The strength of Hoshigaki Kisame—
Not only was he a powerhouse within the Akatsuki, but even across the entire shinobi world, he stood among the elites.
If it hadn't been for that thick-browed, wide-eyed liar…
Using some damn deceptive tricks to fool him,
Would he have ended up like this?
Who knows what his fate would have been now!
A murderous aura swept through the air, and the sheer presence of his killing intent made the surrounding pirates break down in fear.
"Wh-what kind of monster is this guy?"
"Too terrifying!"
"A-are we going to die?"
That oppressive aura, tinged with the faint scent of blood, sent shivers down the spines of these ruthless criminals.
Looking at him felt like staring into the eyes of a demon from the abyss.
Damn it!
What kind of monster had these idiots provoked?
As the suffocating pressure spread out, Evil Wolf Towa wished he could kill his own subordinates.
No matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't match this terrifying man to any known powerhouse.
Yet, standing before all his men, he found himself in a situation where retreating wasn't an option.
"Who the hell are you? With this level of strength, there's no way you're just some nobody."
From the Land of Water, a rogue ninja of the Mist—Hoshigaki Kisame."
The moment Kisame spoke, he vanished from sight.
"What…?"
"H-he's gone?!"
"Th-this is…"
"Completely dishonorable!"
As the pirates recoiled in shock, the missing figure suddenly reappeared—high above them.
Wielding his enormous weapon, he came crashing down like a meteor.
Watching that massive, door-sized weapon hurtling toward them, Towa's expression changed drastically.
Who the hell was this guy?
Why was he so brutish?
Why didn't he follow any damn rules?!
BOOM!
Before anyone could react, the weapon collided with the ground. The earth trembled violently.
With a loud crack, the ground split apart, sending a shockwave radiating outward from the point of impact.
Shattered debris flew in all directions, and the terrifying force instantly engulfed the surrounding area.
BANG! BANG! BANG! SPLURT!
The overwhelming shockwave sent every pirate flying like ragdolls, their bodies hurled deep into the forest as if caught in a storm.
Holding twin pistols, Revy stood frozen, her face deathly pale, eyes locked onto the towering figure before her.
That Sea King stunt from earlier had already left her utterly shocked.
But now—
She never imagined this guy's raw strength was just as horrifying…
At this point, if he suddenly claimed he could give birth,
She wouldn't even doubt it.
This guy wasn't human!
"Ah!"
"Aaaah!!"
From the depths of the dark forest came wails like ghosts crying and wolves howling in agony.
"This is what you call strong?"
As the night wind carried away the dust and debris, Hoshigaki Kisame turned to look at Revy, his expression speaking volumes.
Are you scamming me?
Revy's mouth twitched as she struggled for words, her face full of helplessness.
How was this her fault?!
To her, an 8-million bounty was strong!
Just as the two locked eyes, a hoarse and manic voice, dripping with madness, rang out.
"You bastard! I'll make you regret this! You've pissed me off!!"
"DIE! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"What the hell?"
Kisame's face twisted in confusion as a creature that was three parts human, seven parts wolf emerged from the forest.
What kind of freakshow was this?
A demon?
He swore, no matter how bizarre he might look, at least he still resembled a person.
But this thing—was it a wolf A dog?
"You bastard! I'm not a 'thing'!"
The creature—half-man, half-wolf, with a grotesque, fanged face—roared in anger. But then, realizing something was off, it quickly corrected itself.
"I am a beas—"
Midway through, it stalled again, realizing that still sounded wrong.
Furious, it howled in frustration before lunging forward, razor-sharp claws slashing toward Kisame's chest.
Kisame narrowed his eyes.
Never mind its strength—just looking at this thing had already disturbed him.
This felt like a scam.
He needed an anti-fraud app!
Feeling like he'd been emotionally deceived Kisame tightened his grip on Samehada, muscles flexing.
As Towa came crashing down from the air, he saw Kisame still standing there, motionless. A cruel glint flickered in his beastly eyes.
"Bastard! Now you're scared, huh?
Too late! No matter who you are, no matter how strong you may be—before my claws—"
BANG!
Before he could even finish, that damned oversized cleaver suddenly appeared before him—
And then, all he felt was PAIN.
And hardness—with spikes!
"This is it?"
Watching Towa disappear into the distance, Kisame felt personally insulted by this world.
This… was an 8-million bounty criminal?!
"Why does this feel like a joke?"
"Even the most famous Genin in the ninja world are probably stronger than this..."
Kisame's face twitched as he shouldered Samehada, turning to leave.
"Whatever. I'll just take this as a lesson—never trust that little brat again."
"Hey, hey! Where are you going?"
Still in shock, Revy hurriedly caught up with him.
"No idea."
"No idea? How about joining the Navy with me?" Revy's big eyes sparkled with expectation as she stared at him.
"The Navy?"
From what he had learned from Revy, the two dominant forces in this world were the pirates and the Navy.
Pirates… well, he'd already experienced that firsthand.
They were basically a bunch of ruthless scumbags, and their bounties were questionable at best.
Their dirty methods weren't even as clean as the Akatsuki's operations.
As for the Navy… he hadn't met them yet, but according to Revy, they were a group of so-called "justice enforcers."
For someone like Kisame, who had witnessed the darkness of the ninja world, the idea of "justice" was nothing more than a slogan.
When it came down to it, good and evil were never truly defined—it all depended on perspective.
Just like Akatsuki—branded as villains, labeled as demons hellbent on world destruction.
But in reality, their goal was to create a world without war.
The intention was noble, but perspectives differed, and so did the paths they chose.
"We'll talk about the Navy later. Right now, I want to visit Fish-Man Island."
Between joining the Navy and seeing Fish-Man Island, Kisame was far more interested in the latter.
If this world had beings that looked like him, there was no way he wouldn't go see it for himself.
Maybe… just maybe, he had found his own kind!
"Huh…?"
Revy came to a sudden stop, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
As Kisame walked further away, she finally snapped out of it and rushed to catch up.
"Oi, are you out of your mind?!"
"Fish-Man Island is ten thousand meters deep in the ocean, right in the middle of the Grand Line! Even if you're crazy strong, you can't just walk there!"
"Why not?" Kisame stopped instinctively, looking at her in confusion.
"Uh… how do I put this…?"
Revy struggled to find the right words before explaining, "The Grand Line is a special sea route—you have to pass through Reverse Mountain first…"
She then dumped all the information she had gathered about the Grand Line onto him.
"A place like this actually exists in this world?"
Rather than being deterred, Kisame's interest only grew stronger.
He muttered to himself, "Itachi-san… a place this fascinating—I wish you could see it too."
Itachi-san?
Who the hell was that?
His lover?
But… that sounded like a guy's name?!
The way he called him "Itachi-san" immediately piqued Revy's gossip radar.
"Alright then! I've made up my mind—I'm going to the Grand Line." Kisame suddenly declared.
"Huh…?"
"By yourself? What about me?"
The moment she heard Kisame say he was going alone, Revy's face instantly changed…
You bastard, are you just ditching me after using me?!
What am I, your damn tool?!
(End of Chapter)