Fisher Tiger’s bounty skyrocketed to an astonishing 500 million Berries.
Far higher than the original timeline’s 230 million.
Which only proved one thing: Ethan’s fire had gone way harder than canon.
Even now, the Marines still hadn’t launched a true full-scale assault against the Sun Pirates.
The destruction of Mary Geoise had simply been too catastrophic.
A huge portion of the World Government’s manpower remained tied down handling reconstruction, suppressing information, and restoring order.
For Ethan, that was a blessing.
It bought him time.
Time to grow stronger.
Time to survive.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Eventually, the Marines finally made their move.
By then, Ethan had successfully learned the basics of Armament Haki under Jinbe’s guidance.
Deep within the New World seas, the Sun Pirates suddenly found themselves surrounded by five Marine warships.
The enemy had clearly come prepared.
The moment the fleet appeared on the horizon, everyone aboard understood the same thing: This battle would be brutal.
And yet not a single Fish-Man showed fear.
Not even Arlong.
Every member of the crew looked fully prepared to die fighting if necessary.
No one aboard would ever allow Fisher Tiger—the soul of the Sun Pirates—to be dragged away in chains.
As tension spread across the deck, Tiger suddenly walked over to Ethan.
A trace of guilt flickered across his face.
“Looks like bringing you aboard only dragged you into trouble.” He glanced toward the tightening Marine encirclement.
“If things get bad, take one of the small boats and leave.” Then he added quietly: “Everyone else here is a Fish-Man.” “We can survive in the sea.” Ethan looked at him silently.
If the battle truly turned hopeless… he would leave.
But not before turning the battlefield into a bloodbath.
Maybe he couldn’t take revenge on the Celestial Dragons yet— but venting some anger on Marines?
That was absolutely possible.
Nearby, Jinbe spoke firmly.
“Big Brother Tiger, none of us are abandoning you.” Tiger looked around the ship.
Every Fish-Man aboard shared the same determination.
Realizing persuasion was pointless, he finally focused on the battle ahead.
Compared to most pirate crews, the Marines possessed overwhelming superiority in naval artillery.
And on the open sea, that advantage was terrifying.
So before boarding combat even began— they opened with bombardment.
Five warships sealed off every route around the Sun Pirates.
Then the cannons fired simultaneously.
The thunderous roar shook the ocean itself.
“Protect the ship!” Jinbe shouted before diving directly into the sea.
Beneath the water, he unleashed Fish-Man Jujutsu.
His hands moved through the ocean currents as though physically grabbing hold of them.
Then he pulled.
The surrounding sea twisted violently into a massive spiraling vortex.
With a powerful motion, Jinbe hurled the current upward.
A towering wall of seawater rose beside the ship, intercepting huge numbers of incoming cannonballs.
But the opposite side remained exposed.
Several reckless Fish-Men even prepared to throw themselves in front of the mast to shield it with their own bodies.
Then— Ethan moved.
He appeared at the vulnerable side of the ship and slammed his palms together.
Hand seals flashed rapidly.
Over the past month, he hadn’t only trained Haki.
Every single day, he had continued extracting Chakra and refining Wood Release techniques.
He was no longer the helpless slave who escaped Mary Geoise.
Now— he could finally use advanced ninjutsu properly.
“Wood Release—” Massive trees erupted from both sides of the ship.
Branches and vines intertwined at explosive speed, forming gigantic wooden barriers around the vessel.
Wood Release: Wood Expulsion Wall.
Cannon fire slammed into the shields like a storm.
Explosions erupted nonstop across the wooden surface.
And yet— the barriers held.
Only shallow cracks spread across the reinforced wood beneath the bombardment.
Ethan blinked in surprise.
“I underestimated Wood Release…” Honestly, he had fully expected the barriers to shatter immediately.
“Beautifully done, Ethan!” Tiger shouted excitedly.
“Everyone!
Ethan stopped the bombardment!” His expression sharpened instantly.
