"Hey, hey—don't look at me like that. I came to apologize, you know. I just didn't expect to find you getting beat up again the moment I showed up." Hashirama gave a helpless shrug.
At the same time, he glanced at the other snow-white Nine-Tails Fox.
Of course, he didn't recognize Guren.
But just from those few attacks earlier, it was clear—her power was formidable.
At the very least, their own Nine-Tails from the shinobi world was no match for her.
Granted, he had already decided to look after Kurama while on Starfish World...
But he hadn't expected that the need would come this soon.
Senju Hashirama suddenly found himself feeling a bit sorry for Kurama.
"This powerful Nine-Tails Fox, whose name I don't know… I am Senju Hashirama, from the shinobi world."
"I'm not sure what conflict exists between you and this Nine-Tails, but… could I trouble you to show him some mercy? Please, stop bullying him."
Hashirama looked at Guren and spoke sincerely.
Of course, he knew mere words likely wouldn't achieve much.
But sometimes, the things that should be said—still had to be said.
"You!"
"Shut up—shut your damn mouth! Who's being bullied, huh?! I never asked you to help me!"
"If anything, it's you who brought us pain beyond measure! What exactly did we Tailed Beasts ever do wrong?!"
Kurama stood atop the massive wooden palm, roaring furiously toward the sky.
"That's why I came to apologize," Hashirama replied with a sigh. "And I'll do my best to make up for it in the future. For now, calm down. Those hits just now… they must've hurt, right?"
Meanwhile—
Guren was eyeing Hashirama with great interest, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Heh~~ I was just teasing my naughty little brother~"
"But I am curious about you… Tsunade's grandfather, the so-called 'God of Shinobi' who once reigned supreme in your world, right?"
Hashirama raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am? You know Tsunade?"
"Of course. I'm Guren, from the Teigu World. I guess you could say I recently became friends with Tsunade. So, how about it—wanna have a match?"
Though her words sounded like an invitation—
Guren casually turned her head toward Kurama, still standing on the wooden palm.
"Little brother, you really don't seem to like this guy. Tell you what—head back to the island first. Let your big sister take care of him for you!"
"…"
Kurama was left speechless.
He didn't even know how to respond—should he agree or not?
Although… now that he thought about it, it didn't sound like a bad deal at all.
"Be good now, stinky little brother~ Listen to your sister~~" Guren said in a coaxing voice.
"Uhh… o-okay…"
Still a bit dazed, Kurama obediently jumped down from the giant wooden hand and began running across the sea toward the distant island.
"Huh?!"
Hashirama stared, dumbfounded.
Wasn't he the one who had come to help Kurama?
...
From afar, on the Nine-Tails Island—
Kurama watched the clash of trees and frost as if witnessing two great armies locked in brutal combat.
A sudden, powerful sense of insignificance welled up within him.
And as for Guren—who was currently in fierce battle with Senju Hashirama atop the wooden dragon, holding her own without yielding an inch, fully showcasing the terrifying might of the Nine-Tails Celestial Fox—she completely captured his attention.
Though difficult to admit, Kurama genuinely felt… protected.
At long last, someone was actually keeping Hashirama in check!
At the same time—
A strong wave of frustration and shame rose within him.
Back in the shinobi world, there were only a handful of people stronger than him—and many of them were long dead, like Hashirama himself—so he never really had much desire to grow stronger.
But ever since encountering the World Government…
One powerful entity after another had begun to emerge, again and again.
Now, having arrived at Starfish—and after witnessing this scene—
Kurama finally understood: in this world, he wasn't much of a powerhouse at all.
Just as Guren had called him—he really was just a little brother who needed protecting!
I want to become stronger. I want to become stronger. I want to become stronger.
That thought echoed like a curse inside Kurama's heart.
But what could he actually do?
Kurama stared absentmindedly at Guren's gallant figure in battle, falling deep into thought.
At that moment—whether it was the two locked in combat, or the daydreaming Kurama—
None of them noticed that above Nine-Tails Island, the clouds that had been blasted apart earlier had silently reformed.
And amidst those clouds, a barely visible dragon shadow coiled and twisted.
It was none other than the Ancient Dragon—one of the Super-Class Danger Beasts from the Teigu World.
