Chapter 242: The Navy's Miscalculation
The dense clouds were torn open by a wave slash, revealing a clear blue sky.
A massive Evil Light Slash that seemed capable of splitting the heavens crashed once again into the Navy's Giant Shield Wall.
Pffft—
Some of the weaker Marines, overwhelmed by the forced activation of Giant's Might, spat blood on the spot.
Most of the Marine giants were not true vice admirals, but low-ranking officers whose power had been elevated through the family emblem.
This kind of high-intensity usage had pushed their bodies far beyond their limits.
Crack—
Shield after shield shattered.
Eventually, the wall grew as thin as paper, nearly transparent, and was continuously forced back.
The ground was gouged by a deep trench.
"Victory for the Navy!"
Dalmatian roared,
his Marine uniform exploding off his body, revealing blood-red skin.
His Vastaya bloodline had been pushed into overdrive, transforming him into a beast-like iron giant.
High above, news seagulls circled and transmitted the live battle feed.
The Marines gritted their teeth and held the line.
Even after collapsing from exhaustion, vomiting blood, and falling unconscious, not one considered retreating.
Retreat now, and the Navy's pride would be forever lost.
"Impressive… truly admirable willpower."
Watching the nearly defeated Marines, Shanks popped the cap off two energy potions and drank them one after another.
The more frequently potions are used to restore health and energy,
the weaker their effect becomes.
BOOM—
Another Asura Evil Light Slash tore through the crumbling barrier and slammed into the fortress wall.
The thick wall split open like scorched foam, forming a deep, trench-like breach.
All around were Marines unconscious from losing their family emblem buffs,
and a few vice admirals who could barely keep their eyes open after giving everything they had.
"Never thought the eastern front would be the one to fall."
Afu, mouth full of Sea King sashimi, looked on in surprise at the collapsing wall.
Though he rarely appeared, Fang Yi did occasionally monitor large-scale battles outside the game.
He shook his head slightly. "The Navy's formation wasn't wrong."
"The Revolutionary Army already retreated from the western front.
Even though Dragon's Dragon Word Spirit was incredibly powerful, Garp managed to intercept him."
Both were peak Tier-1 players. A father-son clash for the ages.
Garp had exchanged for Qilin Blood, the ultimate fire from the world of [Storm Riders].
His arms had transformed into Qilin Arms—immune to blades and bullets, capable of unleashing searing Qilin energy.
The clash between Dragon's Wind Word Spirit and Garp's Qilin Blood shattered multiple nearby uninhabited islands.
Though the match was even,
the Revolutionary Army was ultimately defeated by the Marine Giant Corps and forced to retreat.
The other front saw a similar outcome.
Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino joined forces to pin down Whitebeard,
while the Marine Giants tore apart his crew.
Whitebeard's Crimson Troll class had incredible legion-type abilities,
but Vice Admiral Tsuru had seen through its flaws.
Her strategy was simple:
If Whitebeard focused all his power to protect his crew with crimson energy, he couldn't fight the admirals.
But if he used that power to fight, his crew lost their buffs.
Back before the Marine family system existed,
even if Tsuru had spotted this weakness, she couldn't have done anything.
Ordinary Marines simply lacked the strength to crush Whitebeard's crew in a head-on fight.
But now,
with the Marine Giant Corps, Whitebeard's Pirates stood no chance.
Unless Whitebeard was willing to let half his crew die to break the Marine lines,
there was no way forward.
And Tsuru knew full well—Whitebeard would never make that call.
To him, family was everything.
Thus,
the Marines had neutralized two of the strongest offensive forces at minimal cost.
Tsuru smiled, deeply impressed by Sengoku's bold decisions.
The power of a Level-2 family—
enough to withstand attacks from two Yonko crews, the world's strongest swordsman, the Revolutionary Army, and countless pirates.
Once this battle ended,
the Navy's name would echo across the globe.
But then—
A heavily wounded Marine stumbled in from the sea, collapsing to the ground.
"The eastern front has fallen!?"
For the first time, Tsuru's always-calm expression cracked.
Her eyelid twitched, and she couldn't help but raise her voice.
Impossible.
Every deployment had been carefully calculated.
Smoker and Mihawk's battle would end in mutual damage.
The Red-Haired Pirates had no chance against 200 Marine Giants.
Even if Shanks were pushed into a corner and exchanged for Game powers, Tsuru had accounted for that.
His entire crew's wealth could at best buy 200,000 reward points.
That wasn't enough to breach the defenses.
A Level-2 family didn't just use a Level-2 emblem,
but could also equip two Level-1 emblems.
The Level-1 [Iron Wall Barrier], when used by 200 Marine Giants,
was sturdy enough to resist even a Tier-1 peak like Smoker.
So what went wrong?
She didn't understand.
She watched reinforcements scramble to the eastern front.
Fang Yi, observing it all, said calmly:
"The Navy's strategy was the best possible under current circumstances."
"But even the 'Strategist' Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru underestimated the Reincarnation Game's potential."
Centered on the Navy's family monument,
two forces rushed toward each other.
Fang Yi's gaze fell on Shanks, eyes blindfolded.
He smiled.
"Now, most players' battle styles are starting to stabilize."
"Sakazuki plays a fire-mage, long-range elemental DPS."
"Kuzan is an ice-warrior, melee control type."
"Smoker's a poison controller, excellent for area denial."
"…Everything follows a clear pattern."
He paused.
"But the Corrupted Lords will keep growing stronger. Their armies will become even more grotesque."
"The family system exists to organize players' chaotic tactics and shift toward structured mid-scale warfare."
Take Shanks—
his success in breaching the eastern front was a direct result of the Marines underestimating class synergy.
Even with Whitebeard's Crimson Troll setting a precedent for legion-type power,
they still failed to adjust strategy accordingly.
Asura from the world of [Arad] was not like ghost swordsmen, sword saints, berserkers, or necromancers.
He didn't seek purity, precision, or madness.
He didn't command spirits.
He mastered wave energy—and was the ultimate siege breaker.
Evil Light Slash, Explosive Wave Blade, Dark Heaven Eye, Heaven's Thunder Staff…
All of his skills were massive AOE clears.
In PvP, he might lack edge,
but against slightly weaker enemies?
He was an unstoppable god of slaughter.
Even the Iron Wall Barrier that had defeated the Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard's Pirates—
was shattered in one strike.
Only one class might rival Asura in siege warfare—
The wind mage from [Grandis]
—dubbed the "Brick Machine" of the Gran D Dungeon.
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