Chapter 187

Minato opened his eyes, and the blinding sunlight instantly made him subconsciously raise a hand to shield them. Once he adjusted to the light, the scene before him caused his pupils to contract sharply.

"Where is this"

Before him was no longer the conference room in the Land of Iron, but instead a boundless sea; in the distance there seemed to be several oddly shaped buildings.

"It's not Genjutsu." Minato said softly, "This sensation, this temperature — it absolutely cannot be caused by Genjutsu."

As a user of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was extremely sensitive to spatial fluctuations. Yet he had actually not sensed any trace of spatial fluctuation at all.

"What is going on?!" A low voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Minato's train of thought.

Minato swiftly turned around, only to see Onoki suspended in mid-air, a vigilant light flashing in his eyes.

Not only Onoki — the Third Raikage A, Rasa, and Yagura Karatachi were also present; the Five Kage had actually been transmitted to this bizarre place simultaneously.

The five men stared at each other, a bizarre atmosphere permeating the air.

"Did you all hear that voice too?" Minato asked in a deep voice; he noticed the expressions of the other four had all undergone subtle changes.

A moment of silence; the crowd looked at one another.

"Heh," Onoki floated in mid-air, his voice carrying mockery, "Interesting; I thought I was the only one bewitched by that voice."

"Knowing our thoughts, able to converse with us simultaneously, and even able to transfer us to a place like this." Yagura frowned in thought, the weapon in his hand rotating slightly: "Just what is that voice?"

"Whatever it is," A snorted coldly, his body already beginning to flicker with dense electric light, "Just this level of power alone has already exceeded our understanding."

Rasa suddenly raised a hand; a strand of Gold Dust danced in the air, extending toward the distance, then suddenly struck an invisible barrier; the golden sand grains fell like raindrops.

"Trapped?" Rasa narrowed his eyes.

Only then did the crowd notice a translucent light curtain in a hemispherical shape enveloping this area.

"Interesting." Onoki flew to the edge of the barrier and reached out to touch it, "This isn't a barrier formed from chakra, but some completely unfamiliar energy."

"Let me try." A stepped forward, his muscles bulging instantly, lightning leaping across his body with crackling sounds.

"Wait!" Minato suddenly spoke to stop him, his expression exceptionally grave, "Acting rashly is too dangerous. We don't even understand the nature of this space; what if this barrier has some mechanism."

"You're right." Yagura nodded, "We need to figure out two things first: where this is, and what that voice's purpose is."

"And a third thing." Onoki suddenly said, his gaze turning deep, "Right now, are we enemies or allies?"

Those words made the air freeze once more. The five Kage gazed at each other; no one spoke immediately.

After all, the requirement that voice proposed was too tempting; if they truly had to fight each other, probably no one would give it up.

Just as the tension peaked, a cold mechanical voice rang out in their minds:

【Main Quest Released】

A pale blue translucent light curtain suddenly emerged in the void; the text on it was clearly visible:

【World: One Piece】

【World Level: World Level Six】

【World Information: This is a world dominated by oceans. Here, there exist mysterious fruits called "Devil Fruits"; consuming them grants special abilities, and there is also a power known as Haki.

The seas teem with the strong; the battle between Pirates and Marines has never ceased. And as one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom rules Totto Land; she is a tyrannical empress who wields powerful soul abilities. And this territory made of candy and sweets is called "Totto Land".】

【Quest Name: Terror in Totto Land】

【Quest Difficulty: A】

【Quest Description: Infiltrate Big Mom's Castle, steal Big Mom's Life Card, and successfully escape.】

【Time Limit: 48 Hours】

【Quest Reward: 15000 Reward Points】

【Quest Failure: Erasure!】

— The last two blood-red large characters emitted a bone-chilling aura.

Suddenly, all five people simultaneously felt an invisible pressure envelop their whole bodies; this feeling was like having Death's scythe pressed against their necks, freezing to the bone. Even the Five Kage, accustomed to life and death, couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

"To actually threaten us in this way..." The Third Raikage A's voice carried a hint of irritability.

"Hmph," Onoki sneered, "Looks like we Kage can only obediently obey it."

【Mission Start】

The mechanical voice rang out again; before the words fell, the light curtain enveloping the crowd vanished instantly.

Minato crouched down and lightly touched the ground with his fingers; the tactile sensation made him frown: "This ground is made of biscuits?"

