While Zabuza and his team were still relaxed, Gato came rushing over.
"Zabuza, I... I found out!"
Gato's face was pale, as if he'd been frightened by something. In fact, he really had been scared—the information he held was just that shocking.
"Speak. What is that guy, Dark, up to?"
Zabuza wasn't an idiot. He wasn't exactly a genius either, but he could think like a normal person. So one thing he was sure of—Dark wasn't stupid, and he definitely wasn't some kind of masochist.
There had to be a reason why Dark was waiting at the entrance of the Land of Waves.
"I got intel through secret channels about recent movements in the underground black market. There's also been a large amount of goods being moved around."
"Dark used to be one of the captains of a pirate crew formed by merchants, but recently, he betrayed them and ran off."
Gato carefully laid out the information he had gathered. At first glance, none of it seemed that important. But when put together, it revealed just how crazy the merchants in the underground black market really were.
"But lately, many merchants have started rebuilding their fleets, and even some noble families have gotten involved."
"Get to the point," Zabuza said impatiently. What he wanted to know was what the enemy was planning and how they should respond.
"We're about to make a huge fortune!"
As soon as Gato said this, Zabuza, Haku, and Jin all fell silent.
"... …"
Gato also fell silent.
Wait, wasn't it Zabuza who told me to get straight to the point?
Gato thought back to similar situations in the past. Normally, this was when he'd get beaten up.
"Gato, maybe you don't have to jump straight to the most important part. You can start with something leading up to it," Haku gently reminded him.
Making money was Gato's concern, not theirs.
"Dark has been using us to build up his reputation. He has secretly gathered a fleet of more than fifty thousand men. The fleet is made up of underground merchants and criminal organizations, and even some noble families are backing them from the shadows."
Hearing this, Zabuza felt a chill rise from his feet.
And this time, it wasn't Haku playing with ice—Zabuza could feel the real cold fear sinking into him.
This kind of fear was something only a warrior who had been through war could understand.
Fifty thousand men—that was the scale of an actual war.
And they were sending fifty thousand men just to take down Shanks!
Compared to Zabuza and Jin, Haku remained much calmer.
"So that means Dark has been camping outside the Land of Waves to use himself as bait, luring in even more people.
From the start, that guy never planned on fighting us—he just wanted everyone to see that he had the power to face the Blade-less Pirates."
"And the most important part is, no matter how you look at it or where you get your information, the one thing we all know is…"
Haku glanced at everyone and spoke slowly.
"Dark was defeated by Shanks. Shanks even sliced his ship in half, and Dark barely survived at sea."
"But before he fought Shanks, Dark was just some low-level enforcer in the underground black market. Yet when he came back, he had somehow gained the power of a Devil Fruit, making him strong enough to stand against the Blade-less Pirates."
Haku pointed out the most crucial piece of information.
It wasn't just others who couldn't find out more—this was all they had been able to dig up as well.
But when everything was pieced together, the missing details naturally filled themselves in.
The most logical explanation?
Dark had been operating in the waters around the Land of Waves and the Land of Water when he somehow got wind of a Devil Fruit.
And that was why he betrayed his former crew—because to him, a Devil Fruit was far more valuable than money.
As for the "fight" between Dark and Shanks, it could easily be explained with logic.
It was obvious that Dark had used some method to steal a Devil Fruit from Shanks, and he had even lost a ship in the process.
Just by piecing together the simplest clues, everything made sense.
"So we were tricked by that guy Dark?"
Zabuza finally realized it. Normally, anyone would have figured this out, but for some reason, they hadn't thought about it until now.
It wasn't because Zabuza was stupid. In fact, it was the opposite—he knew too much. For example, he knew that Shanks never had a Devil Fruit. Not just that—on that island, Shanks was practically living like a wild man.
Because they had too much information, they never considered this possibility.
But others were different.
The "truth" that everyone else knew was that Dark had stolen a Devil Fruit from Shanks, and in just half a month, he had used its power to gain enough strength to take on the Blade-less Pirates head-on.
"It's not just us—everyone involved in this was tricked by Dark."
"Since we come from the black market, Coby, we understand better than anyone how greedy merchants are and how things work in the underground world."
"If eating a Devil Fruit can give someone that kind of power, I bet even Gato wouldn't be able to resist the temptation."
Haku added.
Hearing Haku's words, Gato nodded.
He knew himself well—he was the kind of person who would fight Zabuza just to protect his money. If getting a Devil Fruit meant gaining overwhelming power, he wouldn't hesitate to spend as much money as needed to get one.
Because he knew what power could bring.
With enough strength, he could have fame, wealth, and status—everything he wanted.
"If only there was a Devil Fruit that could give me the power to defeat Zabuza the moment I ate it…"
Thinking about Dark's abilities, Gato couldn't deny that he wanted one.
If he had the strength to defeat Zabuza…
Before Gato could even finish his thought, he suddenly felt his body become lighter—he was being lifted into the air.
Moments later, a new figure appeared hanging from the mast at the port—Gato's bulky body swayed there, making the wood creak under the pressure.
"So, what do we do next?"
Haku turned to Zabuza again. He already had an idea of what Zabuza wanted to do, but at this moment, the captain's decision mattered the most.
"Fifty thousand men! Even if Shanks has Conqueror's Haki, he might not be able to handle that many. Sure, he could escape if he wanted to, but knowing him, there's no way he would run."
"As the captain of the most fearless pirate ship of the new era, the only thing Shanks can do is break through everything in his way."
