"So, are you planning to return to the village first, or head straight to Rōran?"
Ōtsutsuki Hamura spoke up at this point.
"Is Tsunade in the village?"
Senju Hashirama hesitated.
In Konoha, she was the only one he still felt attachment to.
"She's not."
Senju Tobirama shook his head.
"Well then, forget it."
Hashirama sighed and spread his hands helplessly. He then turned to look at Uchiha Madara beside him.
"What about you? There are still quite a few Uchiha in the village."
"Hmph. Just a bunch of useless fools who only care about indulgence and pleasure!"
Uchiha Madara sneered with disdain.
Ever since the entire clan had refused to follow him—their clan leader—when he chose to leave Konoha back then, he had long stopped caring about them.
In fact, he no longer considered them worthy of bearing the Uchiha name.
"Well, well. Let's just get going, then."
Hashirama looked excitedly toward the direction of the Land of Wind.
"This time we should finally be able to reach another world without issue—especially the World Government's homeland, Starfish."
"Oh, and there's also Admiral Kuzan. Madara, I'll introduce you to him when we get there. He's incredibly powerful. I'm no match for him right now, so you definitely won't be either!"
Uchiha Madara's face darkened. He immediately shot back: "If you're putting it that way—then I lost to the Pirate King."
"According to Roger, there are plenty of Admirals and Generals, but there's only one Pirate King. So logically, Roger's strength should surpass theirs."
"You lost to an Admiral, and I lost to the Pirate King. That means, technically, you're weaker than me, weaker than Roger, and even weaker than Kuzan!"
Hashirama was left speechless by Madara's comeback.
Their childish bickering left Tobirama exasperated, while Ōtsutsuki Hamura was left completely speechless.
But Hamura quickly composed himself and began to urge them forward.
"Enough. You two get going. If anything happens, contact me immediately using the Den-Den Mushi."
"Yes, Hamura-sama!"
Hashirama and Madara replied in perfect unison.
Moments later—
The figures of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara vanished swiftly from the sight of Senju Tobirama and Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
Then, Ōtsutsuki Hamura took out a black scroll and handed it to Tobirama.
"What's this?"
Hamura smiled faintly.
"It's water from the River Styx. My elder brother said it might help you awaken a kekkei genkai of your own. But you'll have to act fast—it fades with time."
Tobirama's pupils trembled violently.
...
Inside the city of Rōran.
In a room specially repurposed as a conference chamber—
Minister Molotov stood before a blackboard displaying a map of Starfish World, personally briefing the Tailed Beasts on their future destinations.
Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails, the Eight-Tails, and the others had all shrunk themselves down to under half a meter in height, sitting in a neat row atop the conference table, attentively listening to every word Minister Molotov said.
"As I just mentioned, the Starfish World is much larger than the Shinobi World, so the territories assigned to each of you will be far apart. If you wish to meet again, you'll have to rely on luck and fate."
Minister Molotov spoke with a gentle smile, meeting the gazes of the Tailed Beasts directly.
"That's fine. We hardly met over the years anyway," said Kurama casually, curling his lip and gently swaying his tail behind him.
"But I do want to meet up often," the Eight-Tails grunted in protest from beside him, "Back then, we didn't have a choice. But now that we can roam free, why not stay in touch? Especially in a foreign world."
"Have you all forgotten?" he added, "Back when we were first born, we used to play together every day. We're friends!"
His words drew a silence from all the Tailed Beasts all falling into a moment of quiet reflection.
It was true. They were about to start a new life in another world. There was really no need to carry the grudges of the Shinobi World with them.
"Ahem. Actually, if you want to keep in touch, you can just use a Den-Den Mushi," Minister Molotov reminded them with a light cough.
"Now then, let's start with Lord Shukaku."
Minister Molotov tapped a bright yellow island on the map with his pen.
Judging by the scale, the island was quite large.
"Since you prefer desert environments, we've decided to assign your territory within the Kingdom of Arabasta, located in the first half of the Grand Line. Specifically, a zone about 100 kilometers west of the city of Rainbase, covering an area of approximately 50 square kilometers."
He drew a medium-sized circle on the Arabasta section of the map with his pen.
"This area will be designated a Medium-Risk Zone under the latest 'World Hazard Zone Risk Level System' issued by the Tribunal. Civilians will be strictly forbidden from entering or approaching."
"From now on, if any unauthorized individuals trespass—apart from official personnel—you are fully authorized to eliminate them. You will bear no legal responsibility. This applies to all of you, so make sure you remember it well."
"However, if any of you pose a threat to other cities, or launch attacks, you will face arrest by the Public Security Ministry, or even the military. In that case, you might end up imprisoned in Impel Down and lose your freedom once again—so be sure to follow the law!"
The Tailed Beasts, including Shukaku, all nodded earnestly. They had no objections to these rules.
"But what if we're attacked outside our designated territories? Are we allowed to fight back?"
It was Son Gokū who posed the question in a deep voice, arms crossed over his chest.
"You may. As long as the attacker is not an official personnel, then any combat occurring outside a city or off the islands—so long as it doesn't endanger civilian safety—will not warrant police intervention."
"However, since all of you are Tailed Beasts—considered valuable assets of the World Government—anyone who manages to kill you, even if it's only a temporary 'dissolution into nature,' will be designated as a criminal and hunted down by law enforcement."
