Chapter 159: The Trial Tower Drops Equipment and Skills—A Treasure Island!
"Armor-piercing rounds!"
"Flaming Richie!"
On the edge of the first level of the Trial Tower's Death Island,
Restless wraiths roamed everywhere.
Buggy shook his flintlock, constantly firing armor-piercing dagger bullets with powerful penetration.
Beside him, his first mate lashed Richie with a whip.
The lion's body swelled in size, its thick mane igniting like a fiery collar—truly a ferocious sight.
The battle on Death Island was broadcast live.
Countless video Transponder Snails captured every detail, transmitting it to the entire world's major powers.
At Marine Headquarters,
A new meeting commenced just after the last one ended.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had already departed for the East Blue by warship.
The remaining admirals and vice admirals sat upright, watching the feed.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku wore a solemn expression.
"I'm ordering the East Blue branches: deploy all 2,000 video Transponder Snails and surround the Trial Tower.
Do your utmost to capture everything related to the island."
"Your job here is to analyze the strange abilities of those who've landed on it."
"I've already dispatched personnel to locate the scattered Contract Fruits in the East Blue.
Once recovered, we'll select suitable prisoners to test them."
Watching the burst of abilities—
Flames, lightning, vines—
Sengoku grew more and more uneasy.
These skills were similar to Devil Fruit powers, granting incredible strength in an instant.
However, Devil Fruits were extremely rare.
Though all three admirals possessed Logia Fruits,
And most top-ranking Marines were also Devil Fruit users,
Even among the Four Emperors, three wielded Fruits,
And many Warlords too.
It didn't mean Devil Fruits were common.
The Marines who had made a name for themselves
Were the elite among tens of thousands of ordinary people,
Talents who rose through brutal combat and bloodshed.
For them to find a Devil Fruit wasn't surprising.
But how many people like that existed across the seas?
So while Devil Fruits granted power, their rarity meant they were only a minor threat to the global order.
But the Contract Fruits were different.
According to reports from the East Blue,
Unlike rare Devil Fruits, the Game Merchant was distributing Contract Fruits recklessly and without restraint.
Every day in the East Blue, hundreds were finding them—gaining power.
There were slaves who used their skills to kill the captains transporting them for Celestial Dragons, seizing ships and becoming pirates.
There were commoners rebelling against the oppression of nobles, using skills to injure them throughout noble districts.
Sengoku's anger deepened.
"Ordinary pirates already pillage and murder, and after getting Contract Fruits, they become worse.
At least the Marines can still place bounties and hunt them down."
"But what about the slaves and commoners who've been lured into rebellion?"
"They're attacking nobles, resisting Celestial Dragons—
And this is becoming more frequent.
What do we do?"
His heart ached.
They used to ignore the silent slaves and oppressed civilians.
They pretended those things didn't exist.
But now, when the filth and rot had been ripped open,
Exposed right in front of them…
What then?
Ever since he was young, he'd adhered to the principle of "Commanding Justice"—
Executing the World Government's orders flawlessly,
Maintaining the fragile peace of the pirate world.
Though he pitied slaves and civilians,
He had never defied government orders.
Before now, the contradictions were manageable.
But with the appearance of the Contract Fruits and the Game Merchant,
Ordinary people were becoming restless,
Unwilling to obey anymore.
It was all the Game Merchant's fault!
His ambition and mysterious power
Were forcing the Marines to aim their guns at civilians.
In the future, preserving peace would inevitably mean violence and bloodshed.
"This criminal cannot be forgiven!"
Sengoku's voice trembled with grief and fury.
Just then—
A sharp-eyed vice admiral noticed something on Death Island near where the world noble Buggy-sama was located.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something's happening!"
The vice admiral pointed to the corner of the screen.
The video Transponder Snail's view shifted—
Zooming in on Buggy-sama's location.
Even the stunned expression on his face could be seen clearly.
"Die!"
His flintlock spat out ice bullets, freezing a large wraith.
Then Richie the flaming lion shattered it with a swipe of his paw.
A flicker of purple light spilled out.
Buggy ran forward and touched it.
Suddenly, a strangely shaped rifle materialized.
Its deep-blue barrel, exquisitely crafted chamber, and grip—
It looked like a piece of art, built through meticulous engineering.
Compared to his old flintlock, this was garbage vs. greatness.
[Inheritance: Aqua Spirit Rifle]—a level 5 purple weapon.
Not only did it inflict ice-type damage,
It also increased intelligence stats.
"Amazing… it's probably like your whip, Mohji."
Buggy hastily equipped the new rifle and tested two armor-piercing shots on wraiths.
Boom! Boom!
Low roars echoed from the gun—like beasts howling.
The power of the two shots blew the ghosts to bits.
Before, it had taken 7 or 8 armor-piercing shots to achieve the same effect.
"This thing's crazy! This is what Game gear is like?!"
Buggy was stunned, gently polishing the barrel.
If a level 5 purple weapon was this strong,
What about the level 15 purple one sitting in his backpack?
Laughing triumphantly, he shouted,
"Everyone, charge into the heart of Death Island!
The equipment, skills, and items all belong to Lord Buggy!"
Back at Marine Headquarters—
A vice admiral who specialized in firearms was stunned.
"The rifle that… Lord Buggy obtained—
Not even the Marine Science Division's most advanced weaponry can match it."
The pirate world was vast.
Some islands were primitive.
Others had cutting-edge tech.
Thanks to Vegapunk,
Marine weaponry had evolved from matchlocks to flintlocks,
And now into state-of-the-art kinetic energy weapons.
But compared to Buggy's new rifle,
Even their best gear looked like toys.
Sengoku frowned.
"Are you kidding, Vice Admiral?"
He wasn't a gun expert.
His strength lay in Devil Fruits and martial arts.
Though he could tell the rifle was powerful,
He didn't think it warranted such shock.
"I'm not joking, Fleet Admiral!"
The firearm expert was dead serious, eyes filled with longing.
He took a deep breath and explained:
"If it were just kinetic energy, we could catch up with Vegapunk's help. But…"
(To be continued)
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