Naruto: Copy System#673+674: Shin Agrees, Kaido and Blackbeard's Alliance

"Honestly, there's no real downside to working with you, but the benefits aren't exactly compelling enough to make me act."

Shin said to Whitebeard in a rather flat tone.

Whitebeard remained silent. He knew Shin was right—even the spoils of defeating Kaido wouldn't be enough to truly impress a man of his stature.

"But I'll still agree to cooperate with you against Kaido. It sounds interesting," Shin said just as Whitebeard was about to lose hope.

Shin's primary goal was to stir up chaos on the seas, so he certainly wouldn't refuse Whitebeard. Even if Whitebeard hadn't asked, Shin would have made a move himself.

"Then thank you, Shin. After this is over, in addition to whatever you win, the Whitebeard Pirates will give you a separate reward."

Whitebeard said seriously to Shin. He knew he had to show the proper respect.

Moreover, Whitebeard had his own calculations. He didn't know how much longer he had to live. If he were to die in the future, Whitebeard hoped Shin Uzumaki would look after the Whitebeard Pirates.

But in this, Whitebeard was likely to be disappointed. First, Shin wasn't the type to look after others, especially not as a babysitter.

Second, Shin might have already left the world of One Piece before Whitebeard ever passed away.

"Alright, Whitebeard, let's save the thanks for after this is over. I'm leaving."

Shin, holding a giant piece of roasted meat, left Whitebeard's pirate ship.

Though the alcohol on Whitebeard's ship was terrible, with a sour and bitter taste, the roasted meat was excellent. The chefs on Whitebeard's ship must be top-notch. Shin was quite satisfied with the roasted meat Whitebeard had served him.

———————

Shin returned to his ship, and Hancock and the others looked over at him, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Only Sugar was drawn by the aroma, her eyes fixed on the roasted meat in Shin's hand, her mouth practically watering.

Shin noticed Sugar's expression and smiled faintly. "Here, you can have it,"

"Thank you, Shin." Sugar actually thanked Shin politely, then immediately took the roasted meat from him.

"Shin, what did that old man Whitebeard want?" Hancock asked Shin.

"Just as Robin guessed. He wants to team up with us against Kaido," Shin said, not hiding anything from Hancock and the others.

"And did you agree?" Olvia asked Shin.

"I did. Whitebeard said he'll contact us when it's time to act. I don't think it will be long."

A smile appeared on Shin's face, as if he could already see the chaos that was about to unfold on the seas. In truth, the seas were never truly calm. But what was coming was a great upheaval, no less than the previous Summit War.

In fact, the last Summit War, because of Shin's intervention, had ended without Whitebeard's death, so its impact wasn't as great as it could have been. To be precise, it had a great impact on the Marines, but not a good one.

"Let's leave Whitebeard's territory."

———————

Shin's ship began to leave Whitebeard's territory. As they departed, Shin's gaze flickered in a certain direction.

Hidden in the distance, Kizaru clearly noticed Shin's gaze, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Good thing I didn't go over there."

Kizaru was somewhat relieved. His body transformed into a golden light, and he instantly vanished from the spot. He was probably heading back to report. As for what Shin and Whitebeard had discussed, Kizaru had no idea.

But it didn't matter. Kizaru had never expected to gather any real intelligence. He had only come here to make an appearance, to show that he had completed his mission, and then he could leave.

As for what happened when he got back, he would just give Akainu some vague answers. Did they really expect him to get close and eavesdrop?

Impossible. Who would do such a dangerous thing? Kizaru certainly wouldn't.

Doing the most dangerous work for the least pay—that was Akainu's job. Kizaru would never do it. Clocking in and out was his business.

Kizaru's speed was incredible. He returned directly to Marine Headquarters. The moment he arrived, Akainu sought him out. Clearly, Akainu was very concerned about this intelligence. But for the very concerned Akainu, this time he was going to be disappointed.

