The sun was shining bright. Fukuda Kiyomu stood in the light, but Amado could no longer see him clearly. Even the sunlight itself seemed to slowly fade from his view.
In the end, only a tattered pirate flag remained, hanging from a dried-up mast.
The mast had withered, and so had the whole Red Force—it looked like it had been dead for a long time.
Claws that stretched from the ship's body were still gripping the sand tightly. Broken arms were still twitching. The twisted bow had its huge mouth open—maybe it was screaming, or maybe it was laughing.
But now, everything was over.
The Red Force's life was completely cut off, and Amado was dead too.
And at that moment, the world will surrounding Fukuda Kiyomu disappeared.
Right after, his whole energy slumped.
"So was that the will of the world, or the will of the Immortal Kingdom? What a weird state."
Fukuda Kiyomu muttered to himself. That version of him just now—even thinking about it now—was terrifying.
That power had already gone beyond the limits of this world. It didn't even follow the rules anymore.
But Fukuda Kiyomu understood—that strength didn't come from him. It was because of the Red Force and the crew member from the Red-Haired Pirates standing before him.
"So this is the Red-Haired Pirates, huh? Genichi already told me about them, but seeing it for myself—yeah, they really are scary."
There wasn't even a trace of arrogance or contempt in Fukuda Kiyomu's eyes as he looked at Amado and the Red Force.
In fact, the sages had studied Shanks pretty carefully. Even though they hadn't met him face-to-face, these people had been through so much that even something like the "World Will" wasn't new to them.
And from what they'd seen when some of the strong ninja and pirates faced off against Shanks—their condition, the way their power changed—the sages had already guessed a few things.
One of those things was this: fighting Shanks seemed to make you stronger.
It might've been because the World Will was suppressing the anti-sage side, which in turn somehow ended up helping Shanks' enemies.
Of course, that's not actually how it works—but even if the reasoning was off, the answer they landed on was still right.
As for Fukuda Kiyomu, even though he couldn't fully sense the strength of Redforce and Amado, he knew there was no way someone could get this strong just from the God Tree or the World Will alone.
So out of respect for Shanks' power, it was only natural for Fukuda Kiyomu to believe that both Amado and Redforce, who carried the "Red Will," had to be top-tier as well.
It's just that his own power was way too high.
And truth be told, he wasn't wrong—Redforce really did live up to the nickname "Little Red-Hair."
This ship carried something deeper inside it, and because of that, its very nature had changed. Naturally, it also developed Shanks' strange ability to give his enemies a kind of power boost.
But this power-up only kicked in if you had some sort of recognition or alignment with the "Red Will."
Fukuda Kiyomu happened to be someone like that.
Of course, just because someone resonated with that will didn't mean they were automatically on your side.
But Fukuda Kiyomu? He was that kind of person through and through.
From the beginning, his goal had always been to help sages break free from their limits. And in this era, he had his sights set directly on Shanks and the Sage of Six Paths.
Even when he got linked to the World Will and ended up merging with the will of the Landbound Immortal Nation, seeing all those old historical memories—
He didn't care. He shook it off like it was nothing.
If he'd stayed in that state any longer, the Immortal Nation might've actually accepted him and given him power.
But "Strongest Sage of the Present Age" wasn't an empty title. Maybe other sages had to fight and claw their way to get that kind of thing, but not Fukuda Kiyomu. If he wanted it, he could have it. It didn't matter that he technically wasn't from the Immortal Nation.
Right now, on the island, the other sages looked up at the fading light of the Immortal Nation's projection, confused and unsure of what had just happened.
But among the crowd, shouts of joy suddenly rang out.
"We won!!"
"There's no way we could ever get involved in a fight like that. That was insane."
"Yeah! That monster's power… and that red-haired pirate crew member's power too!"
The sages were still a bit shaken, but some of them had already started quietly getting ready to run.
After all, one monster might've been taken down, but now there was an even stronger one left behind—a complete maniac.
Who knew if he'd come after them next?
If there was ever a chance, they'd definitely try to take him out once the war was over… assuming they had the chance, that is.
