The sea didn't answer.
It never did.
But it listened.
Osamu stayed there for a while after that, chin on his hand, watching the horizon stretch and fold with the ship's movement. The wind tugged at the sail. Wood creaked. Somewhere below deck, something rattled every few seconds like it was about to fall over and never did.
Normal.
That was good.
He waited until the rhythm of the ship settled again—until Luffy lost interest in the seagull, until Zoro's breathing evened out, until Nami stopped glancing back at the sack of money like it might grow legs and run away.
Only then did Osamu straighten.
Not abruptly. Not dramatically.
Just enough.
The air in front of him shifted.
[MANGAKA SYSTEM — DISTRIBUTION INTERFACE]
It didn't glow. It didn't announce itself.It simply existed—clean, rectangular, brutally efficient.
Osamu scanned it without expression.
Current Catalogue (In Circulation):Naruto — Vol. 1–6Attack on Titan — Vol. 1–2
New Releases Ready:Naruto — Vol. 7, 8Attack on Titan — Vol. 3, 4
Standard Price: 2500 Belly / VolumeDistribution Network: World News Coo (Global)Anonymity: Absolute
Note: Previous volumes continue long-tail sales.
Osamu let out a slow breath through his nose.
"Alright," he murmured. "Now we're just being irresponsible."
He hovered over the confirmation.
For half a second, a thought crossed his mind—about restraint, about pacing, about maybe waiting another arc.
Then he thought about the Forest of Death.About Titans stepping over walls.About how stories didn't wait for permission.
He confirmed.
The response wasn't loud.
It was immediate.
Far above the ship, cries echoed—not panicked, not chaotic. Purposeful. Hundreds of birds cutting across the sky in clean vectors, bundles secured, routes splitting like veins branching from a heart.
Osamu leaned back against the mast and looked up.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "That's going to cause problems."
[PRIVATE SALES MONITOR — ACTIVE]
The numbers didn't creep.
They surged.
Not just from the new volumes—but from everything that came before them. People who had hesitated bought in. People who had read once came back for more. Crews pooled money. Towns ordered in bulk. Ships carried crates instead of single copies now.
Naruto Vol. 1–5 (Ongoing): +610,000Naruto Vol. 6–8 (New): +492,000Attack on Titan Vol. 1–2 (Ongoing): +558,000Attack on Titan Vol. 3–4 (New): +431,000
Osamu's eyebrows rose despite himself.
"…Okay. That's starting to feel illegal."
Gross Revenue (This Cycle): 4,772,500,000 BellyDistribution Fee (30%): 1,431,750,000 Belly
Net Profit: 3,340,750,000 Belly
The moment the number was finalized, something inside him shifted.
Not violently.
Heavily.
[SUKUNA TEMPLATE — RESONANCE UPDATE]Synchronization Increase: +15%
Current Synchronization: 40%
For a heartbeat, Osamu felt tall.
Not physically—existentially. Like the sea, the sky, and the ship itself were pieces on a board he could tilt if he pushed hard enough.
His smile sharpened.
"…Nope," he said, forcing his shoulders to relax. "Not today."
The pressure coiled inward, dissatisfied but obedient—for now.
Zoro cracked one eye open. "You keep making that face."
"What face?"
"The one that says you're about to do something stupid."
Osamu smiled pleasantly. "I already did. I'm just watching the fallout."
Zoro snorted and went back to sleep.
They reached Syrup Village the next afternoon.
It didn't welcome them.
Shutters closed as they climbed the slope. Conversations died mid-sentence. A woman pulled a child back behind a fence the moment Luffy waved.
"…Did we do something?" Luffy asked.
Nami folded her arms. "Pirates don't get parades."
Osamu nodded. "Especially not ones who don't look desperate."
They hadn't gone ten steps into the village before a voice rang out—too loud, too forced.
"P-PIRATES?!"
A man burst from the trees, slingshot raised, nose long enough to be its own landmark, legs shaking like he might bolt in either direction.
"I—I'M CAPTAIN USOPP!" he shouted. "LEADER OF THE USOPP PIRATES!"
Osamu tilted his head.
"Confident opening," he said. "Terrible follow-through."
Usopp blinked. "Huh?"
"I give it," Osamu continued thoughtfully, "two minutes before you warn us about something."
Usopp puffed up. "I HAVE EIGHT THOUSAND MEN!"
Zoro sighed. "Why is it always eight thousand?"
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose.
Canon rolled forward.
The kids.The lies.The warnings about pirates coming.
Osamu didn't interrupt.
Night fell.
And with it, the wrong kind of quiet.
Osamu felt it before he saw it—footsteps too careful, breathing too steady.
Jango never got to finish sneaking.
Osamu stepped out of the dark and struck once, clean and precise.
Jango collapsed.
"…Who was that?" Luffy whispered.
"Hypnosis," Osamu replied. "Bad for consent."
Then came Klahadore's voice.
Polite. Measured. Fake.
Osamu didn't wait for the monologue.
Paper snapped into his hand.
He walked forward and threw it.
The bounty poster slapped against Klahadore's chest.
CAPTAIN KURO — DEAD OR ALIVE
Silence cracked open.
Usopp stared.
Klahadore's glasses slid slightly out of place.
"…You shouldn't have noticed," Kuro said calmly.
Osamu smiled.
"You shouldn't have stayed."
Blades slid out.
The fight erupted.
Osamu moved—but didn't dominate.
Shunpo flashes repositioned him constantly. Slime flooded the ground in controlled sheets, tripping Cat Pirates, binding legs, gluing weapons to hands. He slapped one unconscious. Then another.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]Bitch SlapEffect: +30% Damage to Soul / Ego Targets
Osamu laughed. "Oh, that's perfect."
Kuro lunged.
Osamu stepped aside.
"Luffy," he said evenly. "Now."
Luffy grinned.
"GOMU GOMU NO—"
The punch landed.
Canon held.
The Cat Pirates tried to flee.
They didn't make it far.
Slime surged everywhere. Nets formed. Restraints snapped shut. Osamu moved through them like a man clearing a room, laughing under his breath, farming movement, timing, experience.
Loot followed.
Half vanished where no one could see.
Half went to the crew's shared pile.
By morning, Syrup Village was quiet.
Safe.
Usopp stared at the sea.
"…You guys are terrifying."
Osamu clapped him on the shoulder.
"Yeah," he said lightly. "You'll fit right in."
The ship sailed again.
And somewhere far away, people opened new volumes and argued about walls, about monsters, about whether survival made villains of everyone.
Osamu leaned against the railing, sarcasm settling back into place like armor.
"Man," he muttered, "this is going to get messy."
The sea listened.
And kept its secrets.