Chapter 145: Isn't It Fair That the More You Spend, the Stronger You Are?
The Black Cat Pirates had long rebranded themselves—they were no longer the weak crew they used to be.
Now, Jango and the Meowban Brothers were already Lv.10 players. Their crew, though still basic accounts, were also high level, equipped with green-grade weapons and armor, and easily capable of defeating most East Blue pirates.
They had focused solely on managing Black Cat Pirate Island to earn reward points, giving up on looting and plundering, which barely earned any money anyway.
...
Goa Kingdom.
In the palace, the once-idle noble Outlook III suddenly sat upright, staring at the event text floating in the sky.
Beside him, the trembling queen knelt in fear.
Outlook's expression was urgent. He barked orders at his guards, "Quick! Dispatch the Royal Knights—make sure we win that event!"
"Also, ready a fast ship for me!"
"May I ask, what is this game event?"
The dethroned king, kneeling in the corner, looked up at the suddenly tense Outlook, confusion flashing in his eyes.
Not long ago,
Outlook had been an insignificant noble of Goa Kingdom. But after returning from a mysterious sea voyage, he inexplicably possessed great power. Even his guards had become elite fighters.
That shameless noble turned his guards into the "Goa Knights," and used their force to occupy the palace, forcing the king to abdicate. They were just waiting for the World Government to make it official.
Outlook's face turned cold. "Are you trying to die?"
You're the one who'll die!
The king lowered his head to the floor, hiding the sorrow and anger in his eyes.
If this sudden game event was related to Outlook's newfound power, then it was something he had to understand.
Once Outlook and the Goa Knights set sail, the former king immediately gathered his loyalists and launched his own expedition.
...
Loguetown.
Known as the Town of Beginning and End, it was the final port in East Blue before entering the Grand Line.
Whether merchant ships or pirate ships, all stopped here for resupply.
As the site of the Pirate King's execution, the bloodstained platform remained, drawing countless tourists and travelers.
With Marines, pirates, and traders mingling freely, Loguetown had become one of East Blue's most prosperous towns.
"Colonel Smoker!"
The door to the Marine base office burst open.
Tashigi, glasses glinting and sword at her waist, rushed in. "There's strange black text in the sky over East Blue!"
"I know."
Smoker nodded, watching the projection from the Den Den Mushi mounted on the wall.
It was broadcasting the area near the Trial Tower.
Countless ships had gathered—pirate ships, royal vessels from various kingdoms, and warships from Marine bases across East Blue.
They all kept a safe distance from one another.
"A hallucination fruit? Or a projection fruit user?"
Smoker frowned, trying to figure out which ability user could be behind such a massive phenomenon.
But the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed.
He had seen all kinds of ability users—
and as a Logia-type user himself, he knew how far powers could stretch.
Most Devil Fruit users could only affect areas around their own bodies.
Even top-tier users, like himself with the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, could barely cover two city blocks with effort.
Sure, he'd heard stories of Marine Admirals and Yonko who could destroy islands—
but even that was the upper limit.
This, however,
wasn't just two streets.
It wasn't just one island.
It wasn't even one country.
It was the entire East Blue.
An ocean filled with nations and islands. Known as the weakest sea, perhaps—but in sheer size, it was no smaller than the others.
Smoker was silent for a moment. Then he packed his essentials and said, "Report this to Marine HQ."
"Eh… yes, sir!"
Tashigi was surprised.
Smoker almost never contacted HQ. He found their orders restrictive and pointless.
This was the first time he took such action.
It meant the strange game event was serious—serious enough to warrant his full attention.
...
"Master, is this really okay?"
Afu's cheeks were stuffed with food, puffed up like a hamster.
She glanced at the Den Den Mushi projection—
Around the Trial Tower, thousands of ships had gathered, all waiting for the event to begin.
Fang Yi smiled. "Since the Pirate World wants a bloodbath, I'll let them have it inside the Samsara Game. I'll absorb all the source energy."
Inside the Trial Tower's range was an extension of the game space.
The entire tower had been remodeled with nine layers.
The Corrupted Creatures of the pirate newbie zone were Soul Reapers from the Hall of Yama.
Ghosts.
Their main trait was possession.
Fang Yi opened the Hall of Yama's channel, linked it to the Trial Tower, and threw in all the ghosts—assigning them to different tower levels.
The higher the level, the stronger the ghost.
The ninth level was directly connected to the Corrupted Creature attached to the Sea King—[Soul Reaper]—deep inside the Hall of Yama.
Afu polished off her fifth plate of seafood fried rice and suddenly understood. "Then those Pirate World elites can start hunting the Soul Reapers soon."
In the kitchen,
Sanji's arms were aching from cooking so much, but his fighting spirit had never been higher. It had been a long time since he'd met customers who could actually keep up. It was a challenge.
"If this is the Samsara Game, then it must be absolutely fair."
Fang Yi shook his head. "The newbie zone is supposed to be the soil for cultivating players. If reality's strong ones can just steamroll it, then what's the point?"
Afu looked at the players on the Den Den Mushi screen, all eager for battle. She had a bad feeling. "Master… what are you saying?"
"It's simple."
Fang Yi smirked. "In the ninja world, players burn reward points to bring game gear into reality."
"In the Pirate World, it's the opposite."
"Most pirate players will have to start from Lv.1 when climbing the tower. But for those already powerful in reality, they'll need to spend reward points to bring their real-world powers into the game."
"Like Mihawk—if he wants to use his real swordsmanship and Haki in the game, he has to pay reward points to soul-bind them!"
Afu stared at her master in disbelief. "Isn't that kind of… unfair? Or, I mean… evil?"
You had to pay to use your own abilities?
"Unfair? This is what fairness looks like."
Fang Yi knocked her white-haired head. "Whoever spends more reward points gets the advantage. Isn't that fair?"
"If Mihawk spends tens of thousands of points and starts at the same level as Buggy, now that would be unfair."
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