Chapter 228: I'm Not a Pet

The reactions of those returning from the Ninja World varied widely!

Raijin had brought several people with him and settled them into Dressrosa.

The easiest group to manage, by far, was the Hyuga clan.

The Hyuga's branch families had been subservient to the main family in Konoha for far too long.

Even though they could now finally breathe fresh air, they couldn't change their nature. After being conditioned to be overly obedient by the main family, they accepted whatever came their way without question.

They didn’t complain, no matter what job they were assigned. In fact, they were like finely honed blades in Raijin's hands!

Other ninjas, however, had to relearn things after arriving at the sea. The Hyuga clan had always focused on taijutsu and their specialized technique of striking pressure points, allowing them to adapt more quickly to the maritime environment.

“How are the members of your clan adjusting?” Raijin asked Nara Shikaku.

Sometimes, it's the clever ones who are the hardest to deal with. They tend to overthink everything.

“Rest assured, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio will serve you without any complaints," Shikaku replied. "Even the other clans have been incredibly stable since arriving here. Only the Inuzuka clan seems restless. After learning about the Dog-Dog Fruit existing on the seas, some members wanted to organize an expedition to find it.”

“The Inuzuka are a bit impulsive. The Aburame clan has already settled in Green Bit, and right now, the other clans are just waiting for your command.”

Shikaku dutifully reported the state of the various clans to Raijin, feeling a bit helpless about the Inuzuka. Most of them were optimistic by nature—well, to put it bluntly, they were hyperactive, like eager dogs. It took Shikaku stepping in to prevent them from causing trouble.

“An expedition isn’t a bad idea,” Raijin said. “Let them form a team of no more than 30 to explore the seas. No more than three from each clan, though. Let them pick who goes. They can even join another force if they wish, as long as their abilities are valued.”

Manpower was no longer an issue like it had been before. There were now plenty of people, and sending some to join other factions could be beneficial. Raijin wasn’t overly concerned with loyalty. If anyone did try to betray him, he had ways to deal with them.

Casting a wide net could only bring advantages, especially since the seas were full of ambitious people.

“Understood! I’ll carefully select the candidates,” Shikaku agreed without hesitation. When Raijin gave a command, he knew he had to execute it flawlessly.

While Raijin had been away from Dressrosa, Shikaku had managed the territory smoothly and efficiently. He even thought to himself that he’d never have had such authority back in Konoha.

Shikaku understood that Raijin's immense power was what made him confident in giving such orders. He even planned to slowly pull his own family away from the center of power.

The Uchiha clan was generally straightforward, but who knew what future generations might bring?

“Lord Raijin, how do you plan to handle your two upcoming weddings? Will they be held together or separately?” Shikaku asked suddenly, looking serious.

“Separate. And add a third—Amazon Lily’s Queen, Boa Hancock,” Raijin said, feeling a headache coming on. He never imagined that one day he’d be stressed out over marrying multiple women. Still, this was all part of his plan, and it wasn’t a bad thing for him. He just needed strong mental fortitude to handle it all.

“Understood,” Shikaku said, smiling knowingly as he glanced at Raijin’s physique. He gave Raijin a look that all men would understand. Handling just one wife could be overwhelming at times—Raijin was truly dedicated to the Uchiha clan, it seemed.

Raijin ignored Shikaku’s internal thoughts. The Nara clan was too clever for their own good, often lacking the desires of ordinary people. While others indulged in pleasures, the Nara were content with being lazy.

Raijin expanded his Haki, instantly enveloping all of Dressrosa. He saw that after returning, Mihawk had immediately spent a few days with Uchiha Mikoto. Mihawk had even personally begun teaching Uchiha Sasuke the art of swordsmanship, holding nothing back as he passed on his skills. He had started cultivating Sasuke’s Haki from a young age.

Mihawk had fallen deeper under the spell of the Uchiha woman, though he could pull himself out of it at any time. After a conversation with Kakashi, however, it seemed Mihawk no longer resisted this attraction.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was strolling down the streets with his girlfriend, sensing Raijin’s Haki pass over him and glancing toward the palace.

Of the three jinchuriki Kakashi had brought, Seven Tails was currently attending lessons taught by Zephyr, while Eight Tails and Two Tails had been given only the bare minimum for sustenance.

“Yugito, how about we hold a concert here?” Killer Bee, ever enthusiastic, had been eager to enjoy himself since arriving in this world. Raijin had released him shortly after their arrival, and Bee, though a little homesick for his brother, was ready to have some fun here until A came to retrieve them.

“Bee, Lord Raijin only gave us 100,000 Beli—enough for a month’s living expenses. I’m pretty sure a concert would cost more than that. If we run out of money, we’ll have to find jobs,” Yugito said with a sigh.

Back in the Hidden Cloud, Raikage had kept Bee in check. Here, Bee was like a wild horse, his endless ideas leaving Yugito exhausted.

“Baka! That stingy Raijin!” Bee grumbled, shaking his fist in the direction of the palace before slumping down in defeat.

As they walked through town, they saw many people—some from the Nara clan and other clans. Many had already adapted to life here. They no longer wore their Konoha headbands and seemed to blend in like regular citizens.

Some greeted Bee as they passed, showing no sign of fear despite knowing he was the Eight Tails' jinchuriki.

“Bee, this place is more interesting than I expected,” Eight Tails spoke from within Bee’s mind. The people here seemed to harbor no ill will towards Bee, nor did they treat him with the stigma usually attached to jinchuriki.

