The news of Whitebeard and Red-Hair forming an alliance spread across the world within days.
The general public, unaware of the truth behind it, was immediately thrown into panic. In their eyes, just one of the Four Emperors was already a terrifying force—after all, hadn't the Marines been unable to take them down for years?
Now that two such monstrous pirate forces had joined hands, to the average citizen, it felt like the end of the world. Many feared their homes would soon be lost.
But then, another earth-shaking piece of news pushed the entire incident to a new peak of frenzy.
A newspaper issue was released.
This issue contained nothing but eight bold characters as its front-page headline, taking up the entire page:
"Defeating Two Emperors Alone! Admiral Shikiryū!"
The article inside focused solely on Kaito's feats. The most jaw-dropping one?
Kaito had defeated both Kaido of the Beasts and Red-Haired Shanks—two of the Four Emperors—within a single day!
Shanks had even lost his left arm in the battle and had nearly left his life behind in the small East Blue village of Foosha.
Anyone who laid eyes on this article couldn't help but tremble with excitement—for they finally understood the real reason behind the Whitebeard–Red-Hair alliance.
They were both defeated by Admiral Shikiryū.
And they were afraid.
People began shouting "Admiral Shikiryū!" in the streets. For a time, the name Uchiha Kaito echoed across every corner of the sea.
Dolls modeled after Kaito instantly became the hottest-selling item in stores. And along with them—contact lenses featuring the pattern of the Rinnegan.
Yes, those iconic Rinnegan eyes of Kaito's had become the top-tier item in the contact lens market. Regardless of age or gender, everyone wanted a pair—or several—to keep at home.
There were even rumors of a village where a young man scared off some misbehaving pirates simply by wearing the Rinnegan lenses.
Even if the pirates knew they were fake, they still backed off.
Because what if... what if they ran into the real owner of those eyes one day?
They knew. If that ever happened, they might not even get the chance to run.
At a certain bar in Foosha Village, the owner had already hung a sign with the Rinnegan symbol outside. The number of patrons had since skyrocketed.
According to the guests, the bar's proprietress had a personal connection with Admiral Shikiryū. They didn't come for the drinks—what they sought was a sense of safety.
Kaito's hometown in the pirate world, Cocoyasi Village, had also become a tourist hotspot. People flocked there, eager to soak up the atmosphere of the legendary Admiral.
Bell-mère even wanted to rename Cocoyasi Village in Kaito's honor, suggesting it be called "Kaito Village." But Kaito gently turned her down.
Only after persistent pleading from Bell-mère did he finally give a name—"Konohagakure."
Bell-mère was confused at first, but when Kaito explained that Konohagakure had once been the homeland of the Uchiha Clan, she grew excited and immediately took down the name.
Cocoyasi Village was officially renamed Konohagakure.
After learning this, the Marines dispatched their strongest forces in East Blue to garrison Konohagakure.
At this point, Konohagakure had become, without a doubt, the strongest village in all of East Blue.
Whether it was ordinary pirate crews or elite groups returning from the Grand Line, if they had to pass by Konohagakure, they would rather take a long detour.
Why? Because everyone knew that Admiral Shikiryū possessed the terrifying ability to appear anywhere at any time.
Even if they weren't afraid of the Marines stationed there, they still had to think twice about the weight behind the name "Admiral Shikiryū."
A phrase had begun to spread across the seas:
"The light of the Rinnegan will shine upon all those with kind hearts."
...
And at the center of all this attention—Kaito himself—was currently sitting in his office, staring helplessly at a room full of Rinnegans.
Things were way too lively in Kaito's office today.
Gion, Kalifa, Ain, Yamato, Ace, and Law—all of them were staring at him with "Rinnegans" in their eyes, making his scalp tingle.
Kaito sighed and pinched his forehead.
"Are you done yet? I've got to attend my promotion ceremony soon, you know."
His appointment as Admiral was already set in stone. Sengoku had even held a meeting for it earlier. Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru were all in attendance.
The decision for Kaito to become an Admiral passed almost instantly. Sengoku had barely brought it up before Akainu was the first to voice his support.
No one found it surprising—especially people like Onigumo, who had witnessed Akainu turn into a molten magma man out of pure excitement after hearing of Kaito's feats.
Akainu's office was still under repair. Just cleaning up the cooled lava from the floor required a whole squad of Marine soldiers.
Yamato pouted and gave a couple of dissatisfied hums.
"Not fair! Why doesn't my Rinnegan have those comma things sensei talked about!?"
She had been among the first to rush to the base shop to buy a pair, but in her excitement forgot to check the product—and ended up with the "Youth Edition" Rinnegan. No tomoe at all.
Ace, on the other hand, was a total schemer. He "borrowed" money from Garp and bought two pairs of six-tomoe Rinnegan lenses, making Yamato so envious she was nearly in tears.
Law scratched his head awkwardly off to the side. He had just wanted Kaito to check if his lenses were legit, but walked into a room full of Rinnegans. Now he didn't know where to look.
Gion, Kalifa, and Ain covered their mouths and chuckled. They'd only bought the lenses for fun—and to see how Kaito would react.
Kaito, for his part, snuck a glance at Gion, looking a little awkward. After all, he had a few "close female companions"... and both Ain and Kalifa were in the room right now. The fact that Gion hadn't lost her temper was already a small miracle.
Gion noticed his look and rolled her eyes.
She knew about all of Kaito's so-called female companions.
But she chose to turn a blind eye to it. As long as she remained his official girlfriend, that was enough.
After all, Gion had seen her share of the world. She knew powerful men always attracted a variety of women—of course, that didn't include the eternally single fossils in the Marines.
Besides, today was Kaito's Admiral promotion ceremony. As his girlfriend, there was no way she'd make things hard for him today.
With that thought, Gion walked over gracefully to Kaito's side and, just like the last time he was promoted to Vice Admiral, carefully straightened his clothes.
Then she said softly,
"All right, it's time. Go attend the ceremony that belongs to you—my Admiral Shikiryū."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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