Chapter 285: Ambushed Navy and Ninjas — Is Orochimaru the Culprit?
At this moment,
Within the danger zone covered by the Sea of Sky, the Navy Headquarters and Konoha's ninjas were frantically searching for commander-class monsters.
In a monster lair that had been completely upturned,
The [Bombardier Karg], protected by layers of enchanted magical armor, was furiously throwing powerful explosives.
Boom boom boom!
Continuous explosions blasted apart the Navy's orderly formation.
"Damn it!"
Kuzan clenched his jaw as he watched Navy soldiers get injured.
He wielded a magical ice bow radiating biting cold and fired arrow after arrow of chilling frost.
The magic-armored [Exterminators] shattered under the relentless assault of ice arrows.
Yet even when only their iron gauntlets remained, those remnants still raised heavy axes and lunged toward the Navy soldiers in a desperate final attack.
Bombardier Karg wasn't the real threat—
It was the Exterminator Legion that made him difficult to deal with.
"Ice Dragon Dance!"
Kuzan took a deep breath and raised his hands.
The temperature around them plummeted. White frost visibly crystallized in the air, followed by two immense cyclones of ice spiraling into the sky.
Giant ice pillars rotated, scattering countless razor-sharp ice shards that screamed through the air.
They looked like two great white dragons dancing.
The entire Exterminator Legion was swallowed by the twin dragons. Their magic-infused armor was ripped to pieces, shredded into ice shards the size of thumbnails.
"Now's the time!"
Kuzan, now unable to move while controlling the dragons, barked at the two nearby Vice Admirals.
He didn't need to say more—
Anyone capable of becoming a Vice Admiral had excellent battle instincts. Even before Kuzan's order finished, they had already leapt into action.
Bang!
But the expected sight of Bombardier Karg being decapitated never came.
Instead, both Vice Admirals were impaled through the chest by a single white bone spear before they could even get close to the commander-class monster.
"Who's there?!"
Kuzan's eyes narrowed sharply.
The twin ice dragons vanished instantly, and his magic ice bow reappeared in his hand—ready to save his comrades.
But before he could release his arrows—
The bone spear emitted a faint violet-black glow, and an aura of chilling evil burst forth.
The two struggling Vice Admirals were instantly drained of life, their bodies shriveling into dried husks.
Crack.
Their remains hit the ground just as the Bombardier Karg's head was lopped off by the unseen attacker.
[You have slain Bombardier Karg (Commander-class). Rewards: 50,000 Reward Points, 50,000 EXP, Karg's corpse x1, Socket Gem Fragment x1]
"So this is a Navy Admiral. Thank you kindly for your generous assistance."
A raspy laugh echoed from a figure cloaked in a black magical robe—Orochimaru.
Before Kuzan could strike—
Orochimaru raised his necromancer's staff. A black coffin erupted from the ground.
"Don't even think about running!"
He'd killed two of their men, stolen their kill—and now he was trying to just leave?
Kuzan exploded with fury.
A white shockwave burst from him, a manifestation of space starting to freeze under the sheer cold.
The dark eye at his chest was turning pure white.
"Ice Secret Art: Spatial Freeze!"
Kuzan's most powerful technique. It reached into the realm of spatial manipulation—freezing space itself at absolute zero.
It could interrupt any space-based abilities.
"A Frost Mage? Impressive... Not something a typical player could achieve."
Orochimaru's golden eyes glowed with fascination.
He muttered, "Even if you weren't a player, you'd likely be one of your world's most powerful ice users."
These pirate players were turning out to be quite the delightful surprise.
A green-haired one fit to become an undead swordmaster… and now an admiral perfect to be turned into an ice-wielding undead.
"Hand over the commander's corpse, and I'll let you live."
Kuzan's brow furrowed.
The loss of Reward Points and EXP was painful, but what mattered most was the commander-class corpse—needed to exchange for a key.
"Hiss… What an interesting Admiral. Unfortunately, ice can't bind me."
Orochimaru hissed like a serpent, voice chilling.
Boom!
The ground trembled. Shadows blanketed the area.
The space that had just been frozen cracked apart, as if spiderwebs split the air itself.
A colossal snake burst through the canopy, coiling like a mountain in front of the Navy forces.