“Well, let’s not forget that it was Raijin who brought us here,” Bee replied, waving off the thought.

“"All he wants is for us to contribute a little chakra each week. He doesn’t plan on doing anything else."

"Chakra is something we Tailed Beasts don’t lack! I actually quite like it here."

The Eight-Tails looked at the world in front of them through Killer Bee’s eyes.

He no longer had contact with the other Tailed Beasts. The only ones he could reach were the two in front of him.

It felt... like they had arrived in another world.

But the Eight-Tails didn’t mention this guess to Killer Bee.

Killer Bee sighed but didn’t say anything.

“Look, Bee-sama! Over there!”

Yugito pointed to an advertisement not far away.

It was an ad for the Dressrosa Coliseum.

“A two-person team! The winners get one billion Berries or a Devil Fruit?”

Killer Bee looked at the ad, and his face immediately lit up with excitement.

He knew all about arenas! But he didn’t see anything dangerous. What he saw was a chance to win and host a concert here.

“Yugito, let’s head to the Coliseum!”

Killer Bee grabbed Yugito and ran straight toward the Coliseum.

With his incredible strength, couldn’t he easily claim the championship?

This time, the Coliseum was even more lively than usual. Before, Mihawk had raised the stakes, but that was just a battle between swordsmen.

Now, it was a true clash of the strongest.

Killer Bee easily signed up, but he had to wait for the next round. Watching the fierce battles on the stage, he wasn’t afraid at all. In fact, he was eager to fight.

“The next fight will be our final match of the day! Let’s welcome the contestants to the arena!”

“Our sponsor is none other than Morgans, president of the World Economy News!”

“Let’s welcome our contestants!”

As Killer Bee heard the announcement, he and Yugito slowly entered the arena.

But once he stepped into the ring, Killer Bee froze.

“Ref! Why is there a kid here?”

He pointed to the little boy in front of him who barely came up to his waist.

The boy even stuck his tongue out at him!

“His grandfather brought him here, so don’t worry! Fight, but be gentle. Try not to kill him.”

“And we don’t have age restrictions at our Coliseum! As long as they think they’re strong enough, they can fight.”

“Of course, we usually review children’s cases. After all, our paying audience doesn’t want to watch a boring sideshow.”

The announcer hyped up the crowd, and the audience burst into laughter. They certainly weren’t interested in watching kids mess around.

They came here to see real, bone-crunching battles, not kids being sent flying.

“Luffy, Ace, you two better pay attention and see how brutal pirate life really is.”

“Always dreaming of becoming pirates, huh? This’ll knock that idea out of your heads.”

Garp sat in the stands with his arms crossed, a smug smile on his face.

“So this is your ‘great idea,’ having those two fight in the arena?” Z grumbled, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

These two brats had been yelling about wanting to become pirates for a long time, and it was driving him crazy.

When Garp told him about a new arena event that would surely change their minds, Z had reluctantly agreed and come with Aokiji to the Coliseum.

But he hadn’t expected Garp to pull some strings and throw them straight into the fight!

And not just any fight, but against adults!

Garp really was as reckless as he’d feared.

“Let them experience the brutality of pirates firsthand, and they’ll drop the idea soon enough.”

“And don’t worry about the danger. If things get bad, I’ll jump in and save them myself!”

Garp casually picked his nose, unconcerned.

After all, no one would dare criticize him, even if he did jump into the ring. This was a perfect opportunity to toughen up those boys!

“So that’s Garp-san’s grandson? He looks full of energy,” Aokiji said with a hint of surprise, watching Luffy, who still had the nerve to pull faces at the others.

He really was Garp’s grandson! Not many kids had guts like that.

“Now, let me introduce the eight teams competing today.”

“The first team comes from the Iron Barrel Kingdom: King Wapol and his guard, Dalton!”

“The second team is led by the Heart Pirates’ captain, Trafalgar Law, and his pet, Bepo!”

“The third team features Vice Admiral Garp’s grandsons, Luffy and Ace! Garp-san has requested they be taught a harsh lesson, but no one’s to go overboard. Don’t worry, pirates! In Dressrosa, we don’t arrest you unless you cause trouble.”

“The fourth team hails from the Hidden Cloud Village: Killer Bee and Yugito!”

“The fifth team is also made up of ninjas: the Hyuga Clan.”

“The sixth team is...”

“The seventh...”

“The eighth...”

The announcer listed off the teams one by one.

Wow! Out of eight teams, four were pirates!

But this battle was sure to be exciting. If the ninjas displayed their full strength, it could even boost Dressrosa’s trade. After all, the country did sell bloodline factors that allowed people to gain chakra.

“Ace! We’ve gotta get first place!” Luffy shouted, raising a fist toward his brother.

“...Alright!”

Ace glanced at the other competitors and immediately felt the pressure mount.

He wasn’t like Luffy, who thought pure willpower could secure victory. Ace knew the opponents in front of them were no joke.

No! There wasn’t a single one of them they could afford to take lightly.

They’d be lucky to walk away without getting seriously hurt.

“Hey, I’m not a pet!” Bepo shouted, angry at the announcer.

But the announcer ignored him, and with no choice, Bepo lowered his head in frustration.

“Bepo, this time our opponents are tough,” Law remarked as he scanned the competition.

He couldn’t gauge the strength of the ninjas, and he’d already dismissed the children.

But as for the others, they were all staring back with bloodthirsty eyes, as if they were ready to tear them apart.