Chapter 144: Quest Objective: Battle for the Sea King!
"Strange."
"Even Arlong and Krieg have come to Orange Town? How amusing..."
Fang Yi stepped onto the deck, soon greeted by a waiter who guided him into the dining hall.
This was a ship, but also a restaurant—
The most renowned sea restaurant in the East Blue: Baratie. Even some Marine officers made special trips just to taste its delicacies.
Fang Yi led the white-haired loli Afu to a corner seat in the restaurant. With polite grace, he said, "Bring out every specialty dish you have."
At the center of the hall, a large Den Den Mushi projected what appeared to be a Marine training documentary.
"All of them…?"
The waiter looked him over quickly and hesitated. "We serve a wide range of dishes at Baratie. If you want to try them all…"
A man with an average build and a young girl at his side didn't look like a pair who could polish off every special on the menu.
"I'm sorry, sir, but wasting food—even if you're a Marine officer—comes with a fine."
A sharp-toned voice chimed in. It was a blond man with curled eyebrows dressed in a sleek suit. His tone was stiff.
He hated nothing more than people who wasted food.
"No worries. We'll finish it all."
Fang Yi waved dismissively.
Afu, though a bit of a weakling, was still a world consciousness. Devouring the entire East Blue in one gulp wouldn't be a problem—let alone a few tables' worth of food.
"Is that so?"
Sanji didn't argue, but doubt lingered in his eyes.
Had it not been for repeatedly offending guests and receiving punishment from Head Chef Zeff—and the threat of losing kitchen privileges altogether—he wouldn't have served a customer like this.
But out of respect for Zeff's authority, he held his tongue.
He whispered to the waiter, "Serve the dishes slowly. Once they're full, they'll stop ordering."
"You sure?"
The waiter looked uneasy.
The full spread of Baratie's specialties would cost a fortune.
Sanji scanned the room to make sure no one was watching. "I'll do the cooking myself. Don't tell the others."
It had been two days since he was kicked out of the kitchen, and his hands were itching.
Besides, Sanji had absolute faith in his culinary skills. He was sure they'd finish every dish—until they couldn't move.
...
"Technically, the Contract Fruits I scattered should trigger the closest quest for each person. There's no reason they should all be converging on Orange Town."
"So, the Pirate World's will is more active than expected. Did it sense me harvesting the East Blue's source energy and purposely guide the pirates into a melee?"
When pirates died, their source returned to the Pirate World's will.
No wonder all the famous East Blue pirates had gathered.
Afu asked anxiously, "Master, should we stop the fighting?"
If pirates died, the Contract Fruit's power vanished. The Samsara Game wouldn't gain any source, and even what had been given would be reabsorbed by the world itself.
Fang Yi shook his head and sighed. "Seems like the Pirate World isn't interested in developing its pirates or Marines. It's putting all its chips on that Rubber Fruit."
In contrast, the ninja world—while also resistant to outsiders—never fought Fang Yi's harvesting of source.
Because when ninjas grew stronger, so did the world. It was a win-win.
The Pirate World should've been the same.
If pirates and Marines became stronger, the world itself would ascend in tier.
The ninja world understood this and allowed it. But the Pirate World… resisted.
Afu hesitated. "Should we release new quests to scatter the pirates and prevent the bloodbath?"
"Split them up to stop the fighting?"
Fang Yi chuckled. "Do I look like a nice guy? A moral saint?"
"No."
Fang Yi smiled warmly—but there was a cold edge in his voice.
"I'm just an ordinary man, trying not to be consumed by Corrupted Creatures."
"Win-win means resisting the corruption together. One tree alone can't hold off the storm—we need many worlds as allies."
"But if one refuses, better that I devour its source than let it be used against me by the corrupted."
"I didn't spread Contract Fruits to negotiate with the Pirate World."
He pretended to fumble in his pocket,
then casually pulled out a tall, black Trial Tower.
He opened a window and tossed it into the sea.
A ripple spread across the waters, starting from the Baratie restaurant, sweeping through the entire East Blue.
The Rules.
The Samsara Game's rules enveloped the East Blue.
Far away in Orange Town—
the surrounding waters began to boil like soup. A Trial Tower suddenly emerged from the sea, releasing an invisible force.
Every Contract Holder and player nearby was caught in its grasp.
[Event: Sea King Showdown]
Objective: Hunt the Sea King to claim victory.
Reward: 9 spins on the Lucky Wheel
Eligible: All players and Contract Holders
...
Mysterious black text appeared in the sky above the East Blue.
No matter where you stood, one glance upward revealed the message on a glowing screen.
Keen-sensed newspapers couldn't understand what the projection meant, but they immediately set up Den Den Mushi to broadcast the event live.
They weren't Marines tasked with preserving order. The more chaos, the better.
"A Sea King Showdown?"
On an island base for the Black Cat Pirates,
their new captain, Jango, looked up at the message in the sky.
Since becoming Samsara players, they had found an island rich in resources and gone legit—hiring locals to mine and sell goods for a steady stream of reward points.
"Is this a Samsara Game event? Should we join?"
asked the new vice-captain, Sam, one of the Meowban Brothers. His sharp claws and perfectly styled green hair made him stand out.
Nearby stood the massive battle commander, Butchie, and the rest of the crew.
"We set up shop on this island to earn reward points, didn't we?"
Jango pushed up his pink glasses and said, "Any prize on the Lucky Wheel is worth tens of thousands of points. Just one would cover all our expenses for the year. Of course we're joining!"
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