Uchiha's personal opinion

Chapter 548 The Gears of Fate

"Dad! I was wrong!"

After confirming that Thatch's rescue was unsuccessful, Ace, who had become a division commander at a young age, took a deep breath and reported to Whitebeard via Den Den Mushi: "My subordinate, Teach... he killed Thatch."

"……Why?"

Whitebeard's voice suddenly became serious.

"It must be to seize the Dark Fruit..."

Ace immediately explained to Whitebeard everything that Thatch had mentioned during their previous contact.

"What about the others?"

Whitebeard's voice seemed completely calm.

"Who?"

Ace asked the question instinctively, then immediately realized what he meant.

"Teach! Where is that damned Marshall D. Teach who killed Satch?!"

Whitebeard immediately flew into a rage and roared, "What's wrong with your brain?! Where is he?!"

"He jumped into the sea, and my men are chasing him in boats..."

When Ace was 17, he founded the Spade Pirates shortly after setting sail, quickly gaining fame. He refused the World Government's invitation to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but after his battle with Whitebeard, he was impressed by Whitebeard's strength and joined the Whitebeard Pirates as the second division commander, thus gaining a clear advantage over veteran member Marshall D. Teach. However, due to his lack of experience, he panicked after being rebuked by an enraged Whitebeard.

"We must catch him!"

The white-bearded voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "Bring back this villain who murdered his comrade. I want to personally tie him to the stake!"

"If you can't catch him, then don't come back!"

"As ordered!"

Ace, covered in sweat, responded.

"...Also, I'll send Marco and Vista to help you. If you still can't catch him, you know what the consequences will be!"

Whitebeard, though sharp-tongued, was kind-hearted. After much deliberation, he still worried about the young Ace, so he dispatched Marco of the First Division and Vista of the Fifth Division to assist in capturing the scheming Marshall D. Teach as soon as possible!

After Ace hung up the Den Den Mushi, the pirate officers who had joined him during the formation of the Spade Black Pirates had all of Thatch's men—especially the pirates rowing in the hold of the captured Navy transport ship—dragged onto the deck and subjected them to severe interrogation. In particular, after one of the pirate officers found a black Den Den Mushi in the hold, the methods of Ace's pirate officers became even more ruthless.

Meanwhile, his teammates in the second division who had been close to Marshall D. Teach were also taken into custody.

However, during torture, the suspected subordinates under Sachi cried out in pain and pleaded their innocence, quickly implicating the rookie pirate who claimed to have a close relationship with Laffitte. But when Ace contacted his colleagues who were preparing for battle at the port, he was told that several of Marshall's trusted men had disappeared without a trace. And the members of the Second Division who usually associated with Marshall seemed to have been given a drug to make them mute, and no matter how much torture they were subjected to, they did not say anything.

In this way, Ace finally understood!

The problem actually lay within his own squad—he subconsciously believed that those Sachi subordinates who were being tortured and screaming for mercy were actually innocent!

"Detain them all!"

Ace was so annoyed by the howling of these 'spineless' men that he gave orders to his subordinates.

Having just experienced such a terrible incident, Ace was extremely frustrated and eager to catch Marshall, who had killed his comrade and fled, and interrogate him thoroughly.

Meanwhile, the five pirate ships he brought were continuously throwing heavy cannonballs with waterproof delayed fuses into the sea, bombarding aimlessly in an attempt to force Marshall out of the water.

Even with their Observation Haki, they could still sense a humanoid creature swimming on the seabed, indicating that Marshall had not escaped their encirclement. However, due to the interference of the seawater, even someone as strong as Ace could only roughly define a range and could not pinpoint Marshall's exact location in the sea.

……

In the capital of the Goa Republic on Tono Island in the East Blue, the recruitment of service troops, directly initiated by the Ninja Army, is in full swing.

The reason for recruiting auxiliary service troops in the pirate world this time is ostensibly to expand the military strength of the Republic Alliance, but the real intention is to use recruitment to count all the powerful figures and even spies hidden in the East Blue and restrain them in the name of service troops. In this way, it will be very convenient to use these restless elements as cannon fodder on the battlefield or directly pull them into the laboratory to serve as 'researchers'.

A royal guard ninja, personally assigned by Uchiha Tokumitsu, was lazily registering the information of the applicants, while his ninja cat sat between his legs, idly swishing its tail.

However, after most of the day, only twenty or thirty qualified applicants had registered at the Goa Kingdom's recruitment point.

"Next person!"

The Imperial Guard ninja yawned, glanced expressionlessly at the blind old man in front of him, and then yelled at the young man standing next to him in line, "I said next, aren't you coming over!"

Hey! You can't ignore me!

At this moment, the blind man with short black hair, wearing a purple coat, an 'X' shaped scar on his left forehead that extended to his eyes, and holding a cane and knife, who was at the front of the line, shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Please, this is a recruitment drive!"

The Imperial Guard ninja sighed, but then thought that as a member of the royal family, it was best to follow Uchiha Tokumitsu's instructions to be 'kind and approachable': "Participating in the conscription involves going to sea for combat, and you don't meet the age requirements, so you should go home, otherwise your family will be looking for you everywhere."

"Hey~ To thank you for your application, here's some extra compensation for you. It's not much, but it's a token of our appreciation, so please don't refuse."

