Chapter 234: Kizaru's Recruitment

Dorag was very interested in this guy, but Pain, despite spending some time, had yet to find anyone from the Revolutionary Army.

The Revolutionary Army was elusive, much like a dragon that shows only its head and not its tail, even though Pain had thoughts of joining them.

But finding them was a challenge, and he wasn’t aware that multiple forces had their eyes on him.

Still, Pain could feel a constant sense of being watched, which was unsettling.

It might have been someone in his group, but he couldn't pinpoint the person!

He couldn’t exactly search everyone’s soul!

As Pain flew through the sky and approached the port, he noticed cannonballs speeding toward him. His Rinnegan eyes flashed with a cold indifference!

When he first came to the sea, Pain didn’t understand why Raijin wanted him to join the so-called Revolutionary Army.

Why not the Navy, the largest force on the seas?

The Navy, after all, represented justice and acted similarly to their Akatsuki organization.

As for the Revolutionary Army, they reminded him of his younger self when he had formed the Dawn.

But Nagato had long seen through the cruelty of this world.

To be honest, Pain had a somewhat pessimistic view of the Revolutionary Army.

Though it seemed like a good place, he feared they would disappear just like the Dawn had.

“Shinra Tensei!”

Pain’s Rinnegan gleamed for a moment.

In the next instant!

A barrier surrounded him, repelling all the incoming cannonballs.

But it didn’t stop there!

Some of the deflected cannonballs shot toward the Navy forces.

Down below, Asura Path’s body cracked open!

Countless mechanical parts emerged from its body.

A barrage of rockets mercilessly flew toward the Navy.

Even the laser on its head fired off simultaneously.

Boom!

In an instant!

Two warships were obliterated by the immense power.

Countless Navy soldiers scrambled to climb onto the neighboring ships.

They hadn’t expected this individual’s tactics to be so varied.

His power was terrifying!

It genuinely shocked them.

“I didn’t expect that, such techniques!”

Borsalino stood on the warship, looking at the flying figure in the sky.

But!

This guy should be dead, right?

Borsalino sensed something was off.

The flying person above was clearly dead—his Observation Haki never lied to him.

Yet this guy still possessed immense power, even capable of destroying their warships.

Moreover, the others appeared dead as well, but they could still move. It was just too bizarre.

“Admiral Borsalino! We’ve found Revolutionary Army members in the city, and it seems they’re working with the Akatsuki to evacuate civilians.”

“The royal family has been entirely wiped out. We can’t take them to Mariejois anymore!”

A Navy soldier reported respectfully to Borsalino.

Usually, in situations like this, they’d simply eliminate the rebels.

Then, they’d offer the royals of these World Government-affiliated countries a choice: take all their wealth to Mariejois...

Or they resolve the rebellion and continue ruling as kings!

Of course!

Even if their country suffered severe losses!

They still had to pay the Heavenly Tribute without exception.

“No problem! Go ahead and arrest the Revolutionary Army and Akatsuki members!”

Borsalino nodded, unsurprised.

The royal families of the last two countries Pain destroyed had also been completely slaughtered.

So when Borsalino arrived, he had no expectation of survivors.

It worked out just as well!

The more dangerous this guy’s actions, the more freely Borsalino could act.

“They’re coming!”

A Navy soldier shouted!

All eyes turned toward the sea.

They saw several figures dashing across the water.

They stood on the waves as if walking on solid ground.

They were incredibly fast!

Summoning Jutsu!

"Roar!"

A three-headed dog suddenly appeared on one of the warships.

Its furious roar echoed, followed by it savagely tearing into several people.

The ship’s mast was ripped apart!

And it wasn’t just the three-headed dog—there was also the Yatagarasu, the bull, and the chameleon.

All the summoning beasts were present, turning the scene into a one-man assault on a Navy fleet.

The Navy soldiers on the ships were thrown into chaos, desperately trying to fend off the assault.

Two Navy vice-admirals under Borsalino took on the Yatagarasu and the three-headed dog.

The Yatagarasu wasn’t too difficult to deal with, its flying ability being its main nuisance.

But the three-headed dog!

It kept multiplying after being cut, quickly splitting into dozens in no time.

Its numbers were overwhelming, and its strength was terrifying, wreaking havoc on the other warships.

The Navy fleet was in total disarray, yet Kizaru still stood calmly, unmoved.

Through his sunglasses, he looked at the approaching Pain.

“Navy, you’ve disturbed us.”

Pain floated in the air, coldly looking at Kizaru.

The other five Pains also appeared on different parts of the ship, fearlessly observing Kizaru.

This stance further confirmed Borsalino’s suspicion.

If his Observation Haki detected that these figures were dead...

Then it had to be one of two things!

Either they were remotely controlled robots from afar...

Or some kind of puppet ability!

How troublesome.

“You people attacked a World Government-affiliated country without cause. It’s the Navy’s duty to handle that.”

“You’ve caused quite a mess and don’t seem the least bit sorry. That’s over the line.”

Kizaru adjusted his glasses and smirked at Pain.

These guys were certainly arrogant!

Most pirates fled at the sight of the Navy.

But this guy!

He dared to confront them head-on.

Even knowing that Kizaru, an admiral, was leading the fleet, he still approached.

Either he was overly confident, or he had another plan in mind!

“You Navy officers have done nothing, allowing the disease of this world to deepen!”

“Only I, the god of this world, can truly eradicate the world’s suffering!”

“To create a world free of war, without pirates who burn, loot, and kill.”

Pain said slowly, his gaze sweeping across the Navy soldiers on the ship.