Its golden eyes glowed like twin evil suns, casting a suffocating, icy pressure on all beneath it.
Each of its scales was large enough to cover an entire Navy battalion.
"A snake…?"
Even Kuzan, a battle-hardened Admiral, stood frozen in place and unconsciously swallowed hard.
It was clear now—
This mountain-sized snake was the one who had ambushed and stolen the commander-class kill.
And its power… was overwhelming.
Sensing its undead aura, Kuzan knew—even if he gave everything he had, he might not survive.
"I'd love to make you my friend… but not yet."
Orochimaru's raspy voice echoed.
Transformed into the [Necrocurse Serpent], he could unleash true Tier-2 power.
He could wipe out the entire Navy squad within minutes.
But he didn't.
He merely shattered the frozen space and slipped into the summoned black coffin—vanishing.
"Is he planning to ambush other Navy squads now?"
Within moments, cold sweat trickled down Kuzan's back.
He realized Orochimaru's intent and sprinted toward the other Navy units.
Their clan territory wasn't established yet—
So the family communication channel wasn't available. He had to use Reward Points to open the pay-per-word friend chat system.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Tsuru received the alert immediately.
"A suspected ninja player… ambushed and stole a commander-class kill? Strong enough that you couldn't stop him?"
"That's terrifying, Kuzan."
"Damn those lying ninjas! We don't need to hold back anymore!"
Sakazuki was the last to speak.
Like a magma artillery turret, he scorched the surrounding forest and valleys red-hot.
Flames blazed. The air sizzled.
Upon hearing the kill was stolen, he was like a lit powder keg—charging straight toward the nearest ninja unit.
"There's movement."
Naruto, leading a team of ninja players, suddenly sensed a turbulent aura rapidly approaching.
Before he could react—
The treetops above exploded. Molten fists of lava rained down like a storm.
"It's the Navy—they've launched an attack!"
A sensory-type ninja flared his chakra. His pale white Byakugan pierced the forest canopy.
He spotted Sakazuki, Navy cap and all, rushing toward them at blazing speed.
"These people are seriously unreasonable… No wonder Luffy said he hates the Navy."
Golden flames of battle aura burst from Naruto.
He raised his massive sword and slashed at the sky—
Waves of golden energy blasted away the falling magma. Burnt debris showered down.
"Treacherous ninja! Did you steal our commander-class kill?!"
Sakazuki's voice was cold, his gaze fixed on the golden figure leading the group.
"Steal it?"
Naruto frowned. "None of us took anything from the Navy. Isn't there some kind of—"
He wasn't one for violence.
If he could resolve this with words, he would prefer that.
"Die, blond brat!"
Sakazuki didn't give him a chance.
He slammed both hands to the ground—
Magma Hell!
Molten rock surged across the forest, painting everything red. The entire area was swallowed by fiery flow.
The ground cracked and melted.
Radiant Sun Shield!
Naruto plunged his sword into the magma-scorched earth.
Golden flames rose like a miniature sun, shielding all nearby ninjas behind a brilliant shield of light.
Heat, corrosion, lava—
All of it was blocked.
Magma Weapons of Hell!
Sakazuki raised his hands.
The lava walls twisted, forming chains, shackles, and flaming whips.
Then came magma-forged soldiers, gripping these weapons, encircling the ninja force.
He wasn't acting on impulse.
Quite the opposite—Sakazuki was thinking clearly.
As soon as he got Kuzan's message, he assessed whether Konoha's ninjas were really responsible.
The likelihood was low.
They might have done it, but it was unlikely.
Such an action would provoke full-scale internal conflict—no one would benefit. And that blonde female ninja didn't seem like someone who misjudged situations.
But—
Sakazuki grinned cruelly. Did it matter if Konoha had done it or not?
This was a perfect excuse to eliminate part of their force and weaken them.
Even if Konoha wasn't responsible, he would still strike without hesitation.
Because if the Navy, already slightly weaker in top-tier power, lost a second commander-class kill—
They'd never get the key first.
So the best move was to weaken Konoha now.
And his target—
Was the golden figure clearly guarded at the center of the ninja formation: Naruto Uzumaki.
Clearly, someone important.
Securing the greatest possible benefit for the Navy, even through ruthlessness and infamy—
That was Admiral Akainu's justice.
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