Intersecting Fates

Minato stared intently at the Gum-Gum Fruit, guarding against any unexpected developments.

He had discovered something strange when he first seized this fruit: the bizarre Devil Fruit seemed to possess a consciousness of its own, actively resisting him.

If not for his immense speed and various sealing techniques, the fruit likely would have grown legs and run off long ago.

Yet, now that he had released it, the Devil Fruit seemed like nothing more than an ordinary piece of fruit, lying completely still.

Why was this? The only difference in the situation was the presence of one more person—could it be because of Luffy? Minato pondered to himself.

"Old man, is this the mystery grand prize?" Luffy couldn't help but drool at the sight of food.

"Yes, this is a Devil Fruit. Eating it grants the ability to transform into a rubber human, but the drawback is that you can no longer swim."

Minato spoke based on the information he had queried from the Main God Space. "Think it over carefully before you decide whether to accept this reward."

"Devil Fruit? I don't get it. Is it tasty?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Uh, I haven't eaten one, so I'm not sure." Minato hesitated for a moment. "But Devil Fruits are extremely rare, so it should be pretty good, I suppose." Minato's tone carried a hint of uncertainty.

"Ah, then I want to eat it!"

Hearing that it tasted good, Luffy immediately grabbed it and took a big bite.

"Ugh~ it tastes terrible!"

Luffy cried out instantly, but as a glutton, how could he waste food? He persisted and finished the Devil Fruit regardless.

As Luffy ate the fruit, Minato watched him nervously, his mind focused on the mission panel:

Main Mission 2 "Legacy of the Pirate King" mission progress: 50%, Remaining time: 79 days

The mission progress was stuck at 50%! Minato's heart sank. Since the mission wasn't complete, he hurriedly consulted the Reincarnator Assistant System, and the answer he received was:

[Missing key item "Pirate King's Straw Hat"]

This answer, of course, was not free; it cost him 500 points... It was expensive, but the system thoughtfully provided a video clip:

Amidst the churning sea, a one-armed red-haired man held a small child with his remaining hand. A single, Haki-filled roar drove back a ferocious sea beast, yet the young child was already sobbing uncontrollably...

"Shanks, your arm..." The pained child was none other than Luffy.

"It's alright, Luffy!"

"I'm entrusting this straw hat to you..."

After watching the video, Minato pondered, "It seems this Pirate King's Straw Hat is in the hands of Shanks, the man I clashed with earlier. If I want to obtain this hat, I cannot avoid him. This makes things rather tricky."

"Old man, my hand seems to have become strange..." Luffy said, his right hand taking on the appearance of melted rubber.

"This is the power of the Devil Fruit," Minato said with a smile. He reached out to touch Luffy's cheek and gave it a gentle tug, stretching the skin out long...

"Ouch!" Little Luffy immediately cried out in pain.

"Hahaha, sorry, I was just curious." Minato apologized with a laugh.

Minato watched as little Luffy experimented with his abilities, secretly observing and recording the data. However, Luffy was young and his stamina was limited, so he soon became exhausted. The two agreed to meet again the next day and parted ways.

Somewhere in the East Blue, the Red Force of the Red Hair Pirates was sailing across the calm waters.

"Shanks, is this the hometown of the Pirate King? It looks very peaceful," Beckman said, puffing on a cigar.

Shanks suppressed his slight agitation over the loss of the Gum-Gum Fruit. "Yeah, not only Captain Gol D. Roger but our Red Hair Pirates also set sail from here! Isn't that right, Yasopp?"

The long-nosed Yasopp was a companion Shanks had found in the East Blue, and it was after finding him that the Red Hair Pirates were formed. The East Blue held a special significance for Shanks.

"That's right, Captain. Who would have thought that the rookie pirate who started out alone would become such a renowned great pirate in the New World today?" Yasopp was busy wiping his gun barrel. "But Captain, are you revisiting this place because you're looking for something?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Shanks's Haki flared slightly, causing the railing at the bow of the ship to crack. "Because the thing I lost last time is in the East Blue."

"Oh? That Devil Fruit?" Beckman's eyes turned sharp in an instant.

"Yes, I have to find it."

