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

Likewise, when it came to research and development, Kumogakure had built its foundation slowly through its middle management ranks. On the other hand, Konoha could rely on just the materials Orochimaru had left behind, and that alone was enough to last them for decades.

Given such a strong middle-tier leadership, a strange phenomenon emerged in Kumogakure: the Raikage didn't need to use his brain.

"Ei, I've redirected the operatives we sent out—now they're headed toward Konoha. But just in case, Lord Raikage, I still believe you and Killer Bee should personally go there."

Raikage Ei sat in the main seat, exuding an air of authority. After Mabui finished speaking, he nodded solemnly.

"Okay, but… why are we going to Konoha?"

"..."

"Ei, can you please focus? This matter is huge—it could be a conspiracy by Konoha. We need to go and investigate personally."

"Even if we intervene now, the situation has already spiraled out of control. The only thing we can do is issue a direct threat to Konoha."

"The other Hidden Villages probably think the same. They'll likely head to Konoha too."

Mabui spoke up again. The others had only recently realized Konoha's true intentions. While Kumogakure wasn't innocent either, compared to Konoha, their dirty work seemed like petty mischief.

All Kumogakure had done was kidnap Jinchūriki and important individuals from other villages—and even those attempts on Konoha had failed.

But what was Konoha trying to do this time? Were they aiming to unify the ninja world in one bold move? Using Shanks to draw all the attention, then using the Chūnin Exams as a cover to collude with other villages, all while secretly orchestrating something else behind the scenes?

"What about the Devil Fruits?" Ei asked again. The reason they got involved in the Shanks situation was for the Devil Fruits. If they were heading to Konoha now, what would become of the Devil Fruits?

"Lord Raikage, don't you get it yet? Shanks never had any Devil Fruits. It's very likely that the fruits came from Konoha in the first place."

Mabui was practically yelling at this point. She seriously suspected Ei had trained his brain into muscle too.

This was something they absolutely could not gamble on.

Of course, Ei's doubts were ultimately irrelevant. Mabui had already passed intel to their sea units using the "Heavenly Sending Technique." By now, those forces were likely en route to Konoha.

"I see now. Konoha hoarded the Uzumaki Clan's legacy. That means Shanks never had any Devil Fruits—they were with Konoha all along."

"..."

Ei suddenly came to the realization, and the others let out a collective sigh of relief. At least he finally got it… although what he said was still slightly off from what they meant.

But at that moment, a spark of insight seemed to flash through Mabui's mind.

She looked at Raikage with a mix of doubt and awe. A genius? Could he actually be a genius?

After all, the rumors of Devil Fruits only began spreading after Shanks appeared.

Later, Dark's emergence confirmed that Devil Fruits were real.

Which meant what Shanks said was true. So then why did Shanks know about them but not have any?

"Konoha must've swallowed the entire Uzumaki Clan's legacy—devouring everything from the Land of Whirlpools."

"And that's why they didn't come to the Land of Whirlpools' aid back then—because of the Devil Fruits? Typical Konoha—if anyone could pull that off, it'd be them."

Mabui suddenly understood everything. When seen from that perspective, everything clicked.

Shanks exposed the existence of Devil Fruits. Fearing someone would eventually trace things back to them, Konoha made their move to shift the attention and blame onto Shanks.

They might even be planning to eliminate Shanks altogether!

So that was the reason—Shanks, being an Uzumaki, knew too much. Konoha couldn't afford to let him live.

"Let's move out. This time, Lord Raikage and Killer Bee will lead the team. Cee will be in charge of border support in the Land of Fire. Everyone else remains in the village."

"If anything happens, I'll contact you directly."

Mabui gave the final instructions.

"Follow Mabui's plan. Let's begin."

From the head seat, Raikage Ei waved his hand and issued the final order.

"Yes, sir!"

The assembled shinobi responded in unison.

This time, Kumogakure was sending out its true fighting force—even the Jinchūriki who usually served as a deterrent was being mobilized.

Both Raikage Ei and Jinchūriki Killer Bee were formidable in their own right. Together, they were even stronger.

This level of deployment was essentially a declaration of war. Kumogakure was fully prepared for it.

On the other side, in the Land of Earth, the Tsuchikage Ōnoki was far more composed. He was someone who had seen the world and, having lived so long, naturally had ties with leaders from other villages.

"Lord Tsuchikage, we've received news from Sunagakure."

"Elder Chiyo said they have no cooperation with Konoha and know nothing about Devil Fruits."

"I see. Tell Chiyo not to worry—I won't jump to conclusions based on baseless rumors. Also, make another trip to Sunagakure."

After he spoke, the messenger ninja set off again.

Ōnoki was surrounded by a group of elite Iwagakure shinobi—they were already on the move.

He wasn't going to sit still, even if it turned out to be nothing. His priority was stabilizing Sunagakure. They better not be hiding anything and should just stay put.

"Lord Tsuchikage, it will take at least three days to gather the rest of our forces. We have time."

"Let's reach the border first. When the time comes, we'll infiltrate while the main force remains on standby."

Ōnoki gave the command. He wasn't just familiar with Chiyo—he knew Konoha's people too.

From how things looked, everything pointed to that man—Shanks. But then you looked at the Uzumaki Clan and asked: who were they close to? It all led back to Konoha.

Not to mention, Konoha had someone like Danzo. How could Ōnoki trust them? If he just sat still, it wouldn't be long before Danzo sealed him in a coffin.

