"Darling, where are we?"
Before the others who had crossed over could even get their bearings, Esdeath, already experienced from her previous trip, had wrapped herself around Kizaru.
The cold and beautiful Ice Queen, when in love, behaved no differently from any ordinary woman. If not for the current setting, she probably would've jumped straight into Kizaru's arms.
"You damn woman! Get away from him!"
Tatsumaki, who had just reverted from her Garuda Form of the Bird-Bird Fruit, immediately fixed her glare on Esdeath.
That shameless woman had actually dared to cling to Kizaru right in front of her—clearly, she didn't take Tatsumaki seriously at all!
Tatsumaki was willing to share Kizaru with Fubuki because Fubuki was her sister—but that didn't mean she'd watch another woman flirt with him so brazenly.
"Hm? And who's this little girl?"
Esdeath glanced at Tatsumaki, a faint cold smile playing on her stunning face.
The Ice Queen's heart would only ever melt for Kizaru; when facing others, she remained the same proud imperial general she had always been.
"Bastard! Who are you calling a little girl? I'm already twen—twenty-something!"
Nothing infuriated Tatsumaki more than being mistaken for a child—especially since her own sister had a far more developed figure.
"Twenty-something… oh? So not a child then."
Esdeath's gaze drifted over Tatsumaki again—from her perfectly flat chest, to the nearly featureless curve of her hips, and finally to her feet, which hovered nearly a meter above the ground—before she let out a soft, mocking laugh.
That single laugh nearly made Tatsumaki explode on the spot.
If Esdeath's earlier comment about her being a child could still be excused as ignorance, this time—mocking her height and figure knowing full well she was an adult—was like driving a truck straight through Tatsumaki's emotional minefield.
"You bitch, you're asking for it!"
A terrifying wave of pressure erupted from Tatsumaki's petite frame.
Invisible psychic force shattered the floor beneath her feet, and even Boros, seated upon his throne, instinctively turned his gaze toward the commotion.
After eating the Mythical Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit: Garuda Model, Tornado not only gained the powerful physique characteristic of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, but her psychokinetic powers also grew significantly stronger along with her body.
Even without using her Devil Fruit abilities, the current Tornado could easily defeat three of her previous selves at once without much trouble.
This level of power was finally enough to catch Boros's attention—though still far from the point where she could truly interest him.
"What's wrong? You wanna fight?"
Feeling the incredible pressure radiating from the "little girl" before her, Esdeath didn't show the slightest hint of fear. Instead, her face lit up with excitement.
Pale-blue frost spread from her body, instantly freezing the ground beneath her feet as the temperature in the entire temple dropped by more than ten degrees.
"I was hoping you'd say that!"
Tornado immediately raised her hand, ready to unleash her psychic power—only for Kizaru to grab her wrist at the last second.
"This isn't the place for fighting. Even if you don't care about me, at least show some respect to our host."
Kizaru sighed, patting Tornado's head helplessly. Both she and Esdeath were "surprises" he'd prepared for the Five Elders, and now they were about to start brawling like children.
"Thirty years of east, thirty years of west—don't underestimate the young! You must be the Flame Emperor, Xiao Yan?"
While Kizaru was calming down the two volatile women, the bystander curiously stared at the young man who had just reverted from his saber-tooth tiger form back into human form.
"Flame Emperor is too grand a title. I'm Xiao Yan."
The fifteen-year-old boy replied cautiously, licking his lips as he spoke.
From his cousin Xiao Mei's experience, it wasn't hard to tell that this Dimensional Chat Group had a fairly friendly atmosphere. In fact, Xiao Yan—being a transmigrator himself—knew the personalities of many members even better than she did.
When facing familiar figures, he could barely relax. But when confronted by another transmigrator who seemed to know far too much about him, Xiao Yan had no choice but to stay on guard.
Though he still looked like a teenager, the way he carried himself made him seem more mature than the somewhat weathered "bystander."
Unfortunately, that "bystander" didn't notice Xiao Yan's subtle vigilance and just kept edging closer—earning himself a heavy eye-roll from little Xiao Mei.
"So these are the helpers you brought me?"
Boros's gaze swept across the group Kizaru had brought, pausing only briefly on Esdeath and Tornado before speaking in a tone full of thinly veiled disdain.
