*Chapter 247: The Free Things Are the Most Expensive*

Despite such favorable conditions, Kizaru (Borsalino) seemed completely ungrateful.

For the Navy, this reduced some concerns. They had been afraid that what happened in Dressrosa would come to light, damaging the relationship between the Navy and Dressrosa.

That’s right! Now, it was the Navy’s turn to be troubled.

Dressrosa held an important position in the New World. In fact, the Navy still needed to rely on Raijin.

The Navy’s next plan was to enter the New World and further compress and eliminate pirate territories. They aimed to finally bring down the monstrous pirates, restoring peace to the seas. This was Sengoku’s vision and the next step in his plan for the Navy.

He intended to complete this within ten years, at least starting by using monsters like Whitebeard as the target for this great campaign.

Therefore, before the Navy acted, Sengoku didn’t want any problems arising with Dressrosa. After all, Dressrosa was now an ally of the Navy! When the Navy made their move, Dressrosa would play a key role.

So, when Garp was stationed in Dressrosa, Sengoku didn’t utter a word. Dressrosa was vital to his grand scheme!

The Navy Headquarters could fall, but Dressrosa could not.

“Are you sure you have no conditions?” Sengoku pondered for a moment and asked again. He thought that if necessary, it would be better for Dressrosa to ask for something in return. If they didn’t, it made Sengoku uneasy. He feared their relationship might be on shaky ground.

“Really, we don’t! We’re just worried that Admiral Borsalino might not be satisfied,” Kakashi replied sincerely. “When we came, we discussed that if Admiral Borsalino had any requests, we would do our best to fulfill them. As long as they weren’t too unreasonable and wouldn’t destabilize Dressrosa, we were willing to accommodate.”

Sengoku hesitated, feeling a chill. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even a child knows that. How could he not understand? But for now, he couldn’t quite grasp Dressrosa’s intentions.

When the sea calms down, various industries will boom. Even the darker, under-the-table businesses will thrive during this period, making a fortune.

A ship, shaped like a Navy warship, docked quietly on Pleasure Street without attracting much attention. The person in charge just took a glance. Seeing that it wasn’t a Navy ship, they didn’t care much.

But when the ship actually docked and they saw the flag it bore, the person in charge of Pleasure Street hurried to the port to greet them. After all, it was flying the flag of Dressrosa. Who in the New World didn’t know Dressrosa? Even the strongest pirate factions had to show respect to the King of Dressrosa.

Two figures leaped down from the ship and landed on the ground. Tobirama looked frustrated, directing the crew as he hadn’t expected to end up as Raijin’s sidekick.

“This doesn’t look like a good place,” Uchiha Izumi remarked, surveying the street in front of her. While it wasn’t outright chaotic, Pleasure Street was clearly not an upstanding place. It seemed more like… Izumi, having borrowed Jiraiya’s books from Kakashi to expand her knowledge, had learned enough to understand what kind of place this was. She had even discreetly sought advice from Shizune on such matters.

Izumi could now roughly judge what kind of place this was. “Maybe. But this is one of the few places on the sea where people from all walks of life can come together,” Raijin explained. “And Pleasure Street isn’t just some joke; it’s a place with lots of entertainment options. It’s been around longer than Dressrosa, so it’s worth checking out for different tastes.”

Raijin observed the bustling street. Though it was crowded, the identities of the people varied widely. Pleasure Street was a well-known underground hub, and also an entertainment district. Pirates and pirate hunters alike came here to spend their wealth. Over the years, this place had cultivated a loyal clientele and generated significant income annually. Raijin was quite interested in creating such an entertainment district.

Unfortunately, he had been hoping to find the Gold-Gold Fruit and its owner, only to have them slip away. Even after Doflamingo’s death, there had been no trace of the owner, which irritated Raijin. One of the reasons for this was that Dressrosa hadn’t had enough manpower. After bringing people back from the ninja world, they remained in Dressrosa for training.

Tobirama had already started training the new secret unit, integrating the power systems of the pirate world. He was building a powerful covert force, with White Zetsu even serving as a unit leader. However, White Zetsu’s strength lay more in gathering intelligence than in combat. Unfortunately, in the New World, White Zetsu was easier to detect, as he could hide his chakra but not his presence. New World powerhouses shouldn’t be underestimated. Even from tens of miles away, they might sense someone’s presence. Of course, this required an advanced level of Observation Haki.

“I want dessert!” Izumi exclaimed, spotting a cake shop. It reminded her of the dango shop in Konoha, though there were no dango here—only the type of sweets that Charlotte Linlin liked.

“Let’s go!” Raijin didn’t hesitate and led Izumi toward the shop.

“Hey! You punk…”

Tobirama Senju felt a surge of anger when he realized the two hadn't even waited for him.

Tobirama Senju had never been treated like this before!

It had to be this evil Uchiha kid trying to get back at him.

That's why he was humiliating him like this.

This evil Uchiha...

Suddenly, Tobirama remembered what Uzumaki Mito had said, and he swallowed his words.

Indeed!

He was now this guy's subordinate.

And this wasn’t Konoha anymore!

It was best not to say such things.

After all!

This guy had techniques that could deal with souls.

A new world of possibilities was opening up, and his research was continuing.

Tobirama had no intention of stopping here.

Forget it!

What’s the harm in bowing to this Uchiha kid?

At least it’s not Madara Uchiha!

