Kizaru.
For people who kept bringing up his appearance, he responded with harsh words…
It sounded like concern, but in reality, it was vicious and cruel!
Fortunately, Kisame and Revy didn't have bounties on their heads. If they did, the two sides might have already started a fight by now.
As for wanting to become a Marine…
Screw that annoying nonsense!
After being judged for his appearance, Kizaru had no intention of staying any longer. With a flash of golden light, he vanished before their eyes.
Strong!
What rank did this guy hold in the Navy?
Setting aside his appearance, even Kisame had to acknowledge his strength. The way Kizaru moved reminded him of a legend from the Shinobi World.
The Yellow Flash…
"You just missed an opportunity to get stronger."
"Tch! If becoming stronger means following that creepy guy, I'd rather stay an ordinary person."
Revy didn't care about Kizaru's strength. The only thing she couldn't stand was his punchable face. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.
Now, even Kisame's dead-fish eyes seemed much more pleasing in comparison.
"By the way, how are we going to set sail?"
Before long, the two arrived at the shore. Revy stood there, gazing out at the sea with curiosity.
"We'll walk." Kisame said flatly.
"Huh??"
Revy couldn't believe her ears.
And then, in the next moment, her entire worldview was shattered.
Under her shocked gaze, Kisame stepped onto the water as if it were solid ground and began walking forward.
Can you believe this?
A full-grown man just… walking on the ocean?
By the time Kisame had walked some distance away, Revy finally snapped out of it. He could go, sure—but what about her?!
"Hey, hey! What kind of bullshit is this?!"
"Hm?" Kisame stopped and turned back to look at Revy.
"What do you mean 'hm'?! You think everyone can do what you do?!"
Revy was so furious that her face turned red, baring her teeth like a small, enraged lioness.
"Oh. I'm just used to it." Kisame glanced at his feet before calmly walking back.
Bastard. You're used to it, but what the hell am I supposed to do?!
Seeing Kisame's serious expression, Revy felt the urge to bite him. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a pirate ship docked nearby. When she noticed the flag on its mast, her eyes lit up.
"Hey? That's a pirate ship over there! Let's go!"
As they approached the ship, Revy realized it belonged to the "Lone Wolf Pirates." She immediately climbed aboard to check, only to find it completely empty.
"We have a ship now! Set sail for the Grand Line—!"
Caw! Caw! Caw!
…Silence.
Aside from a flock of crows flying overhead, there was nothing but eerie quiet all around.
"Ahem… hehe, sorry. I got a little carried away."
After shouting into the void, Revy turned red with embarrassment, lowering her head as if she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
"Heh."
Watching her awkward reaction, Kisame suddenly chuckled. Although his laughter sounded a bit creepy, it was a genuine laugh.
With a helpless shake of his head, he finally formed a series of hand seals—
"Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram—Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof, poof, poof…
As the smoke cleared, several blue sharks appeared in the shallow waters beside the pirate ship.
The water was too shallow, and the sharks were too energetic—so much so that they awkwardly flopped around in the shallows, glaring at Kisame on the ship.
Kisame felt a bit embarrassed at the sight.
Blue Sharks: Damn it, do you even know how to use Summoning Jutsu? If not, stop messing around! We're sharks, not jumping fish…
---
Meanwhile, in an inland town…
"Kowai ne…"
"This was caused by a pirate with an 8-million-beri bounty?"
Kizaru, who had parted ways with Kisame and Revy, looked at the town before him—devastated as if a tsunami had swept through. The West Blue was dangerous. An 8-million-beri pirate was terrifying!
"H-Help… help… help me…"
Not far away, at the edge of a muddy forest, a blood-soaked man staggered forward.
He barely took a few steps before collapsing face-first into a mud puddle with a splat, struggling to lift a hand toward Kizaru for help.
"Oh? A survivor?"
Kizaru tilted his head, flashed forward, and crouched beside the man. As he examined his familiar-looking face, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
"Ohh? Isn't this the infamous pirate, Evil Wolf Towa?"
"M-Marine?"