"Sorry, Akainu. I didn't hear anything. Their security was too tight," Kizaru said to Akainu with a relaxed expression.

Akainu’s expression darkened. He couldn’t stand Kizaru’s laziness—especially since Aokiji had shared the same trait. Yet the two were different. Kizaru was sharper than Aokiji; if Aokiji had been as clever, he might not have lost a leg.

"I see." Akainu left immediately. If he could replace Kizaru, he really would. But he had to consider that Kizaru was a top-tier combatant.

———————

Not many days after Shin returned to his territory, he received a message from Whitebeard. It was time to move against Kaido and Blackbeard.

"Whitebeard is quite efficient," Shin couldn't help but say upon receiving the news.

"Let's head to Kaido's territory. Let's not screw over Whitebeard."

If Shin wanted to betray Whitebeard, he could just not show up. But Shin had no intention of deceiving him. He had no grudge against Whitebeard, so why would he?

"The Marines seem to be watching us," Olvia said to Shin.

They were all men sent by Akainu. Though they were well-hidden, they couldn't fool Olvia.

"Let them watch." Shin didn't care about them watching. So what if you're watching? You can watch all you want, you can't do anything anyway.

"Should we give Akainu a warning? It's annoying being watched all the time," Hancock suggested to Shin.

Shin thought for a moment. Hancock had a point. It was necessary to give Akainu a warning. After he got back this time, he would go and give Akainu a warning, and see if he still had the guts to keep an eye on him.

Because Akainu had spies, the movements of Shin's Kuja Pirates immediately caught his attention. In addition, the Whitebeard Pirates had also made a move, at the same time as Shin's Kuja Pirates.

"The Whitebeard Pirates and the Kuja Pirates are moving out together. There's definitely a conspiracy. Keep a close watch..." Akainu ordered.

Not long ago, the two pirate crews had met. Now they were acting together. How could Akainu not pay attention? He had to send people to investigate thoroughly.

With two of his most troublesome enemies on the move, Akainu couldn't sit still. He immediately convened a meeting of all his officers.

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While Akainu was in the meeting, he received the latest intelligence: both the Kuja Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were now heading towards Kaido's territory.

"Based on our current intelligence, Shin Uzumaki and Whitebeard have likely teamed up to take on Kaido."

"What are your thoughts?" Akainu's gaze swept over the others.

The old generation had all retired. Akainu could only consult with the others, mainly the three Admirals. Even Ryokugyu was present, and they all began to discuss the matter.

"I think we don't need to act. We can just sit back and watch them fight," Ryokugyu said lightly.

This was a good thing for them. A fight between pirates would only further weaken their strength.

"I know it's best to sit back and watch, but I want to get involved," Akainu stood up, the fire in his eyes unconcealed. For him, this was an opportunity. If they could fight until both sides were exhausted, then they could make a move.

"I think it's best not to get involved..." Kizaru didn't agree.

What good would it do for them to get involved? Did they really think it would be so easy to profit from a fight between Emperors?

If they really were both exhausted, then it wouldn't matter. Kizaru would think it was a good idea to intervene. But the key was, they wouldn't be. The final result would undoubtedly be Kaido getting crushed.

"Admiral Kizaru is right. Now is not the time to deal with Shin Uzumaki."

Fujitora chose to agree with Kizaru. It wasn't that their relationship was particularly good, but that Fujitora felt Kizaru was right. The final result would be Shin Uzumaki and Whitebeard winning, and they wouldn't suffer much damage.

Kizaru and Fujitora objected, while Ryokugyu abstained. As for the other Vice Admirals, their opinions mattered less. In the end, no matter what Akainu thought, he had to abandon the plan.

———————

Akainu left the meeting room with a gloomy face. As for the others, they also left one after another.

"Admiral Kizaru, wait a moment."

Just as Kizaru was about to leave, Fujitora called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Admiral Fujitora, what can I do for you?" Kizaru stopped and asked.