He would need to rely on this guy in the future anyway.

"Tobirama, hurry up and pay."

Raijin glanced at Tobirama, who was standing there in a daze, and shouted.

Have you ever seen a boss carry money? Obviously, that's what underlings are for.

"..."

Tobirama suddenly felt an urge to smack the Uchiha.

"Did you see who was on the Dressrosa ship?"

In a room, a woman in a simple dress held a glass of red wine.

The wine touched her red lips, leaving a trace.

Making her look even more alluring!

"No, we couldn’t see. They jumped straight off the ship without even acknowledging us."

Sweat dripped from the manager’s face, too afraid to even look at Stussy.

Without harsh methods, it's hard to survive in the underworld.

Stussy had claimed a corner of the underworld over the years, not just with her looks.

Her punishments for failure were notoriously severe.

Her subordinates feared her to their core.

"It seems like someone important from Dressrosa! You go entertain the others; I'll deal with this one."

Stussy picked up a handkerchief, lightly wiped her lips, and checked her makeup in the mirror. Satisfied, she grabbed her small bag and left the room.

Only after she left did the manager finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He hadn’t dared to breathe the whole time, nearly suffocating.

"…"

At that moment, he noticed that Stussy had left her handkerchief on the table.

A greedy look flashed across his face!

Just as he was about to reach for it…

Bang!

A clear, piercing sound echoed through the room.

A perfect round hole appeared on the door!

Stussy stood outside, gently blowing on her finger as she walked toward the port.

If you can’t even identify basic people, what's the point of keeping such trash?

"I wonder if it's Uchiha Raijin. If it is, it’s worth getting to know him better."

"After all… that person seems very interested in Raijin and wants to collect his blood."

A glint flashed in Stussy's eyes as her pace quickened.

Though she was one of the rulers of the underworld, she was also a spy planted by the World Government.

Stussy gathered intelligence, made money, and more for the World Government.

But she had another identity.

She was the first clone created by Dr. Vegapunk, modeled after the former Rocks Pirates crew member, Buckingham Stussy.

Her potential was extraordinary, having managed to infiltrate the World Government.

But despite her apparent loyalty to the World Government, no one knew she was still loyal to Vegapunk.

Not even the Five Elders knew, and they continued to trust her.

Thus, Stussy acted as Vegapunk’s window to the outside world.

Though her identity was complicated, she had kept everything well hidden.

"Tsunade’s here too? Isn’t she supposed to be on a mission with the Marines?"

Tobirama’s face froze, his previously stern expression crumbling.

A sense of unease crept over him, and in that instant, the pressure mounted.

It felt as if his elder brother were calling him from behind.

Holding a stack of bills, no less.

"Tsunade has perfectly inherited your brother’s ability—she never wins a gamble."

"All these years, even back in Konoha, she kept losing. I heard that since joining the Marines..."

"She’s already lost nearly five warships, and that’s just recently."

Raijin recalled.

You have to hand it to her, though—Tsunade made quite the name for herself in the Shinobi world, earning the nickname “The Legendary Sucker.”

Here, she didn’t even need the “legendary” part.

People on the seas simply knew her as "The Sucker."

I remember once when she ran out of money from losing so much, she had her entire crew washing dishes to pay for the trip back to Marine Headquarters.

Honestly, no one on the seas has more fun than Tsunade.

Back in the Shinobi world, she had to borrow money and dodge creditors.

Now?

The Marines cover her debts!

Whenever she runs out of money, she just goes and captures a few pirates to boost her achievements.

When she gets back, Sengoku usually has no choice but to accept it, even if reluctantly.

"…"

That idiot!

Tobirama slapped his forehead. He didn’t even want to say anything anymore.

Dealing with his brother meant his life was basically over.

"Let’s go check it out! You haven’t seen Tsunade since the Shinobi world, right?"

"This would be a good time to catch up and see how she’s doing. After all… she’s the last of your Senju clan."

Raijin stood up as Uchiha Izumi finished her dessert.

And besides!

Why let someone else win?

If Tsunade’s going to lose, she might as well lose to me.

That way, I can happily walk away with a warship, and Tsunade can enjoy her gambling spree.

"Shizune said she really wants to see Lady Tsunade, Raijin. Should we contact her?"

Izumi remembered how much Shizune wanted to meet her master.

After all!

Shizune had been in Dressrosa all this time, and she really wanted to show Tsunade how much she had improved.

But for now, they could only communicate via transponder snail.

Shizune wasn’t getting any real enjoyment out of it.

"If Shizune wants to see her, let her take a two-week vacation and go meet up with Tsunade."

"By the time Kakashi returns, we’ll have pretty much unrestricted access to the Marines."

Raijin responded nonchalantly.

After all, everyone’s out on the seas. They can’t run away.

Plus, Raijin fully trusted Shizune’s loyalty after working with her over the past year.

He had even considered marrying her off to a good member of the Uchiha clan.

Important people like her shouldn’t be wasted!

But Shizune didn’t seem interested, only giving Raijin strange looks from time to time.

Raijin had a hunch—this woman probably had her eyes on him.

The three of them walked toward the gambling hall, where a group of pirates stood at the entrance, red-faced and shouting angrily.

It seemed they had lost big and were starting to cause trouble.

They squinted at Raijin and the others as they approached!

After all, Raijin looked like a wealthy guy at first glance.

Maybe some kind of noble.

(End of chapter)