Chapter 154 - 3

Chapter 3: First Intelligence GatheringAs the hand signs finished, Shien felt the Chakrawithin his body begin to flow toward his throat, and he opened his mouth to spray outward.In the next second, a massive fireball erupted from Shien's mouth, and this fireball bypassed Luffy and headed straight toward the person behind him.It turned out that after Luffy defeated Alvida, the other pirate lackeys didn't say anything, but one of the petty Captains was preparing to ambush Luffy.He first silently came up behind Luffy, drew the short blade from his waist, and thrust it forcefully toward Luffy's back, clearly intending to take his life.At this moment, a huge fireball rushed toward him, instantly engulfing his entire body in flames, and before long, he gradually lost his life under the burning fire.Seeing this, Shien was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected that the Fire Release, which was notoriously incapable of killing anyone in Naruto, could actually kill someone here.Another thing that made Shien feel somewhat incredulous was that he didn't feel any discomfort at all. Logically speaking, shouldn't one have a bad reaction the first time they kill someone?Actually, this was a small gift given to him by the big shot who transported him here.One was that he could quickly master various types of Ninjutsu, and the other was that his mind had been strengthened, allowing his psychological endurance to be greatly improved.Otherwise, how could he use Ninjutsu so quickly upon extracting Chakra for the first time, and remain clear-headed after seeing a dead person?Similarly, Luffy was incredibly excited after seeing Shien actually form a few hand signs and spew a fireball from his mouth.He shouted, "Wow, wow, wow, Ninja, Ninja, Ninja..."He completely failed to notice the person behind him who had turned into charcoal, or perhaps he had already noticed and simply didn't care.After using the Ninjutsu, Shien sensed the amount of Chakra in his body and discovered that it hadn't consumed too much, leading him to marvel at the strength of this body.After all, Chakra is produced by the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, and from the amount of Chakra, one could see that the physical constitution and spiritual power of this body had been greatly improved.Just as Luffy was marveling at Shien's identity as a Ninja, and amidst Coby's exclamations from the side.The remaining pirates hurriedly brought over a small sailboat and placed it in front of the three of them, fearing they would become the next target.The three of them looked at the boat in front of them and speculated that this should be a supply ship because the supplies on board were very abundant.The group nodded in satisfaction. Shien casually stripped a set of clothes off a pirate and, despite his reluctance, put them on. Then, he picked up the scroll from the side and jumped onto the boat with Luffy and the others.Subsequently, the boat began to set sail toward the distance.After Luffy, Shien, and Coby boarded the boat, those pirates were still on the shore waving goodbye to them.On the boat, Luffy extended a pirate invitation to Shien."Shien, won't you become my crewmate?""Okay, I agree. Then let me introduce myself properly once more. My name is Shien, and as you can see, I am a Ninja."Facing Luffy's invitation, Shien nodded and agreed; after all, in this unfamiliar world, following someone who was clearly a protagonist was the best thing possible.Seeing Shien agree, Luffy shouted, "That's great! I've found my first crewmate."Then, Luffy started pestering Shien to perform Ninjutsu for him."Shien, was that Fire Release just now? And do you know the Clone Technique? Hey, hey, perform for me, okay, Shien..."Unable to stand his pestering, Shien had no choice but to start performing."Alright, Luffy, watch closely. Next, I will perform the Clone Technique."Shien began to form hand signs, and then a puff of smoke appeared, along with an identical figure appearing beside him.Looking at the two identical people, Luffy cheered happily, "Clone Technique, Ninja, Clone Technique, Ninja..."Coby was also stunned by this scene; after all, this thing was just as incredible as Luffy's transformation earlier.Subsequently, taking advantage of the performance, Shien began to demonstrate walking upright on the mast and walking on the water surface.This made Luffy feel very novel.After performing for a while, Shien told Luffy, "Next, I need to continue studying. After all, being a Ninja is a profession that requires constant learning. You don't need to worry about me during this time."After speaking, Shien took out the scroll and began to look through it.At this moment, Luffy was still in a state of excitement; after all, the first crewmate he found was a cool Ninja, so naturally, he would be excited.Seeing the other person looking through a scroll, this coincided with the manga he had read, making him even more excited.At this moment, Coby's voice came over, "Um, Luffy, did you eat the Gum-Gum Fruit? It's truly shocking."Luffy nodded to indicate that was correct.After confirming it was a Devil Fruit, he continued to ask Luffy if he knew how to search for 'ONE PIECE'.But Luffy shook his head, indicating he didn't know.Subsequently, Coby used his shallow knowledge to explain 'ONE PIECE' and the Grand Line to the other, and of course, Shien also heard their conversation.Seeing that this knowledge was useful, he diverted a portion of his energy to record this knowledge, intending to look it up once they arrived at their destination.When Coby finished talking about the Grand Lineand 'ONE PIECE', he also mentioned Roronoa Zoro.Shien was studying the knowledge on the scroll nearby when Luffy's voice came over, "Hey, Shien, I've decided to go look for that person named Roronoa Zoro. If he's suitable, I'd like him to be my second crewmate."Shien looked at Luffy, "No problem, Luffy. You are the Captain, everything is up to you."Seeing Shien agree, Luffy sat on the bow of the boat and shouted, "Alright, since that's the case, then let's head toward the Marine Base ahead."Hearing that Luffy wanted Zoro to be his crewmate, Coby couldn't really refuse, so he started