The moment Black Zetsu's mind started to break,
Itachi's genjutsu worked.
Kaguya?
She's strong, yes—
but not *that* strong.
Even someone like Kaguya, back then, could only protect the area covered by the Divine Tree.
The Sages could still move and fight outside that range.
That alone proved Kaguya wasn't as terrifying as people thought.
Well, she *was* insanely strong—
but the moment she stepped outside the Divine Tree's range,
she'd be surrounded by dozens of Sages.
Not to mention, she'd also be under pressure from the world's will itself.
Not everyone is like Shanks, who could break through the world's will directly.
So to Itachi, Kaguya's strength was definitely impressive—but not enough.
Still, strength like that is more than enough… to be called a "weapon."
Looking at Black Zetsu, who had broken down after his plan fell apart, Itachi went straight to the next step of the plan.
The goal now was to make good use of Kaguya's power.
As for how to do that?
Don't forget—Black Zetsu carries Kaguya's will inside him. And in this world, there was someone who, more than ten years ago, already figured out how to use tech to control part of the world's will.
"Could Amado pull it off?"
"Not sure. But even if he can't, he can still influence Kaguya.
Shanks said before—Amado's power is terrifying. He could control part of the world's will as a normal person. As long as we give him enough time, he might really be able to use the Kaguya will inside Black Zetsu to turn things around and take control of Kaguya."
The rest of the plan was something Nagato and Itachi would work out together.
And clearly, neither of them saw Kaguya as human.
Well, that's not surprising.
After all, in the ninja world, even the Tailed Beasts used to be treated like weapons. So someone like Kaguya? Even more so.
Of course, this is only the starting point of the Revolutionary Army's "peacekeeper" plan. They don't have that kind of power yet, and Amado is still in the South Sea, in the New World.
Meanwhile, on an island in the eastern sea of the Land, Orochimaru had retreated there with Jugo and Suigetsu.
The whole way, Orochimaru was confused—he didn't understand what was going on, because Naruto and Sasuke hadn't really done anything yet.
"Kakashi really is a pain. He suddenly called in so many people... even I'm having a hard time dealing with this."
Orochimaru's eyes were deep with thought. He clearly had some ideas about what was happening, but because of what Kakashi did, he had no way to prove anything.
"Orochimaru-sama, why don't we just leave? Even Rear Admirals from the Marines are starting to gather. If you show up in a place like this, they're definitely going to make a big move."
Jugo tried to convince him. They'd been running for days, and there were only three of them. They couldn't win a direct fight.
Sure, pirates in the New World are strong, but only on average. The ones Orochimaru fought, whether they were pirates or sages, weren't all that strong.
Honestly? Even just Kakashi right now was already a lot of trouble.
Not because Kakashi could beat Orochimaru directly, but because Kakashi could kill Jugo and Suigetsu in one clean shot.
Even though Kakashi hadn't done that, Orochimaru wasn't just dealing with him—there were others too. That's why the three of them had such a tough time these past few days.
"No rush. If the Marines can react, so can the others."
Orochimaru said calmly. On the road, he had already made contact with Gato's intel network.
And from Gato, he had learned one thing.
Zabuza's pirate crew had returned to East Blue.
"This is what you guys need to learn. In war, it's not about fighting alone. Our reinforcements are already on the way."
"Reinforcements? You mean Kimimaro and the others?"
Suigetsu, who had been lying down, quickly sat up, suddenly full of energy again.
Reinforcements were coming—finally, they wouldn't have to keep getting beat down.
"Hmm…"
"Orochimaru-sama, are you talking about... that mountain bandit king from the Land, Sig?"
Jugo thought for a second.
The Land was close to here, and that guy Sig had a lot of men under him. He was also a powerful fighter.
Back then, he led his people and crushed everything from the Land all the way into the Land of Fire. In the end, he was only driven out after the sages joined forces with a large Marine force.
Even in such a bad situation, Higgs still kept going, continuing to fight and dodge around the Marines.
While there may not be any top-level fighters in the Land, just watching how Higgs moves, it's obvious he's incredibly talented.
