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On the third day of the New Year's festival, Alliance City was open for its final day.
During such festivals, there was no way Naruto wouldn't bring his beloved Sakura to enjoy a day in Alliance City. However, since Sasuke wasn't coming, Sakura wouldn't come either.
With no other option, Naruto had to bring Sasuke along.
On the streets of Konoha, the blond boy walked side by side with the aloof, dark-haired boy, with a pink-haired girl beside them.
"You said there was something here that could make me stronger."
Sasuke cast a shadowy, intense gaze towards Naruto.
Having just experienced the tragedy of his clan's massacre a year ago, Sasuke's mind was filled with thoughts of how to kill Itachi, leaving no room for anything else.
If Naruto hadn't told him that coming here could quickly increase his strength, he wouldn't have come at all.
He wasn't interested in those so-called Pokémon; he was determined to settle this grudge personally. He never intended to rely on anyone or anything else to kill Itachi.
"Of course, there are many things—whether it's Haki or Devil Fruits, they can make you incredibly strong. And let's not forget about Pokémon. If you ask me, Sasuke, you might not even be as strong as a Pokémon that just left its child stage."
Naruto wasn't lying to Sasuke.
What he said was entirely true.
"Do you know how to get those things?"
In the past, Sasuke might have argued with Naruto over whether or not he was weaker than a Pokémon. But now, Sasuke had no interest in such petty disputes.
In his eyes, he was already an adult burdened with a heavy grudge, while Naruto was just a kid who didn't understand anything.
"Haki can only be learned from someone who knows it. As for Devil Fruits, you can buy them in the maritime world, but they're very expensive now. Everyone wants to use them to make their Pokémon stronger and become stronger trainers."
Naruto had always been interested in how to become stronger.
To become the Alliance Leader, it wasn't enough to have strong Pokémon. To be recognized by the First Leader, Dak, as the next leader, one had to have personal strength.
This was something all aspiring candidates for the position of the Second Leader and the upper echelons of the Alliance had come to accept.
The selection of the next leader would surely be decided by a vote among the Alliance's top officials.
Even though Dak hadn't explicitly stated that the leader must be powerful, the other top officials of the Alliance would never accept someone weaker than themselves as the leader.
Especially in the eyes of people like Sakazuki.
'If you can't fight, step down and let me take over.'
This was also Zephyr's view, so he often taught Naruto how to become stronger.
Naruto explained the effects of Haki and Devil Fruits to Sasuke in detail.
Sasuke was clearly more interested in Devil Fruits, which could rapidly increase one's power, and wasn't as keen on the slow, gradual training required for Haki.
"How do I get to that world?"
Sasuke was tempted.
He had already started thinking about how to obtain a Logia-type Devil Fruit. At the very least, it had to be a Paramecia-type; he wouldn't even consider a Zoan-type.
"Generally speaking, non-Alliance staff from Pokémon Island aren't allowed to enter the maritime world unless they have a friend there willing to invite them."
Naruto had been to the maritime world before, so he was familiar with the rules.
"Do you know anyone like that?"
"I do. You want to go to the maritime world? I can't take you there. It's dangerous, and if you die there, what then?"
Naruto didn't have a deep bond with Sasuke yet.
In the original story, their relationship deepened only after they were assigned to Team 7 and went through life-and-death battles together.
At this point, Naruto and Sasuke hadn't even acknowledged each other as friends. Only after the battle with Zabuza and Haku would they truly begin to see each other as comrades.
But Naruto was a good kid; even though his relationship with Sasuke wasn't that strong, he didn't want him to get hurt or lose his life.
"Naruto, listen to me. I have a reason I must become stronger. I'm prepared to die on this path. Even if I do die there, it wouldn't be your fault. I'd still be grateful for your help."
Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the collar and seriously told him this.
As for Sakura beside them, Sasuke hadn't spared her a glance. To him, she was a useless girl with no value.
"Then I'll go with you."
"I'll go alone."
"No, if you go alone, I won't take you."
Naruto's attitude was firm.
Under Zephyr's guidance, he had become a responsible young man. If he was going to take Sasuke there, he would do his best to protect him.