introducing the person Zoro to the others."Roronoa Zoro is also known as the Pirate Hunter, and he is a very terrifying person.I heard he is like a bloodthirsty wolf, drifting on the sea to capture wanted criminals..."At this moment, Shien closed the scroll, stood up, came over to Coby, and patted him on the shoulder with his hand."Alright, Coby, don't discuss it so casually before meeting the person in real life. No one knows what the specific situation is."Hearing Shien's words, Coby stopped and didn't continue saying anything, and of course, Luffy was still sitting on the bow looking into the distance.In the time that followed, Coby used the navigation knowledge he had learned to start maneuvering the boat toward the nearby Marine Base.Shien, on the other hand, continued to perform Ninjutsu. Calling it a performance was actually more of a practice, but seeing Luffy's look of admiration, Shien still benefited a lot.The boat had been sailing for who knows how long when it finally touched land.Stepping onto land, Coby took out a rope to tie up the boat, while Luffy exclaimed, "We've finally arrived at the Marine Base. Coby, you're really amazing!"Shien, who had come down from the boat, strapped the scroll to his back and also exclaimed, "Yes, such navigation skills are really great."Coby shyly rubbed his head, indicating this was nothing, "That's a matter of course. This is a skill that is essential for those who go out to sea."Then Coby began to tell Luffy, "Luffy, if you rely on drifting to go to sea every time, you won't be able to be a pirate! At the very least, find a Navigator to be your partner."However, Luffy didn't hear him; at this moment, all he was thinking about in his head was eating, "Alright! That's it! Shien, let's go eat."Shien nodded after hearing this; he also felt his stomach starting to growl.After all, drifting on the sea for so long, combined with refining Chakra, had long since left him starving.Seeing that Luffy was also preparing to eat, the two hit it off immediately and started searching for a place to eat by following the scent.Seeing the two leave, Coby immediately chased after them, and finally, the three had a full meal at a restaurant named 'FOOD FOO'.The three, having eaten their fill, began to say their goodbyes in the restaurant.Luffy rubbed his stomach, "Then, Coby, let's part ways here! You go join the Marines and become an excellent soldier!"Shien also wiped his mouth clean and said goodbye to Coby, "Coby, I believe you will definitely be able to become an excellent Marine."Coby also wiped away tears of excitement and said goodbye to Luffy and Shien, "Yes! Thank you so much, Luffy, Shien. You will become excellent pirates and find 'ONE PIECE', although one day we will cross swords..."Before Coby could finish, Luffy seemed to have thought of something, "Right, that guy named Zoro, I wonder if he's in the base."After Luffy finished this sentence, the other people in the restaurant all fell to the ground, and tables and plates were knocked over everywhere.The three of them looked at everything in front of them and felt somewhat shocked.Coby whispered to Luffy and Shien, "It seems that here, Zoro is a taboo..."Luffy nodded, seemingly understanding, while Shienexpressed that it was a bit suspicious.He patted Luffy on the shoulder and whispered, "Luffy, I'm going out for a bit, and I'll take the opportunity to scout for some intelligence nearby."Luffy smiled and nodded, then continued to discuss with Coby.Leaving the restaurant, Shien first changed his attire slightly. Although there was nothing wrong with his clothes, the scroll on his back was simply too large and too conspicuous.After turning left and right, he arrived at a corner. Confirming that there was no one around, Shienbegan to form hand signs, and in the next second, a puff of white smoke emanated from his body.When the white mist vanished, Shien was gone, and in his place was an ordinary-looking woman, with the scroll on his back transformed into a backpack, making him look like a housewife out shopping for food.That's right, this was the Transformation Technique. Next, Shien began his intelligence gathering; after all, the aunties selling vegetables were the best at gossiping.Arriving at the vegetable market, Shien began his acting. After picking a few apples, he easily struck up a conversation with an auntie."Oh my, I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?""Yes, I just moved here. You can just call me Xi. Um, sister, can I ask you a few questions? It's mainly because my husband is at the Marine Base..."Before long, through this auntie's words, Shienlearned most of the intelligence about this island, such as the general number of Marines on the island, the highest-ranking officer, and the location where Zoro was being held.With the intelligence gathering complete, Shienslowly retreated outward, striving not to attract anyone's attention during this time.But despite all his calculations, he still missed one step."Lady over there, please stop. You dropped your apples here."A patrolling Marine soldier called out to Shien in a frivolous tone.At first, Shien thought the other person was calling someone else, so he didn't pay attention, and he didn't dare to increase his speed, continuing as he was.It was only when he heard the approaching footsteps that Shien realized the other person was calling him.Helplessly, Shien had to turn around. At the same time, he was also wondering why such an ordinary female face could still attract attention, and from such lecherous Marine soldiers at that.When those two Marines saw the heaving chest after Shien turned around, drool flowed all over the ground."Ah, um, thank you, two military gentlemen, for helping me pick up the apples. This little woman is deeply grateful."Taking the apples, Shien thanked them softly, then turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by one of the Marines."Don't go, little beauty. We helped you, shouldn't you help us a bit in return? You should know that we are soldiers following Master Helmeppo, and we have quite a bit of money in our hands. Also, you just told that auntie that your husband works at the Marine Base. Madam, you wouldn't want..."