"I'll go check from the air." Onoki slowly rose into the sky, surveying the surroundings from above, "The ground is actually paved with candy and biscuits; the distant buildings look like cakes and ice cream. Tch, it's simply like a child's joke."

"Now isn't the time for complaints," Rasa said with a slight frown at this moment, "We know nothing about this world right now; we don't even know what the things mentioned in the mission info are."

Minato straightened up, his tone heavy: "Time is tight; 48 hours is not long if you say it's long, not short if you say it's short. We need to gather intelligence as quickly as possible."

"Puff!"

With a light sound, Onoki descended from the sky, landing before the crowd.

"How is the situation?" Yagura asked.

"We should be on an archipelago." Onoki said, his finger rapidly sketching a diagram on the ground, "Small islands all around, with a gigantic main island in the middle. Judging by the scale of the buildings, that should be the castle location mentioned in the mission."

"How far is the distance?" Minato asked.

"At my speed, roughly half an hour." Onoki paused, "Also saw quite a few ships patrolling; it looks very tight."

"Situation unknown; going there rashly is too dangerous." Minato pondered for a moment, "I suggest we split into two groups to act; time is pressing, and the area is too large — we need to understand this world's situation as fast as possible."

Everyone's expressions varied, but none objected. Under these circumstances, splitting up was indeed the best choice.

"Rasa and I will form a group, heading to the central district of this island." Minato said, "With the speed of Flying Thunder God, combined with his Gold Dust, both mobility and reconnaissance capability are assured."

Rasa nodded: "No problem."

"Then the three of us will go elsewhere to scout the situation." Yagura glanced at Onoki and A, the long staff in his hand spinning lightly, "With Onoki's flight capability and A's speed, even if we encounter danger we can handle it." "Regroup in 24 hours." Minato said, taking out several Special Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and distributing them to the crowd: "Right now we are allies, not enemies; to survive and go back, we must trust each other."

"No need to make it so troublesome." A snorted coldly, but still accepted the kunai and put it away, "However, since it's for survival, I won't do anything stupid either."

"Remember, this isn't the world we're familiar with — everything requires caution."

Minato finished speaking briefly, and the two groups each dispersed; he and Rasa moved swiftly toward the town.

After passing through a candy forest, a bustling street appeared before them; the buildings lining both sides of the street were all constructed from cakes, biscuits, and other sweets, and a cloying sweet fragrance permeated the air.

"This is just like a scene from a fairy tale," Minato said.

"And the defenses here are more lax than imagined," Rasa lowered his voice. "There isn't even a checkpoint."

Minato looked around, his expression vigilant: "On the contrary, this completely undefended posture is even more worrying; it shows that no one dares to cause trouble here in the first place."

Suddenly, a squad of soldiers wearing Biscuit Armor turned out from a street corner, patrolling past with neat steps. The two exchanged a glance and blended into the pedestrians by the road without changing expression.

"Over there," Minato said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping toward a tavern not far away; a faded wooden signboard bore the words "Donut Tavern". "We might be able to learn some news inside the tavern."

Rasa nodded, and the two pushed open the tavern door; thick wine fragrance and noisy voices rushed at them, and the tavern interior was bustling with clamor.

What met the eye were customers of all shapes: fish-men with gills, giants nearly three meters tall, even a person with an elephant trunk drinking alcohol through his trunk.

"This world... is truly strange," Minato thought to himself.

"What would you like to order?" The bartender was a middle-aged man with a face full of stubble, skillfully wiping a glass; strangely, he had three eyes on his forehead.

"Do you have any specialty alcohol?" Minato asked, leaning on the bar counter.

"Rum, that's our signature drink here," the bartender said without stopping his hands. "20 Belly total."

Rasa unobtrusively released a strand of Golden Sugar from his sleeve: "Will this do?"

"Oh? Pure gold," the bartender narrowed his eyes to examine it, then immediately set down the quilt in his hands with a beaming smile. "Of course it can. Here, your drinks."

The two took them, pretending to sip casually while actually pricking up their ears to listen to the surrounding conversations.

Suddenly, a loud sound of a table being slapped came from the other end of the tavern.

"You're talking nonsense!" A burly man stood up. "The world's strongest is clearly Lord Kaido! He's the man who fell from ten thousand meters up and was fine!"

