Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 396 When my bounty got too high, I started to fear my companion, Kakuzu.

The first half of the Grand Line.

An unnamed island.

A tall man wearing an eye patch listened to the admiral's orders and then fumbled to put down the Den Den Mushi he was holding.

After a long while, the tall man finally removed his blindfold, muttering, "What a nuisance..."

However, after uttering a brief complaint, a hint of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both regret and a sense of awe) appeared on the man's languid face: "Miss Robin, now you're no longer hiding in other organizations, but instead have created your own messy organization?"

After muttering to himself, the man sighed, "Hmm, it seems there really isn't anyone else suitable to deal with her besides me!"

After he finished speaking, he pushed out a huge wooden bicycle from a corner and began riding it on his way.

As his bicycle rode down into the sea, a narrow path of ice automatically formed on the surface, allowing the bicycle to continue its journey.

Admiral Kuzan of the Marine Headquarters, codenamed Aokiji, a Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user and one of the World Government's top combat forces, is now deployed!

Uehara Naraku, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Nico Robin were unaware of this. They were still heading towards the Little Garden on their own, when they received their bounty posters along the way.

This was not surprising to Uehara at all.

When a news bird secretly took his picture, Uehara Naraku noticed it, and he put on an innocent and harmless look, which became his standard image.

As long as you're a navy person, you wouldn't mistake him for a bad guy if you saw someone as sunny and kind as him, right?

"Eight million Berries..."

Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help but smirk, and he chuckled unconsciously, "It seems the so-called World Government is truly corrupt and decadent! Didn't a single one of those guys realize how terrifying the Master is?"

"I'm a good person!"

Uehara Naraku shook his head, tapped his wanted poster with his finger, and slowly said, "Eight million Berries is already quite high..."

After all, even the bandit king Higuma of Windmill Village, who once stood on the foot of the future Pirate King and held a bottle of wine to drive the Four Emperors, only had this number.

"Hmm, my bounty is actually fifteen million."

Kisame Hoshigaki held his wanted poster, his small eyes suddenly filled with thought: "Looks like I'll have to be careful of Kakuzu from now on..."

After saying that, Kisame Hoshigaki slowly raised his head and looked at Nico Robin: "But the most dangerous person isn't me, is he...? Our organization has 80 million new recruits! It's hard to say that number will stop Kakuzu's greed..."

"..."

Nico Robin's expression was somewhat complicated.

What the heck is it that these two people got wanted posters?!

Why are other people still so excited after receiving bounties from the World Government? After all, it's a symbol of strength.

However, the two men behaved completely differently after receiving the arrest warrants.

Uehara Naraku thought eight million was already a high number; Kisame Hoshigaki thought fifteen million was too high and might easily provoke his comrade Kakuzu's murderous intent...

Of course, for these two people...

Their numbers couldn't be lower.

Because the impact of Uehara Naraku and Hoshigaki Kisame killing the king of the allied country was extremely negative, their actual strength was nothing to this world.

Nico Robin stared at the bounty poster in her hand, looking at the 80 million Berries on it. Her mind gradually fell into deep thought. Could it be that her companion named Kakuzu was really secretly coveting her bounty and wanted to exchange her head for it?

Really...

It's kind of scary to think about.

Nico Robin is really overthinking things. Kakuzu openly covets them, and now that he's seen their bounty, his first thought is to kill Nico Robin, because 80 million is too easy to earn!

If Uehara Naraku hadn't forbidden killing each other after becoming the leader, Kakuzu would have actually wanted to do it. After all, it's not easy to find someone with a bounty as high as 80 million Berries in the first half of the Grand Line!

This world is always so strange.

Kakuzu is a money-grubbing individual who relentlessly seeks out pirates with extremely high bounties; Uehara Naraku, on the other hand, has little interest in making money, yet they encounter two great pirates with bounties of 100 million each.

Because their little boat had finally reached the small garden.

Although the island is known as Little Garden, the creatures on it are actually enormous, and the island is also called the Ancient Island or Pangu Island.

On this island, two great pirates are also fighting.

One hundred years ago.

No, strictly speaking, it should be more than ninety years ago.

The two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Blue Oni Dorry and Red Oni Broge, decided to duel here over a child's problem, and their duel has been going on for over ninety years.

Should we stay here?

Nico Robin looked at Uehara Naraku curiously, tossed her hair, and softly advised, "Mr. Naraku, you don't actually intend to challenge those two boring giants, do you?"