It's not just about power — more importantly, he's smart. He managed to lead a whole group of people while dealing with the Marines alone.
"But... do we even have any way to contact Higgs?"
Suigetsu looked a bit worried.
"No, but... it doesn't really matter. What matters is, someone will help us reach him."
A confident smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
He wasn't just stalling for time. He was making sure that everyone in East Blue saw him.
Because East Blue didn't just have Higgs.
There were also those big-name pirates recognized by Shanks. There's no way that group would let a chance like this pass by.
Meanwhile, over at Marine HQ…
Ichidai Kiyomu, representing the Elders of the World Government, walked into Chiriku's office. The Marines still hadn't responded, and the Elders were getting anxious.
"Orochimaru showing up is no small thing, Fleet Admiral Chiriku.
The nobles of the World Government want the Marines to act fast and drive out a pirate like Orochimaru."
Ichidai Kiyomu sat down across from Chiriku without hesitation and poured himself a cup of tea.
They say this tea is calming and good for your health. Of course, Ichidai Kiyomu didn't see any such effect on Chiriku.
"Orochimaru's appearance has nothing to do with us. If you want him driven out, the Guardians can handle it.
You should know — if we go after Orochimaru now, the Marines will take even heavier losses."
"Higgs the Mountain Bandit is wandering around the Land, and the Ross Pirates, the Black Gun Pirates of the Peak Family, and the Ghost Dragon Pirates are all heading that way.
If we send our forces there, we'll only make the war bigger."
Chiriku didn't hold back. Anyone with a brain would know this was a bad idea.
Those pirates aren't idiots.
Now Chiriku was finally feeling the pressure too.
Not because Ross Jess, Kagero Peak, or Ghost Dragon were unbeatable — but because the Marines just didn't have enough capable people.
Of course, someone like Kakashi was still useful.
But since Kakashi once laid a hand on one of the Elders, the Marines had to be careful with how things looked. Kakashi was just there to hang around, get his credit, and go back to being Hokage.
So the Marines were now in a situation where their generals were being completely outsmarted by the pirates.
Chiriku was absolutely sure that Orochimaru, Higgs, and Ross Jess weren't coordinating anything.
They were just thinking for themselves — and yet they somehow had this perfect unspoken rhythm. That's something Marine officers completely lacked.
"Of course, I understand that."
"But most of the World Government's Guardians have already gone to the New World to deal with Shanks. We really don't have anyone to spare."
"And besides, Orochimaru being here is a blow to the whole image of the World Government.
As for taking action — that's the will of all the nobles."
Ichidai Kiyomu kept talking. This really had nothing to do with the Elders directly. Orochimaru showing up had just made the nobles and some allied nations extremely nervous.
After all, last time, Orochimaru almost destroyed the Land of Wind. Now he suddenly appears here again — of course the nobles are going to panic.
As for Ichidai Kiyomu, he was just left behind to watch over things.
Ichidai Kiyomu only had one rule: he'd rather do nothing than make a mistake.
Right now, there was no one to take the blame for him, so he just chose to stay out of everything and play it safe.
And the result? Don't even bring that up. Just compare him to the hardworking Third Hokage—who do you think did better?
"World nobles? What do they know? They have no idea what kind of consequences a war like this will bring once it starts."
"I've already split up the East Blue battlefield into smaller sections. If they all get combined again, the death toll will be at least five times higher," Chiriku said angrily. He'd worked hard with the Marines under his command to break up the East Blue battlefield.
This kept the whole area in chaos for longer, but at least it stopped the fighting from getting worse.
If they could just buy more time, the battlefield would slowly shift toward the New World.
"In that case, Fleet Admiral Chiriku, just assign more noble officers to the front lines."
The nobles also wanted their families to have more influence, so this worked out for them too.
After speaking, Ichidai Kiyomu placed a letter of petition from the nobles on the table.
He still had to be the one to deliver it. Regular nobles weren't even worth Chiriku's time.
What's that? You're the ruler of the Land of Fire? Well, I'm the Fleet Admiral of the World Government's Marines. Who do you think you are?
