*Chapter 252: I Really Hate Pretty Boys*

"Ah, it seems like everyone has some misunderstandings about me," said Minato Namikaze, scratching his head, feeling a bit awkward.

After all, back in Konoha, no one ever called him a "pretty boy."

Sure, he was somewhat handsome!

But still, you shouldn’t judge someone by their appearance.

“Lord Hokage, don’t let these weaklings bother you. You managed to defeat my son!”

“You’re even neck and neck with him in terms of speed, which shows how strong you’ve become.”

“In the Hidden Cloud Village, when someone questions you, the first thing you do is show off your strength.”

The Third Raikage, who also heard the chatter from the arena, said this directly to Minato.

He was well aware of what had happened between Minato and his son.

His most proud son's strength was something he fully trusted.

Since Minato was able to defeat him, he certainly lived up to the title of Hokage.

“I understand!” Minato smiled and nodded in response.

He didn’t really care about what people said.

What did surprise him was that the Third Raikage actually offered him some words of comfort.

Considering that since the Third’s resurrection, he had been extremely quiet, even a bit aloof.

It seemed out of character!

It was likely that the Third Raikage only spoke more to those he acknowledged.

As for Mu, the Second Tsuchikage, who had been killed by his own Iwagakure, it wouldn’t be surprising if he couldn’t resist stirring up some trouble with Mu.

The opponents appeared slowly—Jack, wielding a pair of massive scythes, and a pirate by his side with a gigantic axe.

Both of them looked to be around eight meters tall!

Standing before them, it was like being in front of giants.

At first glance, it seemed as if a strong gust of wind could knock them down.

“Brother Jack, leave this pretty boy to me. I hate pretty boys the most,” the pirate beside Jack said with a sinister grin.

He seemed to harbor some deep hatred for pretty boys.

“Suit yourself! The bigger one should be able to take more hits,” Jack replied indifferently.

He had been called to fight by Kakashi.

If he won, he would receive five million Beli from Kakashi.

If he lost, he’d still get five hundred thousand Beli from him.

Jack had already spent all his funds for the month.

So, he didn’t have a choice—fighting was the only way to make a living now.

After all, he had grown accustomed to a life of indulgence, and the thought of surviving on plain buns every day was unbearable for him.

But in Dressrosa, Jack’s strength was top-tier.

You could say that on this combat stage, few could defeat him.

“You four were specially invited, so you should know the rules!”

“As long as you don’t kill anyone, anything else goes!”

“Now… begin!”

A figure appeared in the center of the arena, addressing the group.

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure transformed into a swarm of insects that flew into the audience.

Everyone was stunned by this display of skill.

After all, the Aburame Clan usually kept a low profile.

In Dressrosa, unless Uchiha Raijin summoned them personally, they wouldn’t leave the forest, preferring to research new types of bugs there.

But this reclusive clan wasn’t much noticed; in fact, many people didn’t even know they existed in Dressrosa.

Their presence was so low-key.

Even if someone befriended them, they’d likely forget about them in no time.

Such an existence was unique in Dressrosa.

Especially considering most people on the sea weren’t particularly sharp.

So when they encountered someone with such high-level stealth, they were even less likely to remember them.

“Boom!”

Without any hesitation, the Third Raikage’s body transformed into lightning!

In an instant, he disappeared from sight, his hand forming a blade, suddenly appearing above Jack’s head and chopping down.

Lightning surged wildly around him, causing his hair to stand on end.

“Bang!”

The terrifying force slammed down onto Jack’s head.

Amidst this enormous power, a flash of red crossed Jack’s eyes.

He reacted instantly!

The scythe in his hand swung up to block the blow.

“Clang!”

The two clashed, producing a burst of sparks.

This scene left the crowd dumbfounded.

No one expected the battle to start so suddenly.

Before they could even react, the combatants moved so fast they couldn’t keep up with their eyes.

“This kind of strength! As expected from a Dressrosa powerhouse!”

Jack was excited, thrilled to have encountered such a formidable opponent.

In his usual arena battles, he hardly ever fought someone from Dressrosa.

Even when they did appear, they were mostly small fry.

He rarely had the chance to face such a monster.

Such a strong opponent filled Jack with excitement.

“Jack?”

The pirate beside him was stunned. He hadn’t expected their opponent to strike first.

He assumed that an unknown figure like that wouldn’t have the courage to attack right away.

But unexpectedly, these guys were much stronger than he imagined.

“When you’re fighting, don’t get distracted!”

At that moment, a massive ball slammed into the pirate’s stomach.

The powerful impact caused him to tremble where he stood.

The force surged through his internal organs.

“These two are among our King’s top elite guards! The dark-skinned young man is named A.”

“His hands are his most powerful weapons. If he goes all out, he can pierce a mountain in an instant.”

“His Lightning Body Flicker Technique makes him one of the fastest ninjas. Even Observation Haki might not detect his movements.”

“He’s almost as fast as Admiral Kizaru! And the blonde young man over there…”

“He’s the captain of our King’s guard, disappearing without a trace and capable of crossing several islands in an instant!”

“His strength is unmatched! Though I can’t reveal much, since he’s part of the King’s Guard.”

Shikaku Nara, seated beside Sengoku and Sakazuki, explained the situation.

Minato and the Raikage were being introduced.

To become a Kage meant at least being as strong as a Navy Vice Admiral.

But since they were recently resurrected, they were still adapting to their new bodies.

These bodies were, of course, specially crafted for them by Orochimaru.

The Raikage’s body contained Storm, Steel, and Swift Release techniques!

This enhanced the Raikage’s already impressive body strength.

