He has even mastered Haki, and you say this is Naruto?

"Now that's what you call the spirit of a Yonko."

As Orochimaru thought about everything Shanks had accomplished and then looked again at Konoha, the contempt in his heart only deepened.

"The old man… is just that—old."

Orochimaru faded into the shadows.

There were many ninja from other villages present too, but all of them quietly left the scene—especially after hearing what Kakashi said. Everyone tacitly pretended they hadn't heard anything.

And it wasn't just ninja from other villages—even Konoha's own ninja could only act like they didn't hear it either.

Might Guy, however, was more straightforward. He ignored the Third Hokage and followed after Kakashi.

"Kakashi! Let's have a youth-filled showdown right now!"

"No time."

"I feel like you've gotten a lot stronger recently. And also…"

Guy threw an arm around Kakashi's shoulders, acting completely casual.

"You've been carrying a sword lately—are you learning kenjutsu?"

"I just happened to find one lying around the house."

"Hmph!"

Kakashi yawned again, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

"Rather than worrying about this, maybe think about the upcoming Chunin Exams. There are some really powerful folks showing up this time."

When Kakashi brought that up, Guy couldn't help but start worrying about Lee.

Lee wouldn't give up on the Chunin Exams—he'd fight with everything he had, even his life.

But those two from earlier… were simply monsters. As much as Guy believed in his students, even he couldn't help but worry.

And just as he paused for a second, Kakashi vanished right before his eyes.

"Damn it! Kakashi, that guy's secretly working hard again. He's even picked up a weapon again!"

"But… this is more like it. This is the Kakashi I know."

Guy thought back to when they were young—Kakashi had been one of the most talented ninja of Konoha's younger generation. His father was a great hero.

But after what happened… Kakashi changed completely.

"If that's the case, then I've got to push myself harder too. I can't let Kakashi surpass me!"

Guy's fighting spirit ignited. As a ninja with no innate talent, his only path forward was through more effort and sweat than anyone else.

And that very effort and sweat—that was the true talent of those without "genius."

Meanwhile, Kakashi returned home.

When he entered, a familiar face in the room made a flash of shock pass through his eyes—but it vanished quickly, replaced by calm.

"Kakashi… long time no see."

It was Orochimaru.

"Can't say I'm happy to see you."

Kakashi had no fondness for Orochimaru. He was simply too dangerous.

"Relax. I'm only here to propose a deal. I've been looking for Hiruko's whereabouts recently—if you find anything, let me know."

"This is just a small gift for you."

Orochimaru stood up to leave.

But Kakashi couldn't help but ask as his eyes fell on the item Orochimaru had left behind—a strange fruit with twisted, distorted patterns on its surface.

"What is this?"

"When you returned from the Land of Waves, those pirates must have mentioned it."

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

A Devil Fruit.A mythical item from pirate legend—the fruit of the devil!

From what Kakashi knew, Devil Fruits granted the eater special powers—similar to kekkei genkai.

The key difference? These powers didn't come from bloodline—but from consuming the fruit itself.

"So these really exist…"

Kakashi knew Orochimaru didn't lie—not exactly. Everything he said was usually true… it's just that he never said everything.

Regardless, Kakashi didn't dare try the fruit lightly.

But clearly, not everyone was so cautious—especially not pirates.

"HUWAHAHA!! Zabuza! If you've got the guts, come fight me one-on-one!"

Outside the Port of the Land of Waves, two pirate ships floated offshore. At the bow of the front ship, a man nearly three meters tall bellowed.

It was Darker—a pirate who had recently been beaten down by Shanks.

But the current Darker was a completely different man. His body had more than doubled in size, and he now stood at nearly three meters tall.

Behind him stood Kidomaru and three others, all dressed in standard sailor garb. Darker had clearly eaten a Devil Fruit and his power had soared—he went from being just above average to a monster.

"Come out and fight me, Captain of the Blade-less Pirates! Let's see who's stronger—me, Captain Darker, or you!"

After eating a Devil Fruit, Darker had become one of the most powerful pirates in the region—second only to Zabuza.

After a few battles with Zabuza, Zabuza couldn't beat him anymore. Now, Darker had come to settle the score.

"Today, I will prove to all pirates—I may not be able to beat Shanks, but under Shanks, I am invincible!"

"..."

Hearing this bravado, Kidomaru and the others could only stare blankly. Not long ago, Darker had nearly drowned fighting Zabuza. And the fight with Shanks? He barely escaped with his life.