Meanwhile…
Master Genichi stared at the fading image of the Immortal Nation. His gentle face twisted in anger, veins bulging, and the teacup in his hand instantly crumbled into dust.
"That guy… he had the perfect chance, and he just let it go."
"What is he thinking?!"
"Is he an idiot? Do you know how rare this kind of power is? And he just threw it away?"
In that moment, Master Genichi fully understood what had happened.
This… was legacy.
The true reincarnation of a sage means all the power from several lifetimes is gathered into this one.
Did you really think the deal between the sages of that era and the Sage of Six Paths was that simple? If it were that simple, why would the sages have agreed?
What descendants of Zeff? Whether their descendants are sages or not has nothing to do with them.
Even if they are sages, so what? They can still be used as sacrifices anytime.
If the benefits don't fall to you, are they really benefits?
That's how the Sage of Six Paths' reincarnation system works—and Master Genichi knows this well.
As one of the wisest sages, Master Genichi knows quite a bit. Of course, not that much, since the feedback from his own reincarnation power hasn't come yet.
"Fukuda Kiyomu!! Why won't you just die?"
"Hurry up and die already so I can collect your body. I really want to know what's going on in your head."
"Ugh!!"
Master Genichi was already cursing in his heart. He'd had enough and slammed the door as he left.
"Master Genichi, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing. I'm going to New World for a bit."
Master Genichi gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"Master Genichi, are we preparing to go to war with Shanks?"
When he heard the young sage behind him, Master Genichi paused and turned his head.
A full-on war with Shanks? That's just asking to get crushed.
Shanks isn't scary in his normal state, but once he breaks his limits and the world's will no longer holds him back, no matter how many of them go, they're just walking into death.
Yeah, that's right.
If he had to describe Shanks now, Master Genichi would say just two words: "can't lose." There's simply no one in the world who can fight Shanks one-on-one.
That kind of monster isn't something people can go up against.
To put it another way—
The will of the Earthly Sage Kingdom is a subordinate part of the world's will. It's independent from it, so it doesn't get suppressed by the world's will, but it's not as strong either.
Even then, this group of sages still needs to shift the cost to the civilians, and some sages still have to act as Jinchuriki to bear the burden.
But Shanks?
Shanks is just one person.
That's what makes Shanks terrifying in Master Genichi's eyes—because that one person is worth more than an entire ninja world.
If Shanks pulled this off through tricks, then Master Genichi would still call him a terrifying threat to the world—someone they absolutely can't mess with.
If he didn't use tricks, then there's nothing more to say. Why even try? No one can win against that kind of monster.
In that second case, Shanks alone could destroy the entire Earthly Sage Kingdom.
One person bears the burden of the Jinchuriki, one person pays the price, one person builds the will of an independent world.
Oh, and one more thing—
That guy even has the qualifications to become a holy land. That means the world's will has recognized him, too.
But still… it wouldn't hurt to let the people from the Earthly Sage Kingdom go have a look. Just to look. It won't be dangerous.
"Get some people ready—we're heading to New World."
"We're not joining the fight. Earthly Sage Kingdom in New World is too far away. Our power boost will disappear if we go that far," said Master Genichi.
In the corner, Ichidai Kiyomu turned pale when he saw this and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it… the old injury still hasn't healed?"
"..."
Everyone looked at Ichidai Kiyomu, and some of the immortals even showed concern.
Say what you will, but among the immortals, Ichidai Kiyomu was known for being kind and easy to get along with. He never offended anyone.
He got along well with most of the immortals.
You could tell what kind of person he was by how he treated ordinary people.
But of course, Master Genichi knew exactly what Ichidai Kiyomu was thinking.
"Ichidai Kiyomu, just stay here.
Keep an eye on the movements of the major ninja villages and the revolutionary army," said Master Genichi.
He didn't call Ichidai Kiyomu out on anything.
Right now, all he wanted was to rush over and ask Fukuda Kiyomu what the hell was going on—and maybe pick up his corpse while he was at it.
At the same time, on the other side of the New_World...
Countless pirate ships had gathered on an island. In the distance, a red continent was rising up from beneath the sea, and a strong energy from the Dragon Vein was covering their path forward.
