The clash between two Warlords of the Sea quickly reached the ears of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
“Report, Fleet Admiral! A battle occurred between two Warlords of the Sea, ‘Empress’ Boa Hancock and ‘Paths’ Nagato, causing significant destruction to the main street of Famsborough town. Both sides’ residential areas have varying degrees of damage. Additionally, Warlord ‘Blackbeard’ Marshall D. Teach was petrified, and the Empress is severely injured!”
In the Fleet Admiral’s office, Sengoku was discussing the next day’s operational plans with his officers, including the three Admirals, second only to the Fleet Admiral. The interruption by the orderly was already displeasing Sengoku, and the news made him slam the table in anger.
“Damn Warlords of the Sea!” Sengoku shouted at the orderly, “What exactly happened? How did the battle start?”
The orderly, despite having been yelled at by Sengoku numerous times, couldn’t help but shudder. Especially under the piercing gaze of Admiral Sakazuki ‘Akainu,’ whose eyes felt like sharp swords, making the orderly’s hair stand on end.
The orderly hesitated for a moment, then saluted and said, “It was the Empress who actively sought out the King of Dressrosa, but the specific reasons are unclear.”
Upon hearing the orderly’s report, the three Admirals had differing reactions.
Borsalino ‘Kizaru’ tilted his head and drawled, “Oh, the King of Dressrosa. He’s quite formidable. I saw his prowess firsthand at the Sabaody Archipelago.”
Kuzan ‘Aokiji’ scratched his head, “Oh dear, actively provoking and then getting defeated? Regardless, causing trouble at this time adds another problem for us. These restless people…”
Sakazuki ‘Akainu’ pierced through with a firm look from under his cap, “As expected, it’s still the pirates causing trouble, these scum of the sea!”
The Admirals expressed their thoughts, while the Vice-Admirals dared not speak up in the Fleet Admiral’s office.
The final decision rested with Sengoku, who ordered, “First, attend to Boa Hancock’s injuries. She is a vital combat force. Then, have her immediately restore Marshall D. Teach from his petrified state, or else the Navy will hold her and Amazon Lily accountable for multiple offenses!”
Calming his anger, Sengoku continued, “As for the King of Dressrosa, no action will be taken against him, but triple the Navy guards monitoring him. No more incidents are allowed to happen!”
Finally, Sengoku addressed the damage to the town, “We’ll deal with the damages in Famsborough after the war.”
“Understood!” The orderly saluted and quickly withdrew.
The Navy soldiers in Marineford swiftly executed the Fleet Admiral’s orders.
Though Hancock had been severely injured by Nagato, he held back significantly.
Hancock wasn’t without ways to die. Her pirate crew, the Kuja, and her own tyrannical actions would justify her execution many times over. In other circumstances, encountering Hancock, Nagato wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. But at Marineford, killing a high-ranking government official would create too many problems, especially since Nagato was currently playing a role of compliance with the government. The repercussions of a huge disturbance outweighed the benefits.
Therefore, he didn’t go for the kill.
Previously, when Doflamingo was critically injured, he recovered about 70-80% after treatment by Mansherry and could still fight a 50% Chakra Nagato to a standstill. So, a three-part power Shinra Tensei from Nagato wouldn’t directly kill Hancock.
With her strong physique and the Navy’s treatment, Hancock soon regained mobility, though her strength would be temporarily reduced, making her less effective in the upcoming war.
Upon her recovery, Hancock, despite her arrogance, didn’t dare defy Sengoku’s orders at Marineford, thus restoring Blackbeard as instructed.
Blackbeard, freed from petrification, showed no fear or desire for revenge. He laughed heartily and returned to his quarters with his crew.
As for the other party involved, Nagato, the security around his residence was increased. Previously, there were a few Marines at the corners, but now it was heavily guarded.
The Marines had no real power against a Warlord, but it was a statement and warning: any further trouble from the Warlords would have dire consequences.
Nagato, inside the house, paid no attention to this, as he would soon leave, undetected and unstoppable by the increased guards.
“Dust Release,” Nagato awoke from his meditation, holding a transparent, glowing cube. “To think it would be completed just before this war; it must be fate.”
Indeed, what he held was the ultimate technique of the Tsuchikage from the Shinobi world, Dust Release.
The success of the Dressrosa battle was partly due to Nagato’s strength but mainly due to superior intelligence. His injured left shoulder from that fight reminded Nagato that without the information advantage and tailored abilities, his real combat power wouldn’t significantly surpass Doflamingo, and he still had a long way to go to reach the top-tier fighters of this world.
Therefore, Nagato quickly tapped into another aspect of his Sharingan, using Susanoo to bolster himself.
A month after the Dressrosa battle, Nagato couldn’t remain idle. In the Sabaody Archipelago, Franky’s elemental form had momentarily thwarted him, not because he hadn’t learned Haki, but because he hadn’t tried to learn it. All his training time was spent on Chakra fusion.
Nagato had been close to mastering Dust Release before his death at Black Zetsu’s hands in the Shinobi world. After rigorous refinement, he finally fused Earth, Fire, and Wind Chakra, mastering Dust Release in a little over a month.
Was Dust Release Nagato’s greatest achievement from his training? Not entirely.
The step-by-step fusion of Chakra, creating Kekkei Genkai and eventually Kekkei Tota, greatly enhanced his Chakra control, akin to how novice ninjas improve by walking on trees and water.
What other method is better for enhancing Chakra control than directly manipulating and merging different types of Chakra?
This enhanced Chakra control is more valuable than deadly techniques like Magnet Release or Dust Release.
Possessing both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, Nagato lacked techniques but was limited by his Chakra’s depth and strength.
Insufficient depth led to near depletion in battles, and insufficient strength limited the power of Shinra Tensei, requiring more Chakra output, exacerbating the first issue.
Improved Chakra control solved these problems.
Increased control resulted in more potent Chakra output per unit, similar to how Tsunade and Sakura could unleash devastating power with relatively small Chakra reserves.
Enhanced control also indirectly increased Chakra reserves, allowing Nagato to sustain high-intensity battles for longer periods.
This is why Nagato considered Bloodline Selection his path to greater strength.
To be honest, pursuing Bloodline Selection wasn’t an absolute truth but rather Nagato’s belief or hypothesis.
No one in the Shinobi world had trained to the end of this path, leaving no concrete proof.
Yet, Nagato pursued it because he knew that the most powerful being in the Shinobi world, Kaguya Otsutsuki, possessed Bloodline Selection. The Otsutsuki clan was inherently powerful, but Kaguya’s invincibility stemmed from the God Tree, essentially energy derived from combining the five elemental Chakras into primordial Chakra, also known as Bloodline Selection.
Bloodline Selection, although an unproven path, had shown intermediate forms like Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota, which gave users a natural advantage over non-users, supporting Nagato’s theory.
Furthermore, his training results, like improved Chakra control and powerful fused Chakras, hinted at the potential of the final form called Bloodline Selection.
In conclusion, mastering Dust Release significantly enhanced Nagato’s power, not just because of the technique itself but because of the essence of his strength—Chakra.
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