“We break through now!” “Don’t let them trap us in a boarding battle!” Even with the artillery neutralized, the Marines still vastly outnumbered them.
Remaining surrounded was too dangerous.
The Sun Pirates had to break the encirclement immediately.
Jinbe leapt back aboard from the sea and glanced approvingly at the massive wooden barriers surrounding the ship.
“We can’t raise the sails while those walls are active,” he said quickly.
“So we’ll propel the ship ourselves.” Tiger nodded immediately.
The two stood side by side at the stern.
Then both unleashed Fish-Man Jujutsu simultaneously, manipulating ocean currents to generate enormous propulsion force behind the ship.
The pirate vessel surged forward at astonishing speed.
Meanwhile, Ethan wasn’t idle either.
Using Wood Release again, he formed gigantic spear-like ramming horns at the bow of the ship.
The moment the Sun Pirates smashed through the Marine blockade— CRASH!
The reinforced wooden ram pierced straight through the nearest warship.
The Marine vessel split apart violently down the center like a ship colliding with an iceberg.
Sailors screamed as they plunged into the sea.
Cheers exploded across the Sun Pirates’ deck.
They had broken through.
Once safely beyond the encirclement, Ethan dismissed the Wood Expulsion Wall.
The crew immediately raised the sails while Jinbe took the helm, skillfully widening the distance between themselves and the pursuing Marines.
Tiger walked toward Ethan with a grin, clearly about to say something— Then stopped.
Ethan’s eyes had unfocused completely.
His consciousness was already elsewhere.
Mist drifted through ancient halls.
The Soul Palace returned.
Senju Ethan was already waiting there.
And this time— another throne was occupied.
A third figure slowly rose from the seat.
Another Ethan.
Senju Ethan immediately walked forward excitedly while Pirate-World Ethan approached from the opposite side.
The moment the three met— their memories merged once more.
After several long moments of shared understanding, both Pirate Ethan and Senju Ethan stared at the newcomer in shock.
Wizard Ethan.
He came from the world of Harry Potter.
More specifically— he had only just received his Hogwarts Acceptance Letter during summer break.
He hadn’t even started school yet.
At the moment, he was still an orphan living in a Children’s Home.
Wizard Ethan grinned awkwardly.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to attend Hogwarts at first.” He scratched the back of his head.
“I mean… I always dreamed about it, but I was also worried I’d die there.” Then he laughed.
“But now?
I’m good.” Senju Ethan nodded sympathetically.
“I understand that completely.” “When I realized I landed in the Warring States Era, I nearly had a breakdown too.” “There are opportunities, sure…” “But mostly it’s just nonstop life-and-death battles.” Pirate Ethan snorted.
“You two should count yourselves lucky.” He pointed angrily at his chest.
“I got chained up and branded with a burning iron.” “Do you know how much that hurt?” The other two immediately shuddered.
They had already experienced the memory through synchronization.
Wizard Ethan quickly coughed awkwardly.
“Well…” “Now that I inherited your abilities too, I should survive Hogwarts just fine.” Senju Ethan suddenly sighed dramatically.
“I seriously hope the next counterpart brings something useful.” He pointed accusingly at the others.
“Right now, all of you are freeloading off me.” Pirate Ethan burst out laughing.
“Our growth speed tripled and you still want more?” “You’re unbelievably greedy.” Senju Ethan immediately threw an arm around Pirate Ethan’s shoulders.
“Brother, this time you delivered something insane.” His eyes gleamed excitedly.
“Armament Haki combined with Wood Release?” “That synergy is absurd.” “And the timing couldn’t be better.” Pirate Ethan blinked.
“…Wait.” He frowned.
“Your world’s heading into another war?” Senju Ethan’s grin widened slowly.
“I think this is it.” “The final battle before the villages are founded.” Excitement burned brightly in his eyes.
“I’m about to witness the birth of Konoha with my own eyes.”