Zabuza wasn't sure if Shanks could really take on fifty thousand people.
Even he didn't know Shanks' true limits. But a number like fifty thousand was terrifying.
No matter how strong Shanks was, no matter how powerful Conqueror's Haki was, all power could be drained over time.
"We're going too. If Shanks wipes out those guys, then there's nothing for us to do. But if he loses, we'll rescue him. He can't die before the new era even begins."
"Besides, I owe that guy my life!"
Zabuza made his decision instantly.
He and Shanks weren't exactly close, but the fact remained—Shanks had saved his life.
If not for Shanks, Zabuza might have been nothing more than an empty shell of a man by now.
Of course, that didn't mean he was eager to repay the favor.
Even if it was fifty thousand men, a man who was going to start a new era should fear nothing.
Fifty thousand? That was nothing.
What Zabuza couldn't do, Shanks could. That was just how things were.
"So… you better not make me return this favor, Shanks!!"
Zabuza looked out at the sea. It was about time for the Blade-less Pirates to set sail.
At the same time, Haku's usual gentle look was completely gone as he followed Zabuza.
He didn't know if Shanks could handle fifty thousand men, but he was sure that the Blade-less Pirates stood no chance against them.
Forget about strength—just one enemy ship with five cannons would be enough to overwhelm them.
Merchants might lack many things, but money wasn't one of them.
"If Shanks really ends up in danger, you would risk his life to save him, wouldn't he?"
"But if possible, it'd be better not to die."
Haku let out a long sigh.
A storm was brewing in the New World.
Fifty thousand men. Sending out that many meant at least half of the underground black market's forces were in on this.
That was also one of the reasons Gato had said there was big money to be made.
But making money wasn't the Blade-less Pirates' goal, and it wasn't Haku's goal either.
"By the way, is it possible that Dark really did steal the Devil Fruit from Shanks?"
Jin, standing beside Haku, scratched his head. As the third-ranking member of the crew, he shared his thoughts.
"That's unlikely."
Haku shook his head. There was no way.
With Shanks' strength and his powerful Observation Haki, how could anyone steal a Devil Fruit from him?
Not even Zabuza himself could pull that off, let alone Dark.
So the idea of it being stolen? Impossible. Unless…
"Unless he let it happen on purpose."
Haku's eyes landed on Gato, who was still hanging from the mast. He stopped walking.
Zabuza had once said that Shanks' strength and intelligence were among the best in the world.
His Observation Haki was so strong that he could even glimpse into the future.
From any angle, it was clear—Shanks wouldn't cause trouble for himself.
Which meant…
"Vice-captain, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. You guys go ahead. I need to ask Gato something."
Haku had figured it out.
They had been used by Dark.
But what if Dark had also been used by Shanks?
Now that he thought about it, it wasn't impossible.
Haku pulled Gato down.
"Gato, with fifty thousand men on the move, how many underground forces are getting dragged into this?"
"At least seventy percent. Besides that, several countries will get involved as well.
That's why this is such a huge money-making opportunity, Vice-captain!"
Thinking Haku had changed his mind, Gato rubbed his hands together excitedly.
This was a massive pie to share. Even if they didn't take the whole thing, just getting half of it would bring enormous benefits to the Land of Waves.
Hearing Gato's words, Haku finally had a clear picture in his mind.
"The legendary Four Emperors, Shanks… Even Captain Zabuza respects him so much. So this is the power and presence of a Four Emperor?"
"A single Devil Fruit is enough to throw the entire underground black market of the ninja world into chaos, affecting the whole ninja world in the process.
This is what it means to be a Four Emperor—using such a simple method. But even if you understand it, there's nothing you can do to stop it."
At this moment, Haku truly felt the terrifying presence of Shanks.
Everything seemed like a coincidence, yet at the same time, it was all perfectly orchestrated.
The more he looked into it, the more he realized just how terrifying Shanks' intelligence was.
Changing the ninja world head-on is nearly impossible. If a tree rots, it starts from the roots. And the underground black market of the ninja world is its weakest root.
"Looks like there's no need to worry too much.
But even so, we can't let Captain Zabuza take this risk."
Haku felt like his brain alone wasn't enough. Forget fighting against someone like Shanks—even trying to outthink him was impossible.
Even though he had finally figured out Shanks' plan, it didn't change the fact that Shanks was overwhelmingly smarter than all of them. The scary part was that even after understanding his moves, there was nothing they could do.
Any "resistance" they tried would be meaningless.
That was exactly how Haku felt.
"Gato, you'll handle what comes next."
"Me?"
Gato pointed at himself. His meaning was clear—Vice Captain, don't you know what kind of person I am? What could I possibly do?
"It's just spreading some information.
After all, besides us, the Blade-less Pirates, the Revolutionary Army also had people in the Land of Water and Land of Waves."
"Captain Zabuza's former comrades still haven't left the Land of Fire. Let's start from there."
"Also, the Chunin Exams in Konohagakure have already begun. Even the Kazekage from Sunagakure is attending this time."
Hearing this, Gato got the general idea.
Not that it really mattered if he understood or not—his job was simply to spread the news, and someone else would figure out the rest.
Haku didn't want Zabuza getting dragged into Shanks' mess. As long as the information got out, the Blade-less Pirates could just pull some strings from the sidelines when the time came.
"I-I got it!"
Gato nodded.
"Remember, just spread the news. Don't do anything extra."
Haku reminded him again. Gato knew the underground black market well—just leaking the information was enough. The people gathering in the dark would naturally head for the Land of Fire.
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