"Woof! Roar!"
Akamaru roared.
A powerful soundwave spread, carrying terrifying force.
It wasn't over.
After roaring, Akamaru's body began to be enveloped in black.
Seeing this, Amado couldn't help but exclaim in shock: "Is that Haki? And it doesn't seem weak—likely level two or three. Did Akamaru have this level of Haki before?"
"No, Akamaru's Haki was only level one before…" Ninja World Kiba stared at Akamaru, equally stunned.
"It seems Haki and Devil Fruits are indeed highly compatible…" Imperial Orochimaru chuckled.
"A great discovery. Eating a Devil Fruit can enhance Haki—this alone makes Devil Fruits valuable." Imperial Sasori added.
"Next, let Akamaru and Kiba demonstrate Akamaru's current strength for us." the Inuzuka Clan representative said excitedly.
Ryuji raised his hand slightly, and the group appeared in a forest on the city outskirts…
"Hey… Akamaru! Show everyone your new power! Fang Over Fang!" Kiba shouted.
Akamaru, now a tiger, roared. His body, cloaked in Haki, turned into a tornado, charging brutally through the forest!
*BOOM!*
The fierce winds from Akamaru's tiger-form spin tore through dozens of meters of trees around him. Wherever he passed, the ground split like tofu, inch by inch.
In an instant, tiger-form Akamaru carved a thousand-meter-long trench in the ground.
"Woof! Roar!"
Roaring again, tiger-form Akamaru halted his Fang Over Fang. Standing upright on his strong tiger hind legs, he swung his right leg powerfully, human-like.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Air blades danced, cutting all trees within hundreds of meters ahead!
"Woof! Roar!"
Akamaru's tiger form became a blur, moving across the ground, smashing obstructing trees and rocks into pieces.
Amado observed Akamaru and said: "As a native ninja beast, this strength is impressive… By the way, what was Akamaru's strength level in the Empire's records before?"
"Early Kage level." Ninja World Kiba answered.
"Early Kage level, huh? That was remarkable back then. But now, it might lag behind with Kiba's strength growth." Amado remarked.
"Yeah. Over four years ago, after gaining Haki, my strength reached peak Kage level. But Akamaru…" Ninja World Kiba said with concern.
Peak Kage level surpassed the Third Hokage, capable of prolonged battles against monsters like Kurama.
Five or six years ago, in the original ninja world, such strength was beyond Kiba's wildest dreams.
But since joining the Empire, learning martial arts, and then Haki, his strength surged rapidly.
Peak Kage level in the Empire now was merely decent, far from a true fighter.
"Peak Kage level… If a ninja beast had strength close to yours, you'd have power comparable to early Super Kage level…" Amado added.
"Yeah…" Ninja World Kiba showed fleeting regret, quickly replaced by excitement: "I thought Akamaru would take ages to reach high Kage level. Unexpectedly, one Devil Fruit skyrocketed his strength. Now, together, we won't lose to low Super Kage level people!"
"Congrats, Kiba."
"Hehehe… This is just the start. Once Akamaru fully adapts to the Tiger Devil Fruit's power, he'll get stronger. I heard this fruit can Awaken, and upon Awakening, the user's strength undergoes a massive change." Imperial Orochimaru laughed.
"But the weakness is obvious—fear of water." Imperial Itachi spoke up.
"Fear of water is an issue, but as long as we master water-walking, it's fine. Plus, Geppo lets us fly. Overall, Devil Fruits' advantages far outweigh their drawbacks. This is just a Zoan-type fruit. World No. 3 has Logia and Mythical Zoan types…" Imperial Sasori said.
Everyone showed slight interest.
They'd seen the strength of Roger and Kaido, who visited the Empire.
Mere humans, relying on their own power and Devil Fruits, reached levels beyond human limits.
Among hundreds of millions in the Empire, only a dozen or twenty could defeat them.
Such power would make most there envious.
"Devil Fruits are great, offering significant boosts. Take the remaining fruits for thorough research to see if we can develop artificial ones. If successful, it could rival discovering or merging new worlds." Ryuji finally said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone replied, then bid farewell and left.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Three months later, Amado from the Boruto Era, the lead Devil Fruit researcher, faced Ryuji with slight despair. "Your Majesty, artificial Devil Fruits may be impossible to create in our world, even with Kaido's data. Something critical is missing, likely unique to World No. 3's seas."
"I see… Then we must give up. It's not your fault." Ryuji calmly accepted the bad news.
"Your Majesty, if we can't research artificial Devil Fruits, Kaido's artificial fruits become crucial. We should ask Kaido or send personnel to protect his factory." Amado added.
Ryuji Senju paused.
Protect the artificial Devil Fruit factory?
If he recalled correctly, it was destroyed in 1522 Pirate Calendar, two years after Luffy set sail, post-training with Silvers Rayleigh, during the arc against Doflamingo.
