Naruto: Copy System#655+656: He Can Back Up That Arrogance, The Red Count

"Looks like the fight's already started."

By the time Shin and his crew arrived, they could already see Sengoku's fleet and the state of Punk Hazard.

Half the island was a sea of roiling magma, the other a frozen wasteland. The entire landmass had been split into two different worlds.

"Shin Uzumaki, what are you doing here?"

Sengoku and Garp approached, their eyes fixed on Shin with suspicion.

'How did the Kuja Pirates get here without us knowing? They've made it all the way to the New World, and I haven't heard a single report.'

"Relax. If I wanted to take you out, I could do it in an instant. No need to be so on edge."

Shin glanced at Sengoku, his tone flat.

He understood Sengoku's concern—he was afraid Shin would interfere with Akainu and Aokiji's duel.

But Shin had no interest in getting involved with them. He was just here for the show.

"You came here because you received intel, didn't you?" Sengoku pressed.

Shin just smiled faintly. "You don't need to worry about that."

Sengoku's expression soured. 'What do you mean, I don't need to worry? You just show up here, knowing about Akainu and Aokiji's duel. That means our intelligence has been compromised!!'

Though the world knew Akainu and Aokiji were fighting for the Fleet Admiral position, the location of their battle was a closely guarded secret. Sengoku couldn't risk anyone finding out. If one of the Four Emperors decided to launch a surprise attack, the Marines could lose two of their top fighters in one fell swoop.

Sengoku's mind raced, trying to figure out who could have leaked the information. This was no small matter. If other pirates found out, who knew if they'd try to swoop in for scraps?

At that thought, Sengoku felt the urge to call Kizaru for backup.

With another Admiral here, they could handle any potential threats. He even considered ordering Akainu and Aokiji to stop fighting altogether.

He knew all too well that no matter who won, the outcome would be a loss for the Marines. If Akainu won, Aokiji would surely leave. If Aokiji won, Akainu would do the same. One of them was bound to quit. If he could stop the fight now, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation.

"The fighting's getting more intense. It's a real deathmatch. I wonder what kind of grudge they have against each other," Shin remarked with interest.

His ship was close enough to Sengoku's warship, and with Sengoku's Observation Haki, he could definitely hear him.

Sengoku's face darkened. Two of his top Admirals fighting to the death like this... it was a complete disgrace.

"Don't worry. The other pirates probably don't know," Garp said to the scowling Sengoku.

"And even if they did show up, as long as Shin Uzumaki stays out of it, we'll be fine. Even if Whitebeard himself came, the two of us could at least hold him off."

"That's right, Garp's right. The other pirates have no idea," Shin said, turning to look at Garp and Sengoku.

"Hina, did you really betray the Marines and join the Kuja Pirates?" Sengoku's expression softened slightly—he figured Shin had no reason to lie. But the moment he saw Hina, his face went dark again.

"..." Hina looked uncomfortable.

She hadn't wanted to come out, especially knowing Sengoku was here. But Nami had dragged her out. The two of them had gotten along surprisingly well after sharing a cell.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Hina nodded.

There was no turning back now. Everyone knew she had become a pirate.

Besides, she found her new life to be quite good. Even though she was a pirate now, the Kuja Pirates hadn't done anything evil.

"I never thought you would fall so low, Hina." Sengoku had once had high hopes for her. He couldn't believe she had joined the Kuja Pirates.

"What's so 'low' about it?"

Hearing Sengoku's words, Shin felt a surge of anger. 'What do you mean, fallen so low? Is joining the Kuja Pirates some kind of disgrace??'

His pirate crew had never committed any atrocities, never harmed innocent civilians. Shin wouldn't stoop to that level.

"Hmph." Sengoku just snorted coldly.

Facing Shin, he couldn't say anything more forceful.

Then, his gaze fell on Momousagi, his expression turning incredibly complicated. If Hina's betrayal had angered him, Momousagi's presence just left him at a loss for words.

He had sent her as an undercover agent, but now she seemed to have genuinely become a member of the Kuja Pirates.

Was it his fault, or hers? If he hadn't sent her in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. But she also had a choice in the matter.

The more he thought about it, the more complicated it became. In the end, Sengoku decided to just ignore it and focus on the battle between Akainu and Aokiji.

—————

Two days later, the fight was still raging, but Shin had already lost interest.

"This is boring. A fight I could finish with one punch has dragged on for this long. It's completely pointless."

Shin looked utterly bored.

Sengoku's expression soured. That's some serious arrogance. But then he thought about it—coming from Shin, he had the right to be arrogant.

Sengoku still vividly remembered Shin's terrifying power—a single meteor had obliterated Enies Lobby. And he had been easily overpowered, unable to even block one of Shin's punches.

"Let's go."

Shin said to the women, who were equally bored. To them, this life-or-death struggle between two of the world's strongest fighters was nothing more than a sideshow.

If Akainu and Aokiji knew, they'd probably abandon their fight and come after Shin and his crew. Or maybe they wouldn't have the guts.

"He's really leaving?" Sengoku watched as the Kuja Pirates' ship sailed away, a frown on his face.

"What, are you unhappy that the Kuja Pirates are leaving?" Garp glanced at Sengoku, picking his nose.

A moment later, Garp wiped what he had picked on Sengoku's uniform. In an instant, Sengoku's face, which had just started to relax, contorted with rage.

"GARP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Sengoku's roar was so loud it startled Garp. He casually cleaned his ears, feeling like he was about to go deaf. 'What's with all the shouting?'

