Puppet Theater

The Puppet Theater was progressing smoothly. Ruri directly selected three ninjas from the Medical Team who could use chakra strings to form a puppet squad. To prevent a manpower shortage and cultivate new puppet masters, he also chose three students with good chakra control from the Ninja Academy as apprentices under the guise of internships. All three children were civilians, and having the chance to learn novel ninjutsu before graduation would benefit their future development.

The Sanjo Clan was put in charge of making the puppets. Since they could craft fine ninja tools, this sort of carpentry work was no trouble for them. Though the puppets were not yet sturdy enough for combat, they were more than sufficient for ordinary Puppet Technique training and performances.

Ruri gave Jianming and the others three days of intensive training. Three days later, the newly excavated lake became the birthplace of Puppet Technique, and the first public performance of the Puppet Theater would be held there!

People often feared the unknown. If something was completely unfamiliar, the villagers would likely find it difficult to accept the Puppet Theater and might even find moving puppets terrifying. Fortunately, there had been a brief period of peace before the Warring States Period, during which a kind of puppet show somewhat similar to the Puppet Theater had existed. Coupled with Ruri's prestige in Takigakure, the villagers who came to watch the first public performance did not dwindle merely because they knew nothing about it.

The stage and seating constructed by the Hagane Clan's ninjas using Steel Release were of excellent quality. Though such a massive project had mobilized more than half the clan, Hagane Maomori was still very satisfied. There were not many outstanding ninjas in the clan, and it was somewhat lacking in fresh talent. Fortunately, the Takikage placed great importance on improving people's livelihoods, and Steel Release happened to excel in this area. As long as Takigakure continued to develop, the Hagane Clan would not decline even without a Jonin.

The black curtain rose, revealing an execution platform on the stage. A puppet knelt upon it, flanked by two puppet soldiers.

Then the narrator's voice rang out, carried far into the distance with the aid of a Wind Style ninja. "There was a man who possessed all the wealth, fame, and power in the world. He was Gol D. Roger, the 'One Piece'!"

"Gol D. Roger?"

"What a strange name."

"What is One Piece?"

"All the wealth in the world?"

The audience below broke into discussion. Some could not understand it, while others dismissed it with scorn, but no one left right away. Regardless of the Puppet Theater's quality, it was a novel and amusing way to pass the time—far more interesting than going home and making babies.

"Do you want my treasure?! If you want it, then go take it! I left everything I had there! Go find it in the sea!" The kneeling puppet suddenly lifted its head, its mouth opening and closing as it shouted those deafening words!

"Not bad. The effect is basically there." Ruri nodded. That special effect had taken the Wind Style ninja a great deal of effort to achieve. To make an ordinary voice carry the feeling of One Piece's Roger through Wind Style, it would take at least a million-dollar sound engineer.

"Hey!!" Suddenly, hundreds of puppets appeared below the execution platform and let out a thunderous roar. Some of them even jumped up, raising their arms as they cheered!

The villagers seated nearby were badly frightened by the sight. There were hundreds of puppets, and that sound was simply too overwhelming!

In truth, the effect had only come from three people's voices. Wind Style chakra had cut off the spread of their sound, then released their voices one layer at a time, making it seem as though hundreds or thousands were shouting. As for the puppets, more than half were merely hollow shells hastily made by the Sanjo Clan to fill out the scene. Though the display looked grand, they could not move at all. Only the few puppets that leaped into the air were being controlled by Jianming and the others.

The Roger puppet's head was cut off by a soldier puppet. The black curtain fell over the stage, signaling the end of this scene.

The opening was extremely brief and relatively easy to operate. It was meant to help everyone get into the rhythm. Jianming alone could handle simple actions like raising a head, lifting an arm, or cutting off a head. In the original work, most puppet masters could only use one puppet because they could only use one in battle. Normally, they were capable of controlling several puppets at once. It was not strange for Jianming, a pioneer, to manage this.

During the intermission, the audience began discussing it again. Both the unbelievable puppet performance and the stirring cheers gave them a feeling they had never experienced before. Some even found themselves wanting to go see the sea.

As the script provider, Ruri was not very interested. This was far too different from One Piece in his original world. If ninjutsu had not amplified the sound and atmosphere, it probably would not even have reached one-tenth of that standard. The only reason these villagers found it interesting now was because this world truly had no other forms of entertainment... Compared side by side, this Puppet Theater version of One Piece could still be called a masterpiece...

The second act began. The execution platform onstage became a tavern. A cluster of seated puppets occupied the bar, and unlike the first act, a fat man was behind the counter, wiping a wineglass.

"Isn't that the Izakaya owner? What is he doing here?"

"I heard he recently developed a new liquor. Was it called grape wine or lychee wine?"

"Let's watch the show first. I think it's pretty interesting..."

A short, black-haired puppet walked into the bar and shouted, "I, Monkey D. Luffy, will prove to you today that I can become a pirate too!" As he spoke, he bent his arm and slashed his face with a knife.

"Hahaha!"

"That puppet is hilarious!"

"Look at that movement. It's so funny!"

"Monkey D. Luffy? Just like One Piece Gol D. Roger, his name has a D in it. Are they related somehow?"

The villagers had a low threshold for laughter and showed unprecedented interest in this novel performance they had never seen before. Though the puppets' acting was not realistic, they could understand what the movements meant. There were even audience members seriously analyzing the plot.

"Idiot, what are you doing?"

"To Luffy's courage, brothers! Cheers!"

"Keep drinking, keep drinking!"

The puppet pirates at the bar continued drinking amid the commotion. The Red-Haired pirate leader slapped a large sum of money onto the table, signaling the owner to bring more liquor. At that moment, the Izakaya's fat owner turned around, truly took several bottles from the wine cabinet, and said, "The Izakaya's new grape wine, certified by Lord Takikage. Even Luffy says it's good after drinking it. Everyone is welcome to have a taste!"

The Luffy puppet walked up to the bar, shielding the bottle's mouth with his hand as a chakra string secretly extended beneath him and pulled out the cork. At once, a rich fragrance filled the air!

"It really smells like it... Sweet, too..."

"Wine from the Izakaya? There's actually liquor that smells this good!"

"Grape wine? I love eating grapes. I definitely have to try it!"

This was the grape wine Ruri had arranged to be developed earlier, and it had now finished brewing. Using the stir caused by the Puppet Theater, the advertising effect was extremely successful. Without any surprises, the Izakaya would be packed within a few days. Of course, the fat Izakaya owner had paid a hefty advertising fee to appear in the Puppet Theater. Ruri had not pocketed it for himself; all of it was given to Jianming, the others, and several apprentices.