Looking at Tsunade curled up helplessly in Shizune's arms like a wounded puppy, Darian felt a rare twinge of awkwardness. It was ironic—back at the casino, Tsunade had been the arrogant, violent bully, but now she was completely shattered, trembling violently against her young assistant.
Darian knew his actions had been brutal, but Tsunade's aggressive, overbearing personality had provoked his dark, pirate desire to conquer and break her. He wasn't going to make cheap excuses for his ruthlessness; he had wanted to crush her pride, and he had done so thoroughly.
Comparing her to Nami, Darian couldn't help but notice the contrast. Nami's life under Arlong had been absolute hell, yet she remained vibrant, resilient, and filled with hope. Tsunade, despite her legendary Senju lineage and world-class strength, was weak-willed at her core—constantly running away from grief, drowning in gambling debts, and hiding from reality.
Darian took a step forward to offer a quiet word, but the moment his shadow fell over them, Tsunade recoiled in pure terror, clutching Shizune frantically.
"Stay... stay the hell away from me!" Tsunade choked out, her voice trembling.
Shizune instantly drew a kunai, placing her body between Darian and her master despite shaking from head to toe. "Lady Tsunade, it's okay... I'm here!"
Darian raised his hands, stopping in his tracks. "Alright, alright. I'm leaving."
Seeing the raw hatred and psychological trauma burning in Tsunade's eyes, he knew trying to talk to her was useless. He turned on his heel and vanished into the dark forest.
Behind him, tears of humiliation streamed down Tsunade's flushed cheeks as she gritted her teeth. "I will kill you... I swear on my life I'll slaughter you, bastard..."
Darian moved quickly through the night, returning to the Takayanagi Onsen. The town was still in a mild panic from the seismic shockwave of his Airquake, and Madame Takayanagi was busy in the lobby trying to calm her frantic guests.
Although Darian had briefly considered enjoying the voluptuous landlady before departing, logic prevailed. Once Tsunade cleansed the blood from her face and recovered her faculties, she would be out for blood. Leaving a thick stack of gold coins on the front desk to cover the bathhouse repairs, Darian slipped away into the night.
He needed to find a way back to the One Piece universe as soon as possible.
'The Rainbow Mist transported me here because it contained a massive concentration of space-time energy,' Darian analyzed as he walked down the main street. 'If I want to force another dimensional tear, I need a localized energy source of equal magnitude in this world. The Ryūmyaku—the ancient Dragon Vein of Loulan.'
According to his memories, Loulan was an ancient city located deep within the desert of the Land of Wind, built directly atop an infinite ley line of space-time chakra.
Just as Darian was considering how to navigate toward the Land of Wind, his luck paid off. He spotted the remaining Yakuza debt collectors lurking in a dark alley, muttering among themselves about the sudden earthquake.
Darian stepped into the shadows behind them, cornered the entire group, and stacked them into a painful, bruised pile on the dirt.
"You scumbags actually had the nerve to hire assassins to put a bounty on my head?" Darian growled, dropping his heel onto the top thug's chest.
"My Lord! Mercy! We'll never do it again!" the thug sobbed hysterically.
"Do any of you weaklings know the direct route to the ancient Kingdom of Loulan in the Land of Wind?" Darian demanded.
The bruised Yakuza boss quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! Our syndicate handles black-market routes across the desert—we can guide you there directly!"
Three days later, the journey hit a violent detour.
The Yakuza guides, terrified for their lives, attempted to double-cross Darian by leading him directly into the territory of Kusagakure (the Grass Ninja Village), hoping their local contacts among the Grass Shinobi would execute him.
The trap failed spectacularly. When dozens of Kusagakure ninjas surrounded him, Darian unleashed his Preta Path ability. He absorbed every elemental ninjutsu thrown at him, converting their chakra straight into physical stamina while tearing through their Jonin commanders with raw physical force.
Terrified by his invulnerability, the surviving Grass Shinobi surrendered unconditionally. Darian executed the treacherous Yakuza thugs on the spot and forced four high-ranking Kusagakure ninjas to carry him across the desert dunes on an ornate sedan chair while he casually flipped through a bundle of their stolen ninjutsu scrolls.
Meanwhile, back in an izakaya, Tsunade sat at a corner table, brooding in silence as she downed glass after glass of strong sake. Her face was flushed, her mind consumed by the degrading memory of her virginity being violently taken by Darian.
Shizune hurried into the tavern, her face pale as she approached the table. "Lady Tsunade... I found his trail. He crushed the Grass Shinobi outpost yesterday and forced them to take him toward Loulan."
Tsunade remained silent for a long moment, then slammed her empty glass onto the wooden counter.
"Bill, please," Tsunade barked, stepping out into the desert wind with cold, lethal intent in her eyes. "We're going to Loulan."
At the desert borders of the Land of Wind, the four exhausted Kusagakure ninjas finally came to a halt, panting heavily under the blistering sun as the magnificent, soaring towers of Loulan appeared on the horizon.
Darian sat atop his sedan chair like a conqueror, rolling up a wind-release scroll and looking down at the ancient city. He had anticipated having to breach the city gates by force or negotiate with the local guards.
However, as his sedan chair crossed the outer threshold into the main plaza, the royal guards were already lined up in formal formation—and the Queen of Loulan was standing at the grand stairs, quietly waiting for his arrival.
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Give me powerstones.
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