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Looking at Sengoku’s thunderous expression, Garp offered a sheepish grin and an apology.

Sengoku just stared at him, then let it go. In a way, he was happy for Garp. It seemed he had finally moved on from the shadows of the past. That was a good thing.

It was all thanks to Luffy surviving. If Luffy had also died at Marineford, Garp might have completely broken down.

—————

Just as in the original story, Akainu and Aokiji fought for ten days and ten nights. In the end, Akainu emerged with a narrow victory, and Aokiji lost a leg.

Of course, Aokiji's injuries weren't limited to his leg. His body was covered in severe burns.

Akainu wasn't much better off. He had numerous frostbite scars, some of his muscle tissue even frozen to the point of necrosis.

The island of Punk Hazard, the site of their battle, was now permanently transformed into an island of ice and fire, its environment forever altered. It was already uninhabitable, but now it was a wasteland where no ordinary person could survive.

"Akainu won. That's not surprising," Shin said, looking at the intelligence report. He wasn't surprised in the slightest.

He had always favored Akainu in this fight, and the original story had confirmed it.

"Aokiji has left the Marines. That's a huge loss for them," Amatsuki Toki commented.

"They'll recover soon enough. Never underestimate the Marines."

Shin chuckled lightly. It wasn't a crippling blow. A single mass conscription would replenish their forces. But that also came with risks. Some of those new recruits could be spies from other factions.

"I'm sure Dragon won't pass up this opportunity."

Shin felt that Dragon would definitely use this to his advantage. If you were to ask who had the greatest ambition on the seas, Blackbeard and Kaido wouldn't even come close.

Dragon's ambition was the greatest in the world of One Piece.

"The other factions are also making moves. The Whitebeard Pirates are still fighting the Beast Pirates, and the Blackbeard Pirates have actually teamed up with Kaido."

Robin suddenly produced a piece of intel that even surprised Shin. Blackbeard and Kaido, working together? That was certainly unexpected.

"By the way, is our territory secure?"

Shin asked Robin.

"Hmph, who would dare start shit in our territory? If they've got the balls, I'll wipe them out myself," Hancock said coldly.

"It's secure. Neither the Whitebeard Pirates nor any of the other Emperors have made a move on our territory," Robin said, shaking her head.

Shin's annihilation of Big Mom had proven an effective deterrent. Even the Four Emperors had to think twice about the consequences of crossing Shin. If the Emperors wouldn't risk it, then smaller pirates definitely wouldn't.

"There's a lot of conflict on the seas. Should we get involved?" Olvia asked Shin.

"I have no interest in getting involved. I'd rather just sit back and watch."

Shin smiled. He had no interest in the disputes of the sea. But with Whitebeard still alive, he wondered how things would play out.

"Even with Blackbeard and Kaido teaming up, they're probably no match for Whitebeard. Their conflict will likely end soon," Shin said, gazing out at the endless sea.

—————

After that, Shin returned to his territory, where he enjoyed the highest level of treatment.

Countless kings bowed before him, and they did so willingly.

Shin's presence had brought them peace. In the past, pirates of all sizes had constantly harassed them. But now, because this was Shin's territory, even the pirates who showed up kept their heads down and behaved themselves.

And Shin's earlier prediction had come true. Whitebeard had indeed defeated Kaido and Blackbeard. Of course, he hadn't been able to wipe them out. The two of them had retreated together and were still maintaining their alliance.

Just how solid that alliance was, however, was another question.

"Shin, something major has happened. An entire village in our territory was massacred. All the blood was drained from the bodies. It's suspected to be the work of a Devil Fruit user."

Olvia's expression was grave, her eyes filled with rage.

To do such a thing in the Kuja Pirates' territory was a direct provocation.

"Who do you think did it?" Shin was pissed. Someone had the nerve to start shit in his territory while he was away in the New World. This had to be a deliberate challenge.

"Based on my research, the most likely culprit is Patrick Redfield."

Olvia handed her investigation file to Shin.

Shin looked at the file and fell into thought. He knew of Patrick Redfield. This guy was no small fry, he was an old monster from the same era as Whitebeard.

He was the user of the Mythical Zoan, Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire, one of the few Mythical Zoan users.

He had many titles—such as the "Red Count." and "Red the Aloof."

Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits were even rarer than Logia types. Every Mythical Zoan user was a formidable figure.

"To stand toe-to-toe with Roger and Whitebeard on strength alone... he's definitely powerful. But his fatal mistake was messing with me."

A cold glint flashed in Shin's eyes.

"We don't have conclusive evidence yet. He's just the most likely suspect," Olvia said to Shin.

"That's enough," Shin said with a faint smile.

Being the most likely suspect was enough. Besides, Shin was eighty percent sure it was him.

It seemed the Red Count had already found the Vampire Fruit.

Originally, the Red Count had been imprisoned in Impel Down, but he had escaped during the chaos of the Summit War caused by Blackbeard and Luffy.

To regain his strength, he needed the Vampire Fruit to return to his youthful state.

In the original story, the Red Count of this period should still be searching for the Vampire Fruit. But it seemed things had changed. The Red Count had already found the fruit and was starting to recover his power.

"Investigate every piece of information on the Red Count. As soon as you find him, I'll deal with him personally," Shin said to Olvia.

"Shin, I don't think you need to act. I can handle anything for you," Hancock said, walking in from outside.

Hearing that Shin was going to personally deal with someone, Hancock felt it was unnecessary.