"World No. 3 is in 1520 now?" Ryuji asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Three months here is one and a half years there." Amado replied.
"I see… 1520…" Ryuji muttered, recalling many things. "What level of people can we send to World No. 3 now?"
"To World No. 3? The timing isn't fully ripe. Though Kaido and his Beasts Pirates train diligently, other pirates' training levels are low. World No. 3 isn't very accepting of our world. Total strength sent shouldn't exceed mid-Super Kage level." Amado said.
"Only mid-Super Kage?" Ryuji frowned. "I recall Devil Fruit users are more accepted by World No. 3?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. If all sent are Devil Fruit users, their strength could reach peak Super Kage, even Pseudo-Six Paths level. But most previous artificial Zoan fruits were given to the Inuzuka Clan…"
"What? The Inuzuka Clan fed Devil Fruits to dogs? None of them ate any?"
"Some did, but for World No. 3, reliable people like Nara Shikamaru or Kakashi should go…"
"Shikamaru, Kakashi? You mean from the Empire? Relax, the original Ninja World ones are reliable too. Inform them and have Naruto contact Kaido." Ryuji said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"This trip to World No. 3, I have another task for them…" Ryuji added, picturing a man with a headband and drums on his back.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the pirate world, Kaido held his club, observing the crowd, when his watch suddenly blinked.
A slight smirk formed.
He planted his club in the ground, grinning widely as he pressed his watch's button.
A beam shot from the watch.
Imperial Naruto's robust figure appeared in the air before Kaido.
"Yo, Kaido, long time no see." he said, glancing around and laughing. "Training your crew? Looks impressive."
"Hahaha! Naruto, long time no see. I haven't forgotten your instructions! All Beasts Pirates now excel in chakra and martial arts. By Empire standards, their ninja levels range from Chunin to Kage." Kaido boasted.
"Oh? Kage already? Seems the Beasts Pirates have plenty of talent." Imperial Naruto said, surprised.
"Hahaha! Naruto, though my crew has talent, I think guidance matters more! Naruto! I found a teaching method better than you and Iruka-sensei!" Kaido laughed, brimming with pride.
"Oh? What method?" Imperial Naruto asked curiously.
If Kaido truly found a better teaching method, it'd greatly aid the Empire.
"Hahaha! Naruto! Watch closely!" Kaido turned to his training crew.
His eyes scanned, and every pirate tensed, expressions nervous.
Until…
One pirate, forming hand seals, lagged a second behind others.
Seeing this, Kaido glared and roared: "Page One! You damned brat! Forgot how I taught you? Thunder Bagua!"
Kaido leaped, landing above the erring pirate, slamming his club.
"Kaido-sensei! No!"
*BAM!*
The blow struck, burying the pirate in the ground, unconscious.
"Come! Save him, continue training!" Kaido said coldly.
From the crowd, a pirate used medical ninjutsu to aid the unconscious one, while others resumed training.
"Different worlds, different regions, different education for each individual. Kaido, your method suits your crew best." Imperial Naruto said.
"Obviously, right? I'm confident my crew's strength now—unless the Marines deploy full force, no one can match us!" Kaido said proudly, then muttered softly: "You sure you won't reconsider?"
"Forget it, Kaido…"
"Fine… fine." Kaido said regretfully. "Need more Devil Fruits this time? If so… I might need to apologize. Factory production's struggling to keep up."
"Though the Empire always needs Devil Fruits, I'm not here to collect. Since we can't produce them ourselves, we value your factory and plan to send people to help defend it." Imperial Naruto said.
"What? Defend it?" Kaido was surprised. "No worries, the factory's safe! I'm a Yonko. No one dares attack my factory without reason. Plus, a business partner guards it."
"Sorry, Kaido, your reasoning makes sense, but this is His Majesty's order. His Majesty's orders are absolute." Imperial Naruto said.
Seeing Naruto's firm expression, Kaido relented. "I see… Understood, Naruto. Come, I'll have someone guide you to the factory."
"Thanks for the trouble, Kaido." Imperial Naruto said.
Beside Kaido, a black vortex appeared, rapidly expanding.
Figures emerged one by one.
The leader, youthful with pineapple-like hair, looked impatient, muttering: "Such a hassle. Why not let the Inuzuka Clan go… Why pick me…?"
"Stop complaining, Shikamaru. Unhappy to be here with us? Or do you want to date Temari?" A man with face paint and dog-like ears emerged, teasing.
"Woof!"
A large beast, resembling a dog and cat, followed.
Then a bulky, fat man appeared.
"Shikamaru, you're the main leader this time. Most people here are from our side. His Majesty allowed us to come—don't let him down." he said.
"I know! I know! What a drag!" The pineapple-haired man grumbled.
Ten more men and women, each with a beast, emerged from the vortex last.