The Imperial Guard ninja thought for a moment, then took out a wad of Berries and handed it over without even counting them.

For the Imperial Guard ninjas, the currency of this world is meaningless; it is merely a consumable item they carry with them.

"This is... for me?"

The blind man seemed to hesitate slightly before accepting the Berries offered by the Imperial Guard ninja. He casually counted the amount of the banknotes with a flick of his wrist: "By the way, I have no family, so..."

Five thousand Berries is not a small amount for an ordinary person; it's enough to eat well for several days.

"Everyone else gets two thousand, but you're getting an extra discount."

The Imperial Guard ninja patiently explained, "Although this recruitment is only for service personnel, it could still involve naval operations, so given your physical condition..."

He didn't continue, since it was somewhat inappropriate to directly point out the shortcomings of a lonely blind man.

"Of course, your loyalty and dedication are commendable. We hope you will continue to be responsible and dedicated in your future work and life, and continue to contribute to the Union of the Republic..."

The Imperial Guard ninja covered his mouth listlessly and let out a silent yawn.

This kind of work was really too boring for him.

Of course, he didn't just reject people's applications randomly. After all, all the ninjas in charge of recruitment had received special sensory training and were able to identify most ability users. This blind man, on the other hand, was just an ordinary passerby in his perception, so he just casually rejected him.

"...So, you think my abilities are insufficient, rather than it's a problem with my eyes?"

The blind man chuckled as he put Berry away, pointing to his own tightly closed eyes.

"Hmm... If you need a job, I can issue you a letter of introduction to the National Assembly, and they will arrange a suitable job for you."

The Imperial Guard ninja continued patiently.

His ninja cat then brandished its claws and began scratching at his pants.

The Imperial Guard ninja took out some dried fish from his pocket, tore open the packaging, and fed it to the mischievous ninja cat, thus beginning his time to relax.

"It smells delicious, may I try some?"

The blind man's nose twitched a few times, as if he was somewhat tempted.

"This is for... never mind, if you don't mind..."

The Imperial Guard ninja sighed, feeling somewhat helpless, but still casually handed a few packets of dried fish to the blind man: "Please don't continue to obstruct the recruitment, okay?"

'I should have known better than to cultivate this approachable persona!'

Although he maintained a gentle and soft-spoken tone, the Imperial Guard ninja was already somewhat impatient.

Of course, as a ninja from the royal Uchiha clan, although he was arrogant, he would not vent his emotions on a blind man who was trying to find a "secure job." This was a basic courtesy.

"The dried fish is delicious. Although it's just ordinary fish, it's prepared very well. But is this kind of spicy flavor really suitable for cats?"

The blind man commented while eating dried fish.

"what!"

The Imperial Guard ninja suddenly paused, sensing something was amiss—how could a blind man see him feeding fish to a cat?!

"Although you were somewhat impatient, your tone remained as calm as ever. Compared to most nobles, this is a very good display of composure."

The blind man seemed oblivious to the Imperial Guard ninja's doubts. After slowly finishing a packet of dried fish, he carefully put the remaining unopened dried fish back into his pocket, then looked at the frowning Imperial Guard ninja: "If it's just a problem with your eyes, I think it can be made up for with strength."

"...Is that so?"

The Imperial Guard ninja gently patted the ninja cat on his lap, placed his hand on his ninja sword, and stood up.

Then, the blind man took three steps back amidst the guards of the Imperial Guard ninjas, and slowly drew his cane sword, pointing it towards an open space to the side.

"Gravity Blade - Fierce Tiger!"

With a shout from the blind man, a 'blade aura' was unleashed, blasting a deep crack in the ground!

"May I have your name!"

The Imperial Guard ninja's face was gloomy, feeling both immense fear of this unknown powerhouse and regret for his misjudgment.

He was absolutely certain that he could not unleash such a powerful sword aura with such a casual gesture!

"My name is Yisheng. I have come here to apply for a position in the Republic Alliance Service Force. I hope your organization will accept me."

The self-proclaimed blind man gracefully sheathed his staff and sword, then bowed deeply to the Uchiha ninja.

"With your abilities, to be honest..."

The Imperial Guard ninja didn't know what to say.

However, the commotion caused by this sword strike also alerted the ninja army stationed in the capital, who were rushing over.

And the leader was none other than General Sakumo Hatake, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army!

The Imperial Guard ninja quickly filled in his name on the recruitment form and then said, "Welcome to the team!"

As for identity verification, once Blind Eye Yisheng joins the service unit, there will be plenty of time to check and verify his background and identity later; however, being able to recruit a genuine native strongman is the best performance of the recruitment officer - this credit cannot be given to Hatake Sakumo for nothing!

……

On the seas of the New World, Admirals Sakazuki and Kizaru were each leading eight warships, flanking the hijacked naval transport ship from both sides.

Such a formidable force is more than enough to deal with the unworthy "Fire Fist" Ace and the cunning Marshall D. Teach.

"Admiral! Pirate ship formation spotted!"

Sakazuki's fleet was the first to discover the existence of Ace's Whitebeard Pirates Second Division.

"Notify Admiral Kizaru to flank and encircle him from behind."

Sakazuki said calmly.

"As ordered!"