"Huh? So that's how it is?"
By the campfire, Naruto, who had already used Water Release Ninjutsu to clean off the blood on his body, nodded while stuffing large chunks of roasted meat into his mouth.
Not only did the beasts on this island possess special abilities like lightning and fire, but their meat was also incredibly tender and juicy, with a unique, almost magical texture. It was practically a delicacy.
Marca wasn't unconscious for long, as she was awakened by a small water ball summoned by Naruto using Water Release Ninjutsu.
After seeing Naruto's appearance clearly, she finally didn't scream immediately.
But looking at the corpses of various beasts, big and small, around her, the woman still felt a little scared.
Fortunately, Naruto is an easygoing guy.
At least, most of the time.
The reason he was called the [Great Hero] was precisely because he had a habit of stepping in to help whenever he saw injustice.
Whenever he encountered any problem, he'd act without hesitation.
After all, he had no attachments, so there's no reason to hold back.
"No need to be nervous. You can call me Uzumaki Naruto."
Unsurprisingly, Marca, who had lived on this island for decades, had never heard his name before.
But at the very least, she understood that Naruto wasn't one of Golden Lion Pirate's crews.
Still trembling slightly, she gave a brief introduction of herself and explained the situation on the island.
It was only then that Naruto learned who ruled this place.
Speaking of which… he is quite familiar with the other party's deeds, though the other party may not know him.
He is the legendary pirate, Shiki the [Golden Lion].
Unfortunately, by the time Shiki lost to Roger in the Battle of Edd War, Naruto hadn't even arrived in this world yet.
Therefore, he had only heard about the deeds of this [Flying Pirate] from Roger and his crew during occasional conversations.
'No wonder these islands floated in the sky. It had to be the power of his Float-Float Fruit.'
'Devil Fruits really were something else.'
As this thought crossed his mind, Naruto's gaze shifted to the unusual feathers on Marca's arms.
As if she sensed Naruto's gaze, Marca naturally explained the minor physical difference without any discomfort.
"Don't let their appearance fool you… they actually let us glide a little."
After hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up, as if he had just made a decision.
Then, in a few bites, he devoured an entire roasted leg.
His swollen belly shrank back to normal within seconds under Marca's stunned gaze.
Noticing her expression, Naruto offered her a roasted scorpion leg the size of half a person.
"Want some?"
Marca frantically shook her head in refusal.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something urgent, she spoke anxiously.
"Naruto-san… we can't stay here for long."
"Is it because of these beasts?"
"No, it's Shiki!"
"He has dozens of flying ships patrolling the skies at all times. He can see everything that happens on this island."
"Please, you have to leave before they find you!"
Marca is a kind villager.
After witnessing Naruto's strength, of how easily he slaughtered those monstrous beasts, she had briefly considered asking for his help in finding the IQ herb.
But in her heart, Golden Lion Shiki was far more terrifying.
Hearing her words, Naruto was stunned, then he chuckled lightly.
When Naruto heard Marca describing what happened on the island and her own experiences, he had already sensed she was asking for help.
But Marca hadn't treated his assistance as something owed to her.
Even in the face of danger, this ordinary middle-aged woman still held onto the purest form of kindness.
That kindness shone brightly in Naruto's Observation Haki.
This was why…
This was why Naruto kept choosing to help people, time and time again.
No complicated reasons.
Maybe he just didn't want to see kind people suffer.
"No need."
He shook his head at Marca, then handed her a few red, lantern-shaped herbs he had casually picked earlier, which was originally meant as seasoning.
"They're already here. Take these herbs and go back."
After seeing Naruto handing the IQ Herb to her and hearing what came out of his mouth, Marca did not show joy on her face, but became more worried.
"If possible… you should leave this island."
"I can't. The village is watched by Shiki's men. The skies are blockaded by his floating fleet."
"Don't worry… You won't have to worry about that soon."
Marca wanted to say more, but Naruto had already stepped onto the air itself, ascending to the sky with a flicker of movement.
Then, his gaze locked onto a certain direction, where a medium-sized warship was silently floating toward them.
'Let me see what kind of person Captain Roger's old rival really is.'
A fierce fighting spirit burned in Naruto's eyes.
The earlier brawl with the beasts had just been a warm-up. The real feast should be a legendary pirate like Golden Lion Shiki!
…
On the patrol ship.
The Den Den Mushi projector displayed footage of Naruto slaughtering the monstrous beasts on the island.
On another screen, the face of Golden Lion Shiki, his bald head embedded with half a ship's rudder, appeared.
"Shiki-sama, we've confirmed the intruder's identity. It's the [Great Hero], Uzumaki Naruto."
Shiki's crew was far from incompetent. Not only had they developed the bioweapon, SIQ, but their communication technology was also leagues ahead of most pirates.
Visual Den Den Mushi like these were rare in the outside world, as they're mostly controlled by the World Government's intelligence agencies and the World Economic News Paper.
But on Shiki's floating islands, there are Den Den Mushi everywhere, which are capable of surveillance and video communication.
Not only that, these floating islands have been deployed with jammers by Dr. Indigo, a subordinate of Shiki. Except for their Den Den Mushi, any outsiders will have no chance to establish contact with the outside world.
It was thanks to this technological edge that Shiki had been able to secretly gather a massive pirate alliance under the World Government's nose.
Of course, this hasn't happened yet.
In fact, they had even hacked into the Marines' communication network, allowing Shiki to stay ahead of the news.
For example, the reports of "Uzumaki Naruto stopping the Big Mom Pirates', or the Marines' classified files on the [Great Hero].
"Uzumaki… Naruto…"
Shiki chewed on the name, feeling like he'd heard it somewhere before.
But maybe it's because there's a rudder stuck in his head, his brain is always sometimes sharp and sometimes not.
"Yes, Shiki-sama. Like Red-Haired Shanks, he was once one of the apprentices in Gol D. Roger's ship."
After hearing a certain name, Shiki's eyes instantly darkened with malice.
"Oh? Roger's brat, huh…"
"Wait there. I'm coming myself."
No one knew what Shiki was thinking, and no one dared to question his orders.
However, the communications officer swallowed and spoke with a stutter.
"Shi-Shiki-sama! Uzumaki Naruto, he's…"
Before he could finish, another face suddenly pushed into the screen.
It was Naruto, who had just been on the island moments ago.
Somehow, he had already infiltrated the patrol ship.
"Hey, Golden Lion-'senpai'!"
Naruto grinned, deliberately emphasizing the word 'senpai'.
"No need to come find me. I should be the one visiting you, right?"
Looking at the grinning face in front of him, which looked very similar to that mustached bastard, Shiki fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into wild laughter.
"Shihahaha! Fine, then! Come!"
"Uzumaki Naruto… I'll give you a proper welcome."