"Alright, I'm out of here."
Ichidai Kiyomu waved and left without looking back.
He left the rest for Chiriku to deal with.
Chiriku was truly capable. Even the nobles didn't dare push him too hard.
Why? Because they weren't dumb—they could tell Chiriku was holding East Blue together.
But at the same time, they still wanted their family's strength to grow, for their Devil Fruit users to rise in the Marine ranks and gain power.
As for sacrifices? All power comes at a cost, and they were willing to pay it.
In the end, the ones who suffer the most won't be them—it'll be the regular Marines and the common people.
You could say the nobles are useless, but that's not completely true. Some of them really do fight on the front lines.
But if you say they're not the problem, that's also wrong—because it's still the lower ranks who take on the biggest losses.
Even so, as he looked at the letter in his hand, Chiriku let out a long sigh.
"Send Vice Admiral Hatsujuro to the Land. Have Vice Admiral Umiki go with him. And Fujita, who's stationed near the outer coast of the Land of the Sea, should also head south…"
Chiriku started giving out orders.
These people were all top fighters in the Marines. They were also the first generation of Devil Fruit users raised by the noble families.
Don't underestimate them. Being the first group of Devil Fruit users meant they were handpicked geniuses from noble bloodlines.
They got where they are through both strength… and background.
But they really did have power. And as young elite nobles, their future was full of potential.
That same day, the Marine forces began a major movement.
Hatsujuro stood at the front of the ship, the sea wind blowing against his cape. With his head held high and chest out, the big word "Justice" on his back sparkled in the sunlight.
"Vice Admiral Hatsujuro, we've been cleared to go to the Land and help Vice Admiral Kakashi capture Orochimaru.
All the other ships have already been informed."
"I understand.
Tell everyone that the enemies we're going to face next aren't just some small-time punks from East Blue. Make sure to protect yourselves on the battlefield."
Hatsujuro spoke in a calm and gentle tone.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Hatsujuro!"
"Vice Admiral Hatsujuro really is a kind person."
"Yeah, but to be so strong and have such a high rank at a young age, Vice Admiral Hatsujuro is really impressive."
"And he's a genuinely good guy too."
"…"
Hearing the soldiers chatting behind him, Hatsujuro smiled softly.
As a genius from a noble family, wasn't it normal for him to be almost perfect?
"Kakashi's here too? Looks like this won't be easy.
But... I'm not the weak nobody I used to be. I may not be on the same level as someone like Kakashi-senpai, but among the younger generation, my name should be known across the seas."
Hatsujuro was confident. It wasn't arrogance — it was real confidence, because he was truly strong.
And he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
Vice Admiral Umiki, Vice Admiral Fujita...
These strong fighters from noble families — every single one of them was a genius in their youth.
The oldest among them, Vice Admiral Umiki, was only eighteen.
An eighteen-year-old noble who had already fought in nearly a hundred battles, including the war in the Land of Wind.
That kind of record was already crazy impressive.
But in East Blue, there were nearly twenty such geniuses among the younger generation.
All twenty of them were standouts — talents who rose above the rest of their peers.
Some of them were even stronger than Naruto and Sasuke.
This was the strength behind the world's nobles, the legacy of the sage families. Geniuses? They had no shortage of them.
Strength, willpower, intelligence... these all-around talents were carefully raised by the nobles.
They might not yet be able to stand toe to toe with the strongest of the previous generation, but they were definitely the ones who would carry the world forward — because they were still young.
While the Marines had already started to move, Orochimaru — still resting on a small island — suddenly stood up and looked out over the sea.
The sun's glow touched the waves, and a figure slowly approached from the distance. The ocean grew still, and it was as if the sunlight had been frozen in place on the water.
A cold chill swept through — the sea froze over completely.
Sunlight bounced off the ice, revealing Haku's soft and gentle face. But under that calm and beautiful look, even Orochimaru could feel the pressure.
The strongest of the new generation — unmatched in strength, intelligence, and will. A true genius who could dominate the world.
"Vice-Captain of the Blade-less Pirates — Haku!"
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