They glared at him in anger, astonished that he dared to belittle the Navy.

They had always worked to suppress the growth of pirate groups.

If it weren’t for them, the seas would already be overrun by pirates!

Yet this guy claimed they did nothing.

It wasn’t that they weren’t trying!

It was that there were too many pirates.

There were always people wanting to sail out to sea.

All because of the pirate, Roger.

“Incredible! You even dare to call yourself a god!” Borsalino dismissed Pain’s other words. People often criticized the Navy that way.

By now, Kizaru was immune to such comments and didn’t take them to heart.

Insults toward the Navy or even himself wouldn’t anger him.

“What I’m more interested in is whether you’re connected to Uchiha Raijin from Dressrosa?”

Kizaru pulled out a nail clipper and began trimming his nails.

It had been a while since he’d last used it, and the blade was a bit dull.

But he didn’t mind too much, using it for now and planning to get a new one later.

He hadn’t cut his nails in a while, and they had grown out.

"Uchiha Raijin?"

A sharp glint flashed in Nagato's eyes.

During this time, he had learned about Uchiha Raijin’s life. This guy was unbelievably lustful. He had already married the princess of Dressrosa, was now planning to marry both Charlotte Linlin's daughter and Kaido’s daughter, and had even invaded Amazon Lily for the sake of beauty, eventually marrying their queen as well.

This guy was even worse than Jiraiya. Jiraiya was just a virgin who only dared to write about things in his books, but Raijin might actually do everything Jiraiya only imagined.

What worried Nagato even more was that Konan was now in Raijin’s hands. In a brief phone call, he heard Konan’s exhausted voice, and a sense of crisis gripped him. He feared that Raijin might use him to force Konan into doing unspeakable things.

Don’t doubt it!

At this point, Nagato couldn't even look at Uchiha Raijin’s lack of moral boundaries anymore.

“Tell Uchiha Raijin to return Konan to me, and I’ll trade him anything he wants!”

“Even anything in this world—just give me Konan back.”

A cold glint flashed in Pain’s eyes.

Borusalino fell silent.

Oh!

So Uchiha Raijin has truly done heinous deeds, kidnapping this guy’s woman to threaten him, huh? No wonder he got angry when Raijin’s name was mentioned.

It makes sense when you think about it. Uchiha Raijin has committed countless atrocities across the seas. Doing something like this seems completely in line with his character. Maybe he saw this guy’s friend, liked her, and took her away, leaving him here.

But without more detailed intel, Borusalino couldn't jump to conclusions. Even if this guy clearly harbored malice toward Uchiha Raijin, he needed to capture him first before addressing it.

“Hmm, even if you hold a grudge against Uchiha Raijin, I won’t let you go. But if you surrender now, we might be able to deal with this more leniently.”

Borusalino looked at Pain and said.

The plan to destroy the Akatsuki organization could be postponed for now. Once the full extent of this feud with Raijin was confirmed, they could proceed accordingly.

If it’s really that serious, Borusalino wouldn’t mind offering this guy a promotion to a vice admiral. As an admiral, he definitely had the authority to make that happen.

After all, the Navy wasn’t solely under Sengoku’s control.

“No need. I won’t lower myself to align with your Navy. You’re all accomplices of Uchiha Raijin! The Navy itself is corrupt. You all should be erased from history!”

Pain understood the meaning behind Borusalino’s words—it seemed like an attempt to recruit him. However, Pain had no intention of siding with the Navy.

Although Borusalino was interesting, his ideals were fundamentally opposed to Pain’s. What these people were doing was the exact opposite of Pain’s goals.

Nagato had no intention of being a lapdog for the World Government.

His aim was to overthrow it and bring peace to the land.

“Though you may be right in some respects, you still misunderstand me,” Borusalino responded calmly. “You also seem to be channeling a lot of resentment toward the World Government.”

“Why don’t we sit down and discuss this?”

With a faint smile, Borusalino put away his nail clippers. Light particles began to emanate from his body, gradually dissolving him into shimmering points of light.

"Speed is power. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"

Before his words had even finished, Borusalino had already transformed into a burst of light, appearing above Pain’s head. His long leg cut through the air, aiming a swift kick straight at Pain's skull.

Knowing that the person before him was essentially a dead man, Borusalino didn’t hold back.

“Shinra Tensei!”

Pain’s reaction was surprisingly fast, as if Borusalino’s every move was under his watchful eye. Even with such extreme speed, Pain countered almost instantly.

Before Borusalino's foot could land on Pain’s head, it was repelled by an invisible barrier.

Boom!

The glowing particles scattered in the air before regrouping atop one of the naval ships' masts.

Borusalino stared intently at Pain, now airborne.

Even now, he couldn’t quite figure out what Pain's abilities were. Whether it was his ability to fly or the strange barrier, Borusalino couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

He didn’t expect someone so fast to be able to block his light-speed kick.

This guy is going to be a real headache.

Borusalino frowned, sensing that Pain was a much bigger problem than he had anticipated.

“Bansho Ten’in!”

At that moment, Pain stretched out his hand toward Borusalino.

Buzz!

Before Borusalino realized what was happening, his body was caught in a strange gravitational pull, dragging him swiftly toward Pain.

“Challenging a god is a foolish decision!”

A cold gleam flashed in Pain's eyes as a black rod emerged from his palm, aimed directly at the oncoming Borusalino.

Thud!

As expected, it struck. But before Borusalino could react, Pain unleashed another Shinra Tensei, sending Borusalino flying back.

Borusalino, being a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, wouldn’t be taken down so easily.