*Chapter 261: The Fame of Dressrosa Doesn’t Reach the West Sea?*

The surroundings were silent, with only a few birds resting briefly.

This place had been deserted for a long time!

No one had been here for several years.

Raijin stepped on a dry branch, crushing it underfoot as he wandered through Ohara.

He couldn’t find any of the books he remembered.

Some had probably been destroyed by the World Government.

Raijin wasn’t in a hurry, though, since finding Ohara’s books wasn’t his primary goal.

He hadn’t expected anything of value to remain in Ohara.

Whenever the World Government moves in, nothing is left behind.

"Found it! Footprints from five or six years ago!"

"It looks like they belong to a woman, possibly young in age!"

At that moment, Tobirama Senju stopped and touched the ground.

With a ninja’s sharp eyes and expert knowledge, identifying these footprints and more was a breeze.

But Raijin hadn’t expected that just from a nearly vanished footprint, Tobirama could deduce so much.

Raijin gave Tobirama an odd look, wondering if this guy was just making things up.

"Uh-hum!" Tobirama turned his head away awkwardly.

After all, when they landed on the island, he had said there were footprints, and now he couldn’t show anything for it.

But after wandering around the island, he hadn’t found a single clue.

Faced with the Uchiha, Tobirama didn’t want to admit he was wrong.

"The Buster Call fell here ten years ago, and I doubt anyone has been here since! So, no need to waste your energy."

"Besides, the World Government wiped Ohara off the map. Even Nico Robin, who lived here, probably wouldn’t dare return!"

"Even if there are footprints, they’re likely from treasure hunters or other forces."

Raijin shook his head.

There wasn’t anything valuable left here.

Erased from the map, the place would gradually be forgotten.

Maybe in the beginning, people came hoping to find something.

But looking at the ruins now, no one would even bother.

"It’s a shame about Ohara’s records; they could’ve helped us decipher the Poneglyphs," Tobirama remarked regretfully. There was no way to learn that script anymore.

Dressrosa had two Poneglyphs, but Tobirama couldn’t read a word.

Even if he wanted to learn, there was no material to study from!

It frustrated Tobirama to no end!

"But there are still people who can decipher it! As far as I know, there are a few left in the world who can read the Poneglyphs."

"And the only one we can access right now is Nico Robin, but she’s more than enough."

Raijin knew the researchers were fascinated by the Poneglyphs.

After all, these people had an insatiable curiosity about the world’s secrets.

The more mysterious something was, the more they wanted to study it.

Unlike the Uchiha, who only had ambition.

"True, once we get back, I’ll have her teach me how to read it!" Tobirama nodded.

Step!

At that moment, a ship appeared on the horizon!

As it neared Raijin’s warship, Uzuki Yugao leapt across the water, carrying Nico Robin with her.

Robin struggled in her grasp, but it was all in vain.

Not even the Seastone handcuffs on her wrists could be undone.

"Ohara!"

A flash of terror appeared in Robin’s eyes.

In that instant, the image of Ohara twisted, reverting to how it looked before the Buster Call.

Dr. Clover stood under the Tree of Knowledge, waving for her to look at the books inside.

But then…

The scene twisted again.

The peaceful Tree of Knowledge vanished, replaced by a raging inferno.

Terrifying flames spread, consuming the tree.

Countless shells rained down on the island, and silhouettes stood defiantly in front of the Tree of Knowledge.

It was Dr. Clover!

"Doctor..."

Robin muttered, watching as a shell swallowed him whole.

Her view shifted, and she saw Ohara’s residents trying to escape in lifeboats.

The Navy had said that anyone not involved in Ohara’s research could leave safely!

But…

They had barely left the island when a shell struck them.

Tears streamed down Robin’s face as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing.

Smack!

Uzuki Yugao threw Robin to the ground, looking at the crying woman with a bit of confusion.

She hadn’t even tortured her.

So why was she crying all of a sudden?

"Lord Raijin! I’ve brought Nico Robin back!"

Uzuki Yugao knelt on one knee, bowing respectfully.

"Well done! You’ve performed admirably in the West Sea! After this, I’ll have you reassigned back to Dressrosa."

"If you wish to enter the royal palace, I can offer you a position. You could even bear the Uchiha bloodline!"

Raijin looked at Uzuki Yugao, nodding with approval.

Uzuki was one of the first ninjas to follow him.

And she, along with the others, had always been obedient, never thinking of rebelling.

They had all grown under the protection of Dressrosa.

Though still far from the monsters of the New World, they had potential.

"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Raijin!" Uzuki Yugao’s face lit up with joy. Finally, she could return to Dressrosa.

The harsh conditions of the West Sea had long worn her down, and she had wanted to leave her leadership role for some time.

As for entering the palace as a concubine… Uzuki had given it some thought.

Her talent had reached its peak.

But she didn’t want her future children to be ordinary.

The world wasn’t as peaceful as the ninja villages had been.

Without strength, they’d be destroyed.

Uzuki didn’t want her descendants to be fodder for the battlefield.

"Nico Robin!"

Raijin lifted Robin’s chin with one hand, looking at her delicate face.

Robin had inherited her mother’s genes well, a true beauty.

At just twenty, her figure was flawless, with curves in all the right places.

Raijin had seen many beautiful women, but Robin was different.

"Who are you people?"

Nico Robin's eyes flickered as she looked at Raijin and asked, "What are these mysterious guys doing here in Ohara?"

"Don’t know who we are? Seems like our Dressrosa's reputation hasn’t made its way to the West Blue yet!" Raijin frowned, feeling a bit displeased.

