The Journey, The Wait, The Appearance

In the dim ship cabin, Sirius sat atop a crate, gnawing on a few apples.

Yamato scurried around the cabin curiously, opening one crate to take a look, then rummaging through another, as if she had ADHD.

"It's so dark, I can't see anything."

Yamato pouted and turned back to look at Sirius. "Sirius, aren't you able to breathe fire? Spit out some fire to light this place up!"

Sirius nearly choked on his apple. He rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? There's gunpowder everywhere in this cabin. If it catches fire, we'll all be blown to the sky!"

"Eh, is that so?"

Yamato gave a light hop, jumped over to sit beside Sirius, and dangled her short legs. "This feels so boring."

Sirius put down the apple in his hand and said with a smile, "How about I tell you a story?"

"Ooh! Yay!"

Yamato pressed her hands against her knees, looking very well-behaved.

Even in the dark environment, Sirius could still see the glimmer in her eyes. "What kind of story is it?"

"Hmm, it's a story that takes place in a village far, far away, called Konohagakure..."

Well, telling a Naruto story in the world of pirates—isn't that pretty interesting, too?

The Beasts Pirates had mobilized several warships this time, with thousands of pirates setting sail along with them.

The final battle was about to break out. Even Kaido dared not underestimate the man named Kozuki Oden, so the Beasts Pirates had to go all out!

The fleet pushed forward and finally arrived at the coast of Wano Country, at a port called Jinbu Port, where the fleet came to a halt.

Kaido disembarked with King and Queen, and people were already there to greet them.

"Guh-hehehehe! They're here, they're finally here, Kaido!!"

A man with a tall but rather short and stout build, an ugly face, a topknot, and a crown worn at an angle—the Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi—walked up with a beaming smile.

"I've waited for five whole years, and this moment has finally arrived!"

Behind him followed an old man and an old woman; upon seeing Kaido, both of their faces were plastered with sycophantic smiles.

"Hmph."

Kaido let out a cold snort and picked up his massive wine gourd to take a swig. "Where is Oden? How far has he gotten?"

"Guh-hehehehe! That guy has finally realized he was deceived!"

Kurozumi Orochi said with immense mockery, "He has finally made up his mind to come and crusade against you, planning to launch a surprise attack at dusk while you're drunk, to take your head straight from your shoulders."

"But he has no idea that the moment his plan left his lips, it was already exposed to us!"

"Right now, he's probably approaching this place with a few of his Samurai."

"Very good."

Kaido's lips curled, a brutal grin blooming across his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this!"

"Lead the way, Orochi. If he wants to give me a surprise, then I'll give him a surprise first!"

"Wororororo!"

The Beasts Pirates abandoned their ships here. Aside from a small group left behind to guard the vessels, everyone else disembarked to participate in the upcoming battle against the Kozuki Clan.

As they disembarked, the pirates began moving supplies.

Sirius and Yamato had already hidden themselves back inside the crates long before that, holding their breath to avoid being discovered.

The crates filled with supplies were loaded onto large carts. Once all the crates were moved, the Beasts Pirates set off once more.

The carts were pulled by beasts native to Wano Country: dinosaurs, wild boars, fierce tigers, hungry wolves, and more.

These beasts were incredibly strong, pulling the carts with a thunderous rumble as they sped forward.

Inside the crate, taking advantage of the rumbling noise outside, Yamato asked expectantly, "And then, Sirius? What happened next? Did Kakashi let them pass the test?"

The story had just reached the point where Team 7 had been formed, and Kakashi was testing Naruto and the others. Sasuke and Sakura had defied Kakashi's orders to let Naruto eat, only to be caught.

It was clear that Yamato was very fond of this story.

Sirius cleared his throat and said, "The hearts of Naruto and the others were in their throats because Kakashi's expression was as gloomy as storm clouds before a tempest!"

"But the next second, just when Naruto thought he would have to go back to the Ninja Academy, he heard Kakashi say, 'Congratulations, you passed the test.'"

"Eh! They passed?"

Yamato said excitedly, "What the, Kakashi is a good guy after all!"

"Naruto felt very strange too, and then he saw Kakashi smiling broadly as he said, 'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash. But those who don't care about their companions are even worse than trash,'" Sirius said.

"So cool!! Kakashi is just so cool!"

Yamato was moved to tears. She grabbed Sirius in a hug and vowed, "Sirius, we will definitely be the best of partners, right! If it were me, I would definitely give my food to you too!"

"I know, you idiot! You're getting snot on me!"

While Sirius continued telling the story to Yamato, the Beasts Pirates marched onward, not stopping until more than a day later when they reached a hilly region.

"We'll choose this place."

Kaido, transformed into an Azure Dragon, soared into the sky. He surveyed the surrounding terrain and made his decision. "Wororororo! We'll wait for them right here!"

"Build a fire, cook, and sharpen your spirits! Then, prepare for the coming battle, you bastards!!!"

The pirates of the Beasts Pirates began to bustle about once more. They unloaded the crates from the wagons, took out the food stored inside, lit fires, and began preparing their meal.

An enticing aroma soon began to waft through the mountain forest.

Sirius and Yamato were lucky; the crates they were hiding behind were stacked on the side containing weapons, so they hadn't been exposed yet.

As the pirates began to eat, Sirius and Yamato slipped out from behind the crates and ducked into the nearby woods. If they didn't get out now, they would surely be discovered once all the crates were opened later.

Time ticked by. The pirates finished their meal, retrieved their weapons from the crates, and cleaned up the traces they had left behind. Then, under Kaido's orders, they dispersed and hid in the surrounding mountain forest.

Sirius and his companion were nearly discovered, but fortunately, both were agile enough to scramble directly up into the trees, which allowed them to remain hidden.

The mountain forest suddenly fell silent, with only the mountain breeze blowing through.

Neither Sirius nor Yamato dared to speak. They could only stare at each other, waiting alongside the pirates.

It was hard to say how much time had passed. The sky had long since darkened, the moon had risen high, and Yamato was starting to feel drowsy when the hushed voices of the pirates suddenly drifted through the air.

"They're here! They're finally here!"

"Prepare for battle! Boss Kaido has given the order: prepare for battle!"

In an instant, Sirius and Yamato were wide awake.

Sirius looked around excitedly. Finally, he saw a few figures standing atop a distant cliff.

Kozuki Oden had finally arrived!