When the word ninja reached his ears, Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement.Without thinking, he blurted out an invitation straight from the heart:
"I refuse."
Before Luffy's voice even fully reached everyone's ears, Kakuzu's words immediately followed—his refusal came fast and sharp.
That was quick!
Nami and the others thought the same thing in unison.
It was the complete opposite of Brook's reaction—one had agreed instantly, the other rejected instantly.
Among them, Nami and Sanji's inner reactions were the most dramatic.
"Yada…" Luffy's face fell, full of reluctance. "I want you to be my crewmate."
"I refuse. I already have comrades." Kakuzu's expression didn't change.
"Your comrades… are they them? They're ninjas too?" Luffy asked curiously, glancing at Deidara and the others.
Kakuzu nodded slightly, about to reply, but Luffy interrupted excitedly,"Then you all can join my crew together!"
"I refuse." × N
Chiyo and the others all spoke in unison, firmly rejecting Luffy's absurd proposal.
They were all high-ranking figures in their respective Hidden Villages—none of them were stupid enough to throw everything away to become some random pirate's underling.
"I want you all as my crewmates," Luffy said, expression firm and unyielding.
"I'll say it again—I refuse." Kakuzu's shadow clone began forming hand seals."And right now, instead of pestering me about joining your crew, you should be thinking about how to pass my test."
"If I pass your test, you'll all become my crewmates," Luffy clarified.
Kakuzu didn't bother answering. He completed the hand seals and shouted,"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
The sea beside the ship surged violently. A column of water rose upward, reaching thirty meters high, twisting like a question mark—like a serpent raising its body from the deep.
The current roared as it twisted in midair. Then, with a sudden burst, the water split open—a dragon's head tore through the surface, baring its fanged maw in a silent roar.
Its long serpentine body dived downwards, rushing toward the deck. Just before impact, it twisted sharply, its fanged snout leveled horizontally, hurtling straight toward Luffy with murderous intent, as if to tear him apart with its watery jaws.
A cold wind blasted across the deck, flinging Nami and the others' hair backward. The icy air stung their faces, making them tense instinctively.
Luffy watched the water dragon closing in. His face remained calm.He clenched his right fist—muscles coiling, veins bulging like snakes beneath his skin, radiating power.
With his left leg, he stepped forward heavily—thud!—the sound rumbled like distant thunder. The ship rocked from the impact.Twisting his waist, he swung his right arm forward in a powerful arc.
Boom—!
His fist struck the dragon square on the snout. The immense force exploded from the point of impact, rippling outward through the entire construct.
Crash!
The water dragon shattered apart, exploding into countless droplets that rained across the deck.
Drip, drip, drip…
Nami and the others stood drenched, water dripping from their hair and clothes.
"I never said that if you passed my test, we'd become your crewmates."
Kakuzu's tone was as flat as ever, but inwardly he was irritated.He realized this man in front of him didn't listen to reason at all—a single-minded fool who once fixated on something, couldn't be swayed even by ten oxen.Truly, a troublesome type.
He didn't cast any more jutsu.Anyone who could disperse the Water Dragon Bullet with a single punch had already met the basic requirement—self-defense wouldn't be an issue.
"Then what'll it take for you to join my crew?" Luffy pressed on stubbornly.
"I belong to an organization. If you want me to join your pirate crew, you'll need my boss's approval," Kakuzu said, conveniently shifting the burden away.
He was already on the verge of snapping. If this had been the old him, he'd have already rushed up and gifted Luffy a full Five-Element Jutsu Combo Meal.
"Who's your boss? Where is he?" Luffy asked seriously.
But Kakuzu didn't answer. His gaze shifted toward one corner of the deck."Let me ask you something—does your pirate crew have someone who can turn invisible?"
The Straw Hat crew immediately shifted their attention.
"Invisible?!" Sanji's curled eyebrow twitched. He suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"No." Nami shook her head in response to Kakuzu's question.
The others all gave the same answer.
Upon hearing that, Kakuzu's shadow clone moved in a blur and appeared at the corner of the deck, grabbing hold of a half-transparent figure.
Half-transparent because the person had been drenched—his body wet and shimmering, faintly visible beneath the water.
"An invisible man!!!" Nami and the others shouted in shock.
Thump, thump, thump—
Sanji dropped to his knees instantly, pounding the ground with his fist as tears streamed down his face."Damn it all!!"
"Sanji, what's wrong?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion. The others looked just as puzzled.
"My dream… shattered."
"Huh? You found the All Blue?"
"It's my other dream. I once read through the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and learned that…"
Before long, under everyone's blank stares, Sanji explained his "other dream"—one that would make women fall silent… and men's blood boil.
The result, of course, was an iron fist of punishment courtesy of Nami.
Kakuzu, meanwhile, paid no attention to the Straw Hats' antics.Chiyo and the others gathered around the invisible man Kakuzu had bound with his black tendrils.
"If he's not part of the Straw Hats, then he must've come from that island," Chiyo analyzed calmly—an insight neither Luffy nor Hidan had considered.
Then she sighed. "Too bad we don't have a Yamanaka clan ninja with us—otherwise, we could've easily read his memories."
The Yamanaka clan's secret technique could extract and read memories—perfect for gathering intel.
"Since we can't do this the simple way," Kakuzu said grimly, "we'll just have to waste some time.Hidan, he's yours. Do whatever you want with him—just don't kill him. Make him talk."
"I'm not doing it. If I can't sacrifice him to Lord Jashin, it's a waste of time," Hidan refused immediately.
"I'll give you one chance to reorganize your words," Kakuzu said coldly, his green eyes narrowing."If you don't say what I want to hear, then for the entire duration of this mission, you won't be allowed to sacrifice a single soul to your Jashin."
"I, Kakuzu, always keep my word."
"If you don't believe me—feel free to test it."
You ruthless bastard! I yield!
Hidan didn't respond aloud.He felt words were inadequate to convey his submission, so he decided to demonstrate it with action instead.
Fuming, he grabbed his extendable black spear, jabbed it into Absalom's body, licked the blood from the tip, and began drawing a ritual circle on the deck.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)