Chapter 266: Leaving the One Piece World
"Understood."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded in agreement, then continued her report. "Contract Fruits are becoming increasingly rare."
"We've already assembled all Navy personnel with detection-type classes into a [Contract Recovery Corps], patrolling the Four Seas and the Grand Line to locate Contract Fruits."
To be precise,
it wasn't that the number of Contract Fruits had decreased—there were never many to begin with.
Previously, due to game events, the Game Merchant had placed most of them in the East Blue, and since no one realized their importance back then, they were casually picked up.
Now, however, the Game Merchant had left the East Blue.
The total number of Contract Fruits hadn't changed, but they were now scattered randomly across the Grand Line and the Four Seas.
With a larger search area, finding them had become far more difficult.
Moreover, because of the global broadcasts via Den Den Mushi, everyone now desperately wanted a Contract Fruit.
Anyone who got one would eat it immediately.
Unlike Devil Fruits,
which came with the drawback of losing the ability to swim, and the gamble of potentially eating a useless one—
many pirates and merchants would hesitate and end up selling them.
But a Contract Fruit came with no downsides.
Completing a contract mission meant becoming a Player, and from then on, one could grow stronger simply by hunting Corrupted monsters.
Nobody would be foolish enough to sell one.
Thus, all factions now found it far harder to secure Contract Fruits.
"You've done well. We must maintain our numerical advantage in Navy players,"
Sengoku nodded in approval.
Unlike Garp—who seemed to have a brain filled with snacks and only knew how to swing his qilin arm around looking for fights—
Tsuru truly understood his thinking and priorities.
The Navy currently had 10,500 registered Players.
Roughly 30% of all players in the One Piece world.
That sounded like a lot,
but according to the Game Intelligence Division, the Game Merchant released around 3,000 Contract Fruits each month.
And every faction with an established guild received two guaranteed fruits monthly.
Elite monsters in the Purgatory map also had a chance to drop Contract Fruit fragments.
It wouldn't be long before the Navy's player advantage evaporated.
They needed to use this window wisely to secure the Navy's dominance in the game.
"There's one more thing."
Tsuru added, "We've found the real use for the Soul Harvester's Lord Equipment set."
"Oh?"
Sengoku's eyes lit up.
The Navy had paid a hefty price in the fight against the Soul Harvester.
Though they'd acquired the purple-grade Lord gear, they hadn't understood its use yet—
they'd simply equipped it on Smoker for the time being.
Sure, it boosted his strength somewhat, but compared to the cost, it didn't feel worth it.
"One of our Vice Admirals killed a red-haired Yaksha and got this item."
Tsuru opened her inventory and traded the item to Sengoku.
[Defense Tower Blueprint (Green)]:
Consumes materials to construct a Defense Tower on Guild Territory, which automatically attacks invading enemies.
"A Defense Tower?"
Sengoku was stunned. "You mean the Lord Gear is used as a material to build these towers?"
"Exactly."
Tsuru nodded. "Building a Defense Tower requires tons of materials—things like Yin Crystals and Purgatory Flowers, all from Corrupted monsters."
"But one fixed material is always required: Lord Equipment."
"And depending on the gear's properties, the tower's abilities will differ."
The tower's abilities corresponded to the powers of the Lord it came from.
The Navy's [Soul Harvester Set], for example, if used to build a tower, would likely replicate some of the Soul Harvester's skills.
"A Defense Tower that uses Soul Harvester skills…"
Sengoku's breathing quickened.
Back during the raid, the early stages had been easy,
but once the Soul Harvester unleashed its true strength, it was like a walking calamity.
Fear Grasp, Death Scythe, Funeral of Shadows—each skill could wipe out thousands.
Even top-tier players had to give it their all to survive.
Now, with just one tower,
the Navy could possess such firepower?
"How much to build one?" Sengoku asked the key question.
"Estimated at 300,000 reward points."
Tsuru gave a conservative figure.
If word got out, and Revolutionary or Pirate players started driving up material prices, it might cost even more.
"That's fine. Send Akainu to handle it."
Sengoku took a deep breath and reluctantly gave the order.
300,000 reward points was enough to create a top-tier player. Of course it hurt.
But compared to the power of such a tower, it was a small price to pay.
Tsuru added, "Gear dropped from Commander-class monsters can also be used to build weaker towers. They're not as powerful, but still useful."
"No matter."
Sengoku waved his hand. "We're the only ones with Lord gear. Once that tower is up—
not even Shanks could break through, let alone everyone else combined. The Navy will be untouchable."
"Yes, sir."
—
Inside the Game House,
Fang Yi had just sent off Gecko Moria, and chuckled.
"The One Piece world's players are finally on track, heading for the New World."
The current situation had stabilized.
Of the original Four Emperors, only Whitebeard remained.
Totland's queen, Big Mom,
missed her chance to seize the Reincarnation Game's power and was turned into a sacrificial warning by Sengoku.
She was baited into the seas near Marineford and—
in one blast from the Navy's newly constructed [Soul Harvester Defense Tower]—
hundreds of her ships and an entire island were obliterated.
The critically injured Big Mom was captured on the spot,
her crew scattered.
Totland, now leaderless, was quickly devoured by hungry pirates.
Thus,
the terrifying power and range of the Defense Tower became known.
Factions scrambled to build their own, and a general consensus emerged—
never fight the Navy near Marineford.
Meanwhile, the Adventurer Guild began to rise.
Unlike the tightly organized Navy or Revolutionary Army, it served more as a spiritual banner.
Led by Shanks, it promoted the spirit of adventure, urging countless people to set sail and defy fate.
"The noble factions of the Four Seas, the Revolutionary Army, the Navy, the World Government, and all the great pirates…"
Fang Yi sighed. "The complexity of the One Piece world far surpasses that of the Shinobi World."
And that was a good thing.
The more tangled and fragmented a world was,
the harder it was for them to unite and stall progress.
Once they entered the New World, competition would naturally accelerate the game's growth.
Fang Yi had grown displeased with the Shinobi World.
Despite having months of head start, they were still stuck due to political gridlock and mutual distrust.
Not a single Tier 2 player had emerged.
Fine, then.
When the One Piece players overtook them, they'd have no one to blame but themselves.
"Master, shall we head to the Naruto World next?"
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