Chapter 225: Besieging the Corrupted Lord
Sengoku, now fully aware of how important [Lord Equipment] was,
classified the matter as top secret and immediately dispatched an admiral candidate to G-8 Marine Fortress to establish contact with Vice Admiral Jonathan.
"Snatching gear from the Corrupted Lord is as important as obtaining the family token?"
Upon receiving the transmission from Marine Headquarters,
Vice Admiral Tsuru closed her eyes in thought. After a brief moment of contemplation, she roughly deduced the reason behind the decision.
"Borsalino, you're the fastest. You must intercept the loot the moment the Corrupted Monster falls."
"Redeem yourself."
She stressed the last words heavily.
The price paid to ransom Kizaru had nearly driven Sengoku into a coma from rage. Once he returned, Kizaru would definitely be scolded like never before.
Having been captured once, Kizaru was now far more subdued.
Being restrained despite relying on his Pika Pika no Mi had dealt a huge blow to his confidence and served as a wake-up call.
"What about Sakazuki?"
"I'm fine."
The Game Shop sold all sorts of basic consumables, including standard medicines and beginner gear.
Though they took up shelf slots and pushed players to refresh more often, they were essential—no one dared complain.
While Akainu's injuries had been healed,
his severed left leg had not regenerated. Basic [Life Recovery Potions] couldn't regrow limbs. Only Gene Therapy potions, like the one Whitebeard purchased, could do that.
And that would require refreshing a green gem to boost the success rate.
Akainu didn't waste military funds.
With his magma fruit, he could simply maintain his ability to substitute the missing limb. For now, it wouldn't impact combat.
"Good. Land on the island!"
…
"These wraiths are getting strong!"
"The Corrupted Lord uses these wraiths to spread its mist. We can't let them gather, or resurrection times will keep increasing!"
Ordinary players recalled what it was like the first time the Corrupted Lord was hunted.
Due to the thick miasma,
once they died, it took a full thirty minutes to revive.
Top-tier players could handle it, but the average player?
One area-of-effect skill from the Corrupted Lord would wipe them out—revive limits or not, they stood no chance without coordination.
Most regular players had mixed feelings.
Everyone wanted to kill the Corrupted Lord—even if they were weak, as long as they landed the final blow, they could claim a huge contribution bonus.
"Everyone stay sharp. Watch the Revolutionary Leader's movements. No other faction can be allowed to land the final hit!"
Smoker, a cigar clenched between his teeth, stood surrounded by a haze of violet-red mist.
Loot from the Corrupted Lord was awarded based on contribution, and without enough contribution, you couldn't pick up anything at all.
But the final blow?
It guaranteed nearly half of the [Hunting Contribution]—making it the most valuable act in the fight.
The battlefield had entered a stalemate.
Pirates, revolutionaries, and Marines worked in tacit coordination to eliminate the wraiths pouring from the Soul Reaper's hall—
but no one dared make the first move, for fear of handing the final kill to a rival.
"If no one's going to make a move, I guess I'll take the Lord's bounty myself…"
A wave of emerald flame sword energy erupted like a storm,
vaporizing every wraith in its path.
Hawkeye stepped forward,
one boot landing on the steps leading to the thousands of stairs that climbed to the top of the Soul Reaper's palace.
He raised his blade and unleashed a strike.
Ghostly green flames surged from within, capable of incinerating everything in their path.
With the [Emerald Sword Seed] inside his body pushed to the limit,
the cold merged with heat until the air around him visibly distorted.
"Try out my new move!"
As the sky-darkening emerald flames surged toward the palace, a phantom form began to take shape.
The flames solidified—becoming a massive, towering being with the face of an ox and sharp twin horns that slammed into the hall.
Emerald Flame: Ox-Headed Ghost General!
Over the past few weeks, Hawkeye had cashed in reward points relentlessly—even sold off his island home on Kuraigana Island—
and finally unlocked the follow-up techniques of the [Emerald Sword Arts].
His inner sword seed now resonated with the underworld, imbuing his strikes with spiritual essence.
All things have spirit. By sensing and integrating the spirit hidden within the world into one's sword moves, one could nurture a complete sword seed—
the key to breaking through to a higher realm of swordsmanship.
BOOM!
The Soul Reaper's palace trembled.
Two giant holes were ripped into the ornate structure, and the dark mist began to leak out.
Two deep wounds appeared on the Lord's chest, oozing black, viscous miasma.
"His sword strike summoned a monster?! What kind of power is that?!"
"He doesn't even have a Devil Fruit! How can a swordsman be this broken?!"
The players were stunned—
especially those who had studied pirate-style swordsmanship for decades.
The scene shook them to the core.
Everyone had worked to master flying slashes—
and here was Mihawk, directly stepping into a xianxia fantasy level?
Who could accept that?
"Can someone tell me which technique Mihawk exchanged for?"
"Don't bother. I got the Sword Seed and a combo manual. Haven't even scratched the surface yet."
The bald-headed swordsman Bonis, whose body was covered in blades, spoke with a blank expression.
As a top assassin of Baroque Works,
and the user of the Quick Slash Fruit, he was considered naturally talented. But even he couldn't make progress with the techniques.
"Not my concern!"
Zoro clenched the hilt between his teeth, eyes wide with awe at Mihawk's display—
but also shining with renewed determination.
The ghostly figure floating behind him sensed his emotional shift and let out a shrill screech.
He would envy no one's path.
He had his own swordsmanship—one that was unique and invincible.
And he had absolute faith that he would one day stand atop the summit.
Mihawk… would be the one he surpassed.
"Move in!"
The blazing emerald flames seemed to signal the start of the assault.
The various factions could wait no longer and surged toward the Soul Reaper's hall.
Tens of thousands of players now surrounded the Corrupted Lord and his palace.
"Fist Bone: Lightning Dance!"
Garp clenched his fists and shattered a wraith in front of him,
then blinked from point to point, breaking another with every strike until he reached the palace gates.
"Toxic Fog Giant: Flame Judgement!"
Smoker let out a thunderous roar.
Combining blood venom and flame poison, he created a giant, armored Toxic General.
Every step he took caused the ground to quake.
Toxic fumes rose from his massive footprints, making it impossible to approach.
The Navy's top two combatants launched a head-on assault—each aiming to finish the fight in one blow.
"Charge! We can't let the Navy get the last hit!"
"We can revive if we die. Even if it costs us our lives, take a bite out of that Corrupted Lord!"
Players poured forward, wave after wave,
weapons raised, skills unleashed, slamming into the Corrupted Lord from all sides.
The lure was too great.
Everyone wanted a piece of the prize.
Even ordinary players without the assets to build families knew—
if they snagged a family token fragment, they could sell it for an astronomical price.
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