Shanks sensed a virtual image in his mind, displaying a map of the East Blue. A red dot was blinking on the location marked as Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom! With a shift in Shanks's focus, the light screen switched, and a text interface slowly emerged:

[Reincarnator World: One Piece World, Sea Circle Calendar Year 1510 Background: The man who possessed wealth, fame, and power—the "Pirate King" Gol D. Roger—said one thing before his execution: "Do you want my treasure? If you want it, go find it on the sea. I left it all there." Countless people set sail for the sea in search of the legendary Pirate King's great treasure, "One Piece." Main Mission 1: "Pirate King's Straw Hat." Deliver the mission item to the "D" clan member in the Goa Kingdom of the East Blue. Main Mission 2: Not yet unlocked. Mission Completion Reward: 1 D-rank side quest, 500 points, one random skill reward. Mission Failure Penalty: Permanent erasure of all memories related to this mission, closure of "Reincarnator" novice privileges. Mission Countdown: 78 days]

Shanks studied the mysterious vision in his mind for the Nth time, but no matter how he questioned it, the only answer he received was "Insufficient privileges." It seemed he would have to try his luck...

After sailing through the East Blue for another day, the Red Force arrived at the port of Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom.

On the beach on the outskirts of Foosha Village, Minato Namikaze held a fishing rod, angling in a leisurely manner, while little Luffy diligently practiced his Devil Fruit abilities.

"Gum-Gum~"

Little Luffy swung his arm back, his right arm instantly stretching out to attack the Shadow Clone of Minato standing opposite him. However, before his hand could touch Minato, his arm went limp and fell powerlessly to the ground halfway there.

Seeing this, the Minato Shadow Clone said, "Luffy, you have only just eaten the fruit; your abilities still require much more training."

"But Uncle Minato, I'm so hungry. Every time I use the rubber powers, I get hungry," little Luffy said, patting his stomach pitifully.

"I suspect that activating your fruit ability consumes physical energy. You are still young and in a period of growth, so you need to replenish your nutrients. As it happens, I've just hooked a large fish."

The Minato Shadow Clone sensed that a large fish had taken the bait on his main body's line. With a powerful tug, Minato pulled a fish over a meter long out of the sea. "Luffy, haha, let's take a break and have some grilled fish."

As a Konoha ninja with extensive wilderness survival experience, a mere grilled fish was naturally no challenge for Minato.

After starting a fire, Minato cleaned the fish with clean, practiced movements, skewered it, and set it over the campfire until it was fragrant and sizzling. He then handed it to Luffy, who, ignoring the heat that made him blow on the meat, began to gnaw on it in large bites.

Minato took a small bite of the fish and asked Luffy, "Luffy, what is your dream?"

Little Luffy tilted his head. "Huh? What's a dream?"

"It's the thing you want to do most," Minato smiled.

"What I want to do most is become really strong, be able to eat meat whenever I want, and then be able to beat up Grandpa, because he hits me really hard!" Little Luffy's eyes were filled with the light of hope.

"Hahaha, so you want to become stronger?"

"Maybe. Anyway, I just want to eat when I want to eat, do what I like, and go wherever I want."

"That is freedom, Luffy! To do what your heart desires—that is the freedom many people pursue!" Minato remarked with emotion.

Little Luffy's eyes lit up. "Right, that's it! Doing what I like! Freedom! Hehehehe." Little Luffy revealed his signature buck-toothed grin. "I'm going to be the freest person on this sea!"

Minato ruffled Luffy's hair, leaving it a mess, and said, "Then you'll have to work hard! There are many powerful guys on this sea!"

"Uncle Minato, who is the freest person on this sea?" little Luffy asked, his eyes sparkling.

Yes, who is the freest person on this sea? Minato pondered. If he followed his mission, he could guide Luffy down the path of the Pirate King, but he wasn't sure if this path was truly right. From the mission description, however, it seemed to be the most suitable for Luffy...

"On this sea, there are Celestial Dragons who appear to have supreme power, and there are powerful Marine admirals. But the former are nothing more than self-indulgent freaks, while the latter are bound by heavy shackles, their every word and action dictated by the World Government system."

Minato shared his simple understanding of this world. "In contrast, there are the pirates. Pirates do not follow any laws; there are good ones and bad ones, and they generally act as they please, existing somewhere between chaos and order. Powerful pirates can obtain limited freedom, while weak pirates are eventually wiped out by other pirates or captured by the Marines."

