*Chapter 255: I'll Give You Back Your Freedom*

According to Dressrosa's usual rules, it was always diplomacy first, then action.

But those rules were set by the guy standing in front of them, so it's best to check which rules apply this time.

Uchiha Raijin was notorious for not following the rules!

"Do we really need to worry about small-time thieves like this? Let's take him down first!"

"If he's eaten the Gold-Gold Fruit, we should just kill him outright."

"This island's not bad. From now on, Dressrosa will take over!"

Raijin leisurely looked toward the amusement park in front of him.

Even from this distance, he could see the golden glimmer.

This guy had managed to build up something this massive in just a few months.

The gold alone—who knows how much of it was used?

It must have cost Tezoro a lot of time and effort.

"I get it!"

Kakashi nodded, pulling out his Den Den Mushi and giving orders.

"Begin the attack! If it's confirmed that Tezoro has the Gold-Gold Fruit, no need to report back—just kill him!"

Kakashi said it with no emotion whatsoever.

A slight look of regret crossed his face. The group they brought this time was too small.

None of the resurrected Edo Tensei warriors had shown up! It was just the living they had brought from the ninja world.

"Lord Tezoro! A fleet has appeared outside and has started to blockade the sea around us!"

"A countless number of people are walking across the frozen sea, heading straight for us!"

A man burst into Tezoro's bathhouse, frantically reporting the situation.

Their island had been surrounded—it was hard to believe they were surrounded by just five ships.

But these people had frozen the entire sea, even immobilizing the giant turtle they were standing on.

They didn’t know who these people were, but it was clear they were coming for the Golden City.

"What?!"

Tezoro's eyes darkened.

Just when his amusement park was developing so well, trouble had come knocking.

Tezoro wasn’t the type to go looking for trouble, but when it came his way, he made sure it stayed here, not with him.

But still!

Who would dare come here and lead an assault?

"Hahaha! Since someone’s come looking for trouble, let's go see what they want!"

Tezoro couldn’t help but laugh as he put on his clothes and stepped onto the golden stage he had built.

The golden stage beneath his feet twisted and moved!

It lifted Tezoro higher and higher until he was in the clouds.

With a telescope, he glanced toward the sea.

He saw a flag!

"Dressrosa!"

Tezoro staggered, almost falling from the platform.

He never expected it to be Dressrosa coming after him.

Dressrosa was one of the few forces in the New World that he couldn’t afford to offend!

That's why Tezoro had always made sure to steer clear of them in his business dealings.

Those people were complete lunatics!

Especially since they had fought and defeated many of the most powerful pirates in the New World, proving their strength and status.

But why were they coming for him now?

He hadn’t done anything to offend them.

But strong people didn’t need a reason to make a move.

"Hahaha, if Dressrosa wants trouble with me, then bring it on!"

Tezoro's expression twisted as he laughed, his eyes locked on Dressrosa’s flag.

He couldn’t understand why they were targeting him. There was no conflict of interest between them.

But none of that mattered anymore.

In the New World, these people looked down on everyone.

If he could take the Gold-Gold Fruit from Doflamingo back then, he could take out this guy today, too.

"Friends, our amusement park is facing some trouble! We need you to fight for it!"

"You don’t have the option to refuse. If you succeed in driving off the enemy, I'll set you free."

"I’ll remove the control I have over you, and you can leave the amusement park!"

Tezoro grabbed a microphone and addressed the entire amusement park from the stage.

In just a few months, his amusement park had attracted countless people.

Among them were some very powerful pirates!

But these pirates had lost everything here.

So now, Tezoro was offering them freedom in exchange for their help in battle.

"Hahaha, Tezoro's in trouble!"

"Looks like the Navy's involved. This guy's bitten off more than he can chew."

"Give me my freedom? Fine, I'll help you out this time. But you better keep your word."

The pirates in the amusement park cursed Tezoro, but without hesitation, they grabbed their weapons and headed for the port.

After all, their lives were in Tezoro’s hands.

This guy could turn them into golden statues in an instant.

If they tried to defy him, they’d be dead before they even got started.

So, to save their own skins, going to fight was the safest option.

"Dressrosa, no matter how many pirate strongmen I have, you’re nothing in front of us!"

"Even though I don’t know how you found this place, it doesn’t matter. You’re all going to die."

Tezoro's eyes darkened. This kind of troublesome enemy would require him to go all out.

After thinking it over, he finally called in his most trusted subordinate.

"Dice! Gather everyone in the amusement park!"

"Dressrosa’s forces won't be weak!"

"I'll take care of their leader, Uchiha Raijin, but his subordinates are your problem."

Tezoro could feel the pressure from Uchiha Raijin, and he knew only he could handle it.

In just a year, his mastery of the Gold-Gold Fruit had grown rapidly.

He had nearly unlocked all the abilities the Gold-Gold Fruit could offer.

As for the abilities he hadn’t unlocked, he hadn’t yet reached the level of awakening.

Even if he wanted to, it was impossible to develop those powers right now.

For now, he’d have to make do!

But turning into a giant temporarily? That was easy.

"Got it!"

Dice grinned, a crazed look in his eyes. He loved fighting strong opponents.

Tezoro had found him in a gladiator arena!

After years of battling there, he had developed a bizarre obsession with being hit.

Pain didn’t faze him. In fact, it felt good.

Since Tezoro brought him to the amusement park, he’d been working the dice games.

Now, seeing such strong opponents, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

The sea in front of the ships was frozen for miles, something only a group of Ice-Style ninjas working together could accomplish.

