Chapter 284: Straw Hat Crew: Plans Have Changed, Time to Sneak In
"Who are you?"
Even though the floating text made it clear, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but ask.
Lorian giggled sweetly. "As you can see, I'm a native of Arad who already died. But I was lucky enough to be revived and became the gatekeeper of Sky City's eastern sector."
Back when the Arad continent was attacked by corruption—
Countless warriors, mages, and elves failed to stop its advance.
The Qi kingdom of Pandemonium with its centuries of history, the so-called strongest iron-blooded empire Delos, even the Dark Elf Kingdom that had slain an evil dragon centuries ago—all fell in succession.
Eventually, even the Sea of Sky was consumed by the corrupting force. The entire world teetered on the brink of collapse.
Then came the Game Merchant—
Changing Arad's fate of certain destruction.
"The world was about to fall… until that being halted everything in an instant."
"The entire continent was transformed into a game. All corrupted monsters were forced into designated danger zones by an unstoppable force, while the surviving towns became safe havens for humanity."
Lorian calmly explained the situation Arad had undergone.
Her tone was peaceful.
But to the others, her words were deeply shocking.
No doubt—
The "being" she spoke of was the Game Merchant.
In both the pirate and ninja worlds, he never showed a serious attitude. Always relaxed and carefree.
Even when provoked or tricked by players, he never got angry.
His interventions were always light touches—
But they could feel it: he had the power to change any life's fate, to know both past and future.
Now, they discovered yet another facet of his terrifying power—
He had casually turned an entire world into a game map for players to hunt in.
Tsunade sighed. "The more I understand, the more I realize how small I truly am."
Even with power far beyond what she once had, she still couldn't grasp the Game Merchant's true abilities.
"And so," Lorian continued, "as a reward for saving the world, the native people of Arad have taken on the role of guiding players."
She explained her own existence. "Like how to enter the Sea of Sky—if I didn't tell you about the [Sky Sea Keys], you'd be stumbling around like headless chickens. Even if you got lucky and found a key, you'd probably waste it."
"Townsfolk like me forge weapons, enhance gear, trade goods—we exist to help players grow stronger and hunt corruption more effectively."
They issue quests,
Collect monster materials from players, or ask them to purify corrupted nodes—but it all funnels back to the Reincarnation Game.
The goal: keep the game running smoothly,
And prevent players from wasting energy on unnecessary tasks.
Sakazuki impatiently asked, "So you can give the Navy [Sky Sea Keys] to enter Sky City?"
"That's right."
Lorian nodded. "I can condense three keys per week, allowing three groups of players to challenge the [Dragonkin Tower]. Each group may include up to five players."
"To earn a key, you must first complete a quest I assign."
A line of black text appeared for everyone to see:
[Hunt 10 Commander-Class Monsters (0/10)] — Issued by Lorian. Complete this task to earn a [Sky Sea Key] granting access to Dragonkin Tower.
Naruto scratched his head, surprised by the requirements. "So without a key, we can't just walk into the Sea of Sky?"
And it had to be ten commander-class monsters?
"If it were the Grand Forest, that'd be one thing. The Minotaurs and Venomfang Cats are scary but still Tier-1 monsters,"
Jiraiya muttered, clearly frustrated.
But monsters within the Sea of Sky's domain were something else entirely.
Nourished by the corrupted energy of the Sea of Sky, they had all surpassed their original limits and become true Tier-2 creatures.
Even a basic Blue-Winged Drake was comparable in strength to a Kage-level ninja.
Let alone commander-class monsters, just a step below Lords.
Each one would require top-tier players to take down. And now they had to kill ten?
"If you can't handle ten commander-class monsters, I recommend you go train more," Lorian said bluntly. "Entering the Sea of Sky like this would be suicide."
The top-tier areas like [Sky Castle] and the [Floating Citadel] weren't even the issue.
Even the lowest-level dungeon, the Dragonkin Tower, was guarded by [Lukas], a corrupted Dragonkin Chieftain, who could easily one-shot any Tier-1 player.
"Perfect. We avoid a pointless war."
The tension melted away with the new development. Vice Admiral Tsuru turned to Tsunade in her armor and said, "In that case, let's see who can hunt ten commanders faster and earn the keys to Sky City."
The Navy didn't want needless losses.
Their organization might be large, but they had enemies everywhere—pirates, revolutionaries, even internal politics.
With nearly ten thousand Navy players needing salaries, Reward Points had effectively become their military budget.
Headquarters was strapped for resources and badly needed game content like Dragonkin Tower to replenish their reserves.
"We're leaving."
Tsunade didn't continue the standoff.
She left a few ninjas stationed near Lorian's monument and sent the rest to scatter in search of commander-class monster lairs.
The Navy did the same—
The Admirals and first-tier elites set out to locate targets, while the less powerful forces held the perimeter.
Nami yanked on Luffy's ear and scolded him, "Luffy, let's go hunt some commander-class monsters already!"
Fighting Tier-2 monsters after a life-tier evolution—
It was like trying to stab a boar with a wooden fork. The fork broke, and the boar barely noticed.
That's the difference between Tier-1 and Tier-2 life essence—
Plastic vs. steel.
Unless you also broke through to Tier-2 and swapped your fork for a steel one, those monsters wouldn't even flinch.
"To break our limits and reach Tier-2, we need to complete a main storyline quest."
Zoro took a deep breath.
Ever since entering the Sea of Sky's territory, his blade felt weak when hunting those evolved monsters—like slicing pillows.
He could still kill them, but it was difficult.
He desperately wanted to evolve to Tier-2.
Back when they first entered the Arad map, a new quest had appeared in their log:
[Life Metamorphosis (World-Class)] — Collect materials to build a [Tier-2 Metamorphosis Chamber]. Once constructed, players may evolve to Tier-2 lifeforms.
The materials were rare—commander-class monster remains, special ores, and herbs deep within danger zones.
But the biggest challenge?
The [Metamorphosis Chamber] was a structure, and had to be built in a player-owned territory.
It couldn't be placed in public areas like towns.
Which meant—
Because of all the ongoing conflicts, no one had yet completed the [Build Clan Territory] quest. No one could build the chamber.
"Nami, with the Navy and Konoha here, we don't stand a chance at getting the keys ourselves."
Zoro voiced his thoughts.
Robin nodded in agreement. "He's right. We probably won't get a key. Instead, let's focus on gathering materials and completing the metamorphosis quest."
Even the strongest top-tier players were still Tier-1.
If the Straw Hats could evolve to Tier-2 first, they would have a fundamental advantage—even if their stats and skills weren't as high.
"Alright, then let's gather materials for the metamorphosis chamber and build our clan territory!"
Luffy grinned and gave his wholehearted approval.
He was here for the adventure. The outcome didn't matter—he just wanted the journey to be exciting.
Robin, one of the few clear-headed minds in the crew, had suggested this plan at the perfect moment.
Pirate world players had only just arrived in this new realm. Their numbers were still small.
The Navy was tied up dealing with Konoha ninjas and couldn't monitor the activities of minor pirate crews.
The ninjas hadn't noticed them either.
Now was the perfect time for a little sneaky loot gathering!
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