*Chapter 157: Can’t You Be a Little More Generous, Kizaru?*

Borsalino didn’t consider that his subordinates might have been bribed by Raijin. He figured Raijin must have used a special Devil Fruit ability or some kind of ninja technique to get here.

But how did this guy know he was coming? There must be some informants in the Navy! Someone had tipped off Dressrosa.

Borsalino stroked his chin, his expression growing more thoughtful.

"I had an unpleasant experience last time; King Raijin should be aware of that," Borsalino said. "If King Raijin is willing to expel Teacher Zephyr from Dressrosa, I’ll let bygones be bygones and stop giving Dressrosa a hard time."

Borsalino slyly rubbed his chin, his face twisted in an odd expression as he spoke to Raijin.

In Borsalino’s eyes, Zephyr was far more detestable than anyone else. That old man was ruthless, but Dressrosa was no better. When the time came, Borsalino wouldn’t let Raijin off the hook either.

Without Zephyr's support, Dressrosa would lose half of the Navy's backing. At that point, Raijin would have to either become a pirate or stand against the Navy.

Dressrosa had been getting too bold lately, even daring to reach into the underworld.

"Zephyr is our chief instructor here in Dressrosa; he’s no longer part of your Navy. Why can’t you just forgive him?" Raijin smiled. "Aren’t you Navy people supposed to be upholding justice in the world? Why are you so bent on hunting down a retired old Navy officer?"

"Teacher Zephyr just played a little joke on you. As his student, shouldn’t you be a bit more generous?"

Raijin laughed, questioning Borsalino’s intelligence. How could he say something so ridiculous? Didn’t he realize that the future of Dressrosa depended on Zephyr?

Zephyr's influence was beyond Raijin's imagination. Recently, many retired Navy veterans had been coming to see Zephyr. Some were once powerful front-line fighters, while others worked in logistics or strategy. Zephyr’s energy was immense; perhaps they were inspired by seeing him regain his youth and continue doing what he loved.

There was no way Raijin would dismiss Zephyr—he was a treasure.

"This isn’t just a joke. If King Raijin isn’t willing, then you can forget about taking Amazon Lily," Borsalino replied coldly. "As a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, you’ve violated the World Government’s rules by attacking another Warlord!"

"I can’t just sit back and let this slide as an Admiral of the Navy."

Without another word, Borsalino’s hand began to sparkle with tiny stars.

Since Raijin wasn’t willing, Borsalino wasn’t going to waste any more words. After all, no one would agree to such unreasonable demands. Zephyr was like a money tree—there was no way Raijin would just give him up.

When Borsalino made his demand, he never expected Raijin to agree so easily.

"Hold on, your opponent isn’t me—it’s this guy next to me," Raijin said, raising a hand to stop Borsalino from making his move. He quickly pulled Mihawk to his side and addressed Borsalino.

"Oh? Mihawk, are you planning to side with Dressrosa too?" Borsalino paused, his sunglasses reflecting a flash of light as he looked at Mihawk.

Mihawk’s presence genuinely surprised Borsalino. He thought Mihawk was only here because Dressrosa was nearby. He didn’t expect Mihawk to let himself be used like this.

"Don’t misunderstand. I’m just repaying a favor for something he helped me with earlier. More importantly, a Navy Admiral attacking a Warlord without cause makes me feel the Navy has violated our previous agreement," Mihawk said, his black sword in hand and a cold expression on his face. "I’m here for my own interests, not just to stand by Lord Raijin’s side. So shouldn’t the Navy give me an explanation?"

Mihawk stood firm in front of Borsalino, his face expressionless. He had no intention of forming an alliance with Dressrosa. As a swordsman, Mihawk never intended to walk alongside others. He was destined to continue his training in solitude.

Dressrosa was a good place, one that had helped him ascend to the stage of the world’s greatest swordsman. But he only saw it as a whetstone, nothing more.

"I’ll give you an explanation after the fight, so can you step aside for now?" Borsalino said irritably. He hadn’t anticipated facing two Warlords at once. Were these guys really so bored that they had nothing better to do?

Couldn’t they behave themselves for a bit?

Mihawk stood there without a trace of emotion, calmly facing Borsalino. Since he had the upper hand, there was no need for further discussion unless Borsalino offered a condition that interested him.

"Looks like we can’t talk this out," Borsalino said, spreading his hands helplessly. He created a circular mirror from a beam of light. A ray of light reflected through the mirror and shot towards Amazon Lily, using the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit to reach the island’s center almost instantly.

Although Borsalino was confident Mihawk wasn’t his match, he couldn’t guarantee he’d defeat Mihawk in a short amount of time. So his best option was to advance to the center of the island first. He would rescue Hancock and thwart Raijin’s plan, making it easier to deal with them afterward.

Suddenly, a massive skeleton appeared in the sky, its bone hand stretching out to crush the light source Borsalino had created.

Borsalino’s body, already transforming into light, stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

Mihawk, who had been about to strike, hesitated and slowly lowered his sword. It seemed he wouldn’t need to stop Borsalino after all.

Raijin wasn’t about to let Borsalino escape unscathed.

"Admiral Kizaru, no need to be in such a rush. I didn’t come here to kill Hancock," Raijin said, dispersing his chakra and successfully stopping Borsalino. "You know I’m a man of taste, so I’m only interested in her beauty. I have no interest in anything else, so don’t worry—Hancock won’t lose her Warlord title."

Borsalino was as tricky as ever. If he had really launched a surprise attack, things could have gotten ugly.

---

Right now, Kakashi definitely isn’t capable of facing Borsalino.

After all, who knows how powerful this guy’s Devil Fruit ability has become? It’s even possible that it has awakened!

So there’s no way we can let him get any closer.