Tens of thousands of pirates were drinking and partying on the island.
Suddenly, Jigen, who had passed out drunk, opened his eyes.
"Otsutsuki's will was destroyed? How's that possible? The Ten Tails hasn't even been released yet!"
Jigen sat up.
Just now, Otsutsuki's will had appeared—and the energy was strong. But come on, he was Jigen, not some servant of those Otsutsuki weaklings.
In a split second, Jigen crushed the will of Otsutsuki that had awakened inside him.
What a joke. Who did they think he was? He'd had enough of the Otsutsuki clan ages ago.
He'd been in the ninja world for so many years, and now he even had a Devil Fruit power.
Otsutsuki God? Please. Compared to Shanks, that thing was nothing. A useless creature that only knew how to eat chakra fruit, while Shanks had figured out how to use Devil Fruits properly.
The Otsutsuki clan—other than Jigen—was just a bunch of losers.
As for the will of the Otsutsuki...
"That doesn't make sense."
"The will of Otsutsuki should still be with the Divine Tree, right? It wouldn't move unless the main body of the tree changed…"
Jigen couldn't figure it out.
The Ten Tails shouldn't be that weak either. It's just that none of the other tailed beasts can compare to it.
If the Nine Tails somehow became stronger than the Ten Tails, then maybe it could override the Otsutsuki's will—but that's not possible.
"Could it be Shanks' ship?"
Jigen looked at the bounty posters in his hand. There were several of them, all with Shanks on them.
"Yeah… it must've been Shanks' ship that got attacked. That's the only thing that makes sense."
But the fact that Shanks' ship is actually stronger than the Ten Tails is just unbelievable.
Thinking about it, Jigen turned over and went back to sleep.
The Ten Tails? Just trash.
Let alone Jigen now—even among the current top fighters in the ninja world, there are at least twenty people who can go one-on-one with the Ten Tails and completely overpower its full form.
That's right, at least...
So Jigen didn't care about this at all.
Meanwhile, in another world, on the main planet of the Otsutsuki clan—
A group of Otsutsuki clan members saw a flash of light appear on the statue of the Otsutsuki God and instantly got excited.
"Someone has been acknowledged by the Otsutsuki God."
"Is another Otsutsuki God about to appear? That's great."
"Hurry, check which direction it came from!"
In the next moment, several Otsutsuki elders quickly connected their spiritual energy to the statue.
But then, everyone was stunned.
"What... it disappeared?"
"Didn't someone get recognized by the will of the Otsutsuki God? How could this happen?"
"Was that just an illusion?"
"It... it probably wasn't an illusion, right?"
"I don't know either."
"But judging by the elders' condition, something's definitely wrong."
Seeing a few elders collapse to the ground, the faces of the Otsutsuki clan members were filled with concern.
A few elders had passed out completely, and one of them, trembling, stretched out his right hand, blood continuously spilling from his mouth.
"Damn it... seriously... damn it!!"
"How could there be such... an idiot..."
"..."
After saying that, he fainted too.
Being dumb was one thing—but what really bothered him was not understanding which Otsutsuki clan member could be that insane to actually crush the will of the Otsutsuki God.
How could that even be possible?!
The real issue, though, was Jigen.
Jigen had the potential to awaken Conqueror's Haki, but he wasn't just a normal person. Inside his body lived "Otsutsuki Isshiki," who was the real Jigen.
But this guy hadn't made contact with the will of the world, which meant he couldn't take that final step.
In reality, with Otsutsuki Isshiki's spirit and strength, awakening Conqueror's Haki wasn't hard at all.
So when the will of the Otsutsuki God, which had taken root in the Ten Tails, sensed a threat and found the strongest Otsutsuki in the ninja world, it was instantly crushed by Jigen.
Even though he hadn't awakened Conqueror's Haki before, this guy was a full-blown rebel from the start.
The will of the Otsutsuki God? Who do you think you are?
At this moment, Jigen, still fast asleep, had no idea just how much chaos he had caused.
Yeah, even if he knew, that guy wouldn't take it seriously.
Just some lowly Otsutsuki!
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