chapter 248: You Dare to Play with the Souls of the Dead

The eyes of the group brightened. This street of pleasure was nothing like Dressrosa.

Here, the rule was that there were no rules—fights were a common occurrence.

There was no arena to help resolve conflicts.

Even murder and robbery were everyday occurrences.

There was no patrol or guard to be found.

“Bang!”

At that moment, a gunshot rang out, instantly snuffing out the unspoken malice of the man.

A blonde woman, swaying her hips and wearing high heels, walked forward slowly.

Her stunning figure naturally caught the attention of the men on the street.

But upon seeing her, they quickly averted their gazes.

Stussy gently blew the smoke from the gun's barrel and slid the small pistol into her bag.

In an instant, she reverted to her former harmless, enchanting demeanor.

“The King of Dressrosa has arrived; forgive us for not extending a proper welcome,” she said with a smile.

“But coming to my territory, you could’ve at least given us a heads-up.”

“So we wouldn’t have let these scumbags bother you.”

Stussy walked up to Raijin with a smirk on her face.

“You said they were scumbags! Why would I care about trash on the side of the road?”

Raijin chuckled lightly and took a closer look at Stussy.

He noticed that there was no trace of her looking like a clone.

After all, she had integrated into society for many years, and even the World Government hadn’t noticed anything off.

Could Raijin detect anything unusual?

Obviously, that was impossible.

“Since you’re the boss of this street, could you help us find Tsunade?”

“And maybe act as our guide? I’m quite curious about this street of pleasure.”

“After all, an illegal zone of this scale is impressive.”

Raijin looked at Stussy and said.

“Of course, but Lord Raijin, please don’t set your sights on our street.”

“Every year, this place pays a hefty sum to the World Government, which is why we can barely survive.”

“If someone like you takes an interest in us, what chance would we have?”

Stussy covered her mouth, giggling.

It was clear she was indicating their stance and the backing they had.

After all, it would be unusual if the World Government wasn’t involved in keeping this place afloat for so long.

And given Raijin’s growing influence at sea, confronting him directly wouldn’t be in their best interest.

After saying that, Stussy led Raijin inside.

The interior was luxurious, with lights bright enough to make it always feel like daytime.

This was done so the gamblers wouldn’t notice the passage of time and would become more addicted.

It was clear that Tsunade was among them.

Before Raijin even approached, he heard people shouting.

“Big!”

“Big!”

“Big!”

Inside, there was a hoarse voice shouting for "small," but it was drowned out by the crowd.

“Four-five-six, big!”

The man standing before Tsunade opened the dice cup slowly.

“Hahahaha! As expected, she’s an easy mark. Just bet against her, and you’ll always win.”

“Exactly. Let’s make a killing before she gets invited to the VIP room.”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m going all-in on this hand!”

“Hmph, I’ve bet everything I own. If I win this, I could buy an entire country!”

Everyone watched Tsunade eagerly, waiting to see what her next move would be.

Tsunade snorted coldly and pushed all her chips to the center.

Tenzou, who had brought a plate of fruit, noticed that the money they had when they arrived was now gone.

Did that mean they’d have to swim back home?

“Lady Tsunade…”

Tenzou, not wanting to go hungry, tried to give a subtle warning.

“Relax. I’ve just put the reward we got for capturing the navy on the line. We haven’t lost the warships and weapons on board yet.”

“Trust me, once I win this hand, I’ll make up for all the warships we lost before!”

Tsunade waved her hand confidently, looking absolutely serious.

Indeed, that was exactly how she felt.

She was certain she would win this round.

The gamblers beside Tsunade, following her lead, threw in their chips as well.

In no time, a mountain of chips piled up on one side, while Tsunade's side had only her bet.

“Open!”

With that, the cup was lifted.

Laughter filled the room!

Meanwhile, the pain was written all over Tsunade's face.

Her face flushed red with disbelief.

“Bang!”

Her fist slammed into the table, splintering it into pieces.

“Next, I’ll—”

Before Tsunade could finish her enraged outburst, she was interrupted.

“Tsunade!”

Tobirama Senju stood there with a grim expression.

Tsunade had learned nothing from her brother but had managed to imitate this behavior perfectly.

It almost made Tobirama think her brother had been resurrected.

“Second Grandpa?”

Tsunade spun around, eyes wide in disbelief at the figure before her.

It was Tobirama Senju!

This was the last person Tsunade had expected to see.

What the hell?

Wasn’t her Second Grandpa sent back after the Edo Tensei was undone?

Why was he suddenly here?

Tsunade glanced to the side and immediately understood what was happening.

“Uchiha Raijin, you dare to play with the souls of the dead!”

Tsunade stood up, her face darkened.

Previously, Hiruzen Sarutobi had used Edo Tensei to summon Tobirama and others to protect the Leaf Village.

At that time, Tsunade was practically considered a rogue ninja, and she wasn’t in any position to protest.

But she never expected Uchiha Raijin to use Edo Tensei as well—and blatantly flaunt it before her.

This guy had a death wish.

“Souls of the dead?”

Stussy instinctively jolted and glanced at Tobirama Senju out of the corner of his eye.

His Observation Haki swept over Tobirama, scanning him inside and out.

He couldn’t detect any difference between this guy and a living person.

In fact, the life force emanating from him seemed slightly stronger.

But Stussy felt like he had uncovered some of Dressrosa's secrets.

Even if Tsunade was joking, it suggested that Dressrosa had some sort of similar technology.

Otherwise!

Why would Tsunade say something so terrifying?

At that moment!

Stussy felt a sharp gaze directed at him.