Once the sea was frozen, countless ninjas leaped from the ships, charging into battle!

They charged towards the casino in perfect unison! The formation was orderly!

It looked like a well-disciplined army.

“They’re coming! The enemy is coming! The first wave is pirates!”

On the ship, Nara Shikaku, who didn’t join the charge, pulled out a Den Den Mushi to command. He looked at the enemy’s formation with a hint of seriousness on his face.

Pirates who could survive in the New World wouldn’t be weak.

This time, they were testing their combat power, so the focus was on tactics.

“Storm Release Ninjas! Get in front!”

“Storm Release: Laser Circus!”

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, striking directly into the center of the pirate crowd.

After the third Raikage surrendered, all of the secret techniques of the Hidden Cloud Village were handed over. Even the Storm Release was given without any reservations.

Because of this, Dressrosa created an entire unit using the Kekkei Genkai.

“What about the Scorch Release Ninjas?”

Nara Shikaku noticed that their tactics weren’t working on the enemy!

He hadn’t expected these sea-faring men to be so tough.

In the past, their bodies would have been torn apart by now.

But these guys only had minor scratches!

“All five of you, attack together! Prepare a huge fireball and let them have it!”

Nara Shikaku calmly ordered. Since the enemy had powerful weapons, there was no doubt that they had to be used.

While Scorch Release was strong, it required close combat to unleash its full potential.

But what he was referring to was a long-range attack.

Whoosh

Five massive fireballs rose into the sky on the battlefield, continuously expanding. The surrounding ninjas quickly withdrew.

If anyone got too close to these five, they’d be instantly vaporized.

When the fireballs reached their limit, they were thrown out.

Boom!

Everything in front was engulfed in a sea of flames.

The ice melted the moment it touched the fireball.

Within seconds, the sea surface heated up by thousands of degrees.

This sight terrified the pirates who had charged out of the casino.

They hadn’t expected the enemy to have such techniques.

“So this is Scorch Release? I really like it!” Sakazuki’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t thought that Scorch Release would be this powerful.

Scorch Release ninjas were a perfect fit for him.

They’d make excellent subordinates.

“These five have been selected for Admiral Sakazuki! Admiral Sakazuki, you should pay close attention to them!”

Hearing this, Nara Shikaku turned and smiled at Sakazuki.

“Hmm, I will.”

Sakazuki nodded without hesitation.

Of course, he’d pay attention. They were going to be his subordinates.

He had to ensure they didn’t die here.

“What about mine?”

Kuzan was a bit dissatisfied, seeing Sakazuki’s strong team. Where were his men?

At the very least, they shouldn’t be any weaker than Sakazuki’s.

“Ahem! Lord Kuzan, we don’t have many Ice Release ninjas in Dressrosa, only around forty!”

“Look at the ninjas who used Ice Release earlier. You can pick ten from them.”

“Of course, their strength is guaranteed. They’ve all mastered Armament Haki and Observation Haki.”

Nara Shikaku cleared his throat! Didn’t they see he was still commanding the battle? Could this conversation wait?

But Nara Shikaku wasn’t someone simple.

Handling multiple tasks at once was no big deal for him.

“The enemy is almost finished! Use Wind Release and Fire Release to clear the battlefield!”

Nara Shikaku said indifferently.

Before the two forces even made contact, an intense battle had already erupted.

On Tezoro’s side, pirates were either dead or seriously wounded.

Even some of the great swordsmen and Devil Fruit users survived.

But they were facing dozens or hundreds of ninjas each.

The difference in power was too great.

If it were a fight between ninjas, the gap wouldn’t have been this wide.

They understood how to counter each other’s jutsu and set up defensive techniques.

But these pirates didn’t have time for that.

They charged recklessly, relying on brute strength!

They didn’t dodge—just took all the damage head-on!

Roar!

Suddenly, a massive dinosaur appeared on the icy battlefield, charging through the flames and wind towards the ninja ranks.

But before it could get far, it was trapped by countless Seastone chains.

This kind of opponent would be perfect for the coliseum.

“What an impressive tactic!”

Sengoku praised.

Even though Tezoro’s forces had acted hastily, their people weren’t weak!

And yet, the enemy broke through without losing a single soldier.

It was a complete victory!

Even when the Navy Admirals intervened, such victories weren’t guaranteed.

Dressrosa’s forces clearly had something special.

Especially considering that no real heavy hitters had shown up yet.

The King’s Guard and Nara Shikaku were still sitting on the ship, chatting.

“This is just a standard operation. The enemy had no intel on us.”

“They just charged in blindly. Even you Navy guys could’ve handled it easily.”

Nara Shikaku said modestly.

But after organizing wars for years in the Ninja World, this kind of small battle was second nature to him.

It was all about exploiting the intelligence gap.

He hadn’t even used a sneak attack.

If they had, the pirates wouldn’t have made it out of the casino.

“That’s impressive enough! You should come visit Marineford sometime!”

“When you do, be sure to meet our advisor Tsuru! I’m sure you two will get along.”

Sengoku didn’t believe Nara Shikaku’s words.

This guy was a seasoned veteran.

Otherwise, how could he command so smoothly?

He had resolved the pirate threat in just a few words.

It couldn’t be as simple as he made it sound.

“I’ll visit when I have the time!”

Nara Shikaku didn’t decline.

There was no reason to refuse.

Nara Shikaku was deep in thought when a wave of golden water surged out from the Golden City.

It looked like a tidal wave, crashing down towards the ninja army.

If nothing unexpected happened, the ninja army would be wiped out in an instant.

(End of Chapter)