As for Sunagakure, Chiyo also began mobilizing her forces.

"This might be a conspiracy by the other three villages targeting both Sunagakure and Konoha."

"N-No way…"

Maki was so shocked he could barely speak.

"I wish that were true," Chiyo replied. "If Konoha really possesses Devil Fruits and is willing to share them with us, then a Konoha-Suna alliance would be powerful enough to oppose the other three villages."

That was the key. Regardless of the outcome, neither Konoha nor Sunagakure would emerge unscathed. The best-case scenario was that Konoha did have Devil Fruits—ones that could give an ordinary person the strength of an elite jōnin in a short time.

If not? Then things would get ugly.

It's like when people suspect you're developing nuclear weapons—your best move isn't to deny it, but to show that you've already built them.

That's what Chiyo hoped for: that Konoha had Devil Fruits—and the more, the better.

Otherwise, Sunagakure was just getting dragged into Konoha's mess, gaining nothing, and still getting beaten down alongside them.

By now, the entire shinobi world was in motion.

Not just the major Hidden Villages—countless smaller ones and even many rogue ninjas were now converging toward Konoha.

The Four-Tails' Jinchūriki Rōshi had left Iwagakure and emerged from the mountains. The Six-Tails' Jinchūriki from the Land of Water also quietly left by boat.

Back in a casino, Tsunade rose from an empty gambling table and walked out. Her cloak flapped in the wind, and Shizune followed behind, holding the little pig.

The last gambler had finally left.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows of Tsunade and Shizune as they strolled leisurely through the streets.

Outside the casino, a gang of thugs glared menacingly at them. The final "big fish" of the casino had left.

As Tsunade and Shizune disappeared around a corner, the thugs turned to look at their boss.

Behind the bar, a chair slowly turned as white smoke curled into the air. The casino boss—Ross—was a burly middle-aged man. Even in a windbreaker, his muscular build was obvious.

"Boss Ross, all the gamblers are gone."

The thugs were panicked. Without gamblers, how would the casino survive?

"They haven't left," Ross said, fingers intertwined. The gemstone rings on his hands sparkled under the light. "They've just moved to another table."

"Another table?"

"Yes—a much bigger one."

Ross slowly stood, taking a deep drag of his cigar.

On the other side, Shizune looked at Tsunade with confusion.

"Lady Tsunade, that's the tenth casino with no gamblers. Let's stop searching already."

"Did all those gamblers quit gambling or something?" Shizune muttered.

"Quit gambling? Those people? No chance. There's just a bigger table waiting for them."

"A bigger casino? Where is it?"

Shizune relaxed a bit. If Tsunade knew where to go, they could stop wandering around. She was exhausted.

Tsunade paused for a moment.

Meanwhile, Ross flicked his cigar onto the ground and crushed it with his boot.

Tsunade, her back to Shizune, and Ross, looking at his men, both said in unison:

"That table… is in the New World."

The table in the New World didn't require chips. To be precise, the only chip… was yourself.

Perhaps to many, the so-called "New World" and "Four Emperors Shanks" had once been nothing but baseless rumors—just like the stories people told.

Even though most people had already heard about the Blade-less Pirate Crew, and about how they had robbed tribute silver from the Land of Water intended for Kirigakure…

Most still considered this a ninja problem. And ninjas weren't something normal people paid much attention to.

Ninja weren't high-class because of their status—it was their power. In the shinobi world, power alone determined your standing.

So even if the Blade-less Pirates robbed a nation, it was still a ninja matter. Merchants forming pirate crews didn't do so because of Shanks or the New World. They did it because piracy… made money fast.

But now, Dark's appearance had truly ignited the ambitions of ordinary people. It sparked a flame in the hearts of all those former gamblers.

In the waters near the Land of Water, the tall and imposing Dark stood at the bow of his ship. Behind him, more than a thousand ships followed. A wave of pride surged within him.

Kidōmaru and his three companions stood in awe, staring at the endless stretch of ships on the sea.

Some ships were massive, with multiple decks and dozens of naval cannons.

Some had their hulls plated in iron, looking like floating fortresses, echoing with the roar of steel.

Others looked like ordinary fishing boats—dilapidated and manned by just a few people.

There were even some people who simply sat on boards, tied to bigger ships to be dragged along.

And the most ridiculous ones tied two empty barrels to themselves and floated out to sea.

Kidōmaru and the others saw all kinds of people—young, strong men; shrewd, dark-faced merchants; half-dead junkies; fallen samurai; ragged, skinny drunks; starving beggars; and old gambling addicts from the casinos.

"Captain Dark!!" Kidōmaru couldn't hold back and called out to him. This was insane.

"You've never fought Shanks head-on. You don't know how terrifying he is. With just these two ships, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"He's a man capable of creating a new era. You haven't truly faced a Four Emperor—and you think you can just fight one?"

Dark explained.

He wasn't stupid. Quite the opposite. The fact that he had survived the war between the Land of Water and the Land of Waves already said enough.

And from a mere thug, he'd become the captain of three ships. That required not only brains, but also skill—and ambition.

But that wasn't enough. Not even close.

The "Dark Pirates" couldn't face the Blade-less Pirates, let alone a Four Emperor like Shanks.

So he had never intended to go it alone.

"But… how did you gather all these people?"

"This is just too many ships, Captain Dark. Was this all your doing?"