Looking up, he saw a pair of blood-red eyes, with spinning tomoe, appearing incredibly menacing.

This caused Stussy's heart to skip a beat. He felt that if he had any bad intentions, the man in front of him would kill him on the spot.

"Lord Raijin, it's not convenient to talk here. There's a VIP room upstairs."

"How about we continue our conversation there?"

Stussy maintained a calm expression, laughing lightly as he spoke.

Though his heart was in a panic, he didn’t dare show the slightest hint of it.

If he displayed any sign of unease, this man would likely kill him without hesitation.

Tsunade also realized she might have said something inappropriate and immediately shut her mouth.

After all, matters of the Shinobi world involved certain forbidden techniques.

Tsunade and Raijin had already agreed not to discuss such topics openly.

And since Tsunade became a member of the Navy, she had gained some understanding of the dark undercurrents of the sea.

The sea was far from as calm as it appeared.

Just the darkness of the World Government alone made Tsunade feel a chill.

But even so, Tsunade did not back down, staring intently at Raijin.

"Let's go!"

Raijin nodded, signaling for Stussy to lead the way.

The crowd was dispersed, and Stussy led a few people upstairs to the VIP room.

The interior was lavishly decorated, not inferior to that of Dressrosa.

Some of the items were even rare treasures of the sea.

"I'll go get you some fruit."

Stussy tactfully left the room, leaving Tsunade and the others behind.

After Stussy left, the atmosphere in the room grew tense once more.

"I didn't expect you'd summon my granduncle through Edo Tensei and bring him to the sea."

"Did you not consider the consequences? If the Edo Tensei on my granduncle's body is undone..."

Tsunade, agitated, glared at Raijin. She hadn’t expected this man to be so audacious.

To the point of even resurrecting her granduncle.

If Uchiha Raijin continued to act recklessly, even her brother might be summoned through Edo Tensei by this guy.

"Tsunade, look closely. Tobirama Senju isn't an Edo Tensei; he's a living, breathing person."

"Edo Tensei is just a technique, but through Dressrosa's research, it's matured enough to indirectly bring someone back to life."

Raijin poured a glass of wine from the bottle on the table, speaking softly.

Before Tsunade could react, his gaze suddenly became incredibly sharp.

His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly.

An overwhelming pressure crushed down on Tsunade.

"And who gave you permission to speak to me like that? Do you not understand your current position?"

"At best, you're part of Dressrosa. At worst, you're a mere prisoner of war."

"After Shizune became useful, you've essentially outlived your usefulness. Only because of your past status, and to keep the Konoha people's morale steady, have I not acted against you."

"But now that Dressrosa is fully stabilized, the only value you have left is your role in the Navy. Beyond that, you're pretty much useless."

"So you'd better be more careful when you speak to me, lest you anger me. The consequences would not be something you can handle."

The terrifying aura made Tsunade feel as if she couldn’t breathe.

She once thought that after mastering Sage Mode from the Shikkotsu Forest, she would have the strength to contend with the Uchiha.

After all, her grandfather had used Sage Mode and Wood Release to defeat Madara Uchiha.

According to the records of the Senju Clan, Uchiha Madara had even unlocked the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

He was said to have stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi world.

And Uchiha Raijin had only unlocked the Mangekyō!

She figured she wouldn’t be able to defeat him entirely, but at the very least, she should be able to hold her own against him.

But to her surprise, the mere presence of his Mangekyō Sharingan's aura!

Was already enough to render her unable to resist!

She couldn’t believe that Uchiha Raijin had continued to grow stronger after arriving in the sea.

Tsunade felt that this guy had already surpassed the legendary Uchiha Madara.

"...I understand!"

Tsunade closed her eyes as if resigning herself to fate.

She had long known that this boy from the Uchiha Clan was ruthless.

He cared little for her status, only for her usefulness.

So now, hearing Raijin's words, Tsunade accepted them as inevitable.

Even if she didn’t want to, she had no choice!

The man in front of her clearly had no intention of playing nice.

He was here to set the rules, in case she got too out of hand.

"Alright then, Tsunade, let’s make a bet!"

"Your grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, has also been resurrected, along with Kushina Uzumaki."

"They are under my control now. If you can beat me, I’ll release them and won't control them anymore."

"But..."

Raijin was speaking playfully but was interrupted by Tsunade slamming her hand on the table.

"If I lose, I'll give you my warship and all the Navy soldiers on board."

"Even myself—I'll follow your orders without resistance!"

Tsunade was stirred by the mention of Uzumaki Mito and Kushina.

She even forgot the aura Raijin had released moments ago.

She leaned forward aggressively, her two large "assets" almost pressing against Raijin's face.

"If we’re betting, it's not about what you want; it's about what I have."

"All I have left are these things. So that's all I can wager."

Tsunade declared, her presence dominating.

"You're really dreaming, huh."

Raijin chuckled.

This old cow trying to eat young grass, he thought.

He had never seen anyone so shameless.

Although Tsunade didn't look her age and had an impressive figure...

Raijin had no interest in making her part of his harem, especially when he already had beauties like the Pirate Empress, even the Mermaid Princess.

If he wanted more women, the sea offered him countless choices with just a word.

There was no need to waste effort on Tsunade.

"Fine! Then let’s use your warship as the wager."

Raijin waved dismissively, intending to toy with her a little.

"Blind fool!"

Tsunade muttered in a slightly regretful tone.

But she didn’t say much more, pulling a pair of dice from her chest and slamming them onto the table.

It was a simple game of high or low!

Just that straightforward.

(End of chapter)