Naruto: I Reign Supreme with Templates Across the Multiverse.

Zenkichi glanced at Krieg and his crew indifferently, his voice calm and cold, "Do you want to dance?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Zenkichi shot forward like a cannonball, appearing on the deck of the pirate fleet in the blink of an eye.

In one swift motion, he seized Krieg by the neck, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.

The overwhelming force made Krieg choke for breath. His feet flailed as he stared at Zenkichi in disbelief and fear.

"H–How…?"

"How can you be this strong?! I refuse to believe it!"

"This kind of strength isn't human!"

"My armor is as hard as diamond, and my arms are loaded with the most powerful firepower!"

"I'm the strongest man in the East Blue! I'm the one destined to become Pirate King!"

Krieg roared in frustration, his pride breaking as he thrashed uselessly in Zenkichi's grip.

"Just rubble," Zenkichi said with a faint smile, "Pathetic."

Then, with an effortless twist of his wrist, Zenkichi crushed Krieg's neck.

Despite the diamond-like plating around his throat, it was nothing under Zenkichi's power.

"C–Captain Krieg!"

The remaining pirates stared in horror as Zenkichi tossed Krieg's body aside like garbage.

One of Krieg's top men, holding an iron staff, charged forward with a crazed look in his eyes.

"You bastard! How dare you kill Captain Krieg!"

His voice trembled with rage and grief as he attacked without hesitation.

Zenkichi blocked the strike with one hand and looked at the pirate with a mixture of amusement and pity.

"Gin, isn't it? Even if Krieg told you to die, you'd do it without question."

Then Zenkichi leapt into the air and brought his fist crashing down.

The force of his punch shattered the fleet below. A white shockwave erupted from his knuckles, smashing through ships like paper and killing dozens of pirates in an instant.

The pirate fleet sank beneath the sea in ruins.

The air itself cracked under his punch, a golden light flashing from his fingertips as he fired a laser directly at Gin, reducing him to ash.

Gin's foolish loyalty would have been admirable—if only it had been directed at Zenkichi instead.

But Zenkichi had no sympathy for such men. Loyalty without reason was nothing more than stupidity.

"These ants barely helped me unlock anything," Zenkichi muttered, eyes already drifting toward the horizon.

In the distance, a naval warship cut across the sea.

Onboard, a white-haired officer watched through a telescope, silently observing the massacre.

"To possess such terrifying strength… this is beyond what the East Blue Navy can handle," he murmured with a mix of awe and frustration.

This officer was Smoker—newly graduated from the Naval Academy. Though young, he already had a rare Logia-type Devil Fruit, and his confidence had once reached the sky.

Now, that confidence was shaken.

He lowered the telescope and turned to the navy's last hope on the ship, the instructor standing behind him.

"Zephyr-sensei… do we even stand a chance against that man?"

Zephyr, the famed "Black Arm," a former Admiral and now an instructor, stood with arms folded and a grim expression.

"I only brought you all to the East Blue for real-world experience," Zephyr said quietly, still gazing at Zenkichi through his binoculars.

"I didn't expect we'd encounter a monster like him."

If it were just him, Zephyr would have stepped up without hesitation. But the ship was filled with his students—promising recruits he had personally trained.

He couldn't risk their lives.

"We're leaving," he said with finality.

"But Zephyr-sensei!" came a voice from the side. A young female officer with pink hair stepped forward, her eyes burning with determination. "That man must have a bounty! Tina wants to fight him—Tina wants to capture him!"

"Forget it," Smoker said coldly, not even turning to face her. "You can't take him."

"Tch. Smoker, you're just afraid."

"Tina's disappointed. This isn't the Navy she wanted to see."

Smoker frowned but remained silent.

"Tina!"

Zephyr turned toward her, voice sharp. "You're a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger. That man isn't someone you can face yet!"

"Hmph. Tina doesn't think he's that impressive," she replied with confidence. "He only destroyed a pirate fleet. Tina's fast, and her Devil Fruit is strong. She can dodge and strike when the chance comes!"

"You're ambitious," came a voice suddenly from behind them.

Everyone froze.

Zenkichi's voice echoed across the deck, calm and quiet—but heavy with threat.

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