"What are your thoughts on dealing with Shin Uzumaki?" Fujitora asked Kizaru.

"You shouldn't be asking me about this. You should go discuss it with Fleet Admiral Akainu. I'm off duty now, I'm going to rest."

Kizaru then left the meeting room. He didn't want to continue discussing this issue with Fujitora. As for dealing with Shin Uzumaki, anyone who had seen him wouldn't have such thoughts.

Fujitora's expression darkened slightly, then he turned to Ryokugyu. Their relationship was quite good.

"Don't look at me. I'm useless. You have to win over more people."

Ryokugyu said helplessly to Fujitora.

Fujitora had already told him about Shin Uzumaki’s strength. Anyone who could one-shot Fujitora was not someone Ryokugyu wanted to fight.

Still, if Fujitora insisted, he would help as a friend—so long as they had a chance. But if it was a suicide mission, even Ryokugyu wouldn’t go. No matter how close the friendship, you don’t follow someone to your death.

"I know. I believe I can convince more people." Fujitora walked out.

Ryokugyu was a little helpless.

Don't you get it? This isn't about rallying more people. It's not that simple. Even if you convinced a whole army to go after Shin Uzumaki, you'd need actually powerful fighters.

If people attacked him, they'd just get obliterated instantly. And that's the problem—getting wiped out accomplishes nothing. It wouldn't even scratch him.

———————

On the other side, Shin had no idea that Akainu had thoughts of taking advantage of the situation. The Pluton was now rushing towards Kaido's territory. They hadn't rendezvoused with Whitebeard, instead approaching Kaido from two different directions.

"At this point, Kaido should have received the news, right?" Robin guessed.

Unless Kaido's intelligence was terrible, he would have already received the news that they and Whitebeard were coming for him.

"Even if he knows, it's useless. Kaido is a dead man this time."

Shin's words had already sealed Kaido's fate.

If Kaido knew the news, he would be desperate. Facing an unbeatable enemy like Shin, he would definitely be desperate.

"Do you think the Marines will take the opportunity to intervene?" Amatsuki Toki asked.

"Probably not," Momousagi said with certainty.

"That's not necessarily true. If it were still Sengoku, then maybe not. But with Akainu, it's not a given."

Shin knew Akainu was bold. If he really made a move, Shin wouldn't be surprised.

"Whether he acts or not, it's no threat to us."

Shin said with a light chuckle. Whether he acted or not, could Akainu really pose a threat to him?

Compared to Whitebeard, Shin was further away from Kaido's territory, but their arrival times would be about the same.

———————

"Shin Uzumaki, Whitebeard—you will all die." Kaido’s face twisted with madness. The three All-Stars stood nearby.

"Blackbeard, this is all because of you, isn't it?" Kaido stared at Blackbeard and asked.

"Kaido, though I admit Whitebeard is here because of me, don't you have a part in this? Besides, I didn't bring Shin Uzumaki here."

Blackbeard wasn’t intimidated by Kaido’s stare. His strength spoke for itself. Even if they fell out, he wasn’t afraid—at worst, they would simply fight.

So what if they did?

“I think we need to truly unite,” Kaido said to Blackbeard, his tone grave.

He had realized this was not the time for conflict. Their differences could wait until after it was over. For now, they needed to focus on surviving the crisis—otherwise, all their talk would be meaningless.

"Zehahaha, Kaido, you're right. We need to unite."

Before, they had called it an alliance, but in truth, each had their own agenda. It had never been a real alliance. Now, however, they had no choice but to unite for real and face this crisis together.

"Whitebeard is mine. You go deal with Shin Uzumaki."

Blackbeard’s eyes flickered as he spoke to Kaido. In truth, he wanted to avoid facing Shin Uzumaki at all costs.

Hearing him say this, Kaido’s expression darkened—he felt the same. He would rather face Whitebeard than Shin Uzumaki.

"It's settled then."