The long explanation left little Luffy a bit confused, but he put on an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh, so I just have to be the strongest pirate and it'll be fine! But Grandpa wants me to be a Marine, and I don't want to! It's not fun at all. Uncle Minato, are you a Marine?"

"Of course I'm not a Marine. In this world, I'm just an ordinary person." Minato thought of Kizaru; he had fought him, so the Marines would likely view him as a pirate. But these stances had nothing to do with him; to this world, he was merely a passerby.

"Huh? I thought Uncle Minato was a very powerful great pirate."

Minato smoothed out Luffy's messy hair and said, "Hahaha, I'm just an ordinary ninja!"

"A ninja? What's that?"

"A ninja is one who can endure the—" Minato stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning solemn. A large ship appeared in the distance, carrying an aura that was both strange and familiar.

"Uncle Minato, why did you stop?"

"Luffy," Minato said with a serious face, "a powerful guy is coming. You go with my Shadow Clone to stay somewhere further away; I'm going to go meet him."

"Huh, is it a friend of yours, Uncle Minato? Then he must be a very powerful person!" little Luffy said, full of curiosity.

Minato smiled without explaining. He created a Shadow Clone to take Luffy to a nearby forest to watch from afar, while he remained in place to wait for the Red Force, which he had seen only a short while ago, to dock.

The massive hull of the Red Force brought a sense of immense pressure as it approached the shore. Red-Haired Shanks and a group of his high-ranking officers stepped down from the ship's rail.

Shanks had expected to be furious when he saw the "thief" who had snatched his captain's treasure again, but after meeting him, he found he was more interested in figuring out the purpose of the person before him.

Shanks held the brim of his hat with one hand, looking down at Minato from his tall, sturdy frame, and asked calmly, "Well? After stealing the fruit, you won't even let me see the person who gained its power?"

"You never gained the recognition of the Nika Fruit, so how can you call it stealing?" Minato replied noncommittally.

Upon hearing the words "Nika Fruit," Shanks's eyes turned sharp. "Who are you?"

"Just a passing ninja," Minato said with a touch of humor.

"Wano Country has never had a ninja like you," Shanks mused. "Let me see that child."

Shanks stopped beating around the bush and stated his intentions directly. His Observation Haki had easily captured Luffy's presence, but he knew that if the person opposite him wished, his speed would make it impossible for him to stop this ninja.

Several thoughts raced through Minato's mind: Why does he want to see Luffy?

In the data provided by the Main God Space, Shanks was actually Luffy's mentor, but it was clear that because of his own interference, the two shouldn't know each other yet... So what was his goal? Did he want to know who the Devil Fruit was given to? But that was already an irreversible fact. Would he be a threat to Luffy? Minato thought for a moment, and the words that came out were: "I need to know what you intend to do."

"That fruit is not so simple. I want to see the person who could gain its recognition. You should be able to feel that I have no malice."

Minato pondered that under his protection, although he couldn't defeat Shanks, he wasn't afraid of being unable to escape. "Very well, but I have one condition: you must leave this straw hat behind."

In an instant, a sharp burst of Haki erupted from Shanks's body before vanishing just as quickly. Shanks's expression turned grave. "Do you know its significance?"

"To be precise, I don't. But I do know that it is very important to Luffy!" Minato stated firmly.

"So that child's name is Luffy!" Shanks stroked the straw hat atop his head, the mysterious mission flashing through his mind, and nodded as if possessed. "This hat is no simple thing; it can only be bestowed upon one it deems worthy."

Minato thought of the boy, Luffy. "You needn't worry about that. Luffy's aptitude is top-tier."

"I need to see him myself to verify it. This isn't me asking for your permission; it's merely a notification. And as for you, if you want to secure this hat for that child, you'll have to earn my approval with genuine skill." Shanks's Haki leaked out, overwhelming the surroundings.

"It's clear that there is no fundamental conflict between us," Minato said with a faint smile. "Must we really come to blows?"

"Hahaha, enough with the chatter! You made me, the boss, lose face in front of my subordinates last time, and I intend to pay you back for that!" Shanks's laughter rang out, echoing all around.

"Very well. If it's a fight you want, I shall see it through to the end!"