Chapter 281: The King of Marines
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Kakuzu then walked away satisfied with his new shot at life, and eager to start his hunt.
"First, I'll kill some weaklings to replenish the hearts of my [Earth Grudge Fear]. Once I encounter any stronger ones, I'll replace them then," he thought.
Before leaving, Colt handed Kakuzu the Haki training method passed down by Kisame.
Colt wasn't sure if an Impure World Reincarnation body like Kakuzu's could even learn Haki, but it was worth experimenting with.
After sending him away, Colt didn't return to the tavern.
Instead, he activated his Rinnegan, and a purple light flickered in his eye sockets as the space around him began to distort.
With a sudden "Ouch!" Naruto tumbled out of the spatial passage and fell flat on the ground.
'This stupid guy…'
Colt rolled his eyes—Naruto, despite his current strength, had a knack for making even simple things look clumsy.
"Colt! It's been a while" Naruto scrambled up and exclaimed in excitement.
Colt sighed.
"Naruto, how's everything in the ninja world?" He cut straight to the point.
"It's great! Kakashi-sensei is doing an amazing job managing Konoha. There's peace, and people are getting along really well," Naruto began.
Naruto eagerly went on, recounting everything that had happened in the last few months.
Since the unification of the ninja world, disputes were being resolved through diplomacy rather than combat.
The major villages were finding common ground, and people were starting to let go of old grudges, especially under the watchful eyes of those in power.
Colt nodded.
Peace had been achieved under his influence.
He didn't ask Naruto about Hinata and the others, as he was already keeping an eye on them through his sensory abilities.
"What about Sasuke? I haven't seen him for a while" Naruto asked, his tone turning more serious as he inquired about his rival.
"He's doing fine. In fact, I'd say he might surpass you soon," Colt said with a slight smirk.
"What!?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
He had worked so hard to catch up to Sasuke and even surpassed him.
Was Sasuke already pulling ahead again?
Colt chuckled.
"Don't worry. I brought you here to give you a chance to become even stronger and follow after him."
He then explained the situation in the world of pirates, focusing on the ongoing conflicts between the pirates and the Marines.
Naruto listened intently, growing more frustrated as he learned about the chaos the pirates caused.
"These pirates are disgusting! They're just like bandits, robbing and hurting people for no reason!" Naruto exclaimed angrily.
Colt chuckled.
"Exactly. That's why I want you to become a Marine and bring justice to these pirates."
Naruto's eyes lit up with the word "justice."
Colt leaned in, drawing him further into the idea.
"And if you become the King of Marines, well… that could very well set you up perfectly to become the next Hokage."
"Hokage?" Naruto's attention snapped to Colt fully.
His dream had always been to become the Hokage, and now Colt was offering him a path to make that dream a reality.
"Yeah, once you've cleaned up the pirates and proven yourself as the King of Marines, you'll have everything you need to take the Hokage seat," Colt said, laying out the plan.
Naruto was completely sold on the idea.
The thought of Sasuke momentarily left his mind as his desire to become the Hokage took over.
"I'll do it! I'll become the King of Marines and then the Hokage!" Naruto shouted, his determination blazing.
Colt grinned.
"Good. You can now head to Windmill Village. You'll meet someone named Garp there —he'll help you get started."
Naruto nodded eagerly.
He was ready for his next adventure, excited to grow stronger and get closer to his dream.
Colt didn't assign too many complicated tasks for Naruto—he knew better than to overwhelm someone with a single-track mind like him.
Too many instructions could easily lead to mistakes, and the last thing Colt wanted was for Sengoku or the others to notice any flaws in their plan.
Despite this, Colt was eager to see how Naruto would develop in this new world.
The clash between two legendary figures—Naruto and Luffy—was something he was particularly looking forward to witnessing.
The sparks that would fly in the confrontation of these two unique paths were bound to be extraordinary.
Colt flexed his wrist thoughtfully as if remembering something important.
Naruto's talk no jutsu needed to be a bit tweaked.
He turned to Naruto with a serious expression and ordered:
"Now that we're in this world, we have to adapt to their customs. From now on, don't talk about any 'bonds' or 'friendship.' Instead, focus on 'justice.' Got it?"
Naruto blinked in surprise but quickly nodded.
"Huh? Okay, got it!"
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Meanwhile, at Marineford, inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Garp sneezed loudly, startling Sengoku, who was focused on his paperwork.
"Garp! If you're just going to laze around and eat my senbei, then get out of here!" Sengoku snapped.
"Hahaha! Don't be so uptight, Sengoku! It's just senbei, I'll share mine with you next time!" Garp laughed, his carefree attitude driving Sengoku mad.
Sengoku sighed.
After so many years as comrades, he knew Garp wasn't going to suddenly change.
After finishing off the rest of the senbei, Garp said.
"Sengoku, I'm taking leave to visit my grandson in the East Blue."
Sengoku's patience finally cracked.
"You go back to East Blue three times a year! You spend so much time goofing off, it's a wonder if you get anything done!"
"What's wrong with that?" Garp said, puffing out his chest proudly.
"My grandson Luffy is going to be a future Marine Admiral, and I need to make sure he's ready."
Sengoku slammed a report onto the table in frustration.
"Don't even start with your grandsons! Look at this intelligence report!"
Garp grabbed the report and quickly scanned it.
His loud, hearty laugh soon filled the room.
"Haha! Ace managed to recruit Uchiha Sasuke into his crew! That kid's got real potential."
"Shut up, Garp! Do you realize how much trouble your family is causing?" Sengoku growled.
He had been cleaning up after Garp's messes for decades, and now with Ace and Sasuke on the same side, things were escalating.
Sengoku shook his head.
"Your family keeps dragging me into this mess. You're going to fix this."
"And how do you expect me to do that?" Garp asked with genuine confusion.
Sengoku handed him another paper.
"You're going to make Ace a Shichibukai. That's how."