The Charm of Ninjutsu

Looking at the massive hole blasted open by Xi Yan, the eyeballs of Barry and the others bulged out in shock.

What had they just witnessed?

It was one thing for two gargantuan water dragons to appear out of thin air on the ocean, but to then use them to blast apart the Gods of Water was something else entirely!

Subconsciously, Peepley Lulu swallowed hard and said, "Is... is this the true strength of the Ninja Bro?!"

This was truly terrifying.

"Too strong!" Zanbai said excitedly. "With such a powerful person joining us to save our big brother, we'll definitely succeed!"

"Oh!"

"It's not just that; this guy can actually manipulate seawater..." Barry noted.

He had seen it clearly: the other party had used some unknown method to mobilize the ocean, turning the sea itself into two water dragons.

Was it Ninjutsu?

In a sense, a person like this was the nemesis of any Devil Fruit User; any Devil Fruit User fighting him in a naval battle would be at a natural disadvantage.

It was fortunate that such a person was on their side.

"BOOM!!"

The Rocket Man moved at high speed, swiftly passing through the massive hole and successfully crossing the Gods of Water!

"We made it through!!"

"We survived!!"

The Franky Family shed tears of excitement; the feeling of walking the line between life and death was far too stimulating.

Glancing into the distance and confirming there were no other tsunamis, Xi Yan calmly turned back and said, "If you discover anything else behind us, remember to notify us immediately."

"Understood, Ninja Bro!"

Seeing Zanbai and the others looking at him with worshipful eyes, Xi Yan smiled and said nothing more.

Returning to the carriage, Luffy immediately darted over and said, "That was so cool, Xi Yan!"

"How did you do that?"

"Those two giant water dragons just shot out in an instant!"

"That's right, that's right!" Chopper said, gesturing wildly. "Is that the Ninjutsu thing?"

"Nin!"

"Nin!"

"Ninja Bro is amazing!" Kimone said.

"Young people these days are truly incredible," Koko Luo Po Po remarked with a sigh.

The group had been right by the window, witnessing the entire process of the two water dragons forming and striking; it was incredibly shocking.

"Yes, Ninjutsu." Xi Yan walked over to a seat with a chuckle and sat down. "This is Water Release Ninjutsu."

"Water Release?"

"Correct, Water Release," Xi Yan explained. "It is one of the elemental types of Ninjutsu."

"Do you have other types, then?"

"Naturally," Xi Yan said proudly. "I possess Chakra of all five natures, and I also have some research into Yin Yang Release and Sealing Technique."

He had snuck into Shimura Danzō's Root organization quite a few times, and he had seen information on some of his Secret Techniques.

For instance... the Multi-Size Technique!

In a sense, the Multi-Size Technique could be considered a manifestation of Yang Release.

Of course, he also frequently read the Scroll of Seals, which the Third Hokage allowed.

Zoro, sitting to the side, felt his perception of Xi Yan shift slightly as he recalled the words Xi Yan had spoken earlier.

(If I truly wanted to do it, you would be dead before you even saw me.)

Indeed, if the other party had any murderous intent toward them, he wouldn't even need to board this train; he could simply launch such an attack from a distance.

For a high-speed Sea Train to be hit by such an attack would be no different than crashing directly into the Gods of Water—the result would be the destruction of the train and the death of everyone on board.

"You actually have that many types?!" Luffy said excitedly. "What are the other Ninjutsu like?!"

"Can you show us one?!"

"Hehe, don't be so impatient~" Xi Yan said with a smile. "There will be plenty of opportunities."

They were about to head into battle; there was no reason to waste his stamina here.

With that, Xi Yan stood up and headed toward the cockpit. Nami had mentioned wanting to contact Sanji, and he also wanted to know the situation on the other side.

"No, no~"

Luffy hugged Xi Yan's leg and refused to let go. "Just demonstrate one for us!"

"That's right, Xi Yan," Chopper said, hugging Xi Yan's other leg. "I'm begging you."

The scene from just moments ago was far too shocking; they simply could not calm down yet.

Finding himself unable to move, Xi Yan looked helplessly at the two fellows clinging to his thighs. Wasn't this just acting like hooligans?

Luffy was one thing—the guy's personality was sometimes just like a child's—but how could Chopper join in on the fun too?

Well, come to think of it, Chopper wasn't much better.

"Hey," Zoro spoke up. "That's enough out of you two. The battle we're about to face will likely be brutal, and the enemy won't give us any time to rest."

"If possible, don't waste your stamina so easily."

Although he didn't know what conditions were required for Xi Yan to unleash his ninjutsu, there had to be some cost involved.

As for wasting energy performing ninjutsu for Luffy and the others, that could wait until after they had rescued Robin.

"Hmph, stinky Zoro."

"Green Algae Head!"

"Three Sword Style!"

"Click~"

Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead as he opened his Shark Mouth and retorted, "Did I say something wrong?!"

"And another thing, why did the Color Cook's voice just appear?!"

While speaking, Zoro began searching for the source of the sound, quickly locking onto Nami's hand.

Nami had just stepped out of the cockpit, holding a Den Den Mushi that looked exactly like Sanji.

Zoro: ...

Fine, so that's where he was!

"Hey, hearing my voice, are you feeling excited?" Sanji said with a chuckle.

"Not at all," Zoro replied with disdain. "Looks like you haven't kicked the bucket yet, kid."

Though he said that, judging by the upward curve of Zoro's mouth, that wasn't what he was thinking at all.

At the very least, he could confirm that Sanji was still alive and well.

"Tch."

Sanji pursed his lips, then said, "I heard our pirate crew has added a new member, right?"

"Hello, I'm Xi Yan," Xi Yan said with a smile.

By this time, Luffy and Chopper had already let go of Xi Yan.

"I'm Sanji." Sanji paused after saying this; he glanced at Usopp standing behind him, instinctively wanting to introduce Usopp to Xi Yan.

But when he saw the expression on his face, he silently sighed.

He then said, "I heard you're a ninja?"

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing those two words, Usopp perked up instantly.

Franky was the same; ninjas and the like were things they had only ever seen in storybooks, and none of them had ever seen a real one.

Now that a living, breathing ninja had appeared, how could they not be excited?

However, when Usopp remembered that he had already quit the Straw Hat Pirates, his eyes dimmed significantly.

"Ah, I am a ninja," Xi Yan said. "What, do you want me to perform some ninjutsu for you too?"

"Haha, looks like Luffy already did that, right?"

"You really know him well."

"That goes without saying." Sanji smiled and said, "But let's save that for another time when there's an opportunity."

Although Sanji was quite curious about what a ninja was like, he also knew when to focus on the task at hand.

"Alright, let's talk business," Sanji said seriously. "Luffy, I now know the reason why Robin left us, so I want your authorization!"

"What kind of authorization?"

"Authorization to go to war!"