Her expression immediately changed slightly as she stepped forward to question him unhappily:
"Are you one of the young master's admirers? But imitating him to this extent is practically a provocation."
Anger appeared on Doflamingo's face as he suppressed his fury and said:
"After turning into this, you really can't recognize me? Monet, it's me!"
"You're even copying the young master's way of speaking! This is too much! If you really want to imitate the young master, at least cut your hair short."
"Enough! I am the genuine Doflamingo."
As he spoke, Doflamingo displayed the abilities of the String-String Fruit.
"Th-then... how did the young master become like this?" Monet asked cautiously.
His clothes, appearance, temperament, and manner of speaking could all be faked, but Devil Fruit abilities alone could not.
Even so, this sudden development still left Monet half-believing and half-doubting.
"Acunologiya! That bastard has a bizarre ability that can change a person's gender."
"Did the negotiations fall apart?"
"Heh... that bastard! I'll make him pay."
Doflamingo gave a strange laugh and said through gritted teeth:
"Fufufu... if I offer Kaido ten Zoan Devil Fruits, then tell him that bastard has the Mythical Zoan Dragon Dragon Fruit, Kaido will surely be eager to go cause him trouble."
Fireworks Rising into the Sky
Fireworks Rising into the Sky
"Is that so?"
The sudden voice made Doflamingo freeze, his entire body going completely stiff.
If he remembered correctly, that was the voice of that bastard Acunologiya.
In that instant, indescribable terror rose in Doflamingo's heart.
A coincidence? Or had that bastard never left?
When someone overheard you plotting against them, what was the best thing to do?
Pretend it was a joke?
That would be gambling with his own life.
Turning around and seeing the faint smile on Acunologiya's face, a powerful surge of anger rose in Doflamingo's heart again.
But the vast difference in their strength forced him to suppress his anger as he said with a dry laugh:
"I was just joking with Monet. How could I possibly persuade a self-willed bastard like Kaido?"
"Kaido may be reckless, but he's no brainless fool. If he realizes I'm trying to sow discord, I'll be the first one he kills."
"You certainly have a lot of faith in Kaido." Shirou sneered, then said in a low voice, "If that's the case, call him and ask where he is."
"Th-this..."
"Since you planned to bring Kaido over to teach me a lesson, I'll grant you your wish."
Rather than waiting for Kaido to come to him, it was better to take the initiative and go to Kaido.
"I... I was only..."
Doflamingo's gaze darted around as he continuously analyzed what Shirou meant.
"Didn't you want to have Kaido teach me a lesson? Hurry up and call. Once you find out where Kaido is, I'll go fight him."
Shirou paused before saying with a light laugh:
"After it's over, you can give me the ten Devil Fruits you planned to offer Kaido, along with the previous eleven."
This bastard! He was serious.
Doflamingo gradually realized there was only one possibility: the person before him was extremely confident that he could easily defeat Kaido.
But how was that possible?
Kaido's strength stood at the pinnacle of this world.
The strongest creature across land, sea, and sky—perhaps someone could defeat him, but winning easily was absolutely impossible!
"Fufufufu... since you're looking to die, then I won't hold back."
Doflamingo gave Monet a look, and she immediately handed him a Den Den Mushi.
"JOKER? What is it?"
The person on the other end was not Kaido, but merely one of his subordinates, and his tone sounded somewhat impatient.
Doflamingo glanced at Shirou and said with feigned excitement:
"I found another ten Zoan Devil Fruits, including a very valuable Ancient Zoan. I plan to deliver them to Boss Kaido personally. When would Boss Kaido be available?"
"Ooh...! As expected of JOKER, your efficiency is incredible. We're holding a banquet in Wano Country right now. Boss Kaido should be here for the next few days, so just come over."
"Understood! I'll head over as soon as possible."
As the Den Den Mushi call ended, the smile vanished from Doflamingo's face. Looking at Shirou as if he were already dead, he asked:
"Wano Country is Kaido's base. Every member of the Beasts Pirates is there. Are you sure you want to go there and die?"
"Isn't that perfect? If I die at Kaido's hands, you can save yourself eleven Devil Fruits."
Shirou laughed lightly, then leaped into the air. He transformed into the Black Dragon in the sky and looked down at Doflamingo.
"Get the Devil Fruits ready. I'll be back in no time!"
So strong!
Even from afar, Doflamingo could feel an immense pressure constantly squeezing his heart.
The air around him seemed to have congealed, making Doflamingo's body tremble slightly.
Even Kaido didn't have such an overwhelming presence.
