Naruto was actually aware that he was being filmed.
But by the time he caught the News Coo that had been implanted with a listening device, the Den Den Mushi it was carrying had already transmitted the footage.
It was too late to silence it now.
Fortunately, Naruto had some connections with the [Big News] Morgans.
After he promised the Den Den Mushi that he would 'contact them directly for a big scoop later', Morgans was kind enough not to blatantly reveal his true identity and appearance in the headlines.
After all, those who needed to know would probably figure it out anyway.
'Sigh-'
Naruto tugged awkwardly at the coat he was wearing. He had taken the opportunity to salvage it from Shiki's Palace when the island was falling.
The pitch-black suit coat looked quite impressive, but Naruto just couldn't get used to it.
He needed to find another island soon and get himself a new outfit.
"Caw!"
At this moment, a massive bird head swooped down in front of Naruto.
The creature opened its beak wide, ready to take a bite out of him.
Bang!
The bird's head was slapped back.
"Behave."
This strange bird, whose head alone was bigger than a person, was smacked so hard it nearly passed out.
If not for the other head still being conscious, it might have plummeted straight down.
After Naruto defeated Shiki, the power of the [Fuwa Fuwa no Mi] faded, and the floating islands began to fall from the sky.
The young men who had been captured and taken to Shiki's palace managed to escape and return to their homes, helping their fellow villagers flee the collapsing islands.
The other beasts on the island also found their own ways to survive.
Some, like the villagers, simply spread their wings and flew away. Others relied on their agility to leap from one falling island to another, trying to slow their descent.
A few thick-shelled giant insects even chose to dive straight into the sea, as their heavy exoskeletons were strong enough to withstand the initial impact.
In the end, the only ones truly doomed were Shiki's underlings, who were left behind on the island to die.
Right now, the creature Naruto was riding was a two-headed monstrous bird with a wingspan of over fifty meters.
When he first encountered it, the bird had been attacking villagers trying to escape the falling island.
Naruto rescued the villagers in time, but he did not choose to kill the strange bird.
There is no other reason-
Is there a better mode of transportation than a flying monster?
This time, he refused to believe that riding this strange bird would lead to any more unexpected disasters!
Pulling out an Eternal Pose, he adjusted his direction.
Then, he grabbed the bird's feathers and yanked it toward the right path.
The bird head that was still awake seemed to be more docile and it turned obediently in the direction where Naruto was pulling it.
The other head, having just regained consciousness, screeched in pain and tried twisting its long neck around to bite the annoying little pest on its back.
The result was predictable, as it was stunned for ten seconds again.
These beasts, who were injected with the SIQ drug, had their sense of fear greatly dulled, making Naruto's usual intimidation tactics useless.
It wasn't that they were immune… it was just that Naruto couldn't scare them into submission without outright knocking them unconscious.
This strange bird is very fast, much faster than an ordinary ship.
Unfortunately, there is no Chakra in the bird's body, otherwise, Naruto might have considered forming a summoning contract with it and making it his personal mount.
'It will probably take some time to get to the next island.'
With that thought, Naruto pulled out a pair of round sunglasses from a sealing scroll, put them on, and took a nap.
Time passed slowly on the bird's back.
It would've been even better if this bird could learn its lesson and stop trying to attack him every now and then.
Meanwhile, on the sea below, a massive iron sphere-like structure slowly rose from the depths.
When it fully emerged, the iron plates surrounding it, which was used to block out seawater, folded back, revealing the armored warship with its massive gears.
Atop the mast flew a pirate flag bearing a crown and skull, while the prow was adorned with a giant hippopotamus head.
On the deck, the former king of the Drum Kingdom, Wapol, was scolding his subordinates.
"Useless fools! It's been so long, and you still haven't found our way back?"
The soldier being scolded could only tremble and nod, not daring to defy the tyrannical king, who stood eight feet tall… and was just as wide.
"Apologies, Your Majesty! We... we couldn't find an Eternal Pose pointing to Drum Island on that merchant ship."
Unable to vent his anger, Wapol began kicking and punching the soldier. No one dared to intervene.
It can't be helped. After all, Wapol is the user of the [Baku Baku no Mi]. If anyone dares to disobey him, they may really be 'swallowed alive' by him.
While they won't die, such feeling was still very uncomfortable.
"Damn Blackbeard! Damn the weather! And damn that merchant ship!"
After venting his anger, Wapol leaned against the railing, chewing on a large piece of roasted meat, including fork and all the utensils, while grumbling.
A few months ago, that despicable pirate had invaded his kingdom and, within days, wiped out most of Wapol's military forces.
Fortunately, he had the foresight to flee with a group of soldiers, thus preserving the Drum Kingdom's remaining strength.
As for whether the pirates would harm the citizens?
Wapol couldn't care less about those lowly commoners. As long as he, the king, was safe, nothing else mattered.
Thinking this, Wapol suddenly felt hungry again.
Even though he had just eaten.
"Hey! Bring me more food!"
But this time, his order went unheeded out.
"Th-That... what is that?!"
"Is that a bird?"
"Why does it have two heads?"
Following his soldiers' gazes, Wapol looked up at the sky.
It was a red bird, which didn't look big from this distance, soaring above them.
What shocked Wapol the most was that the creature had two heads.
"Interesting. Shoot it down! I want to taste what a rare delicacy like that is like!"
The sight of such an exotic creature excited Wapol's hunting instincts. Combined with his hunger, he immediately ordered his men to open fire.
But when the soldiers aimed their rifles skyward, the bullets fell short, as the bird was much farther away than it appeared.
"Worthless idiots!"
Disgusted by his men's incompetence, Wapol decided to take matters into his own hands.
He opened his mouth wide and swallowed several of the ship's cannons whole.
Immediately afterwards, using the power of the Baku Baku no Mi, he fused them with other materials he had previously consumed.
A long-barreled cannon extended from Wapol's mouth.
Using an alloy cannon, which is combined from three or four regular cannons and rare metals, just to shoot down a bird might have been overkill, but none of the soldiers dared to object.
Boom!
The cannonball flew away quickly with a whistling sound.