By the time Naruto and Zoro arrived, the battle was already over.
Luffy had single-handedly wiped out the entire Buggy Pirates.
This development was a bit beyond Naruto's expectations—Luffy had clearly grown stronger.
Their training had really paid off. Whether it was towing ships or practicing genjutsu resistance, the results were evident.
He'd even been watching short clips of elite fighters in action.
"Wanna dance too?"
Luffy stood there with arms crossed, striking a dramatic pose.
It seemed he had been completely brainwashed by Uchiha Madara's infamous moves—the so-called King of the Konoha Dance.
Now, every time he spoke, there was a subtle hint of "Uchiha flair" in his tone.
"I just wanted to see what that clown Buggy was capable of," Zoro said, a little disappointed. "Why's it already over?"
Zoro looked bored. He grabbed something at random, pulled out a jug of sake, and started drinking.
"That guy's Buggy, huh? The one with the big red nose?"
"How about untying him and letting me fight him?"
Zoro's eyes glinted coldly.
Normally, if someone called Buggy a big red-nosed freak, he'd erupt with rage.
But now—Zoro's killing intent was so intense, Buggy trembled all over and didn't dare speak.
Snot trickled from his nose.
It was clear Zoro had gone through some heavy stuff in the earlier genjutsu training.
"The Bara Bara no Mi lets him split his body into pieces," Naruto remarked. "Interesting ability. I've already figured it out."
"Fighting him won't do you any good. Come spar with me instead. I'll show you how to handle a blade."
Naruto stepped in front of Zoro, smiling with his arms open.
"Seriously?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Come on. I want to test how this ability feels too."
Naruto smiled as he glanced at Buggy, who was still tied up.
To be honest, Naruto didn't understand why someone who could separate his body at will was still restrained by ropes.
Buggy could easily break into countless pieces and slip away.
But he wasn't trying to escape.
Then again, it made sense—what would he do after escaping?
He couldn't even beat Luffy, and now there were two more monsters here.
Escape, only to get beat again?
Naruto understood Buggy's hesitation.
The Split-Split Fruit wasn't easy to master.
Each body part he separated needed conscious control.
But Naruto had already activated Sage Mode—he had fully copied Buggy's ability.
Zoro took a deep breath, then swung his sword at Naruto's neck.
Naruto's eyes widened as his head was cleanly sliced off and dropped to the ground.
"Zoro! What the hell?! You just killed Naruto!" Luffy shouted in disbelief.
"No! He told me to do it!" Zoro panicked. "This… this isn't right. His head just fell off in one swing?"
"Pfft, these guys are tearing each other apart now!" Buggy snorted gleefully. He figured his opportunity might finally be coming.
The orange-haired girl covered her mouth in shock.
So this is what pirates are like—turning on their own over a disagreement?
"Guess that's what it means… chop it off and the body splits apart."
Naruto's head spoke calmly from the ground. His headless body leaned down, picked it up, and casually reattached it.
His mouth kept moving even midair.
"Wait a second—that's my fruit ability! How can you use it?!" Buggy exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's incredible, Naruto! What kind of ninjutsu is that?" Luffy asked excitedly.
But deep down, Luffy had never been worried.
Come on, it was obvious—Zoro sliced him, the head popped off, and there wasn't even a drop of blood.
Sure, if the sword was fast enough, it might be possible, but Zoro hadn't gone all out.
This had to be one of Naruto's little ninjutsu tricks.
"This is called Devil Mode," Naruto explained as he calmly reattached his head.
"As long as someone possesses a Devil Fruit ability, I can replicate and use it through chakra transformation."
He secured his head with a faint click and dusted himself off.
"This jutsu might be a bit too advanced for you guys right now," he added, flashing a smirk.
"But truth be told, you probably don't even need something like this."
Naruto arched an eyebrow, and his body returned to normal—no floating parts, no strange effects.
"I get it now… It's a form of slashing immunity," Zoro muttered, frowning. "For a swordsman, that kind of ability is a nightmare."
"If my body turns to steel, I can still cut through it with enough force," he continued. "But something like this—something that defies logic… it's another story."
Naruto chuckled lightly.
"What if your opponent can turn into smoke… or sand? Wouldn't that render your sword completely useless?"
Zoro was stunned.
He hadn't thought about that.
Devil Fruit powers could really be that strange? Elemental transformations like smoke and sand?
Naruto's gaze sharpened.
"Don't underestimate the reach of my intelligence network. There's a Marine officer stationed in Loguetown who's a Logia user—he can transform into smoke."
"And right now, neither of you would be able to do a thing against him."
He glanced sideways at Buggy, still bound and trembling.
So… what next?
A clever idea came to Naruto.
Since he could plant a Shadow Clone to monitor the Marines… why not place one somewhere else, too?
Following Buggy might offer new opportunities. He'd be stepping into another chaotic current—but one filled with potential.
And honestly, it sounded fun.
Naruto's smile slowly widened.
"Take everything valuable from their ship. After that, we'll resupply and leave this place," he instructed.
"Leave these pirates to the townspeople. If there's a bounty involved, they can use it to rebuild."
The orange-haired girl stepped forward with a suggestion of her own.
She had practical concerns—namely, money.
In theory, turning these pirates over to the Marines for bounty would earn her a good sum.
But the problem lay in her own background.
She bore the mark of the Arlong Pirates—a tattoo on her arm branding her as part of their crew.
And she'd spent years scamming pirates, dodging Marines, and stepping on a few too many toes.
There was no way the Navy would hand her a reward.
So better to let the locals claim it instead. At least that way, the town could recover.
Naruto glanced at her and asked with feigned innocence, "And who's this?"
"This is the navigator I found," Luffy beamed. "She's our partner."
...
TN:
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