Conqueror's Haki? No, it seemed to be nothing more than pure aura.
Could this bastard truly be stronger than Kaido?
No, how could that be possible!
How could someone who had never made a name for himself in the world, only to become a Celestial Dragon's lackey the moment he appeared, possibly be stronger than Kaido?
The strongest creature across land, sea, and sky was not an empty title people had made up.
Although he had defeated Doflamingo, the difference between Doflamingo and Kaido was as vast as heaven and earth.
On the rooftop of the tallest building on the island, Shirou's main body reclined lazily and glanced toward the docks in puzzlement.
Where are they going? They're just shopping. There's no need to leave the island, is there?
Not long ago, Shirou had created several water clones and had them take on ordinary appearances before sending them to shop around different parts of the island.
Some went to bars, some went to the forest, while others wandered aimlessly through the streets.
"She really never lets me rest easy. Still, with Lala's abilities, she should be able to develop a way to make weapons consume Devil Fruits, right?"
"Hmm... making weapons consume Devil Fruits doesn't seem much different from Imperial Arms. Using them like that feels a little wasteful."
Naruto World.
"The me from another world actually had such a lucky encounter. It looks like I'll have another channel for buying technological products in the future."
Shirou laughed softly. A sweep of his Observation Haki instantly located Mei Terumi, who was carrying out her daily training in the courtyard.
After several rapid Body Flickers, he arrived in the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
"Mei, stop for a moment. Come somewhere with me."
"Where are we going? I'm training."
As she spoke, Mei Terumi stopped what she was doing and teased him:
"Shirou, you've been slacking off on your training lately. Be careful not to run into that Gender-Bending Demon during a mission and get turned into a girl."
"Don't worry. I'm the Water Shadow, after all. Come on, I've been preparing this for a long time. It's finally completely ready this afternoon, all for the sake of giving you a surprise."
"Oh...? What kind of surprise?" Mei Terumi's eyes lit up, and she immediately became interested.
"You'll know when we get there. If I told you in advance, what would be the point of a surprise?"
"Since you put it that way, I'll look forward to it."
The moment they left the house, several Mist Village Anbu followed after them.
"Don't follow us. Mei and I are going somewhere alone."
"Yes, Lord Water Shadow."
Although they agreed readily, they merely changed to a more concealed method of tailing them.
Seeing this, Shirou sighed helplessly.
"Seriously, can't you let us spend a little time alone?"
"Shirou is the Water Shadow now. Safety comes first." Mei Terumi smiled as she comforted him, then looked toward the distance with curiosity in her eyes. "It's already so late. What are we going up the mountain for?"
"You'll know once we get there."
Ninjas traveled quickly. After about five or six minutes, the two arrived at their destination.
All the trees on the mountaintop had been cleared away. The ground was no longer dirt but covered with a layer of cement, making it look extremely flat.
The forests obstructing the view had all been cut down, leaving an exceptionally broad field of vision. From the mountaintop, they could see the entirety of Kirigakure at a glance.
At the center of the mountaintop stood a newly built pavilion, with stone tables and chairs inside.
"What happened here? I came here just last month, and there wasn't all this stuff then." Mei Terumi looked around before smiling at Shirou. "Is this the so-called surprise?"
"No, the view here is simply better. All right, it should be about time to begin."
Shirou took out a signal flare and fired it into the sky.
In the next instant, countless fireworks rose into the sky from every direction around Kirigakure.
The Original Plan—Continue
The Original Plan—Continue
Brilliant fireworks blossomed across the night sky, forming all kinds of beautiful patterns.
The colorful flames were far too dazzling amid this chaotic age, gradually relaxing Mei Terumi's mind.
"Mei, this is the surprise I prepared for you."
"When we first got married last year, I actually wanted to put on fireworks like this."
A faint smile hung on Shirou's face as memories of the past unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
"Unfortunately, I hadn't been Water Shadow for long at the time, and my savings weren't enough to support something like this."
"And I would have felt guilty about misappropriating public funds."
"So, this is a belated confession."
Mei Terumi couldn't help taking Shirou's hand. She shook her head slightly, leaned close to his ear, and said with a smile:
"We're already married, yet you're still calling it belated. How sly... My answer had already been given to you when we first met."
The distant Mist Village Anbu exchanged glances, all thinking the same thing.
Should I really be here?
After a long while, the fireworks faded away, and calm returned to the sky.
But Kirigakure, which had previously been hidden in darkness, was now brilliantly lit, as every household had been startled by the fireworks.
Standing on the mountaintop, the two could faintly feel the lively atmosphere within Kirigakure.
Before you continue