Dressrosa had been causing trouble for a while now, and it was well-known across the seas. Was the West Blue really so isolated that they didn’t even know about Dressrosa?

Raijin suddenly thought Dressrosa should take some action to clean up the environment in the West Blue. After all, gangs could sometimes be worse than pirates! If necessary, these gang members didn’t need to stick around. Especially since they showed no respect for the strong of the seas.

"Dressrosa... are you the ones who defeated the Warlord of the Sea, Doflamingo?"

At this moment, Nico Robin remembered and widened her eyes as she stared at the man before her. For the past year, she had been on the run constantly, barely having time to learn about the New World's events. Her focus was entirely on the West Blue.

She hadn’t missed a single piece of intelligence about the West Blue, fearing it could mean sudden death. She had only managed to catch a glimpse of a newspaper from Morgans' press, which mentioned a Warlord of the Sea had fallen, and a new one had taken their place.

"Looks like you remember something after all! You’ve got quite a nice look, too. From now on, you’ll be part of Dressrosa."

"Just so happens we need someone in Dressrosa who understands the ancient texts. You’ll be translating those for us," Raijin chuckled, not caring about what Nico Robin thought, directly pulling her into Dressrosa.

Even if Nico Robin had a deep grudge against the World Government, so what? Raijin wasn’t planning to go to war with the World Government just yet. After she arrived in Dressrosa, things would settle easily.

As long as she didn’t get too close to anyone important, no one would really notice.

"You want me to be your woman?" Nico Robin smirked, carefully examining Raijin. This man had a strong, handsome face, exuding a kind of arrogance she had never encountered before.

Nico Robin didn’t entirely reject Raijin. After hiding and running for so long, she was already exhausted.

Maybe, just maybe, this man could really protect her.

But!

This guy was one of the Warlords of the Sea!

What were his real intentions? She couldn't be sure. Who knew what he truly wanted?

Nico Robin was all too familiar with the Warlords of the Sea. They were nothing more than the lapdogs of the World Government. They only followed the government’s orders! What if the World Government wanted her? Nico Robin doubted this man would protect her.

"I’m wanted by the World Government. Are you really willing to involve Dressrosa with me?"

"Aren’t you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourself? Aren’t you afraid of the World Government?"

"If my whereabouts are exposed, Dressrosa would be met with a Buster Call. Even if you’re a Warlord of the Sea, what good would that do? You’d still face destruction!"

Nico Robin chuckled softly, her eyes almost seeing through Raijin, as if he were no different from the people who had taken her in before.

Those who sheltered her were either destroyed by the World Government and the Marines, or betrayed her by trying to hand her over as a gift to the government.

"Nico Robin, who do you think I am?" Raijin grabbed Nico Robin’s chin, locking eyes with her.

"Hahaha! What is the World Government? How dare they meddle with Dressrosa!"

"They're just a bunch of self-proclaimed gods! They’re nothing in front of the Uchiha!"

"Even though I’m not ready to go to war with the World Government yet, it doesn’t matter. The Uchiha have long been prepared to face the world."

"I’ve already got enough troubles of my own, and you, little Nico Robin, are nowhere near more than I can handle!"

"So, make your decision now!" Raijin laughed arrogantly, his eyes filled with contempt for the World Government.

From the very beginning, he hadn’t taken the so-called World Government seriously. If it weren’t for ensuring the Uchiha clan’s stable development, if he were alone, there’s no way Uchiha Raijin would have let those lowly beings sit in power for so long.

"There’s no way to tolerate anyone sleeping next to my bed!"

"What a madman!" Nico Robin stayed silent for a while, clearly recognizing that Raijin was telling the truth. This guy wasn’t lying at all!

Despite being a Warlord of the Sea, he had zero respect for the World Government. In fact, this guy even wanted to wage war against the World Government!

The World Government had stood strong for eight hundred years. Could it really be taken down that easily?

"All I want right now is a place to rest! Becoming your woman is fine, but you need to find me the Poneglyphs!"

"The Poneglyphs are what I want. You should know why the World Government is after me."

"I want to pursue the true history. I want to know what happened during the Void Century!"

Nico Robin agreed, not planning to reject Uchiha Raijin. Now that she had fallen into his hands, and since he wasn’t planning to hand her over to the World Government but instead wanted to keep her for himself, Nico Robin had to take the opportunity to ask for more.

If she missed this chance, she didn’t know if she’d ever get the opportunity to make demands once she arrived in Dressrosa.

So, she had to take this moment to ask for everything she could!

As for whether Raijin would agree to everything...

Nico Robin wasn’t entirely sure. But asking was part of the negotiation.

"Sure! Dressrosa happens to have two Poneglyphs, and I know the locations of a few more!"

"I can bring them to Dressrosa for you to study in detail."

"And after you arrive in Dressrosa, you’ll have to teach us how to read the ancient texts!"

Raijin agreed without hesitation, not even negotiating.

Such small requests weren’t a big deal to him.

"Then I’ll be your woman!" Nico Robin lifted her face and motioned for her shackles to be removed.

She understood her value, thinking she had sold herself at a good price. But little did she know, her knowledge of the Poneglyphs was far more valuable.

What Dressrosa lacked was this ancient knowledge.

Click!

Uzuki Yuyako didn’t wait for Raijin to speak and immediately stepped forward to unlock her chains.

Nico Robin touched her wounds, feeling the pain as she realized the scene before her was real.

Someone was actually willing to take her in, this cursed star.

Although the other party was clearly interested in her body and her knowledge of the Poneglyphs, they were still genuinely accepting her.

(End of chapter)