Chapter 262: For the Sake of Ohara

It didn’t really matter if the man in front of her had feelings for her.

As long as it allowed her to follow in her mother's footsteps and truly uncover the history of the Void Century.

What did it matter?

Unveil the truth behind everything.

Take the place of Ohara’s scholars and understand the world.

This was the most crucial thing.

Nico Robin had long been prepared to sacrifice herself.

"Did you all come to the West Blue just for me?"

Now that they were allies, Nico Robin wasn’t holding back as much and directly asked.

She had a feeling that these people hadn’t suddenly shown up in the West Blue without some unknown purpose.

“No! Capturing you wouldn’t take that much effort! There’s always been someone following you!”

“If we wanted to catch you, you’d be in front of me with just one command.”

Raijin propped his head with one hand, smiling as he spoke to Nico Robin.

They were different from the World Government. The ninjas had been silently tracking Nico Robin all along.

As long as Nico Robin didn’t master Observation Haki, there was no way she could detect the ninjas.

The World Government, on the other hand, seemed a little lacking in their intelligence-gathering skills, always missing out on opportunities, and they were too arrogant.

That’s why they hadn’t caught Nico Robin yet.

“…”

Nico Robin glanced at Uzuki Yugao, feeling at a loss.

She hadn’t realized these people had been tailing her all this time. She hadn’t sensed a thing.

There was nothing she could do about it. These ninjas were too well-hidden.

They must have been lurking around her for who knows how long, and Nico Robin hadn’t noticed anything until they revealed themselves.

“We originally came to the West Blue for a vacation, but it seems things here are a bit chaotic.”

“Once things calm down, maybe we’ll come back!”

Raijin wasn’t too fond of the West Blue.

After all!

The West Blue hadn’t even heard of Dressrosa’s name.

If Nico Robin didn’t know, then surely other factions in the West Blue didn’t either.

It left him feeling a bit displeased.

So, it seemed like a good idea to bring some order here.

Let them understand the fame of Dressrosa.

“Tobirama! Contact Kakashi! Have him bring a small team to patrol the West Blue!”

“The West Blue isn’t bad, let them get to know us, Dressrosa!”

Raijin instructed Senju Tobirama.

“I understand!”

Senju Tobirama pulled out a Den Den Mushi and started contacting Kakashi, explaining the situation in detail.

Kakashi understood immediately.

Dressrosa hadn’t been able to establish much control over the West Blue yet.

Unlike before, they hadn’t sent large forces into the West Blue.

So, stationing a few ninjas there now was for gathering intelligence.

This time, they would start setting up control over the West Blue, bringing it under Dressrosa’s domain.

Of course!

They’d only aim to control about a quarter of the territory; the rest would still be in the hands of pirates, gangs, and the Navy.

If they did anything too reckless, it might provoke the World Government’s suspicion.

Dressrosa’s strategy was to win through steady growth.

Remain hidden, waiting for the right moment to fully erupt.

With enough time, Dressrosa would be the strongest.

Unless someone resorted to using a world-ending weapon.

“No wonder you’re not afraid of the World Government. Looks like Dressrosa has bigger plans.”

Nico Robin, naturally sociable, walked over and sat on Raijin’s lap as she spoke.

Uchiha Izumi, standing nearby, twitched slightly, wanting to shove this woman off.

But Lord Raijin was doing this for the sake of expanding the Uchiha clan. It was all for the Uchiha.

There was no other way. The Uchiha clan had so few members left, they needed to ensure their bloodline continued.

Especially Lord Uchiha Raijin’s bloodline, which was of utmost importance to preserve and pass down.

And in the future, she would be the one standing by Lord Raijin’s side forever.

No one else had that right.

“If you want to sit on my lap, wait until we get back to Dressrosa.”

“The World Government is nothing but usurpers! Their power is insignificant in the face of the Uchiha.”

“And they’re falsely hailed as gods. Sooner or later, they’ll be overthrown. Don’t rush it.”

Raijin stroked Nico Robin’s chin as he spoke.

He knew she had a deep-seated fear of the World Government.

After all, they had destroyed her home and killed her family.

Fear was natural, understandable!

But in Dressrosa, there was no need to fear.

The World Government would eventually become a stepping stone beneath his feet.

There had been others who feared the World Government, like Hancock from earlier. She probably had some insight to share with Robin!

"Overthrow the World Government…”

Nico Robin’s breath caught. She hadn’t expected these people to speak such treasonous words.

But…

If they could really do it, it would be a good thing.

After all, the World Government was her enemy too, though she hadn’t been able to avenge Professor Clover.

Her mother, and so many others…

All of them had fallen at the hands of the World Government.

Nico Robin sighed slightly. The World Government was so powerful.

Could Dressrosa really stand against them?

Nico Robin had her doubts!

But even so, following Dressrosa had its benefits.

Dressrosa wasn’t going to challenge the World Government just yet.

Even if they did, they’d need to gather more strength.

By then, who knows how much of the Poneglyphs she would have translated?

At the very least, she’d have a clearer understanding of the world’s history by then.

“By the way, do you know anything about Ohara’s books?” Raijin asked.

Ohara’s books were key.

“I don’t. Back then, I was just learning the ancient language from Professor Clover. I never got a chance to study Ohara’s books.”

Nico Robin’s face showed a flash of pain as she recalled Ohara.

Looking at the ruins before her, it was as if the scene of Ohara’s destruction was replaying.

She only had a vague idea of what had happened back then.

She didn’t know how far Professor Clover had gotten in his research on the Poneglyphs.

