After a trip to the New World, Shin also began to speed up the implementation of his plans.
Using the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God, and his subordinates, Shin began to spread a large number of Flying Thunder God's transponder snails.
He also expanded his intelligence network, inquiring about Devil Fruits that are compatible with his collection.
Additionally, borrowing Doflamingo's Shichibukai privileges, Shin sent some pirates with Flying Thunder God beacons and handed them over to the World Government, waiting for them to be sent to Impel Down.
Shin was ready for battle, and the World Government was also making its move.
Since Imu couldn't stray too far from the Red Line and other forces lacked the strength to face Shin directly, the World Government had opted for a cold approach for a while.
However, cold treatment didn't mean inaction. The World Government had long been waiting for an opportunity. Although Shin was powerful, he wasn't careless.
Most of his close allies were within the Whitebeard Pirates, making it difficult to target him directly. However, the World Government preferred dealing with the Whitebeard Pirates rather than confronting Shin head-on. By using his ties to the pirate group as leverage, they planned to lure him into the Red Line and then ambush him with their highest combat power, including their hidden forces and Imu.
Although this plan was simple, crude, and shameless, it was a tried-and-true method that had crushed countless pirate groups. The World Government simply elevated its strategy to a higher level this time.
Shin, however, had already sensed their scheme—Stussy's intelligence reports indicated that the World Government and the Navy were closely monitoring the Whitebeard Pirates.
But regardless of the World Government's plan, Shin remained unfazed. Given another month or two to maximize his strength, he wouldn't need to wait for them to act—he would bring the fight to Imu himself.
At East Blue in Cocoyasi Village
The clone Shin had dispatched had been searching for Luffy for a while, intending to create an artificial Nika fruit.
In the Goa Kingdom, he discovered that Luffy had set sail a month earlier. Following his route, Shin traced him to the Marine base where Axe-Hand Morgan had been defeated. Unsurprisingly, he learned that Luffy and Zoro had already left.
Shin recalled that the Straw Hat Pirates next recruited Usopp, but he had forgotten the name of Usopp's home island.
Neither Usopp's childhood friend Kaya nor Captain Kuro was a significant enough figure to be widely known. The Marine branch where Morgan had been stationed had no record of their island's name.
With this in mind, the only notable locations Shin could track were the Baratie, Loguetown, and Cocoyasi Village.
The Baratie was a moving sea restaurant, and Loguetown was the final stop in the East Blue before the Grand Line. This left Cocoyasi Village, where he expected to find traces of Nami.
While Shin had forgotten the name of Cocoyasi Village, he still remembered the Arlong Pirates and the corrupt Marine, Captain Nezumi. By inquiring along the way, his clone finally reached the village.
However, he had yet to find Nami.
Before she officially joined the Straw Hats, the 'Cat Burglar' often roamed the seas, conning pirates and making occasional returns to Cocoyasi Village.
"This place looks nice," Shin muttered, sitting on a hillside overlooking the orange groves. "Too bad I'm just a wooden clone and can't eat."
A gruff voice interrupted his thoughts. "Where are you from? What are you doing in our village?"
An older man, dressed like a local policeman with a windmill hat and several scars on his face, approached with a wary expression.
"Don't worry, old man," Shin replied, barely glancing at him. "You're already dirt poor. Even if pirates came, they wouldn't be able to squeeze another Berry out of you."
The man's face turned red with anger, but he gritted his teeth. "Listen, this is Arlong's territory. If you don't want to die, get out of here."
"For someone close to death himself, you're still kind enough to warn strangers. You have a high moral standard, old man."
Of course, in the world of pirates, morality tended to be binary—either saintly good or absolutely vile. The villagers of Cocoyasi were among the rare moral paragons.
"Do you even understand what I'm saying?" The man huffed. "And I'm NOT an old man! I'm Genzo, the village security officer. I'm only in my thirties!"
Shin shook his head. "Too late. The fishmen are already here."
"What?!" Genzo looked around wildly but saw nothing.
Shin, however, could sense their presence. While his clone couldn't use Observation Haki and chakra sensing wasn't as precise in the pirate world, the life force of fish-men was significantly stronger than that of humans. The difference was obvious.
"Alright, old man, since you're nice, I'll let you see something cool." Grabbing Genzo by the collar, Shin activated his UltraLight-Heavy Rock Jutsu, and the two soared into the sky.
"WAAAAAH! I'M FLYING?!"
"Come on, you're supposed to be a sheriff. Are you as scared of heights as a certain so-called 'Great Swordsman' I know?"
"WHAT KIND OF SHERIFF FLIES THROUGH THE SKY?! AND HOW ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS?!"
"Stop asking questions. Hold on tight, we're about to speed up." Shin grinned, his eyes glowing faintly with a purplish hue. Using his Rinnegan's gravity manipulation, the two shot through the sky like a meteor.
Two of Arlong's lackeys, looking bored, noticed a bright streak in the sky.
"Huh? What's that? A shooting star?"
A moment later, two wooden spikes shot down from the sky, impaling both fishmen instantly. The roots expanded from their wounds, rendering them unable to scream.
Genzo, still floating above, paled at the sight below.
Shin smirked. "Welcome to my world, old man."
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