“I’m not about to trust someone who’s always in cahoots with pirates.”

Borsalino made a gesture with his hand, and a light sword appeared in his palm.

The next moment—

With a gentle flick,

A golden slash came speeding forward.

“Bang!”

A figure blocked the attack, wielding a cold, black sword that intercepted the slash.

Mihawk’s face was stern as he seriously stared at Borsalino.

The moment Borsalino’s light sword appeared, Mihawk was sure this guy was a swordsman.

Isn’t this the perfect stepping stone for me?

“Kizaru, it seems you don’t take me seriously!”

“Then let me test your swordsmanship!”

Mihawk, holding his black sword, stood opposite Borsalino.

“The existence of the Seven Warlords sure is troublesome.”

Borsalino narrowed his eyes slightly, and in an instant, his body turned into light.

He swiftly darted through the air, appearing in front of Mihawk in a flash.

His light sword slashed down in a moment.

“Clang!”

The two swords clashed, and the sea surface instantly erupted with countless droplets.

Raijin quickly retreated, not wanting to get caught up in the battle.

Watching the two figures locked in combat, Raijin smiled.

Mihawk’s strength was as solid as ever. After all, if he could go toe-to-toe with Shanks, that had to mean something.

Facing Kizaru now, he surely wouldn’t be defeated easily, nor would he let Kizaru escape so easily.

Their fight immediately drew a lot of attention. Shikamaru Nara hesitated but then quickly moved to Raijin’s side.

“Lord Raijin! Has something gone wrong with the plan?”

Shikamaru Nara hurriedly asked as he reached Raijin’s side.

With both Kakashi and Katakuri involved, there shouldn’t have been any issues.

But now that Raijin was here, it made Shikamaru Nara feel a little uneasy.

“There has indeed been a problem. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be here has shown up.”

Raijin looked out toward the horizon over the sea.

Do these characters always have to make such grand entrances?

Never mind Kizaru, but Rayleigh actually swam here.

This kind of entrance is bound to shock quite a few people.

“Someone who wasn’t supposed to appear?”

Shikamaru Nara looked toward the sea and frowned slightly when he saw Kizaru.

He knew Kizaru wasn’t friendly toward them in Dressrosa, especially since Kizaru had been framed by his design.

It made some sense for Kizaru to show up here, but with Mihawk blocking him, Kizaru shouldn’t be able to cause much trouble, right?

Could it be that the unexpected person Lord Raijin mentioned wasn’t Kizaru, but someone else?

Following Raijin’s gaze, Shikamaru Nara looked into the distance.

But without the Sharingan, he couldn’t see clearly at all.

Shikamaru Nara felt a bit troubled, unsure of who Raijin was referring to.

“Dark King Rayleigh, along with Shakky, the former former leader of Amazon Lily.”

“These two are likely no less troublesome than Kizaru.”

Raijin looked calmly at the figure swimming on the sea.

Before making a move on Amazon Lily, he had already prepared for Rayleigh to intervene.

After all, Amazon Lily had too many connections to Rayleigh, and he wouldn’t just sit by and do nothing.

Why couldn’t this old guy just continue lounging around in the Sabaody Archipelago?

“Dark King Rayleigh? The former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates?”

Shikamaru Nara was a bit shocked. He hadn’t expected such a significant figure to show up.

For someone like Dark King Rayleigh to come here was something Shikamaru Nara never anticipated.

If it was Rayleigh, they wouldn’t be able to handle him.

In terms of the strongest forces on the sea, the people from the Naruto world were far too weak.

Only those with Uchiha or bloodline limit abilities could stand on the front lines and challenge the strong.

As for their clans specializing in secret techniques, they could only retreat to the background and become support personnel.

This world is too dangerous!

Shikamaru Nara began to sweat.

But fortunately!

Rayleigh isn’t someone they have to deal with directly this time.

Since Raijin came in person, he must be prepared to take on Rayleigh himself.

As long as they don’t have to face him themselves, they’re fine.

“You guys help Kakashi capture Hancock and the warriors on the island as quickly as possible.”

“Capture as many as you can. If they resist, you can choose to execute them on the spot!”

Raijin didn’t care what Shikamaru Nara was thinking and issued his orders directly.

His main target was still Hancock, as she was more valuable alive than dead.

Of course, Raijin had no interest in Rayleigh.

Though Rayleigh was quite strong, it wasn’t necessary to recruit him.

Maybe in the future, the protagonist Luffy would have a chance to borrow Rayleigh’s help to defeat him.

Raijin didn’t mind playing the villain since the Uchiha clan was inherently seen as evil.

As for the remaining warriors of Amazon Lily?

It’s not like there’s a shortage of women on the sea.

Raijin could find them elsewhere if needed.

Amazon Lily is just a bit special, that’s all.

“Yes!”

Shikamaru Nara understood Raijin’s meaning. He wasn’t too concerned with Amazon Lily anymore.

So they could do as they pleased, as long as they didn’t kill Hancock.

Shikamaru Nara immediately turned and led his two companions toward Nine Snake City.

They only needed to cuff Hancock with Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs, and then she wouldn’t be able to resist.

Raijin thought for a moment, and his figure vanished into a whirlpool.

Swimming was second nature to Rayleigh.

For someone like him, who didn’t have a ship, traveling was done by swimming.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t borrow a ship; he just couldn’t cause trouble indiscriminately.

Given his past reputation, living quietly in the Sabaody Archipelago now was only because the Navy saw that he wasn’t causing trouble, so they didn’t waste time and energy on him.

If he had hijacked a pirate ship to go out to sea, it would have caused quite a stir.

If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to live peacefully in the Sabaody Archipelago anymore.

As someone nearing retirement, he just wanted a couple of quiet days.

(End of the chapter)