"No."
Fenric rejected her without hesitation.
What kind of nonsense—trying to form an alliance with him?
"Don't be so quick to refuse! I really am beautiful. As long as you're willing to take me along, I can fly to your city anytime," she said flirtatiously.
Fenric: "..."
Faced with someone so shameless, Fenric simply closed his eyes and pretended not to see her.
The "princess" chattered a few more times, but seeing that Shura completely ignored her, she finally gave up—albeit reluctantly.
Fenric had still underestimated how low some people could go.
Many were willing to do anything to become stronger, even abandoning their dignity and morals. For this "princess" to have made it to the Third Stage, she had clearly been carried the whole way. As for what she paid in return—only she knew.
In the following minutes, more Samsara players arrived.
Ten minutes before the start of the mission, the Samsara system sealed the passage, stopping any further entries.
"Attention, all Samsara players. The mission world teleportation will commence in 10 minutes."
By then, nearly 150 people had gathered in the white room.
In these final ten minutes, people clustered into small groups, discussing their plans in hushed tones. Clearly, alliances had already formed.
Of course, there were still a number of lone wolves—like Fenric.
He noticed many eyes quietly sizing him up.
Fenric sneered inwardly. Whatever intentions these people had, if they dared make a move on him, he wouldn't hesitate to send them straight to hell.
Time passed.
Ten minutes slipped by quickly.
The system's voice echoed again:
"Teleportation countdown starting—10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1!"
When the countdown ended, everyone in the white room was enveloped in red light and vanished.
"Please choose your faction!"
"Option 1: Pirate Camp"
"Option 2: Navy Camp"
Note: This is a major dungeon world. Faction selection is final and cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.
In a burst of red light, all participants received the same prompt.
Fenric chose the pirate faction, according to his prior plan.
Right after choosing, a virtual interface appeared in front of him.
Displayed was a character model—a one-eyed pirate with a brutish build.
"Player 'Shura', this is your default image in this world. If unsatisfied, please make adjustments promptly."
Hearing the system's voice, Fenric immediately began to customize the appearance.
The first thing he removed was the Cyclops eye!
It was far too conspicuous—and obviously villainous. That kind of appearance would only complicate his plans later on.
After some tweaking, Fenric transformed his avatar into a simple, honest-looking burly man. He was satisfied with the results.
He only altered his appearance—everything else remained default.
The system-generated name for his new identity was "Mundo," which Fenric accepted without modification.
And just like that—
Fenric's new identity in the One Piece world was established.
"Identity confirmed. Good luck!"
With that, the red light faded from Fenric's vision.
When his surroundings became clear again, he found himself inside a dilapidated cabin.
The place was a mess. The air smelled foul. There were leaks everywhere, and the ship looked like it might sink at any moment.
"Oi! Mundo, get up! We've docked!"
A skinny man came over, sharp-faced with monkey-like features and squinty eyes. He didn't look like a decent fellow.
As Fenric got up, the man grinned and said, "You promised me, remember? After we land, you'll buy me a bottle of good rum! Let's go! I wanna sing today!"
Fenric, now appearing simple and honest, smiled warmly: "Sure, but first, tell me—where's the nearest navy base?"
The man's face changed. "Hey hey hey, Mundo, are you still half-asleep? You're a pirate, remember? Why are you looking for the navy?"
"Tell me where to find them and I'll get you your rum."
"Alright, alright! I don't know what kind of madness you're on, but if you head east, you should reach Marineford before nightfall. That's the navy headquarters—navy everywhere!"
Fenric nodded and disembarked.
"Hey, my rum! Don't forget!" the skinny man shouted behind him.
After coming ashore, Fenric headed east without pause. Before long, he could see the distant silhouette of Marineford Island.
The skinny guy had been wrong—Fenric reached it in just three hours, not needing to wait until dark.
With his current agility, Fenric could run as fast as a speeding car.
He had now changed his clothes, appearing like a tall but unremarkable country bumpkin.
The area where he stood was a small port town.
From here, Marineford Island could be clearly seen.
That island—home of the Navy Headquarters—was Fenric's next target.
But first...
He needed to assume a new identity.
After wandering around town and quietly observing his surroundings, Fenric took everything in.
Due to the town's proximity to Marineford, it was crawling with navy personnel. And because of the navy's presence, the town remained peaceful and lively—completely untouched by pirate activity.
At this moment, Fenric's choice of a "kindly villager" appearance paid off.
The navy soldiers walking past didn't give him a second glance.
If he had kept the one-eye pirate look, there's no way he would've blended in so easily.
On several walls, he noticed navy recruitment posters.
Today just happened to be the last day!
Fenric made his way to the recruiting station—but didn't go in to apply.
Even a fool knew that navy recruitment involved basic identity checks. At minimum, they'd ask for registration records and documentation.
This was what Fenric lacked.
So, he wasn't there to apply...
He was there to steal someone's place.
Before long, Fenric had locked onto his target—a simple, honest-looking young man who bore a remarkable resemblance to him.
The man had just left the recruitment office, smiling brightly. He had clearly been accepted.
He walked briskly, eager to share the good news with his aunt.
But he didn't know...
Behind him, a devil was quietly watching.