Aside from those two squabbling females, the remaining four were nothing but small fry in Boros's eyes.
He didn't think he needed help in the first place—but seeing Kizaru show up with such a weak lineup felt downright insulting.
"Of course not. There are still a few more one-time helpers who can't appear just yet. You can summon them when the time comes."
Kizaru casually tossed Boros four scrolls containing the forbidden jutsu Impure World Reincarnation.
They were new products recently developed by Orochimaru—designed so that even ordinary people without chakra could activate the sealed technique directly.
Not only did it greatly raise the combat potential of ordinary Konoha ninja, but more importantly, it also opened up a brand-new industry for the village.
Aside from Kizaru, several other members in the chat group had already placed orders with Orochimaru for various ninjutsu scrolls—and the biggest buyer among them was Fubuki.
In order to elevate the status of the Fubuki Group as much as possible, Fubuki was determined to arm every one of her members to the teeth.
The only downside was that the production threshold for ninjutsu scrolls was extremely high; only jōnin skilled in sealing techniques could craft ordinary ones.
As for high-end items—such as scrolls containing forbidden jutsu like Edo Tensei—only Orochimaru himself and Kushina Uzumaki, a jinchūriki who excelled in sealing arts, were capable of making them.
"Such a hassle…"
Boros caught the scroll without even looking, his single massive eye filled with impatience.
Had he met Esdeath and Tatsumaki anywhere else, he might have been interested in testing their strength. But since both women clearly belonged to Kizaru's side, and knowing Kizaru as well as he did, Boros understood the man would never allow him to fight them.
"You've done well. I'll find you a worthy opponent later, all right?"
Kizaru said with a slightly embarrassed smile. Given Boros's personality, asking him to protect someone was a tall order.
Fortunately, Boros had simple tastes—so long as he had strong opponents to fight, he would do any dirty or exhausting job without complaint.
"Deal."
Boros agreed instantly, his earlier displeasure vanishing without a trace.
Kizaru smiled as well. Once again, he'd gotten Boros to help for free—though this time, he'd better remember to find him a truly formidable opponent afterward. Otherwise, getting Boros to work for him again would be much harder.
Once their conversation ended, Tatsumaki and Esdeath both approached at the same time. Yet, even as they each clung to one of Kizaru's arms, neither was looking at him—they were glaring daggers at each other.
Despite never having met before, the two women faced off like rivals locked in years of animosity.
If Kizaru weren't standing between them, the battlefield might have already turned into rubble.
"Get away from me! Who said you could stand this close?!"
Tatsumaki snapped irritably. She could coexist with her sister Fubuki peacefully, but that didn't mean she could share the same man with a dominant woman like Esdeath.
What made it worse was that Esdeath was taller, curvier, and—infuriatingly—more beautiful. Even Tatsumaki, proud as she was, couldn't deny it.
The thought only fueled her irritation further. Invisible psychic energy writhed and crackled around her like living tendrils, giving her the aura of some wicked final boss.
"Hmph, such a small body but such a big attitude. Don't go crying to your sister when you lose."
Esdeath grinned wickedly, her words striking straight at Tatsumaki's nerves.
Nothing angered Tatsumaki more than being treated like a child—or being mistaken for her sister.
And Esdeath, fully aware of that, was deliberately stomping all over her "minefield" just to provoke her.
"You're asking for it!"
Furious, Tatsumaki thrust out her hand, fingers spread, releasing a wave of telekinetic force aimed straight at Esdeath. Ever since eating a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Tatsumaki had filled in her biggest weakness—her physical endurance.
In terms of raw power, she could now stand toe-to-toe with admirals like Akainu and Aokiji, though in a fight to the death, her inexperience might still cost her.
Esdeath, however, despite not having a Devil Fruit, had learned all three types of Haki from Kizaru himself—and her power had grown tremendously since their first meeting.
Almost the instant Tatsumaki moved, Esdeath's Observation Haki picked up her intent. A solid ice wall materialized in front of her in an instant.
With a sharp crack-crack-crack, countless fissures spread across the frozen barrier under Tatsumaki's telekinetic onslaught—but it didn't break.
"…"
Caught between the two women, Kizaru hesitated to speak. He wanted to intervene, but his instincts screamed that opening his mouth would only get him attacked from both sides—and knowing his luck, Fubuki might even join in the brawl.
°°°
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