Chapter 279: Luffy: Naruto, will you be my partner?

"So that's how it is. Nami, hurry up and give me the money."

Luffy shook his head, urging the pretty girl with orange hair, then turned his head and said, "You really are a good person."

Meeting for the first time, yet willing to help others upon a chance encounter.

Truly a good person.

"Hahahaha, I'm not that good. I just didn't want anyone to suffer such a huge loss over such a small matter."

Naruto scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by such a blunt compliment, and asked casually, "By the way, are you guys Noble Game Players?"

There were no Ninja Village insignias.

Moreover, the orange-haired girl and the woman holding a book like a scholar didn't look like ninjas, nor were they like ordinary civilians.

Then they could only be Nobles.

"We are not those Noble guys."

Luffy recalled the Nobles of the Pirate World, all of whom had arrogant attitudes, being overbearing and rude, and not taking civilians seriously.

He immediately frowned; he didn't want to become one of those guys.

So he explained, "My name is Monkey D Luffy, and I am the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. We are Pirates, and also adventurers. I am the man who will become the Pirate Adventure King!"

After breaking free from the shackles of Nika's will,

what Luffy craved was grand adventures across countless worlds; he wanted to be not only the freest Pirate King of the Pirate World but also the Adventure King of all the heavens and myriad worlds.

"Pirates? Are you guys thieves?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to be surprised.

A brief exchange made him feel that these people didn't look like bad guys, and besides, how could anyone voluntarily admit to being a villain?

There were Pirates in the ninja world too.

They wandered the seas near Kirigakure, all of them gathered rogue ninjas and samurai who made a living by plundering civilian supplies; they were a group that was rejected and despised.

"That's right, we are Pirates and adventurers."

Speaking of his dream, Luffy excitedly wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder and laughed, "I will become the Pirate Adventure King. Only the freest person can possess this title."

"The freest Pirate?"

Naruto's heart sank.

What an ambitious guy, to actually want to be the freest while plundering civilians—he would never allow such an excessive thing.

Although he thought this, it was strange.

He did not sense any aura of evil from the Straw Hat Pirates, nor from the other's companions.

"Clearly saying the most evil things,"

Naruto muttered to himself.

Before becoming a Reincarnation Game Player, he was already able to perceive and distinguish the aura on others, whether it was evil or righteous.

This ability was initially very weak.

Later, after mastering Sage Mode and Nine-Tails Mode through game exchanges, this ability for wide-range and malicious intent perception was greatly enhanced.

Finally,

he purchased a 【Baptism of Light】 from the Game Shelf and directly changed his class to a 【Temple Knight】 who controls holy Battle Qi, which maxed out this malicious intent perception ability.

Under his perception,

the hearts of the Straw Hat Pirates were even purer and more transparent than his own. How could such people be Pirates?

"If I'm not mistaken, you and we are probably not from the same world, right?"

Robin, whose mind was the clearest,

had already seen that the two were talking at cross-purposes and spoke up, "In our Pirate World, although there are many Pirates who commit all kinds of evil, there are also some fleets that set sail to pursue their dreams. Although they are called Pirates, they are now adventurers."

The implication was that the Straw Hat Pirates were not an evil faction.

"It's actually like that!?"

Naruto was silent at first, his last lingering concerns vanishing, and then stars appeared in his eyes as he patted his chest and said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, my profession is a ninja, and my favorite food is ramen."

He paused at this,

raised his voice slightly, as if not wanting to be outdone by Luffy, and declared loudly, "My dream is to become the Hokage! The Hokage is the guardian deity of the ninja village, a presence recognized and admired by everyone!"

"Hahahaha, what an interesting dream!"

As it happens,

Luffy also possessed the ability to distinguish good from evil, just like Roger's Voice of All Things.

Perhaps this is the standard equipment for the protagonist of a hot-blooded shonen manga.

The two met for the first time,

yet their gazes were tightly locked together, with a sense of meeting too late, having the urge to sleep side-by-side that very night.

"Naruto, will you be my partner?"

Luffy, with a grinning face, said, "Come with us to adventure in other worlds and hunt monsters!"

Having already entered the city,

the crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates walking on the wide street were already unfazed by hearing Luffy's words.

Luffy's dream of setting sail was not only to become the Pirate King but also to find all kinds of partners.

Now that a ninja he had never seen before had suddenly appeared,

it was naturally impossible for him to hold back from wanting to invite the other party onto the ship.

Naruto shook his head and refused, "Sorry, although it sounds interesting, I want to protect my village."

Luffy wasn't bothered by the rejection and said excitedly, "What a pity. Then, can you breathe fire?"

Naruto scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "I am a Wind Style ninja, but I should still be able to do the most basic Great Fireball..."

"Really?"

Chopper's eyes lit up, and he said, "What about Shuriken? Can you also throw Shuriken!?"

"That's a course at the Ninja Academy; my grades back then were top of the class!"

Naruto was a bit embarrassed at first, but the more he talked, the more excited he became, and he started bragging.

Suddenly,

A cold voice came from behind: "Is that so? You were top of the class, so does that make me the dead last?"

Sasuke, dressed in black and carrying a black sword bag on his back,

Interrupted the bragging Naruto and said, "I sent you to exchange the monster remains for supplies, I didn't expect you to be slacking off."

"I wasn't slacking off, I just met some new friends and almost forgot, that's all!"

Naruto explained with a flushed face; being caught bragging by someone in the know made him very embarrassed,

And he hurriedly changed the subject, saying to Luffy and the others, "This is Sasuke Uchiha, he's my partner, we are both ninja from Konoha."

"Hmph."

Sasuke looked at Naruto coldly, especially when he saw him with his arm around Luffy's shoulder, and asked, "Did I come at a bad time?"

He really is a social butterfly; he can even make new friends while exchanging supplies.

"No, you came at the perfect time!"

Naruto didn't notice his best friend's gaze, and laughing, he pulled Sasuke over and introduced him: "This is Luffy, they are players from the Pirate World, and there's also Zoro, Sanji..."

After Sasuke appeared,

Zoro's gaze landed on his back, or more accurately, on the sword inside the black sword bag.

If he hadn't judged incorrectly,

The grade of that sword bag was at least a Purple item.

A sword that could be protected inside a sword bag of that grade was definitely not simple.

Naruto's friend, this ninja named Sasuke, should be a Swordsman just like him.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke took the initiative to state his name,

His gaze also scrutinizing the green-haired man,

Three-sword style?

The quality of each blade was not low, and the sharp, piercing aura on his body belonged to a very pure swordsman.

"Roronoa Zoro!"

Zoro also started to smile, revealing his gleaming white teeth,

Just like someone who had found an evenly matched opponent.

(End of this chapter)