"What do you know!" A burly man with a face full of scars stood up. "Akainu is the strongest! I heard his duel with Aokiji decided the victor in just a few moves, as if he had comprehended some new ability."

"Both of you shut up!" A drunken voice cut in. "You frogs at the bottom of a well!"

That man swayed as he stood up, slapping a hand onto the Wanted Poster on the bulletin board. "See this? This is the true powerhouse! Uchiha Madara, a bounty fully twice that of the Four Emperors!"

Suddenly, Minato's fingers abruptly tightened, the wine cup emitting a faint click; Rasa's expression also froze instantly.

The two's gazes involuntarily looked toward the bulletin board in the corner; there, on a yellowed Wanted Poster, was that familiar face.

A man clad in Red Armor stood proudly, Long Hair dancing wildly, the Rinnegan in his eyes exceptionally striking, and behind him was a shattered Marineford.

Susanoo, Uchiha Madara, bounty 8 billion Belly. Crime: causing severe damage to Marine Headquarters during the Summit War.

"Here we go again," the bartender walked over carrying a tray, shaking his head helplessly. "Every time they get drunk they argue about this. Last week they almost tore down my store arguing over who's stronger."

"This Wanted Poster," Minato forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, trying to ask in as calm a tone as possible, "when was it issued?"

"About a month ago," the bartender set down a few empty cups and said casually. "That guy appeared as if falling from the sky; no one had ever heard of him, and he alone turned Marine Headquarters upside down, and he isn't even afraid of sea water — he runs directly on the sea surface."

"But afterward he vanished like a human evaporation, never appearing again."

Minato and Rasa involuntarily exchanged a glance, both seeing deep meaning in the other's eyes; Minato's gaze narrowed slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop. One month ago... falling from the sky then disappearing — everything is too coincidental. Minato can almost confirm that Uchiha Madara also received that mysterious voice's invitation and was brought to this world to execute a task.

Moreover, he has already completed the task and returned to the Ninja World; the time of his disappearance matches up exactly with the time of the invasion of Konoha.

"A task, huh?" Minato lowered his head to look at the wine. Since Madara could complete the task and go back, they should also have a chance. If what that voice said is true, then Kushina...

The tavern's wooden door was pushed open, and two dwarves only as tall as an average person's waist walked in. They wore clothes decorated with sweets and hurried along.

"Boss! Two cups of Honey Wine!" One of the dwarves climbed onto a high stool at the bar.

"Drink up quick; tomorrow is Big Mom's Tea Party," one of the dwarves gulped a mouthful. "If we delay the preparation work, we're dead!"

The two swiftly downed the wine in their cups in one go and stood up.

Minato and Rasa exchanged a glance; both their hearts stirred simultaneously. The Tea Party — this might be the opportunity they need.

After the two dwarves left the tavern, Minato and Rasa also rose without changing expression; they kept a distance and followed behind the dwarves.

"Magnet Release: Artificial Eye!" Rasa formed Hand Seals with both hands.

A mass of Golden Sugar flowed from his sleeve, rapidly condensing in midair into a golden eye.

"This is..." Minato was somewhat surprised.

"An eye made of gold sand; it can transmit the scenes it sees to me," Rasa explained. "Although it gets a bit blurry if the distance is too far, it should be enough to tail these two dwarves."

The Artificial Eye followed silently behind the two dwarves, transmitting their every move back.

"They're heading toward the port," Rasa sensed with eyes closed. "Looks like they're going to take a ship somewhere."

Passing through several alleys, they saw a large ship decorated with candies and sweets moored at the port; a giant cake pattern was carved at the bow, exceptionally striking in the sunlight.

"Move," Minato said in a low voice.

Just as the two dwarves turned around the alley corner, a flash of Golden Light streaked past, and the two were instantly wrapped in gold sand.

"Mmph—" Before they could make a sound, their mouths and noses were completely sealed by the gold sand; a moment later, two corpses fell silently.

"Transformation Technique." Minato formed Hand Seals; after the white smoke dispersed, he had taken on the appearance of one of the dwarves. Rasa likewise completed the transformation.

"Dispose of the corpses," Minato said in a low voice.

Next Second, golden sand rolled up the two corpses and sent them into the sea.

At the same time, Minato walked quickly to the wall corner, lightly pressing his right hand against the rough wall surface. A seal mark emerged on the wall surface.

(Chapter End)