Upon hearing that the Fourth Raikage was also in Hoshigakure, Meikyō immediately unleashed his senses and probed in the direction of Hoshigakure.
The Fourth Raikage was indeed there, and he was moving rapidly in the opposite direction, presumably sensing Meikyō's Chakra.
"Oh? It seems the Fourth Raikage has a decent Sensor Ninja by his side, as he detected my location from this far away."
Meikyō raised an eyebrow and said with a hint of surprise.
When did this barbarian become so cautious? He even brings a Sensor Ninja with him when he goes out to guard against potential dangers.
However, many things in this time have already changed because of his arrival. In the original timeline, the Fourth Raikage had no interaction with Hoshigakure.
In this timeline, the Fourth Raikage, after being defeated by Meikyō, became even more frantic in his plundering of anything that could enhance the Kumogakure's bloodline limits, secret techniques, and treasures, which is why they appeared here.
However, since the Fourth Raikage intended to leave, Meikyō had no intention of forcing him to stay.
While Meikyō's current strength is certainly enough to defeat the Fourth Raikage, it will come at a certain cost.
Most importantly, Meikyō wasn't sure if he could protect Asuma and the others while taking down the Fourth Raikage.
Anyway, the goal of this trip has been achieved. By a twist of fate, the Fourth Raikage ended up having Natsumi Hoshi and Hotaru Hoshi deliver the meteorite to him.
"Let's head back."
Meikyō weighed the box containing the meteorite in his hand and spoke to Asuma and the others.
"Huh? The mission is over already? Weren't we supposed to take that Hoshigakure, demand that their leader shed the title of 'Kage', and bring back the Star Meteorite?"
Asuma looked somewhat disappointed.
He thought he could show off his skills in this mission and demonstrate his abilities in front of Hong and the new teacher.
"Asuma, judging from what these two prisoners just said, the Fourth Raikage has also appeared in Hoshigakure. The nature of this mission has changed because it involves a power struggle between major nations!"
Yūhi Kurenai reassured Sarutobi Asuma.
"But isn't Teacher Meikyō stronger than the Fourth Raikage...?"
Might Guy raised... one foot and said.
He is walking upside down now.
"Hong is right, this is not something you can interfere with. However, the reason I am returning is because the mission has been completed."
"The Star Meteorite has already been delivered to us by these two. As for that so-called 'Third Hoshikage,' the Fourth Raikage has likely already given him a proper warning in his own way."
Meikyō glanced at the two Star Ninja lying on the ground, then used the Five Elements Seal to seal their Chakra, and told Might Guy and Asuma to carry them away.
This mission was surprisingly easy.
Oomuro Castle Merchant Association headquarters.
Oomuro Castle Flame was supposed to go to discuss the purchase of goods with the local nobles, did not set off immediately after arriving here, but stood quietly in front of the door and waited.
Upon seeing Meikyō and the others, Oomuro Castle Flame quickly ran to greet them.
"It seems you've made your choice."
Meikyō looked at Oomuro Castle Flame, who was standing in front of her, bowing deeply.
"Miyajo En, I am willing to serve Konoha and... Oomuro Castle Flame Lord Meikyō! To be honest, I have a one-year-old daughter at home, I don't know..."
"You can send her to Konoha, where she will spend her childhood at the Ninja Academy and become my student as a future Jonin Instructor. I will also recommend you to Minato Namikaze, the Konoha executive in charge of business, so you can become an investor in Konoha's development. So... how will you repay me and Konoha?"
Meikyō bent down and said to Oomuro Castle Flame with a smile.
"I..."
"Don't rush to answer. I know what you can do, but how exactly to do it will depend on your observations in Konoha before you make a decision."
Oomuro Castle Flame was undoubtedly the top business genius in the Ninja World. In the original timeline, he was able to start from scratch and become a business tycoon whose influence spanned both the underworld and the legitimate world.
While it cannot compare to the Five Great Ninja Villages, its power is not to be underestimated. Especially after other underworld figures and wealthy businessmen, blinded by greed, tried to seize Sasuke's Rinnegan, only to be defeated by Sasuke alone, they further exaggerated their power to the point of profiting from the chaos.
Of course, even so, the Ketsuryūgan, which evolved from the original Oomuro Castle Merchant Association, could not become a top power in the Ninja World.