The maritime world was still relatively safe at this point, but the sea beasts and wild creatures there could be dangerous for two kids who weren't trainers.
"I want to go too!"
At this point, Sakura couldn't hold back any longer.
She had been quietly enduring, not interrupting their conversation, but now, hearing that the two boys were going to another world, she couldn't stay silent.
"No way." x2
For different reasons, both Naruto and Sasuke rejected Sakura's request.
"Why not?!"
"It's too dangerous for you, Sakura."
"What use would you be? You'd just be a burden."
There's no need to specify who said which line.
Sasuke was fed up with this useless, clingy girl. He was busy training all day, and she kept interrupting him.
She would just stand there, looking down, not saying a word, twisting her body around. Sasuke couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.
"But..."
"Shut up. Why are you even here?"
Sasuke was truly annoyed.
Why was this girl always haunting him?
"I..."
Sakura, scolded by Sasuke, felt extremely upset and lowered her head, looking pitiful.
"Don't be like that, Sasuke. We're all classmates, friends. Come on, let's go. I'll take you to the maritime world."
Seeing Sakura like this, Naruto couldn't help but intervene.
His grandfather was Zephyr, so Naruto was technically half a maritime world person. Going there himself was no problem; he didn't need to go through Luffy and the others.
Only kids like Shikamaru and Kiba needed to go through the process Naruto mentioned earlier to enter the maritime world.
"Alright."
Sasuke nodded, his attention shifted, and he ignored Sakura.
The thought of becoming stronger even made him a little excited.
This was the happiest he'd felt in over a year.
"Sakura, wait at my house, or go explore Alliance City. Sasuke and I will be back soon."
After saying that, Naruto took Sasuke and left.
Half an hour later.
Naruto and Sasuke stood on a strange island full of soap bubbles.
The Sabaody Archipelago.
It wasn't Naruto's first time here.
But it was Sasuke's.
Even though Sasuke's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his brother Itachi, he couldn't help but be awestruck by this fantastical island.
He opened his mouth slightly, looking up at the sky filled with rainbow-reflecting bubbles and the oddly-shaped trees around them.
Looking down, the streets were full of people laughing and chatting—people of all kinds, even other races.
Fishmen, Mink Tribe, Longleg Tribe...
Races that were once only accepted in the New World were now found throughout the seas.
The whole world was like a united nation, and all of it was shared property.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Naruto, seeing Sasuke's expression, smugly rubbed his nose.
When he first came here, he had shouted and been unbelievably excited. Compared to that, Sasuke was quite calm.
"Hmm."
Sasuke took a deep breath, forcing himself to refocus on his original purpose. "Where can I find Devil Fruits?"
"The auction on Sabaody usually has them at every event. Did you bring any money?"
"..."
Sasuke fell silent for a while, his once-excited heart suddenly turning cold.
That's right. He hadn't brought any money.
After hearing Naruto talk about Devil Fruits, he'd rushed over in excitement, completely forgetting that Naruto had mentioned needing a lot of money to buy one.
"No worries, there might not be an auction today anyway. They're held irregularly. We can check the bulletin board on Island 14 first."
"Alright."
Sasuke nodded. He knew nothing about this place, so he decided to trust Naruto for now.
Even though Sasuke was full of hatred, he was still just a naive kid who didn't know how dangerous the world could be. Thankfully, Naruto was also a naive, kind-hearted kid. Otherwise, someone like Orochimaru could easily manipulate Sasuke with a simple promise of power and revenge.
The distance to Sabaody Archipelago was a bit far, even with a Pokémon ride, it took half an hour.
But fortunately, Naruto wasn't short on money. Zephyr never skimmed on giving him pocket money, so paying for the ride was no problem.
"How much do Devil Fruits cost, at least?"
"Well, even a basic Zoan-type fruit costs around thirty million Berries."
Naruto considered it for a moment.
He had heard that a basic Zoan-type Devil Fruit used to cost around ten million Berries.
But ever since Pokémon became mainstream, the price of Devil Fruits had skyrocketed. Even a basic Zoan-type fruit could greatly benefit a Pokémon.
This benefit even exceeded the growth a human could achieve by eating a Devil Fruit.
(End of Chapter)