But it had been enough to provoke a Buster Call from the World Government.

“I’ll gather some of Ohara’s scattered books from around the world and hand them over to you.”

“And in Dressrosa, we’ll start teaching how to decipher the Poneglyphs.”

Raijin nodded, already planning ahead.

If Nico Robin truly knew much, she wouldn’t have been on the run for so long.

Even Ohara had exhausted a lot of effort back then.

But Dressrosa didn’t lack these resources.

“I understand.”

Nico Robin didn’t resist. It was just a matter of passing on the knowledge.

She didn’t think the man in front of her would break his word.

Proud people like him rarely went back on their promises.

“Grandma Mito, the North Blue seems pretty boring!”

Kushina Uzumaki stood at the bow of the ship, watching as another vessel bearing the Dressrosa flag passed by. She pursed her lips and said, "I thought going out would bring some interesting adventures, but who knew we'd just be wandering around Dressrosa's backyard."

She had imagined a very different kind of adventure, at least with a bit of danger. But apart from a shipwreck, they'd encountered pirates who avoided them from a distance.

Dressrosa’s reputation in the North Blue was too big.

After Dressrosa teamed up with Germa, they had been steadily expanding their influence in the North Blue. Eventually, Judge even gave up on Germa entirely, leaving it under Dressrosa's control while he focused solely on his research there.

As a result, much of the North Blue's underworld had fallen under Dressrosa’s rule.

On the surface, Dressrosa was also working with the Navy to crack down on pirates while further expanding their influence.

Even though they hadn’t officially taken over the member countries of the World Government in the North Blue, Dressrosa’s people were practically everywhere.

"Heh, adventures aren’t as great as you think! But the scenery in the North Blue isn’t bad," Mito Uzumaki said as she patted Kushina’s head. Since they’d left Dressrosa, Kushina had really let loose, constantly thinking about the so-called adventure and seeing the different cultures of each country.

But upon arriving in the North Blue and finding Dressrosa’s presence everywhere, she was not happy.

Mito hadn’t expected that Dressrosa’s power could grow so much in just one year. The Uchiha clan truly was something else. Even Madara Uchiha himself might not be a match for the current clan head.

The two of them were operating on completely different levels.

Madara believed solely in his own strength, but this new head not only believed in his own power but also trusted others, delegating authority skillfully.

“What’s the point of adventure if there’s no excitement! If I’d known, I would’ve traveled in the New World.”

“If you traveled in the New World, you might’ve run into Naruto,” Kushina said, leaning on the railing with a bit of frustration.

“Listen to Lord Raijin. You’ll see Naruto again when he’s grown!” Mito Uzumaki understood how much Kushina missed her son.

But since they were in Dressrosa, they couldn’t disrupt their host’s plans.

Besides, knowing Naruto was safe was enough for her. Having people to accompany him as he grew up was also a good thing.

“Yeah, but I haven’t even seen a single picture of Naruto!” Kushina complained, feeling exasperated.

At least she could’ve been shown a photo. But there wasn’t even one.

“Just wait a bit longer!” Mito said with a smile, patting Kushina’s head.

“Lady Mito, Lady Kushina, Kakashi needs me to return to Dressrosa for a while!”

“Please disembark temporarily. I’ll be back soon,” Genma Shiranui said as he approached the two. He was there to extend the range of his Door-Door Fruit. They were still familiarizing themselves with the North Blue, so he didn’t need to stay with them constantly. Kakashi required his help back in Dressrosa.

“Kakashi? Does that mean something interesting is happening?” Kushina’s eyes lit up as she asked.

If nothing exciting was happening, Kakashi wouldn’t have called for Genma. The last time they had just left Dressrosa, Genma had been summoned to open a door. Kushina had regretted missing the fight that followed for quite some time.

“Uh, it’s just that Lord Raijin is unhappy with the situation in the West Blue. He’s sending Kakashi to expand Dressrosa’s influence there,” Genma replied, scratching his head.

“But there probably won’t be any major battles—just some small-scale invasions.”

Kakashi was likely taking a small force to infiltrate gradually, similar to what they had done in the East and North Blue: attack a powerful group first and then integrate them into Dressrosa’s territory.

“Tell Kakashi that if anything interesting happens, he should call me first,” Kushina said, a bit annoyed. This wasn’t the Uchiha style at all!

In her mind, the Uchiha should charge in, leading a large force to invade. That would be the real Uchiha way.

“I understand! I’ll drop you off on this island and return after escorting Kakashi,” Genma said, pointing at the nearby island.

Watching Genma disappear through his Air Door, Kushina looked envious. She was starting to develop an interest in Devil Fruits herself.

“Let’s explore here a bit,” Mito said, gazing at the street.

They each had an allowance of one million Beli per year. It was enough to buy ordinary items.

“Let’s buy some clothes for Naruto! But… I don’t know his size,” Kushina pondered for a moment. “Never mind, I’ll just get them in Raijin’s size. He can try them on, and if they fit, then I’ll know they’ll work for Naruto later.”

Naruto would probably grow up to be as handsome as the Uchiha, but the clothes wouldn’t wait that long. For now, Raijin could be her stand-in model.

“Are you buying clothes for Naruto?” Mito teased, poking Kushina in the face.

Since her revival, Kushina had become much more carefree.

“Ahem! I’m buying them for Naruto, but since I don’t know his size, I’ll just have Raijin try them first!” Kushina blushed slightly, feeling like Mito had seen right through her.

But!

She was single now, after all. And it wasn’t her fault that all the Uchiha guys were so handsome!

(End of Chapter)