Because the biggest backer of the Ketsuryūgan is Oomuro Castle Flame himself, and at most he has some connection with Orochimaru.
However, thanks to his efforts, Oomuro Castle Flame has now connected with Konoha, which is now more than twice as powerful as the original timeline, and his development will inevitably be smoother.
Six months passed in a flash.
The Pirate World, Alabasta.
In the past six months, Kuina, Sabo, and Koala have made basic progress in using Two-Color Haki. Sometime during this time, they have also formed a friendship with Nefertari Vivi, the royal princess of Alabasta.
It was precisely because of these companions that Vivi was able to investigate the truth behind Crocodile's actions, instead of spending two whole years infiltrating Baroque Works as she did in the original timeline.
As events unfolded, the two sides quickly engaged in a major battle.
"They're really having a good fight."
Meikyō stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the figures fighting fiercely in the distance amidst the swirling sand and dust.
"Is that so, Miss Sunday, vice president of Baroque Works, or should I call you... the Devil Child, Robin?"
Robin, standing next to Meikyō, had a slight twitch in her eyes.
"You know me?"
Meikyō did not answer, but instead placed her hand on the sword at her waist and looked into the distance.
It seems someone has come looking for trouble, and they're quite powerful.
Most importantly, there was a familiar aura about Meikyō inside.
Are you in trouble?
Seeing Meikyō's expression, Robin seemed to realize something.
"It must be the Navy. Just your few crew members were able to force Crocodile, Shichibukai, to this point. You must be very strong. In the first half of the entire Grand Line, the only force that could make you show this kind of expression is probably the Navy."
Robin smiled, his eyes conveying an ambiguous meaning.
She didn't understand why Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who was going against Crocodile, didn't target her.
But she knew that Tsugikuni Yoriichi must have done this because she was of value to him!
Considering that the other party knows my identity, then...
"It's a minor inconvenience, but I didn't expect them to come looking for me now."
Meikyō slowly drew the Ama-no-Ohabari from her waist and gripped the sword hilt with both hands.
On the vast desert, at the edge of the horizon, a group of naval personnel were rapidly approaching this place.
Upon seeing this, Robin hurriedly took out some unknown substance from his bag and smeared it on his face. After a few simple adjustments, he looked completely different.
Bearing a bounty of 79 million, she has been on the run from the World Government since childhood, and has mastered many methods to hide her identity and appearance.
"Hey! Marines over there! I'm Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! I'm currently capturing Yoriichi Tsugikuni and his crew, who have a bounty of 250 million ryo! Come and lend a hand!"
Crocodile brandished his golden scorpion tail hook, transforming one arm into a giant crescent-shaped scimitar to defend against the attacks of Kuina and the other two, shouting loudly.
Crocodile was genuinely starting to panic.
If three young people can fight me like this, then what about Tsugikuni Yoriichi?
At first, Crocodile didn't think much of this guy. Although he had defeated many skilled swordsmen in the Grand Line, he had never been to the New World, so in Crocodile's eyes, he was just so-so.
In the first half of the Grand Line, Crocodile's strength was enough to make him a king.
The problem is that after meeting Meikyō, Crocodile finally realized that this person's strength was probably a bit too ridiculous.
Of all the people he'd ever met, probably only a handful, like Whitebeard, posed a greater threat to him than this guy.
However, instead of directly intervening in the battle between Crocodile and Kuina, the navy surrounded the area.
"Mr. Yoriichi, I have already pulled some strings and gotten Fleet Admiral Sengoku to send someone trustworthy to investigate Captain Rat. But Mr. Yoriichi, why did you kill Captain Rat in front of everyone?"
Yumushiki, with a complicated expression, stood opposite Mingjing, holding Meikyō.
"I've always liked to settle scores myself, and if I have the ability, I prefer to do it on the spot."
Meikyō casually made up an excuse and said.
"So it's precisely because you free-spirited guys are prone to becoming pirates who disrupt the order of the seas, Yumushiki? If you don't want to take action, then leave it all to me!"
A Navy Vice Admiral with a head and build similar to Patrick Star stood in front of Yumushiki, holding two swords, and stared at Meikyō as he spoke.