With his own rigorous training methods and jutsu, he was practically maxed out!

As for Minato, his chakra reserves were pushed to the limit!

Minato’s fighting style relied on speed, so he didn’t need other elemental techniques.

Orochimaru didn’t add any unnecessary abilities to him, just enhanced his body with the Shikotsumyaku, the Dead Bone Pulse!

This made Minato’s combat style even more versatile.

“Dressrosa truly is full of powerful individuals!”

"It's a pity they're part of the King's Guard. Otherwise, we'd definitely want to recruit them into the Navy," Sengoku sighed, glancing repeatedly at Zephyr.

But Zephyr acted like he didn't hear anything! He just pretended not to notice. After all, there was nothing he could do.

These strong individuals were clearly under Uchiha Raijin's command. Would Raijin willingly let them leave? Obviously not.

"Are there others like them? I'd like to bring them into my troops," Akainu bluntly asked Nara Shikaku.

Unlike Sengoku, who was being subtle and playing word games, Akainu didn’t mince words. If such powerful individuals could join the Navy, he'd offer anything as a Fleet Admiral.

What's the point of pride? Sengoku's been sitting in his high position for too long and can't bring himself to lower his face like that!

What Akainu needed now was to strengthen his ranks.

"There are some, but very few! The ones we have are the best of the best," Nara Shikaku said, shrugging.

"They're not interested in starting from the bottom. You'll probably have to offer them something good if you want them to join," he added, drawing several gazes.

Wasn't this basically asking for bribes?

"Ahem! This isn't about bribes!" Shikaku clarified. "They're some of the strongest soldiers trained by Instructor Zephyr. If they leave Zephyr's tutelage, they could get excellent positions in Dressrosa, possibly even as squad leaders in the Royal Guard."

"The conditions here are not worse than what your Navy offers, so..." Shikaku shrugged again.

It all depended on how sincere the Navy was. If they offered enough, getting a few recruits wouldn't be an issue. But if they expected these soldiers to start from the bottom and slowly accumulate merit, they wouldn't be interested.

They had worked so hard to live a better life. Why would they agree to start at the bottom? What would be the point of their efforts?

"If they're as strong as you say, I'll make an exception and give them a chance. But if they're not, the Navy isn't a place where we take just anyone," Akainu said, arms crossed. "Let them stay here and rot for all I care."

"Of course, they won't disappoint," Shikaku smiled.

Meanwhile, Kuzan had been observing everything and finally understood what was going on. Sengoku and the others had come to Dressrosa to recruit soldiers. No wonder they were here all of a sudden!

"Hey, Shikaku!" Kuzan suddenly placed a hand on Shikaku's shoulder, startling him for a moment. Since when had he and Kuzan become so close? Shikaku had been scheming against Kuzan just recently, even helping with Zephyr's plans, though he had been smart enough not to appear in person. Since Garp didn’t pursue the matter, Kuzan didn’t know about Shikaku’s role.

Still, their relationship wasn't this friendly!

"Kizaru and I are getting married next month! Your king wouldn’t be stingy, would he?" Kuzan hinted. "From what I've heard, your king encourages childbirth, right?"

He was implying that as part of his marriage, they’d be starting a family. But! Dressrosa should also provide a dowry, right?

"Don't worry, Admiral Kuzan, we've got it covered," Shikaku replied. "Instructor Zephyr trained a group of ice-style ninjas, all incredibly strong. They could assist you in your future missions. While they may not be as powerful as your ice powers, you can consider them as subordinates with similar abilities."

"They're proficient in Armament Haki and Observation Haki. Some even possess the Byakugan! Observing things within a five-kilometer radius is no problem. They can track even a single bug."

"And some of them use Wood Style, ensuring a comfortable environment for capturing pirates at sea," Shikaku explained, instantly understanding Kuzan's unspoken request.

After all, Kuzan was now considered one of their own. Being generous to their own people was what Dressrosa was all about. Plus, they had some surplus manpower.

"???"

Sengoku and Akainu were dumbfounded, exchanging incredulous glances. Was Kuzan secretly marrying into Dressrosa? Otherwise, why would Dressrosa offer him so many benefits?

"Hahaha! Kuzan, maybe you should just marry into Dressrosa!" Garp teased, slapping Kuzan on the back. "Look how good they’re treating you!"

It felt like Dressrosa was treating Kuzan like a son, giving him such a massive gift. If Kuzan asked for more, they might even offer him a fleet!

Knowing Uchiha Raijin, Garp figured nothing was off the table. After all, Raijin had fewer limits than most people imagined.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Kuzan said, nodding in agreement with a thoughtful expression.

"..."

Everyone was speechless, shocked that Kuzan was seriously considering it.

"No, no! We have no plans to force Admiral Kuzan into marrying into Dressrosa," Shikaku quickly clarified. "Even if he doesn't, we’ll still do everything we can to fulfill any requests he might have."

"In fact, we've prepared a gift for Admiral Kizaru as well! It's just unfortunate he didn't come with you. Otherwise, we could have shown it to him," Shikaku added, turning to Sengoku. "By the way, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, has Kizaru shown any interest in making peace with Dressrosa?"

"..."

Sengoku and Akainu exchanged another glance, their expressions becoming more subtle. Dressrosa didn’t seem to know yet.

Kizaru had already arrived in Dressrosa but had chosen to remain hidden. What was Dressrosa preparing for Kizaru? Shikaku didn’t say, and they didn't want to ask. They could only dodge the question.

As they chatted, the battle below ended. Jack and his forces were getting thoroughly beaten, the battle completely one-sided.

Namikaze Minato was zipping around the battlefield, impossible to catch.

(End of Chapter)