Three Years Later

Three years after Uchiha Chigusa entered the Land of Whirlpools.

A strange-looking ship sailed out of a secret harbor in the Land of Clouds.

The entire ship had been painted a deep black, as if it swallowed all light, sending a chill through anyone who saw it.

The sails were black, too, emblazoned with striking white skulls that cracked in the wind, giving off an evil, savage air.

Yamada Yosuke stood at the bow, dressed head to toe in coarse hemp. His canvas cloak whipped in the wind like the sails above him, lending him the air of a great pirate.

Since Chigusa had entered the Land of Whirlpools, another war had erupted among the great nations, sweeping across the entire world.

In the madness of this global war, bandits had sprung up everywhere within the nations. Like hyenas fighting over rotting meat in the wasteland, they soon stripped the common people of everything they had.

So the bandits with ambition turned their eyes to the sea, ushering in the Great Age of Piracy.

Yamada Yosuke was one of them. He had once been a samurai serving a daimyo in the Land of Water, and had amassed a considerable fortune while following his lord from battle to battle.

But the daimyo he served had been defeated and killed in a struggle against another daimyo, and all his lands had been swallowed up.

Yamada Yosuke had no desire to serve the daimyo who had killed his lord. So he gritted his teeth, sold off all his property, and bought the ship he now sailed. Then he and his former comrades proudly became pirates.

Yamada Yosuke had designed the ship after consulting an old hand in the pirate trade. Not only was the whole vessel painted black to emphasize its savage air, but its shape had also been carefully planned.

Every part of the hull had been deliberately roughened with sandpaper, then scored with countless marks from swords and knives, making the ship look as though it had weathered countless storms and battles.

Iron chains, hooks, and rusty nails were fastened all over the hull, silently telling onlookers of its long, weather-beaten history.

At the bow sat a skull carved from the bones of some unknown animal. It looked ornate yet fearsome, and the whole ship resembled a black beast poised to pounce on its prey.

Riding such a flashy pirate ship filled Yamada Yosuke with pride.

The Land of Whirlpools was now the wealthiest small power on the sea.

Under Uzumaki Ashina's leadership, it had established the Village of Whirlpools and welcomed many wandering ninja into the village.

Its powerful military had left the great nations uninterested in the Land of Whirlpools, which had become a way station between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire.

The peaceful environment drew many refugees to settle on Whirlpool Island and become part of the Land of Whirlpools. They served the merchant ships that passed through, and many industries on the island began to thrive.

The sea route linking the Land of Whirlpools with the great nations of the Land of Water and the Land of Fire had also become the busiest shipping lane in the world.

Such an enormous temptation drew countless pirates hoping to try their luck.

Even the powerful maritime patrol organized by the Village of Whirlpools could not discourage the countless pirates dreaming of striking it rich overnight. Newcomers like Yamada Yosuke arrived one after another.

While Yamada Yosuke stood at the bow, dreaming of capturing a wealthy passenger ship and getting rich overnight, a tiny black speck approached the pirate ship under cover of darkness.

The chains and hooks they had added to make the ship look more authentic had instead become convenient footholds, allowing the shadow to climb aboard unnoticed.

He took off his black wetsuit and helmet, revealing Uchiha Chigusa's face.

Three years had passed, and the boy who had once been so green had grown into a young man. His round, handsome face had gained definition, and he was beginning to look masculine.

Out of his wetsuit, Chigusa wore a black ninja outfit. He moved silently across the deck like a ghost.

He first went to the door of the sleeping quarters. From inside came the drunken shouts of more than a dozen pirates.

He took a tube and some powder from his pouch, slipped the tube through a crack in the door, and gently blew the powder inside.

After waiting a little while, he heard several heavy thuds from the room. Then all was quiet.

Chigusa pushed open the door and went inside. Pirates lay scattered across the room, most of them still dressed like samurai.

He took out some rope and tied them all up. Even the finest rope artist of a later age would have had to admire his technique. They were sure to be unable to move.

Then Chigusa crept through the shadows on deck. Every sailor he came across was knocked unconscious with a knife-hand strike and bound tight.

After making a round past the stern, he found that no pirates were left free to move. Except for the first mate steering the ship and the captain, Yamada Yosuke, standing at the bow, the entire crew had been subdued.

"Someone!" Yamada Yosuke called from the bow. "Bring me a bottle of wine!"

Chigusa thought about where the wine cellar was, then quietly fetched a bottle and handed it to Yamada Yosuke from behind.

Yamada Yosuke didn't even look as he went to pour the wine into his mouth, but then he noticed the cork was still in the bottle.

"Bastard!" Yamada Yosuke was furious. He was a man destined to become the Pirate King. How could his underlings be so useless that they couldn't even handle a simple task like this?

He turned to yell, but instead of one of his usual, dim-witted underlings, he saw a young man in a ninja outfit standing behind him. His mind stalled.

While the other man was still smiling at him, Yamada Yosuke drew the katana at his waist and demanded, "Who are you?"

Chigusa smiled. "I'm the Maritime Scavenger of the Village of Whirlpools, in the Land of Whirlpools."

Yamada Yosuke's angry expression softened slightly. To pirates, the Maritime Scavenger was a terrifying legend.

They said that any pirate who ran into him was swept away like garbage into the sea's refuse heap. Not a single pirate escaped.

Only one crazy old man had been spared, supposedly because he'd once worked as a dishwasher aboard a pirate ship. He had been sent back to a secret pirate harbor in the Land of Water.

The old man wandered the harbor, spreading tales of the Maritime Scavenger wherever he went.

Chigusa maintained his patient smile. When he saw that Yamada Yosuke had nothing to say, he spoke first. "Are you Mr. Yamada Yosuke? I heard you only turned pirate last week. You haven't even made your debut as a pirate yet."

"Since you haven't had the chance to do anything wrong, I recommend you put down your weapon and turn back before it's too late. That could significantly reduce your sentence."

Yamada Yosuke had no intention of surrendering. He raised his katana and slashed at Chigusa. He was incredibly fast, showing a hint of the skill one might expect from a samurai leader.