"Golden Lion?"
Shanks muttered. He didn't know Jigen's situation, but since the Sage of Six Paths had said it, then it must be true.
In the end, the will of the New World wasn't really Shanks' own will, but a kind of world will.
It's just that under Shanks' power, the way the world will worked changed. At first, it grew and expanded outward from the inside, but now, the New World's will was pulling the entire world will to grow in a certain direction.
This had already changed the whole ninja world's ecosystem. Before, everything developed in a balanced way.
But now the path had shifted to extremes—extreme offense, extreme physical toughness, extreme power output.
Skills and so-called secret techniques were quickly losing their importance.
In the old ninja world, mastering a unique secret art could make you stand out. But now, it's different.
Even sages could openly share their stockpile—if you wanted to learn something, you just paid a small price and could learn it.
Those things were still valuable, but their status clearly dropped a lot, because even the sages were following the path of extremes now.
But Shanks' will, in truth, didn't really matter that much for the New World. The final decision still rested with the world will.
You could say, the limit of what Shanks could do was coloring the world will. As for why the New World's will could suppress the Earthly Sage Kingdom's will—
That was because even the sages couldn't manage to influence the world will at all.
Compared to the world will, Shanks was still nothing more than someone getting crushed to the ground. But even if he got crushed, at worst he ended up half-dead.
If someone else got crushed like that, they'd probably die instantly.
"So that means, out of the Four Emperors, there are only three spots left."
Shanks stared at the Sage of Six Paths. If the Sage wanted another spot, then there'd only be two left.
And the Sage clearly knew he didn't have that kind of authority, yet he still asked?
"The Three Great Holy Lands already have the world will's protection."
"That's not enough. At least for someone like me, from the older generation, it's not enough. The only one who can stand against the world will is you."
The Sage of Six Paths shook his head. He understood what Shanks meant.
"So basically, you just need a cover?"
Shanks instantly got it. This was exactly the kind of trick the Sage liked to pull—he was planning to cheat again.
"Well, you can't put it that way..."
The Sage's face stiffened. Words like that were too blunt. As a strong figure, pride still mattered.
I'm the Sage of Six Paths—asking for a spot among the Four Emperors, isn't that normal?
Who would use that title recklessly? I, the Sage of Six Paths, still have standards.
But the Sage was confused. How did Shanks catch on so quickly? He hadn't even said anything clearly, yet this guy instantly understood.
The reason Shanks understood right away was because the move was too familiar.
That's exactly how the sages of the World Government operated.
So, Shanks, you're strong, huh?
Fine, we'll investigate. Oh, turns out you're also from the sage line. Then that makes you a World Noble.
You're a World Noble, we sages are also World Nobles—so of course this new era includes us.
Under that kind of reasoning, the world will could only accept it, and then the World Government could proceed with its plans.
Shanks' noble status isn't something you can just give or take away whenever you want.
So when he thought about Rikudou Sennin's situation, Shanks instantly understood—this was like a "deadbeat" being blacklisted by the world's will and now trying to pull some strings to get back on the whitelist.
As for the position of the "Four Emperors," saying it was handed over isn't quite right. It's more like Rikudou Sennin put up the "credit" he earned from influencing the ninja world in the previous era.
That way, the Four Emperors became Five, and Rikudou Sennin got back on the whitelist.
As expected from a top sage—always finding a way.
"I get it.
The three great sacred lands are entering the New World anyway, but…"
Shanks gave Rikudou Sennin a meaningful look, while Rikudou Sennin calmly sipped his drink, completely unaffected by Shanks' fighting spirit.
Shanks could tell only one thing—Rikudou Sennin was far stronger than he had imagined.
"I can stay free from the world's will, so naturally I won't be swayed by yours either. But if you want a fight, don't come looking for me.
I'm thousands of years old, Shanks. You're the strongest of the Four Emperors—you wouldn't really strike an old man like me, right?"
Rikudou Sennin immediately started playing the "old man" card.
To be honest, if it were anyone else talking like that, Rikudou Sennin would at least show them what it means to be the one who ruled the ninja world for thousands of years.
Do they really think these hands have never seen blood? Do they think I sat around having friendly chats with those other sages?
I crushed my own mother without hesitation. You think I'm soft? I refused the will of the Otsutsuki and even planned to wipe out their whole clan.
Honestly, every one of these top-tier guys has a serious rebellious streak.
Rikudou Sennin crushed his own mother barehanded, while scheming against the entire Otsutsuki clan.
Jigen? Same deal. He cursed out the Otsutsuki clan as soon as he put down his bowl. "What? I'm one of them? Not anymore."
And Shanks? This guy isn't just rebellious—he's flat-out insane. The world's will reminded him this isn't the pirate world, and what did he do? He cut it.
But when a rebellious one meets a lunatic, even Rikudou Sennin doesn't look so rebellious anymore.
Bro, there's no need to fight me.
First of all, I can't beat you, so why would I fight?
Losing is the small problem. If my thousand-year reputation crumbles, that's the real disaster.
For Rikudou Sennin, there's no benefit in crossing blades with Shanks.
So all he can do is play the old man card.
Both men knew where the line was. Rikudou Sennin had his plans, and Shanks had his bottom line.
For now, as long as neither crossed the other's line, there would be no big fight.
In the end, they didn't say much more. Before leaving, Rikudou Sennin gave Shanks one last warning:
"Don't make any big moves. Getting the world's will on your back isn't a good thing."
Coming from an old master, Shanks took it seriously—especially since he'd already been taught a lesson once.
