On the deck of the Civco Pirates' ship, over a dozen pirates of various heights, bizarre builds, and eccentric attire held swords and pistols in their hands, warily surrounding Shiraishi.
It had to be said that in the One Piece world, there were very few people who looked remotely normal. It was entirely different from the Naruto world, which loved mass-producing handsome men and beautiful women. Suddenly, Shiraishi felt that he was actually quite good-looking.
At this thought, Shiraishi picked up a mirror from a nearby crate to examine himself, and a bright, pleased smile spread across his face. The immense pressure stemming from the Naruto world's crisis of destruction suddenly lightened by quite a bit.
"Captain! That guy... did he just fly over here?"
One of the lackeys stammered to the man beside him, his eyes filled with an uncontrollable terror. He had seemingly never imagined that someone could actually walk through empty air step by step.
"I saw him!"
The speaker had a thick, bushy beard, stood at least 2.2 meters tall, and wore a suit of black armor that looked rather comical stretched over his flabby, rotund frame. The massive axe strapped to his back clearly identified him as the leader of this pirate crew—Captain Civco.
With a bounty of 15 million Berries, he was an influential force in the East Blue that could not be easily ignored.
Civco looked exceptionally grim. Holding the giant axe that had tasted the blood of many, he stared nervously at Shiraishi, who stood right in the center of his surrounding men. A faint, creeping dread rose within his heart.
Walking on thin air... is that an ability of a Devil Fruit?
How could pure physical strength reach such a preposterous level?
"Oh? Are you all really that surprised by how I just appeared?"
In this era, the Marines had likely already developed techniques similar to the Six Powers (Rokushiki), but in a backwater place like the East Blue, ordinary low-tier pirates truly had never witnessed such a thing.
Although Shiraishi wasn't entirely sure where this pirate crew stood in the grand hierarchy of the One Piece world, Civco gave off the distinct vibe of a complete background character.
Still, one could not be careless. Some of the legendary powerhouse pirates in the One Piece world genuinely possessed faces that looked like generic extras. This world simply loved playing by those bizarre, unpredictable rules.
Swallowing his saliva with great difficulty, Civco desperately tried to steady his nerves. He sized up the youth before him once more, his hands slowly shifting to bring his giant axe into a combat-ready stance.
That axe looks reasonably heavy...
Shiraishi was in no hurry to make a move. Instead, he curiously examined the pirate ship around him. Compared to the tiny, battered boat he and his companions had scavenged earlier, this vessel was exceptionally sturdy and well-equipped.
As time ticked by, the initial terror brought by Shiraishi's bizarre entrance gradually faded. Civco slowly raised his giant axe high into the air, bellowing, "Are you looking down on the Civco Pirates? We are the future overlords of the Four Blues!"
Faced with Civco's grand declaration, Shiraishi ignored him, continuing to ponder his own thoughts. He didn't show this Captain Civco a shred of respect.
"Cap... Captain... we are being completely ignored!"
The trusted lackey standing nearby was already dripping with cold sweat, staring at Shiraishi, who stood there like a statue, completely disregarding their captain!
"You... you brat... heh, hehe..."
At this moment, Civco's flabby face contorted into a monstrous, savage grin, veins popping across his forehead. A roaring rage completely consumed him. He swung his giant axe downward with massive, earth-shattering force!
However, Shiraishi simply executed a casual sidestep to evade the blow. He couldn't help but furrow his brow. From a purely technical standpoint, Civco's axe-play was crude to the absolute extreme, completely lacking any artistic elegance.
Yet, in terms of raw destructive power... Civco, standing over two meters tall with a waistline to match, swung the massive axe in a frantic flurry. The sheer howling of the wind proved that a single direct hit would be absolutely devastating.
Boom!
Following a heavy impact, the solid wooden deck cracked open, forming a massive crater from the strike. Even so, this level of combat skill was still rather disappointing.
Shiraishi glanced down at the shattered crater. While the raw power wasn't terrible, the combat style was far too wild and unrefined, making it somewhat difficult for Shiraishi to appreciate. Just then, Civco raised his axe once more, launching his second strike.
With a slight tilt of his head, Shiraishi instinctively tried to execute a Body Flicker (Shunshin), but his body remained frozen in place without moving.
Ah, right...
He could no longer use any ninjutsu, and his skill cards were completely locked. Was he really forced to rely strictly on raw, unadorned physical combat?
As for Devil Fruits, Shiraishi had never harbored any intention of eating one. The drawbacks were far too limiting, and he hated being bound by such weaknesses.
Still, the fighting style of ordinary pirates in this world was truly devoid of any technique or grace, wasn't it? Though their durability and physical defense were vastly superior to the fragile ninja of his home world, Shiraishi still felt rather out of place.
It was much like trying to play football in a completely different league...
Having failed to trigger his Shunshin, Shiraishi felt a brief wave of embarrassment. He quickly leaped into the air, landing directly on the flat of the giant axe blade, maintaining a delicate, fluid balance. He looked down with a polite, yet slightly awkward smile.
Of course, to Civco, this expression was the ultimate mockery!
"Hey, you—"
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Shiraishi casually leaned his head back, letting the lead bullet graze past the very tip of his nose. He cast a swift glance toward the side, finding a pirate holding a smoking flintlock pistol...
"This... the lethal power of these lead bullets is far too weak. It doesn't even compare to a basic kunai throw."
Shiraishi's quiet self-muttering caused Civco's pupils to contract violently, his face flushing crimson with absolute rage.
Ripping off his heavy iron armor like an infuriated beast, he cast his axe aside. His massive fists, accompanied by a howling gale, shot straight toward Shiraishi!
Yet, Shiraishi simply caught Civco's charging fist with one hand, while his other hand rose to make a quiet "shh" gesture.
"Quiet down. I'm trying to think. By the way, if you have any other combat methods, feel free to use them all at once."
Facing the swarm of pirates charging at him, Shiraishi didn't even bother to unsheathe the silver blade at his waist. He simply delivered casual, precise punches, quickly leaving the entire crew black-and-blue and groaning on the deck. The testing process had left him rather unsatisfied.
Looking at his crewmates scattered across the deck in various states of unconsciousness, Civco's face turned pale with sheer terror: "Who... who on earth are you?"
Shiraishi scratched his head: "I'm merely a passing... samurai, testing my current strength. It seems I've gathered enough data. Now, if you would be so kind, please hand over your logbook."
I might as well pass myself off as a samurai from Wano Country...
A logbook was the fastest and most efficient way to quickly grasp the crucial information of this era. Although the 15-million-Berry Civco was by no means a prominent pirate, his logbook would easily provide Shiraishi with a wealth of useful information regarding the East Blue.
"Oh, and please hand over this ship as well."
Civco felt incredibly humiliated. He desperately wanted to drag this man to hell with him, but the disparity in their strength was simply too absolute. Left with no choice, he miserably ushered his remaining lackeys onto a few spare rowboats, slowly rowing away...
"Not bad at all. You've already got the instincts of a pirate down, adjusting to the lifestyle so quickly."
Ace strolled forward in a carefree manner, looking at the newly acquired ship of the Civco Pirates with a bright, cheerful grin. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. The former Kazekage didn't seem to find this world entirely unfamiliar.
But, Pops... is everyone doing well?
Although this was a completely different timeline, Ace suddenly felt a profound wave of longing to see Whitebeard and the crew, a trace of melancholy washing over his heart.
Shimotsuki Village shouldn't be too far from here...
Regardless of what was crossing Ace's mind, Shiraishi currently intended to set sail for a very specific destination—Shimotsuki Village...
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