Chapter 168: Chapter 168: The Burning Fruit
At the ferry on the border of the Land of Fire.
Haruki stood on the shore, gazing out, ready to rent a ship.
Just then, a burly man walked up behind him. He was well - built, around thirty years old.
He casually glanced at Haruki and lingered on his expensive clothes for two seconds, then let out a hearty laugh. "Is this guest planning to take a ship?"
Haruki turned his head and sized the man up. "Yes. Can you rent me a ship?"
"Not rent a ship. Wherever the guest wants to go, I can take you there." The young man replied.
"To the Land of Water."
"Coincidentally, I'm also going there. I'll give you a ride on the way, as long as you can pay."
"Sure."
Haruki didn't haggle and paid the money readily, which made the young man even happier.
"Just call me Zentaro."
"Okay."
Haruki followed him onto the ship.
The ship wasn't big, but it could easily accommodate two people.
He found a seat at random.
Zentaro stood at the bow of the ship, rowing. Every movement of his exuded a powerful sense of force.
Haruki squinted his eyes and said nothing more.
Half an hour later, his breathing was steady, as if he had fallen asleep.
"Guest."
Zentaro tried calling out, but there was no response. He called out three more times in a row, and it was still the same.
A smile immediately appeared on his face.
He stopped the sailing ship and took out a white tanto, a bit longer than a dagger, about eighteen centimeters long.
Zentaro always liked the number eighteen.
He came in front of Haruki and made a gesture, looking very skilled.
As one of the emerging pirates, he was already used to this kind of work.
Although he was just a cook in his pirate crew, cooks also had dreams.
He used to think he'd spend his whole life in the kitchen, but the Devil Fruit re - ignited his childhood dream of becoming a Ninja.
So he resolutely set sail.
Unfortunately, despite his years of exercise, he was still all show.
He bumped into the Kuroki Pirate Crew and was unluckily captured.
The only stroke of luck was that there was no cook in the whole pirate crew.
After some twists and turns, Zentaro went back to his old profession.
So, it's never a bad idea to learn an additional skill.
Zentaro pulled himself out of his thoughts and brought the knife down.
The tanto landed precisely on Haruki's neck.
He couldn't help feeling a little cocky.
After becoming a pirate, he learned a truth: killing someone was just like slaughtering a pig.
Clang!
Zentaro's smile froze. The tanto he had bought at a high price was bent.
Haruki opened his eyes.
He touched his neck and felt nothing.
An authentic Sage Body was already impervious to blades and bullets.
He casually picked up Zentaro's tanto, gave it a slight shake, and it immediately returned to its original shape.
"Sir... sir..."
Zentaro swallowed hard. He knew he had met a Ninja.
Only Ninjas could have such an exaggerated performance.
"Which pirate crew are you from?"
Haruki put the tanto against his neck and smiled slightly.
"Kuroki. Sir, I'm just a cook, really."
"Oh? It's normal for a cook to carry a knife, right?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Zentaro nodded hurriedly.
"Take me to the Kuroki Pirate Crew."
Haruki stuffed the tanto back into Zentaro's hand. "By the way, tell me about the well - known pirate crews at present."
Zentaro, having narrowly escaped death, was eager to chat with Haruki heart - to - heart.
After more than a dozen minutes, Haruki couldn't help raising his eyebrows. He heard something very interesting.
"You're saying there's a ninja who claims to be a descendant of Pirate King Roger, ate a so - called Burning Fruit, and obtained extraordinary Fire Release?"
The plot sounded so familiar that he thought he'd misheard.
"Yes. The chief of the Burning Pirate Crew is extremely powerful. His Fire Release exceeds everyone's imagination and has reached the level of Kekkei Genkai. His famous battle achievement is that he single - handedly fought against the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and his Fire Release overpowered the Water Release despite their opposite attributes."
As Zentaro told his story, a look of admiration naturally appeared on his face.
Haruki could tell that he wasn't lying.
The so - called Seven Warlords of the Sea are actually the First Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.
Although they were defeated by Might Dai single - handedly, it was understandable since he risked his life to activate the Eight Gates.
But the ninja Zentaro mentioned was a bit beyond common sense.
Haruki thought for a moment, and the name Madara Uchiha came to his mind.
Thinking of this, he closed his eyes and tried to sense the Flying Thunder God Jutsu Formation from afar.
Since planting the Flying Thunder God Jutsu Formation on Madara Uchiha, he hadn't used it.
One reason was that he had no time, and the other was that he was afraid of tipping off the enemy.
His chakra was rapidly consumed.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes.
Madara Uchiha was currently in Kiri.
It was very likely that he was the one who founded this Burning Pirate Crew.
But Haruki still found it rather amusing.
"What's the bounty on your pirate crew's chief?"
"Two million ryo."
Zentaro's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, he might have run into a bounty hunter.
But he still didn't hesitate to betray his chief.
During his days at sea, he had learned to be decisive. Be soft when you should and be tough when you must.
Haruki naturally didn't care about this amount of money.
But he was very interested in this Burning Pirate Crew.
Most likely, it was founded by Madara Uchiha to build up his force.
Currently, The Akatsuki Organization hadn't grown strong yet.
Kiri was located overseas and isolated from the world, making it the easiest target to control.
Moreover, there was a Tailed Beast there.
Of course, Haruki didn't know that his Wood Clone had given Madara Uchiha a sense of crisis.
This chapter isn't over yet!
The criteria for joining the Burning Pirate Crew are very simple.
Either have a bounty of thirty million ryo or bring in a pirate with a thirty - million - ryo bounty.
An hour passed.
Haruki saw the Kuroki Pirate Crew.
Zentaro immediately raised a black flag.
"This is our code."
He quickly explained. "When they see the flag, they'll know it's one of us."
Haruki nodded slightly.
He boarded the steamship.
His sensing ability spread. There were forty - three people on the ship, including thirty - two ninjas.
The chief, Kuroki, demonstrated the greatest strength. He was a Jonin.
"Zentaro, you went home and brought back a pretty boy?"
Kuroki looked at the overly handsome Haruki and his face darkened.
"I hate pretty boys the most. It's your thing if you're into that kind of stuff, but you've got no right to get on this ship!"
Zentaro's face turned deathly pale instantly. Just as he was about to explain, he saw a sword flash before his eyes, like a Iaido's Flash.
The arc of the sword rose high like a crescent moon.
Blood and a head rolled to the ground.
Zentaro's face grew even paler, devoid of any color.
He couldn't make head or tail of what was happening right in front of him.
"Are there any other pirate crews nearby? Ones with a bounty of over ten million ryo."
Haruki turned to look at him.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Zentaro's body trembled in fear.
Anyone would be terrified after seeing someone slay a Jonin with a single sword - slash.
He took a deep breath, pointed north, and said, "Keep going straight ahead. There's an island. I heard the Nagata pirate crew is resting there recently."
"Thanks."
Haruki smiled.
The sword aura in his hand crisscrossed, and no one on the entire ship managed to escape.
Upon seeing this, Zentaro stammered, "Sir, you... you're welcome... It's what I should... Ah!"
He covered his neck, and blood gushed out between his fingers.
"This is my way of thanking you."
Without looking back, Haruki carried Kuroki's head and disappeared into the vast sea.
If the pirates in One Piece still had a bit of an ideal, the pirates here were just about killing and nothing else.
His story was just adding fuel to the flames.