He had sensed the massive surge of energy earlier.
And he remembered what Guren had said before leaving—that she was coming here to meet the Nine-Tails from the shinobi world.
Thinking a conflict might've broken out, he rushed over to check things out.
What he didn't expect was that the one fighting Guren wasn't another Nine-Tails…
But a human who could manipulate trees—and had a fairly decent level of power.
From within the clouds, he quietly observed the battle unfolding below.
If nothing serious happened, he'd simply return.
But if Guren was no match, and the opponent went too far, then the Ancient Dragon would intervene.
Even if he didn't kill the guy on the spot, he'd make sure he got one hell of a beating.
Meanwhile—
Uchiha Madara, now clad in a black flak jacket and wearing a shinobi forehead protector from Umigakure, was racing forward at full speed. It wouldn't be long before he crossed the strait and arrived at Nine-Tails Island.
This time, he had come to persuade the Nine-Tails to follow him in the future.
Originally, Madara had intended to summon it directly.
But under current World Government regulations, only the Kaikage had unrestricted summoning rights over the Tailed Beasts, and it was strictly forbidden for anyone to forcibly control their will or bodies by any means.
However, if a Tailed Beast voluntarily chose to follow someone—and remained within Starfish's boundaries—then that was allowed.
So Madara had no choice but to come in person.
Among all the Tailed Beasts, only the Nine-Tails was truly worth his attention.
Coincidentally, on the other side of Starfish—
Another Tailed Beast was also enjoying the scent of freedom in the air.
In the first half of the Grand Line, in Starfish's only true super-populated nation:
The Kingdom of Arabasta.
This ancient desert kingdom—
Was split down the middle by a massive river, nearly 50 kilometers wide and several hundred kilometers long.
Shrunken down to a height of just two meters, Shukaku waddled through the streets of a city called Rainbase, his round belly sticking out in an adorable, clumsy fashion.
As he passed by, the local townsfolk and merchants—men and women selling goods or fruit on either side of the road—had no fear of this "monster."
On the contrary, they greeted him with warmth and enthusiasm.
From time to time, the vendors tossed fresh fruits his way, grinning as they watched Shukaku pop them into his mouth.
Shukaku didn't eat them all. He saved some and handed them to the children playing and laughing around him.
Every now and then, he used his control over sand to swirl the little ones into the air, sending them into fits of innocent, gleeful laughter.
The nearby parents, seeing this scene, not only made no attempt to stop it or express any concern—instead, they loudly thanked Shukaku before returning to their own daily work.
Because with their children at Shukaku's side, there was no need to worry about kidnappers or other dangers.
The few attempts that had occurred in the past were swiftly dealt with by Shukaku.
Not only did the kids remain unharmed—not a scratch on them—they even returned brimming with excitement, gushing about how incredible Shukaku was.
His mastery over sand and wind offered the most perfect form of protection imaginable.
As for any initial fear or worry toward Shukaku—
Yes, in the beginning, many were indeed startled.
That massive, bright yellow body, covered in winding purple markings, had suddenly appeared near the city, looming over its inhabitants.
But as time passed and they interacted with him—
The people slowly came to realize that this so-called monster from another world, named Shukaku, had never once shown hostility toward the city. Not even a hint of malice.
On the contrary, he loved chatting with them—about everything and anything. Eventually, even they began to enjoy hearing Shukaku talk about his homeland, the so-called shinobi world.
And when Shukaku personally crushed an oncoming sandstorm and summoned powerful winds to block the invading sand and grit—
The people of Rainbase fully embraced this adorable little creature.
They began to see him as the human incarnation of the desert's guardian deity.
Shukaku was loving every moment of it. Every day was filled with carefree laughter.
"Yo, little Shukaku—looks like you're living quite the good life here on Starfish, huh?"
Suddenly, as he sat on the ground letting little boys and girls climb all over him—sculpting ornate sand slides for them with his powers—a familiar teasing voice rang out beside his ear, accompanied by a smell he knew all too well: cigar smoke.
He turned instinctively.
And there, emerging slowly from a swirling column of golden sand—
Was Crocodile.
"Yaaah—Lieutenant General Crocodile!!"
Shukaku let out a thrilled squeal, immediately rising to his feet while still holding two kids in his arms.
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