Son Gokū, Shukaku, and the other Tailed Beasts understood the implications of Minister Molotov's words.
In other words, from now on, if someone beats them up on Starfish, the World Government won't intervene.
But if someone actually kills them—even temporarily—the World Government would take it as a serious offense and pursue harsh punishment without leniency.
That was acceptable to them. It meant a degree of protection was in place.
"There's one more matter, Lord Shukaku, that I need to bring to your special attention. Within the Sandora River of Arabasta, there resides a Water Dragon from the Zero Magic World, titled the 'Sea Mother,' along with her kin."
"This 'Sea Mother' has also lived for nearly a millennium and commands extremely powerful water-based magic. However, after making contact with her, we found her temperament to be very gentle. So as long as you don't provoke her, there won't be any issues."
Minister Molotov patiently explained the situation.
"Sea Mother, a Water Dragon. Got it!"
Shukaku nodded.
But the smile on his face made it clear that he had no intention of truly leaving her alone.
Mm… when the time came, he definitely planned to pay her a visit—introduce himself properly.
And maybe get a firsthand look at what this "magic" stuff was all about.
Still… he wondered when he'd next see that Crocodile.
Shukaku tuned out the rest of Minister Molotov's briefing.
His chubby, round face slowly drifted into thought.
"Next is Matatabi-sama. Your assignment is a bit more… special."
Minister Molotov continued with his duties—
Though his gaze toward her carried a peculiar expression.
This piqued the gentle Matatabi's curiosity.
"Ahem. You don't have a territory in the Starfish World. You're being taken to the Noah's Ark."
Minister Molotov spoke with layered meaning.
"Huh?"
"What's Noah's Ark?" Matatabi asked, utterly puzzled.
The Three-Tails and the others around her also perked up with curiosity.
"There's a lot I can't disclose," Minister Molotov said solemnly. "At most, I can tell you this—it's a holy vessel, personally used by the Supreme One."
"Congratulations. Your starting point within the World Government is far, far higher than the others."
"The Supreme One… You mean the Celestial Dragons you mentioned earlier?"
Matatabi seemed deep in thought.
"…Let's just say it's close. Perhaps even more exalted."
After a moment of hesitation, Minister Molotov decided to give her that much of a hint.
More exalted than the Celestial Dragons!
Matatabi couldn't wrap her head around it, but she was undeniably shaken.
Wasn't it said that the Celestial Dragons were the most exalted beings?
How could there be someone even higher?
"So… what you mean is, the most exalted among the Celestial Dragons, right?"
It was Gyūki who spoke this time.
But Minister Molotov merely pursed his lips into a smile, offering not a single word in reply.
Yet all the Tailed Beasts understood instantly.
And Matatabi's thoughts grew even more conflicted.
Or perhaps—nervous.
She had met even the Sage of Six Paths, yet now she found herself growing uneasy.
"Next is Isobu-sama. Given your fondness for marine environments, we've decided to assign your territory to an uninhabited island in the first half of the Grand Line, about 60 nautical miles from Water 7. It will also be designated a Moderate-Risk Zone."
Minister Molotov beamed as he looked at Isobu.
Water 7 was now the hub of the Sea Train Transit System.
Though the island was already guarded by numerous elite officers personally dispatched by Dragon,
And even had a Marine base stationed there specifically for security—
Having an extra Tailed Beast to help would undoubtedly boost the overall security level.
Isobu, who was typically quiet and reserved, responded with a simple nod.
"Oh, one more thing I must emphasize: If you encounter Sea Kings over a kilometer long while at sea, avoid provoking them. And absolutely stay away from the Calm Belt. At your current power level, it would be nearly impossible for you to take on a Sea King over 3,000 meters in length!"
Minister Molotov was quite pleased with the obedient attitude Isobu had displayed.
That prompted him to offer a few extra words of advice.
"Previously, a super-dangerous species from the Teigu World, known as the so-called 'Sea King'—Black Marlin—was assigned to the second half of the Grand Line."
"His strength has already reached the level of a military general. That undersea territory of his, named Black Ice Palace, has been designated an Extreme-Risk Zone."
"But even such a powerful being was seriously injured just recently, after losing a battle against a 5,000-meter-class Sea King. We had to send in a medical team to treat him!"
Minister Molotov's tone was earnest and deliberate as he cautioned the Tailed Beast before him.
"Isobu-sama, you must understand—The level of danger in the oceans of the Starfish World is orders of magnitude greater than anything in the seas of the Shinobi World. You must proceed with extreme caution!"
Isobu was stunned.
So were the other eight Tailed Beasts.
In that moment, the Tailed Beasts suddenly found the Starfish World terrifying.
"…May I ask," Gyūki said curiously, "just how big is the largest Sea King?"
After all, he was the type who enjoyed spending time in the water.
"The largest Sea King ever discovered by the World Government was nearly 5,000 meters long… But that was the only one we've ever confirmed. No one really knows how many are out there."
Minister Molotov slowly exhaled that terrifying number.
The conference room instantly fell into dead silence.
All the Tailed Beasts froze stiff, slumped across the table.
Suddenly, the Starfish World didn't sound so appealing anymore.
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