"hehe…"

Uehara Naraku landed on the small island and continued softly, "I just want to recruit them to join Baroque Works..."

Robin, who knew the creatures of this world very well, advised, "Given the giants' stubbornness, they certainly won't agree."

"Then there's nothing we can do."

Uehara Naraku shook his head, chuckled, and said, "I can only force them to stop their pointless fighting and return to where they belong, to spread the terror of our Baroque Works in the New World..."

The two great pirates who fought in Little Garden were both from Elbaf, in the latter half of the Grand Line, and the Giant Warrior Pirates seem to still be active in the New World.

Nico Robin: "..."

Is this guy really spreading the horror of Baroque Works, or the hatred of Baroque Works?

Is this an attempt to make Baroque Works offend the entire Grand Line?

I really want to know…

What will Crocodile think one day when he finds out how hard Naraku Uehara has been helping him...?

It certainly won't be gratitude.

"Besides these."

Uehara Naraku glanced back at Nico Robin, then smiled and continued, "I also want to clear out a suitable battlefield to prepare for the even fiercer battles to come!"

"What?"

"Because someone is heading in our direction!"

Uehara Naraku stretched out his palm, touched his eye socket, and continued with a smile, "A very worthwhile person to fight! Although you certainly don't want to meet him, this guy can make my plans go much smoother!"

"Who is it...?"

After asking a question in surprise, Robin's expression suddenly changed, because at that moment she thought of someone: "Mr. Naraku, you wouldn't be telling me... that Admiral Aokiji from Marine Headquarters is on his way here, would you?"

"How clever!"

Uehara Naraku smiled and nodded.

Because on his way to the Ancient Island, he initiated a large-scale observation of fate and discovered the whereabouts of Admiral Aokiji.

Although we don't know what this admiral is up to, given the relationship between Aokiji and Robin, the probability that he's here to find Robin is extremely high!

Therefore, Uehara Naraku intends to fight him here!

I'd also like to see if this admiral, who will eventually retire from the navy, will choose to become one of his spies!

If Aokiji agrees to become his spy, then the future plans couldn't be smoother; if Aokiji doesn't agree, then just capture him and hand him over to Kakuzu!

As for failure...

Uehara Naraku really hadn't thought of that.

Uehara Naraku never imagined he would fail, but Nico Robin certainly did. She knew that Uehara Naraku might actually possess the power of two Logia-type Devil Fruits, or even the power of a martial god capable of cleaving the sky a thousand meters high with a single slash…

but…

That's a Navy Admiral!

The nightmare of most pirates on the Grand Line!

"Don't worry."

Kisame Hoshigaki grinned and chuckled as he offered his advice, "You really are a complete rookie! Miss Nico Robin, do you think the gods will fail?"

"..."

Nico Robin wasn't a Naraku fanboy like Kisame Hoshigaki. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and said, "You don't understand the power of a Marine Admiral..."

"Hehe, I'm really curious!"

Kisame Hoshigaki looked at Naraku Uehara and said loudly, "Lord Uehara, why don't I give you a demonstration first? I also want to see how much power this so-called general really has..."

"random."

Uehara Naraku shook his head casually, offering a reminder: "Aside from the Great Shark Bullet Technique, that guy's other powers seem to be very effective against your techniques. If you can't yet master how to channel your chakra into Haki..."

"It's ready now."

Kisame Hoshigaki slowly pulled out his Samehada sword, and a black mass gradually appeared in his hand, slowly wrapping around the Samehada sword.

Kisame Hoshigaki looked at Naraku Uehara and grinned, "Ever since I arrived here, my physical and mental energy has been stirring, but it seems that besides turning into chakra, they can also turn into other powers."

"Tsk..."

Uehara Naraku couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

It's quite normal that Kisame Hoshigaki was able to cultivate and extract Haki from his own body; after all, he was the strongest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

"Then keep it up!"

After encouraging his subordinates, Uehara Naraku suddenly raised his finger, and a towering Susanoo appeared on his body!

This towering, earth-shaking martial god stood majestically on the island!

Compared to Susanoo, this island is not even worthy of being called a small garden!

Uehara Naraku stood inside the crystal of Susanoo, his voice gradually turning cold as he said, "Then let me create an arena suitable for us to fight that Marine Admiral!"

Fourth update

One more chapter!

(End of this chapter)