Shanks looked at the gourd of wine still sitting on the table and didn't hold back—he grabbed it.
But as soon as he picked it up, his face turned dark.
"…"
"It even stole my will!!"
That gourd of Rikudou Sennin's had no wine to begin with. The guy had secretly borrowed Shanks' will and converted it into world power.
Seeing this, Shanks understood that some of Rikudou Sennin's "techniques" needed strong willpower to work. Otherwise, it would be impossible to pull off something this complex.
Although, even a simple move like that already felt complicated to Shanks.
"Forget it, I'll just treat it as a gift."
With that thought, Shanks felt no guilt at all about taking this wine gourd.
"Come to think of it, these treasures from Rikudou Sennin are useless for regular ninjas."
Shanks didn't need to think too hard to figure it out. Rikudou Sennin was on a completely different level. If those treasures were only that strong, it would really cheapen his name.
But if an ordinary ninja could draw out their full power, that would make no sense at all.
As for the fact that those treasures used up a huge amount of chakra, it seemed like nothing to Rikudou Sennin—like it cost him nothing.
"Kishimoto is such a pain."
Shanks took a sip of wine and grumbled.
So many plot holes left hanging, and then I got thrown into this world… and now that I look around, the whole ninja world is full of holes.
Well, it's hard to say who's at fault here. Either Kishimoto or Oda—but definitely not me, Shanks.
As for what's next, all Shanks could do was quietly wait on the Red Line for this new era to come, for the day the Red Line would be fully opened.
Because of Rikudou Sennin's appearance, Shanks also realized something.
That was the issue of the world's will.
His arrival caused the world's will to create the "Four Emperors." The Four Emperors were the carriers of New World's will, and also the world's way of limiting Shanks.
And besides that, there was Rikudou Sennin.
Above Rikudou Sennin, there was another power from the very beginning of this world—the sages.
Which meant the power of the Earthly Sage Kingdom.
Even though it had changed forms over time, without a doubt, the Earthly Sage Kingdom represented the original will of this world.
This whole thing didn't look like what it seemed now. After all, even Rikudou Sennin could only make rough imitations of "Ashura" and "Indra."
A few days later, Shanks returned to the base, his injuries almost healed.
By then, a small town had been built along the coast. The moment Shanks stepped into town, the samurai walking up and down the street stopped in their tracks.
The lively street suddenly went quiet. Some ninjas and ability users in the crowd turned to look at Shanks.
"Shanks… he's hurt!!"
"How… how is that possible?"
"But that last battle—just the aftershocks alone were terrifying."
"..."
Amid the whispers, several samurai arrived with Mifune.
Mifune's heart was pounding. In his lifetime, he finally got to meet that man—the man who had opened a new era of swordsmanship.
Just thinking about it made Mifune's hands tremble.
Watching Shanks walk toward the pirate flag in the distance, Mifune pushed through the crowd.
"Shanks!"
His shaking voice echoed through the silent street. People stood on both sides of the road. At one end was a samurai in full armor.
And at the other, a man who looked battered and worn—the strongest man of the new era.
The gap between the two people wasn't just a matter of one era.
Gulp!
Everyone couldn't help but swallow hard.
They looked nervously at Mifune.
Mifune was strong, but...
As Mifune slowly placed his hand on his katana, Shanks also turned around.
There was no pressure, no aura, no hint of Haki, and not even the slightest sign of what people called the strongest man.
Shanks' clothes were torn, his chest covered in scratches, his pants ripped and tattered, and his body full of small cuts.
What was worse was his face. The swelling had gone down a bit, but the bruises were still there, and there were streaks of blood on it.
His left eye was swollen from the cuts above it and could only open a thin slit. Aside from that, his whole face was covered in scrapes.
Right now, Shanks didn't look anything like a ruler of the world.
And yet, even like this, Shanks still had that carefree look on his face. The man in the distance looked kind of familiar.
"Senior Mifune from the Land of Iron, right?"
Shanks grinned.
The moment Shanks spoke, an old but sturdy man in the crowd suddenly charged out and landed a solid punch right on Mifune's face.
"Senior Mifune…"
"Chief Mifune…"
The samurai around Mifune rushed forward, but the fallen Mifune raised his hand to stop them.
When Shanks turned away, Mifune felt a sharp ache in his chest.
The so-called strongest man, the so-called ruler of the world, all of it was just something that man carried on his own.
Under those wounds was Shanks taking everything on his shoulders for all of them.
That's why Mifune understood even more just how childish his own actions had been.
At this moment, all that was left in everyone's hearts was a bitter feeling. The Shanks they saw now was not the same Shanks as before.
Even some people in the crowd quietly deleted the photos they had just taken.
It was out of respect for Shanks. That man should not appear in the world news looking like this.
By now, Mifune stood up again. He lowered his head, forcing himself to hold back his sadness.
When he raised his head again, his face had a relaxed and cheerful smile.
"Shanks, are you okay?"
Mifune spoke in a carefree tone as well.
Seeing this, Shanks felt like those two old men over there had something going on, but a fight wasn't unusual. Still, coming to greet him in the middle of a fight? Well, that wasn't too strange either.
"I'm fine, just a few scratches, haha!"
"Senior Mifune, I'm leaving now."
"Wait…"
Mifune spoke again.
"Shanks, who gave you those wounds?"
Mifune asked curiously.
"The wounds on your body?"
"It was that great pirate called Golden Lion. That guy is really strong, and… next time he shows up, he'll probably already be one of the Four Emperors."
Shanks said it very directly. The moment everyone heard that name, they froze.
A piece of explosive news spread out from the Red Line.
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