Line, the remaining will in the wound attracted the remaining world's will, and Orochimaru was hit by that targeted world's will and fell to the ground.
He had to crawl out.
But now, Orochimaru is more confident in dragging Master Genichi down to be his stepping stone.
"I hope it appears within a month, or the remaining will will disappear."
Orochimaru said fiercely. He can do things that hurt himself by 1,000 to hurt the enemy by 800.
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