Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

Unfortunately for Kizaru, his intentions were quickly discovered by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. From that point on, whenever a mission needed to be carried out, Sengoku would always prepare the fastest warship for him.

"Getting a new ship, huh…"

Nami bit her lower lip, calculating in her mind.

Due to the age of Kizaru's flagship, it required a major overhaul every few months. While it didn't have any significant issues, the constant minor repairs were endless, and each overhaul cost a considerable amount of funds.

If they could replace the ship during its next scheduled overhaul, they could redirect the saved repair budget toward building a swimming pool on the new ship. Moreover, with a newer ship, they wouldn't need to set aside funds for frequent overhauls. It seemed like a worthwhile trade.

"Hmm… why can't I undo this belt…"

When Nami snapped out of her thoughts, she found Kizaru fumbling with her belt, looking rather frustrated. His other hand, meanwhile, had landed somewhere far more daring.

"You pervert! Stop it right now!"

Blushing furiously, Nami tried to push Kizaru away. Despite her outwardly bold and flirtatious demeanor, deep down, she was still conservative.

Fooling around in the office? There was no way she could let this scoundrel get his way!

Knowing Kizaru as she did, Nami realized that once he started, it would be nearly impossible to stop him. And if she didn't put an end to it now, who knew what kind of embarrassing situations she might find herself in later? She definitely didn't want to wake up one day and discover that Kizaru had her and that woman from Amazon Lily, Hancock, lined up together.

"Don't worry. The office is soundproof. No one will notice."

But escaping from the clutches of the big bad wolf was no easy task for the little lamb. With practiced ease, Kizaru turned Nami into a "little white lamb," pulling the curtains shut as he went.

After the "battle," a thoroughly exhausted Nami, with her combat power of less than five, had fallen fast asleep in Kizaru's arms.

Although Nami's natural allure wasn't any less than Hancock's, the differences in age and stamina left her completely outmatched. Against someone as experienced as Kizaru, there was no contest.

Even though it was only the first round, Kizaru wasn't nearly satisfied. However, poor Nami was already too worn out to continue, leaving him with no choice but to call it a day.

After all, indulging in simplicity like rice and side dishes after a feast could be refreshing, but the portion size here just wasn't enough to fill him up.

Sensing some kind of danger even in her sleep, little Nami tightly wrapped herself in Kizaru's admiral's coat, curling up like a little cocoon. After wriggling around to make sure she was secure, she settled contentedly in his arms.

Well, that was that. Even sneaking a touch was out of the question now. Resigned, Kizaru opened the chat group, curious to see if his absurd groupmates had come up with anything new.

[Haibara Ai]: "It's surprising how many people actually admire Orochimaru."

[Kobayashi]: "Don't say that, Haibara-san. Orochimaru-san is a hero who defended against invaders!"

[Jotaro Kujo]: "Tch. Hard to believe. I always thought that guy was a villain."

[Random Fan Trying to Get Luo Feng's Favor]: "Jotaro-san, finally you're speaking up! You should join the conversation more often. Same goes for Master Zhang—he's always so quiet…"

[Jotaro Kujo]: "…Sorry."

[Fubuki]: "Doesn't this village seem a little too big?"

[Kizaru]: "What are you all talking about? Orochimaru?"

[Random Fan Trying to Get Luo Feng's Favor]: "Kizaru-san, check the chat logs above. Orochimaru is livestreaming his return to the Leaf Village after the war!"

[Kizaru]: "Oh? You can livestream here?"

Kizaru had initially logged in just to see if the group had come up with something amusing, but to his surprise, the chat group had something even more interesting for him—livestreams.

Scrolling through the chat history, he quickly found what the others were talking about.

[Ding! Orochimaru has opened a livestream room and invited @everyone to watch. Would you like to join?]

[Accept/Decline]

Curious, Kizaru selected "Accept." In an instant, his vision blurred, and when it cleared, he found himself virtually "standing" at the entrance of the Leaf Village.

Around him were countless villagers cheering in celebration. Following their line of sight, he saw Orochimaru leading the Leaf shinobi back from war, triumphant.

As the commander of the Leaf forces during the Third Shinobi World War, Orochimaru had cemented his position as a legend. Not even a rising star as dazzling as Minato Namikaze could compare to the one who led the village to victory.

With the adoration of countless villagers and the unwavering loyalty of the shinobi who fought under him, Orochimaru had nearly surpassed the Third Hokage in reputation. No wonder he believed the title of Fourth Hokage to be within his grasp.

"Thank you for your efforts, Orochimaru. You and your comrades are the heroes who protected the Leaf Village!"

The Third Hokage personally arrived at the gates of the Leaf Village to welcome Orochimaru and the returning shinobi. Behind him stood the advisors, elders of the Leaf, and Danzo.

Young Orochimaru, true to his title as the "Cold Prince," had an exceptionally striking and handsome face, so much so that even a few group members who had initially disliked him began to change their opinions.

[Kobayashi]: "Orochimaru-san is so beautiful… No, I mean, so handsome~"

[Haibara Ai]: "Idiot! Don't be fooled by his appearance. No matter how good-looking he is, he doesn't seem like a good person!"

[Fubuki]: "Who cares? As long as he's attractive, it's fine."

[Random Fan Trying to Get Luo Feng's Favor]: "Shallow women…"

[Kizaru]: "Hey now, I can't agree with you there, random guy. Looks are justice, after all."

[Random Fan Trying to Get Luo Feng's Favor]: "This is too much! Are you saying good looks give someone the right to do anything they want?"

In the "Swallowed Star" world, the random fan stared at his reflection in the mirror—a face that had never been particularly handsome and, after eating a Devil Fruit, had become somewhat ape-like. He couldn't help but feel that the world was unbearably unfair.

Meanwhile, in the livestream, Orochimaru walked up to the Third Hokage, bowed his head, and said something inaudible.

The next moment, the Third Hokage's smile vanished, replaced by a look of shock. Before he could react, dozens of Leaf shinobi standing behind Orochimaru attacked, targeting the advisors and elders standing behind the Hokage.

Although the Leaf Village had emerged as the ultimate victor of the Third Shinobi World War, it had exhausted nearly all its resources to repel the major nations coveting the Land of Fire.

The Leaf was now in its weakest state in history. Excluding the injured in the hospital and the elderly veterans who should have long since retired, there were fewer than a thousand active-duty shinobi left who could still fight.

At this moment, however, the ninja force following Orochimaru back to the village numbered in the thousands—each one a loyal subordinate who had fought alongside him in bloody battles.

°°°

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