"Water Country—we've arrived!"
"Great!"
"Devil Fruits—I'm getting closer every step I take."
A group of people shouted loudly, as if making sure others knew their goals. But perhaps there was no need to hide anymore—most people here were probably after the Devil Fruits anyway.
Akaba stood aside, already planning how he could slip his own Devil Fruit into the mix.
The Whispering Fruit—though not particularly powerful—did grant its eater certain abilities that could stir some commotion. As long as people believed Devil Fruits existed, what came afterward would be much easier to handle.
This was also something of an experiment.
Would the powers of One Piece's Devil Fruits even work properly in the Fire Shadow World? Would they share the same weaknesses—like only being able to eat one fruit—and would the fruit regenerate nearby when its eater died?
The best way to resolve these questions was through real-life testing.
But still, far too many people had come to observe the Devil Fruits.
"Akaba, what are you thinking about? We should go now."
Eno Uchiha patted his shoulder.
Though they had disguised themselves somewhat, this place was filled with mixed and shady characters. To avoid trouble, they couldn't stay in crowded places for too long, lest their identities be exposed prematurely.
"I'm just wondering," Akaba replied, "with so many people here, could there also be Jonin from other villages sneaking in like us?"
"Mm. It's possible. But we don't have time to deal with that—we're in Water Country now. Let them fight it out."
Eno Uchiha naturally understood this well.
Besides, aboard the ship earlier, he'd already noticed someone suspected to be a Jonin from the Rock ninja village. Still, this was their territory—it wasn't his job to question why the Rock ninja had come here.
After all, Mist wasn't allied with Konoha. What happened to it didn't matter much.
Akaba, however, wasn't worried about Water Country itself. He simply feared complications if the Whispering Fruit ended up in a Jonin's hands, making it harder to track down later.
He hated complications the most.
Could he mark the Devil Fruit with [Flying Thunder God]?
Forget it.
Marking it might make it recognizable, and then he'd have a hard time explaining it.
Akaba gave up on that idea.
The five of them moved away from the crowd to discuss their next move in private.
The one who had spread the rumor about discovering a Devil Fruit and planning to sell it was a small dock town within Water Country. Whether it was true or false remained uncertain—their main objective was just to investigate who was behind all this.
This was no simple matter.
The power of Devil Fruits tempted everyone, especially with news of One Piece spreading globally. Someone deliberately leaking information here couldn't possibly be driven by mere greed.
Tricking so many ninja without having real power would make any money earned dangerously hard to keep.
After discussing briefly, the five decided to split up. Akaba would go alone while Eno Uchiha and the other three would act together, both sides investigating the Devil Fruit situation simultaneously.
Of course,
This separation plan had been Akaba's suggestion. Otherwise, he wouldn't have time to exchange for the Devil Fruit and substitute it among theirs unnoticed.
"Next step is finding those guys. They've got nerve—I wouldn't dare pull something like this off."
Akaba approached his target town.
Akaba walked through the town gate and started wandering around. He soon captured a wandering ninja in an alley, hypnotizing him to extract some information.
This place was called Suikawa Chuan.
Two or three months ago, it had just been a poor fishing village.
But in just two or three months, the population had exploded, and with heavy investment in redevelopment, it had quickly turned into a bustling seaside town.
The source of the Devil Fruit information seemed to be a casino.
Casinos were naturally filled with mixed crowds. The Land of Water's security situation wasn't great; frontier towns like this had even looser legal oversight.
Casino—murders probably happened there every so often.
Akaba fell into deep thought.
After tracking down the location of the casino, he did the same as before—using his genjutsu to hypnotize people and extracting partial memories from staff members.
Unexpectedly, words such as "Grand Ritual" appeared in this person's memory.
Rituals, densely populated places, Devil Fruit information...
So it's you—the Yashin Cult.
If it really was the Yashin Cult, then they might truly have manufactured "Devil Fruits" capable of granting abilities. After all, according to Orochimaru's research, the cult's power came from a form of Hetero-chakra, which required slaughter to sustain.
If they'd figured out how to infuse hetero-chakra into fruits, then used this auction to spread them far and wide...
The Yashin Cult's influence would illuminate the entire Ninja World.
Such brilliant minds.
Akaba couldn't help but sigh. No one who survived in the Ninja World was stupid. The Yashin Cult's long-lasting presence hadn't been by chance.
Still, weren't they playing things too big this time?
He strolled around the casino, spotting many suspicious ninjas who bore signs of the Yashin Cult.
The casino had almost turned into a gathering spot for the Yashin Cult. Although judging comprehensively, none of them were particularly strong, Akaba didn't immediately intend to destroy it.
This was the Land of Water.
So after wandering around, Akaba quietly activated his Sensor Ability to investigate the situation here.
"In the basement, huh? Got it. Better leave a mark outside before going in."
