Traveling from the Kano Country to the Grand Line didn't require going over Reverse Mountain again… the Happo Navy had its own unique route.
"Eh! So you actually participated in that war earlier!?"
Sai and Boo looked at Sasuke in shock. They had heard about the Summit War, but due to other matters, they hadn't been able to watch the live broadcast.
"Ah… yeah."
Sasuke replied while applying maintenance oil to his Kusanagi Sword. He didn't think this kind of scene was something to boast about.
-To be honest, the broadcasted scenes weren't as grand as fighting against Kaguya. No matter which version of Kaguya it was, they were all the same.
"Hmph! So as I said, you two brats, go practice more diligently! Especially you, Sai! You didn't even realize Sasuke wasn't serious when fighting you, did you?"
Sitting nearby, Chinjao looked at his grandson disdainfully, while inwardly feeling regret once again that Sasuke wasn't his own descendant.
"Is… is it true?"
Sai, coming to his senses, asked Sasuke with a dry tone. He wasn't disbelieving. After all, based on others' accounts, Sai understood the significance of the Summit War.
Not to mention the super battlefield with over two hundred thousand people, just the Admirals on the Marine side and the Four Emperors on the pirate side, plus his grandfather's rival Garp… And even that was just supporting roles. Later, it was said even the World Government's Five Elders and their master showed up. This had already exceeded Sai's imagination.
"It's true."
Sasuke was still sparing with words, focusing entirely on maintaining his sword. To be honest, this Kusanagi sword hadn't received such treatment whether in Orochimaru's hands or Naruto's.
Both would take out the sword when needed and just stuff it in their mouths when not. With Naruto having the Baku Baku no Mi's ability, it was somewhat better, but Orochimaru literally stuffed it down his throat.
If the divine sword had a spirit, it would probably say to Sasuke, "I'll follow you in the next life too."
After being reforged by Naruto, this sword's toughness had already reached the level of a Great Grade Blade. And it originally had excellent sharpness. If Sasuke could fully coat this sword with his Armament Haki, it could basically earn the title of a Supreme Grade Blade.
The Twelve Supreme Grade Blades weren't necessarily exactly twelve. Many famous swords had disappeared into history with their masters' deaths, while new swords had taken their places. What truly determined whether a sword could reach the Supreme Grade level, apart from the sword's own quality, was the user's strength.
-At least in swordsmanship, the current Sasuke couldn't be considered a master swordsman. At most, he had learned some 'fast sword techniques' from Redfield.
"Damn it!! Have a serious fight with me!"
Hearing Sasuke's confirmation, Sai's hair stood on end with anger, and he immediately tried to pull Sasuke aside to spar. However, his action was interrupted by a punch from Chinjao.
"Quiet down! Sai, we're on a ship!"
After being hit, Sai finally calmed down. But from the look in his eyes as he watched Sasuke, it wasn't hard to tell that this guy would definitely find a chance to spar with Sasuke. Feeling that burning gaze, Sasuke couldn't help but sigh lightly.
'Was I this annoying before?' Sasuke also remembered how he used to pester B, Naruto, and the others for sparring matches.
…
The Happo Navy, after all, had the word 'Navy' in its name, so their ship's speed couldn't be slow.
Not as fast as Sasuke flying the whole way, but definitely faster than ordinary pirate ships. They arrived at Sabaody Archipelago with almost no delay.
"Boo, take the men to find a coating craftsman."
Chinjao gave instructions to his grandson.
"Whoa- So this is Sabaody Archipelago?"
Sai had lived twenty-eight years, most of which were spent near the Kano Country, rarely venturing to distant seas. This was his first time coming to Sabaody Archipelago. As for Sasuke, stepping foot here again, he was somewhat surprised.
Sabaody Archipelago could be simply divided into 'safe zones' and 'lawless zones'. The artisan area, entertainment district, and hotel street, being closer to the Navy station, belonged to the safe zones.
Places like Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, the Celestial Dragon's slave auction house, underground information exchanges, and some pirate gathering areas belonged to the lawless zones.
Originally, in Sasuke's view, with the Marine and its backing World Government falling out, they might be too busy with their own affairs to care much about Sabaody's public order.
But unexpectedly, the order here wasn't as collapsed as he imagined. Or rather, quite the opposite-
Sasuke expanded his Observation Haki. Although he couldn't casually envelop an entire island like Naruto, covering a radius of several hundred meters was more than enough.
"The Marine is already patrolling?"
The dock where the Happo Navy berthed was on Grove 15, which used to be a lawless zone. Due to Celestial Dragon's patronage, slave trading and underground transactions thrived here before, and the Marine wasn't allowed to come. But now, with just a rough scan, there were three or four squads of marines patrolling the streets. The once ubiquitous gangs and pirates had disappeared, perhaps hiding in some corner.
"The Marine's actions are really fast."
Beside him, Sai also walked over. Clearly, he had noticed the changes here.
"The collapse of the old order also means the rise of a new order…"
Tap, tap.
Along with the sound of a blind man's cane tapping the ground came a long sigh. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound. It was a tall, blind man wearing a Marine officer's Justice cloak. Behind him followed a squad of marines who looked very elite. This imposing presence immediately made the Kano Country crew tense.
Although the Kano Country was a World Government's affiliated nation and the Happo Navy was its official military force, they also held the identity of 'pirates'.
Or rather, sometimes for convenience, they would don this disguise. Therefore, the Happo Navy also remained wary of the Marine.
"Can a blind man be in the Marine?"
Sai, straightforward as ever, spoke his mind out loud. The approaching man, Fujitora, hearing this, was momentarily taken aback but didn't seem angry.
"Haha, although I am blind, it doesn't affect my daily movements too much. Everyone from the Kano Country… and this one…"
"Uchiha Sasuke, a Ninja."
As Fujitora turned his face towards him, Sasuke introduced himself. He had some impression of this guy… possessing the ability to manipulate gravity, who had previously single-handedly held off many of the Whitebeard Pirates' Division Commanders. A strong individual.
Similarly, Fujitora also had a deep impression of Sasuke. After all, someone who could single-handedly suppress one of the Five Elders, even if previously unknown, had proven his strength in that battle.
"If you all are just passing through, please refrain from any inappropriate actions. In the early stages of establishing a new order, unless absolutely necessary, I would prefer not to provoke many disputes."
Fujitora's words were mainly directed at Sasuke. In his view, there was no doubt this person had the power to destroy this island. If other Marine officers said such seemingly 'weak' words to pirates, it would more or less damage the morale of the marines behind them.
But the one saying this was Vice Admiral [Fujitora], who not long ago had directly buried countless criminals and pirates into the ground with gravity. That wasn't a problem. In the Marines' eyes, although Fujitora spoke politely, once he took action, he was truly 'brutal'. Truly worthy of being a candidate for Admiral!