He is Gomil, and like many other high-ranking naval officers, he is a disciple of Marine Admiral Zephyr and is currently the base commander of the Navy's G2 Branch.
Upon seeing that his opponent was Gomil, Meikyō relaxed slightly.
He perceived the other party as an ordinary Navy Vice Admiral.
If the person who comes is Admiral or Garp, then Meikyō will not hesitate to run away immediately.
Having witnessed Kizaru's strength, he knew that he was still no match for Admiral.
If it were Chaton and Momousagi, the two Admiral Candidate, then Meikyō would try to fight them. Even if he couldn't win, Meikyō was confident that he could lead Kuina and the others to safety.
Besides, Meikyō can easily handle these ordinary Navy Vice Admiral, even the Vice Admiral ones, as long as they don't come in more than two at a time.
Just like now.
Gomil, wielding two swords, swiftly attacked Meikyō.
"Uchiha Style: Moonlight Slash!"
"Sun Breathing - Fourth Form - Illusory Rainbow!"
Seeing that the Navy Vice Admiral wielded the twin swords quite well, Meikyō couldn't help but become interested and engaged him in battle.
Even without the Mangekyō Sharingan, Meikyō's current strength is extremely terrifying.
Superb physical strength and swordsmanship, Inazuma -fast speed, Observation Haki evolved from the Transparent World and Armament Haki with profound skill, as well as various wonderful Ninjutsu possessed by a ninja.
These combined abilities allow Meikyō to consistently outmatch those elite fighters, even those who are considered Navy Vice Admirals.
"Excellent swordsmanship, although it's still quite a bit inferior to mine."
Meikyō commented on Gomil's swordsmanship.
Gomil clearly didn't take Meikyō's words to heart, and instead focused on dealing with Meikyō's attacks.
He was a carefree person to begin with. Even after Fire Fist Ace from the original timeline, wreaked havoc at the G2 Branch, he still readily accepted the suggestion in the letter from Moda that Ace had given him, changing the branch's beverage from coffee to milk...
Seeing that Gomil was completely suppressed, Yumushiki gritted his teeth and joined the battle, wielding his rapier.
Unfortunately, he was only able to become a rear Rear Admiral because he was instructed in swordsmanship by Meikyō, which improved his strength. Meikyō was very familiar with his swordsmanship.
"Boom!"
A powerful shockwave rippled across the desert, forcing Kuina, Sabo, and Koala to abandon their fight against Crocodile and distance themselves from the battlefield where the Meikyō was located.
Crocodile also hurriedly transformed into a sandstorm to escape.
"Not bad, Sitch, your strength has improved a lot."
Meikyō shook his slightly sore fist and looked at the two naval officers kneeling on the ground in front of him.
Gomil's Justice Coat was stained with blood, and Yumushiki's rapier was broken in two.
Using Super Strength in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and incorporating the essence of the Four-Finger Fist, he used Lightning Style Chakra to stimulate the muscles in his hands to enhance explosive power. Combined with a punch unleashed using Armament Haki, he achieved this result.
This was the first time Meikyō had used this move since it was developed, and they hadn't even come up with a name for it yet.
"To avoid your navy sending your Admiral to capture me, I will not kill you. However, I also hope that you will advise Fleet Admiral Sengoku to stop wasting your precious forces on dealing with people like me, and instead focus your energy on those evil pirates, such as this Shichibukai."
Meikyō turned around with a smile and looked at Crocodile was preparing to sneak away.
Crocodile's expression changed, and he hurriedly transformed into sandstorm, attempting to escape.
A blue Inazuma streaked across the desert.
Crocodile swung his golden scorpion hook, quickly deflecting more than ten attacks from Meikyō.
Crocodile's strength is quite impressive, given that he was able to withstand an attack from Admiral Akainu during the Paramount War. His personal advantage lies in the fact that he has developed his Devil Fruit ability to a very high level, even being able to turn other substances into sand. This indicates that his Devil Fruit ability is at least close to Awakening, allowing him to easily defeat weaker opponents and hold his own against those stronger than himself.
However, Crocodile's weakness lies in his Haki presence, and his abilities also have certain shortcomings, which means that he could be defeated by someone weaker than himself in terms of Crocodile strength.
As a ninja, Meikyō's greatest skill lies in using intelligence to devise tactical plans targeting the enemy's weaknesses.