Underneath the casino had undergone massive reconstruction. At first, there hadn't been much change, but further inside, it had completely transformed into a research facility where one could see numerous Devil Fruits adorned with various patterns.
They were soaked inside containers filled with special chakra.
This thing... will it actually work?
Akaba couldn't help but recall that ninja from Yunagakure who worshipped the Evil God—eating a Devil Fruit still wouldn't do anything unless one believed in the Evil God.
Forget it. Don't think about these things for now.
Someone might show up anytime soon. He needed to exchange for the Whispering Fruit quickly and then blend in among these fake Devil Fruits.
The researchers from the Yashin Cult were arriving any moment now.
"Hurry up and load this batch. Tonight's our first sale event. We need enough quantity."
"Yes!"
The Yashin Cult had arrived.
Without hesitation, Akaba swapped for what he needed and quietly slipped into a pile of already-soaked Devil Fruits, snatching a fake on the way.
Next second—[Flying Thunder God].
"Lord, I just thought I saw someone..."
"Check the count."
They quickly walked over and began counting.
After a thorough check, several Yashin Cult members said, "The numbers are correct. Let's pack them up."
Outside the casino.
Akaba fell into deep thought. Researching such things wasn't really his forte — better to leave it to Orochimaru for study.
But returning to Konoha would require massive chakra reserves.
According to the intelligence they'd overheard in the basement, the first sale was scheduled for tonight. Time was extremely tight. Going back, accumulating chakra again, then coming back might make us miss the timing.
Forget it. The research can wait.
He sealed it into a scroll. Next, he needed to find Eno Uchiha. They needed to regroup, share what they'd found out, and then decide on their next move.
After some discussion, Akaba and Eno Uchiha reached an agreement. They decided to sneak into the Sale Event tonight and check out the Devil Fruits firsthand. As for that stolen Devil Fruit,
nobody dared to eat it, so it remained sealed. According to the original plan, they'd take it back for Orochimaru's research.
By the seaside dock.
An old man slowly stepped off the ship, lifted his head to glance at the town, then coughed several times. After a pause of several seconds, he pressed on.
"This is Suikawa Town, the place where Devil Fruits appeared."
Madara closed his eyes to sense the surroundings.
The people around weren't strong, but there were still a few Jonin from other countries. Lingering here any longer wouldn't be convenient.
He unconsciously quickened his pace.
Not long after entering the town, a cart passed him. He sensed an unusual aura and couldn't help slightly frowning.
What was on that cart?
Behind him, Black Zetsu had been secretly following and also noticed something odd about the cargo — it was emitting chakra.
"This is the Devil Fruit, huh? Indeed, it's nothing but a ridiculous farce. I originally thought Madara was smart, but I never expected he could fall for such an obvious trap."
Black Zetsu gave a bitter chuckle, lowering his opinion of Madara just a little.
During this journey, he had heard various rumors and accounts regarding Devil Fruits. He knew they originally came from Akaba's manga: One Piece.
What amused him greatly was that these fruits were merely fanciful inventions from a comic's imagination, yet so many foolish people believed they were real — even the Uchiha Madara he valued wasn't immune.
So foolish. So ridiculous.
Forget it. Madara was originally just a tool. As long as he could complete the Rinnegan, these minor details didn't matter.
Black Zetsu lightly sighed and didn't follow Madara immediately.
By scanning the area, he picked up something interesting — Sakuma Akaba, the casino, and the Yashin Cult.
Ever since Akaba had detected him repeatedly, Black Zetsu no longer felt absolutely confident about his hiding abilities, so he deliberately avoided areas where Akaba was active and headed toward the casino first.
After sinking into the earth, he could easily reach the casino's underground chamber.
Soon, he understood the true nature of these Devil Fruits.
"Figures. All counterfeits. I wonder what expression Uchiha Madara will wear when he sees these fake Devil Fruits. Hmmmhmmhm."
Black Zetsu sneered coldly, then turned away.
Now, all that was left was to wait until nightfall.
A group of people who had arrived in Suikawa Town sat inside taverns, inns, or on streets, waiting for night to fall.
In a town where the Land of Water's laws couldn't reach, there was no need for secrecy at gatherings like this. By nightfall, the entire village lit up with lights.
Everyone arrived at the dock.
This was the place where the grand event would be held, and the Yashin Cultists had already been waiting here. However, the Devil Fruits hadn't arrived yet.
Akaba was also in the crowd.
Yet he didn't feel at ease, because by chance, he had noticed an extremely terrifying figure.
Even just the part of the aura he could sense was enough to make his heart pound with fear.
Old and aged, yet immensely powerful.
It might actually be Madara Uchiha from legends.
Could a mere imitation gathering like this really have drawn someone like Madara?
Akaba dared not show any expression, because for strong individuals like Madara, any intense emotional fluctuation could cause subtle changes in his chakra or spiritual energy, leading them to sense something amiss.
He could only keep up the act that everything was fine. He could do nothing but watch and take one step at a time as things unfolded.
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