Towa, barely clinging to life, looked up and froze upon realizing he was facing a Marine.
Why was his life so miserable?
First, he encountered a brute who nearly killed him. Now, he ran into a Marine?
…Then again, a Marine was better than death!
With that in mind, he remained silent, lying still and waiting for Kizaru to take him away.
But unfortunately for him, the Marine before him wasn't one to play by the rules. Rubbing his chin with one hand, Kizaru grinned mischievously:
"Looks like I guessed wrong!"
"Of course, an 8-million-beri pirate is just a small fry…!"
"No way someone like that could wipe out an entire town!"
"So then, who could it be?"
"The West Blue has quite a few strong people, but none of them seem to be here…"
"Ugh…"
As much as Towa felt humiliated by having his weakness pointed out, what bothered him more was that he was about to die—yet this guy was still playing detective!
I'm on the brink of death, and this bastard is still analyzing the situation?!
"Could there be another pirate crew on this island?" Kizaru continued, lost in thought.
"Bastard, stop analyzing! I'll tell you!"
Veins bulged on Towa's forehead as he roared in frustration,
"It was a massive musclehead carrying a door!!"
A… massive musclehead?
Carrying a door?
A figure suddenly popped into Kizaru's mind—none other than Kisame, the one he had encountered earlier.
The weapon matched. The appearance matched.
Could it be…?
Glancing back at the ruined town, Kizaru recalled that Kisame was a Fishman.
But… weren't Fishmen supposed to fight in water?
Kizaru pondered for a long time but still couldn't reach a conclusion.
His gaze shifted back to Towa, deciding that the man still had some value. Without hesitation, he contacted his subordinates to come over.
"Hehe… The Navy can't just let someone who destroys towns go unpunished!"
Kizaru swore he wasn't doing this for personal revenge.
I'm really not petty!
"Aiya~ I hope I'm not too late!"
With that, he could no longer hold back and stood up, ready to leave.
Seeing Kizaru about to go, Towa panicked.
"Hey, hey! I'm a pirate! Arrest me! I'm about to die…!"
"Don't worry, someone will be here soon to handle you. I have more important matters to attend to!"
Saving a pirate was nowhere near as important as upholding justice!
Ignoring Towa's desperate cries, Kizaru turned into a flash of golden light and shot toward the coastline.
However…
He was destined for disappointment. Even after chasing all the way to the shore, there was no sign of Kisame.
He searched along the coast for a long time, but aside from traces of a ship having set sail, it was as if the two had vanished into thin air.
"Did I miss something?"
The sea breeze blew gently as Kizaru, standing alone, let out a quiet sigh. Then, in another flash of golden light, he disappeared.
"I'll just have to remember this for now…!"
Lately, people had been talking about him more and more.
"Maybe I should buy a notebook… My memory's getting worse!"
---
On the distant sea…
"Wooooaaahhh…!"
Under the tranquil night sky, the gentle sea breeze carried cheers across a small section of the ocean.
Facing the open sea, Revy spread her arms wide. As the ship sailed forward, she felt like she had taken another step toward her dream.
She had been preparing for this moment for years, and if not for Kisame's arrival, she might never have dared to take this step.
After shouting her excitement, her gaze landed on the blue sharks pulling the ship. Her eyes lit up again as she suddenly spun around to face Kisame.
"Hey, big guy! Teach me how to do that!"
Kisame stood silently, gazing at the sea, his eyes filled with memories.
Hearing Revy's words, he snapped out of his thoughts and shifted his gaze slightly downward, looking at the skinny girl before him.
With a serious expression, he said,
"This is the Summoning Jutsu. You can only use it if you have chakra."
As he explained, summoning wasn't just about the technique itself—it required the user to have a certain amount of chakra and to sign a contract with a summon creature. Without both, it was impossible to perform.
In the Shinobi World, this was common knowledge.
But in this world?
No one but him understood it.
Revy had no idea what chakra was, but that didn't stop her from wanting to learn the Summoning Jutsu.
"Then teach me how to cultivate chakra!"
(End of Chapter)