Now, after gaining a Devil Fruit power, he had grown cocky—but still too scared to go after Shanks directly. So instead, he showed off at the Land of Waves.

"Captain, we've been shouting for three days."

Kidomaru reminded him. They'd only found Darker after discovering a wanted poster of Shanks on the black market, which led them to dig up Darker's past encounter with him.

Though he lost, Darker survived—and that alone became his claim to fame.

That was why Kidomaru and his crew sought him out.

After eating a Devil Fruit, however, Darker had no intention of messing with Shanks again—he was terrified of the man.

"Looks like no one in the Blade-less Pirates can beat me now. This feeling of invincibility… so lonely. Alright boys, today's battle is done—let's head back!"

"Captain wins again!!"

"Long live Captain Darker!!"

"..."

The pirate crew roared with morale. They'd beaten the legendary Blade-less Pirates three times already.

Of course, Darker only dared shout from outside. The rows of cannons at the harbor were no joke.

Even if his body could handle it, his ship couldn't. If he fell into the sea, he'd die for sure.

On the other side, the Blade-less Pirates didn't take Darker seriously, but they didn't have time to waste on him either.

Haku, however, was curious.

He had analyzed Darker's powers thoroughly.

"That guy used to look normal. But every time he dies in battle with the captain, he sheds a layer of skin and grows stronger."

"It seems he has a Paramecia-type fruit.

Shedding skin allows him to survive fatal damage—and each time, he gains resistance to that same type of injury."

"Vice-Captain, is analyzing this even useful? It's not like he can beat our captain anyway."

Kin was confused. To him, Darker was nothing worth worrying about.

Sure, Darker had power—but not much aggression. Compared to the Blade-less Pirates, they were weak.

Besides Haku and Zabuza, even Kin alone could hold off Darker.

"It is useful. Devil Fruit powers aren't like kekkei genkai.

My current power is near its limit—but if I could turn it into a true Devil Fruit ability, I could push my ceiling higher."

Haku had realized his current strength still wasn't enough.

Not even close.

As Zabuza once said, "You don't even qualify to be acknowledged by Shanks yet."

It wasn't that Haku was weak—Shanks was just too strong.

No matter how far Haku pushed his kekkei genkai, it wasn't enough. But Darker's Devil Fruit opened his eyes.

"For Devil Fruit users, the fruit matters more than the person. But so far, there's no sign of them on the black market or anywhere else."

Haku frowned. He had no idea where Darker got his fruit from.

"No need to rush. Gaining a Devil Fruit always comes with a price."

At some point, Zabuza had joined them.

"That's true. Becoming a 'hammer' (someone who can't swim) is a huge weakness."

Kin nodded.

"But… my ability is ice. Being a hammer doesn't really matter to me, right?"

Haku scratched his head. His ability practically ignored the Devil Fruit weakness—and besides, he couldn't swim anyway.

Of course, he'd never admit that. It'd be too embarrassing for the vice-captain of a pirate crew.

"..."

Zabuza and Kin both went silent. When you put it like that… it did seem like a non-issue.

But finding another Devil Fruit—or turning Haku's power into one—was nearly impossible right now.

"If we want info on Devil Fruits… we'll have to wait for Shanks to set sail again."

Zabuza looked toward the giant ship docked in the harbor. Just the keel alone had cost over 200 million ryo.

No one knew what kind of tree that wood came from—it was unbelievably hard and immune to most ninjutsu.

But after seeing the 500 million bounty Mist had put on Shanks, Zabuza felt that ship's cost was well worth it.

Otherwise, with that bounty, he might've felt guilty.

But now? That ship's worth was nothing compared to what Shanks deserved.

That 500 million bounty—was earned!

Chapter 56: No Idiots on the Sea

While Zabuza and the others relaxed, Gato suddenly came running in a panic.

"Lord Zabuza—we found it! We found it!!"

His face was pale, as if something had terrified him. And truthfully, the intel in his hands was spine-chilling.

"Spill it. What's Darker planning?"

Zabuza wasn't stupid—maybe not brilliant, but certainly not a fool.

And he was sure: Darker wasn't an idiot or a masochist. There had to be a reason he kept blocking the harbor.

"I traced underground black market movements. There's been huge population traffic and a large volume of supplies moving."

"Darker used to be a captain under a merchant-backed pirate fleet—but not long ago, he betrayed them and ran."