After Arima and Dragon finalized their new plan, they went their separate ways.
Arima's destination was Amazon Lily, where he intended to meet with the Empress, Boa Hancock, to persuade her not to get involved in the upcoming great war at Marineford.
Dragon, meanwhile, went to find Kuma, planning to recall him to replace Sabo.
Arima found Tsunade in the training grounds and brought her along to Amazon Lily, he had left a Flying Thunder God seal there years ago.
"Arima, I've fought your wooden clone before. I know how strong it is," Tsunade said, her brow furrowed. "So why bother with all this complicated scheming and alliances?"
Tsunade had finally voiced the question that had lingered in her heart for a long time.
"The reason's simple," Arima replied calmly.
"You know as well as I do, we'll have to leave this world eventually. When that time comes, the people here will need to govern themselves.
I can't do everything for them. And besides, among the three main forces, the Marines, pirates, and the Revolutionary Army, the Revolutionaries are the weakest.
This war will reshuffle the balance of power. By weakening both the Marines and the pirates, the new world government, led by the Revolutionaries, will finally stand firm."
Tsunade shot him a sideways glance before saying slowly, "Arima, you politicians sure have minds like tangled mazes."
"Hahaha... When you become the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, you'll start thinking the same way," Arima chuckled.
"By your logic, I could just send a few clones to wipe out every pirate on the seas. But where's the fun in that? Wouldn't that be unbearably boring?"
Tsunade smirked. "So the invincible Arima gets lonely being too strong, huh? Then why'd you let yourself get ambushed before?"
Arima's easygoing tone made her tease him without hesitation.
"Ah, that's a bit of a story," he said with a mysterious grin. "How about… I tell you after we get back from Amazon Lily?"
"Hmph! Arima, what's the rush? Don't tell me you're eager to meet that world-renowned beauty, the Empress herself?" Tsunade raised a brow, a faint smile playing at her lips.
"Tsunade," Arima sighed, flicking her forehead, "you're getting cheekier by the day."
When Tsunade pouted, Arima immediately leaned down to blow gently on her forehead. "There, there. Doesn't hurt anymore, right?"
Her expression was all an act, she knew it, and so did he. Still, they played along. One willing to tease, the other happy to take it.
"That ambush… I'll admit I was careless. But in the end, it all ties back to the Uchiha clan," Arima said softly while rubbing Tsunade's forehead.
"How does this have anything to do with the Uchiha clan?" Tsunade asked, settling comfortably into his arms. She was easy to soothe, his gentle tone melted her irritation instantly.
"Remember the stone tablet in the Uchiha shrine? The one left by the Sage of Six Paths?" Arima asked.
"It talks about awakening the Rinnegan, how only between life and death can one grasp the essence of all things.
Back then, on the brink of death, I felt a strange power awaken inside me. So I used that death energy to nurture a new eye." He pointed to the vertical eye on his forehead.
"I see," Tsunade murmured. "But you once said Haki could refine our bloodline power… it doesn't seem to be working for me. I still can't awaken Wood Release."
"Really? Then why can I?" Arima muttered to himself. "Could it be because of that 'seal'?"
"Maybe. Still, it's a shame I didn't inherit Grandpa's Wood Release. I feel like I'm right at the edge, just missing something."
"Missing something?" Arima echoed, puzzled.
"Let's not worry about it now," Tsunade said, smiling. "Maybe one day I'll just awaken it out of nowhere."
"Fine," Arima replied.
"We'll figure it out later. Maybe I can use some of the Ten-Tails' chakra to help you."
The thought had just occurred to him, aside from the contract seal, he'd also absorbed the Ten-Tails' chakra once.
"That'll have to wait until we're back in the Shinobi World. But still, that's great news! Once I master Wood Release, I'll finally be able to crush Jiraiya's big toad easily! Hehehe!"
"You little troublemaker," Arima laughed. "Poor Jiraiya… stuck with a teammate like you. Alright, let's go."
Arima wrapped an arm around her waist, and together they vanished from the training grounds. A heartbeat later, they reappeared above Amazon Lily.
The island lay within the Calm Belt, surrounded by giant Sea Kings' nests. Its people lived in isolation, untouched by the outside world. This was the fabled land of women, the Kuja tribe.
From high above, the two looked down. Nine enormous stone snake heads roared toward the sea, majestic and awe-inspiring.
"Arima, this island's fascinating, nothing but women everywhere," Tsunade said, her Observation Haki sweeping across the island in an instant.
"This place is unique," Arima explained.
"The Kuja are a warrior race. Most of their women are strong and bold. Nearly every member of the Kuja Pirates can use Haki, something you rarely see elsewhere."
"Arima, you sure know a lot about this island," Tsunade teased. "Don't tell me you, "
Before she could finish, Arima leaned down and kissed her. "No one could ever compare to my Tsunade," he said with a grin. "Alright, that's enough teasing. Let's go find her."
Without giving her a chance to retort, Arima took her hand and descended toward the Kuja Palace.
"Arima's gotten smooth-tongued lately," Tsunade muttered under her breath, though her heart was secretly overjoyed.
'So this blockhead finally learned how to flirt,' she thought happily.
Arima, of course, had no idea what was going through her mind. He didn't dare provoke this jealous little tigress, especially when her tone changed the moment Hancock's name came up.
Hand in hand but lost in their own thoughts, they soon arrived at the palace tower, the Empress's residence.
Arima hadn't concealed his presence, so Hancock quickly sensed him and led her guards outside to meet them.
Ever since learning that Arima had been the one who stole from the Celestial Dragons' vault, Hancock had kept close watch on him.
Every time good news about him spread, she felt an inexplicable joy. And whenever someone spoke ill of him, she grew irrationally angry.
Ten years ago, when word of Arima's death reached her, she had been devastated, so much so that she couldn't eat for days.
And when she later heard he had miraculously returned to life, her heart had nearly leapt out of her chest.
She couldn't explain why she cared so much for him. Maybe it was because he had done the very things she had always dreamed of doing but could not.
Now, seeing him in person for the first time, her living idol, Boa Hancock's composure shattered completely.
Her face flushed, her body trembled, her limbs went weak. Before anyone could react, she swayed, lost balance, and collapsed backward, her consciousness fading into a haze.
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