Chapter 204: News of Red-Haired and Whitebeard
"The price?"
Saint Imu's voice was hoarse.
No matter how deep her desire, she remained rational. She remembered clearly what the Game Merchant had said about equivalent exchange.
To become a god, surely a tremendous cost must be paid.
However—
She wasn't worried.
She was the ruler of the pirate world, the supreme authority of the World Government. She could mobilize all the Marines and command nearly two hundred allied nations...
If she so desired, she could exchange half the world to fulfill her wish.
"Diluted divine bloodline, two hundred and fifty thousand reward points."
Fang Yi kindly opened her personal Game Room remotely.
"For purple-grade bloodlines, choose the Chronicles of Deification exchange system. With your assets, it shouldn't be hard to refresh one."
"Of course, you could also use the [Game Merchant's Violet Gift] to redeem one directly."
Across the myriad realms, there were countless divine races.
Essentially, they were beings born blessed by the universe, naturally possessing dense Origin—or even fragments of the world itself.
Most of the gods from Chronicles of Deification were not even among the strongest—more like humans with special bloodlines.
So the price for exchanging such blood wasn't outrageous.
But it wasn't cheap either.
Regular players couldn't afford it.
Even after hunting corrupted monsters, most would spend their points on gear and skills.
Only those with extreme patience—steel-willed grinders hunting for months without rest—could afford high-tier bloodlines.
"Only a diluted divine bloodline?"
Imu was displeased.
Divine bloodlines contained ancient wisdom and hidden secrets, as well as unique types of divine power that could be awakened through revelation—granting extraordinary abilities.
What she cared about even more was:
Divine blood represented status.
The purer the blood, the higher the rank.
As the self-proclaimed master of the pirate world, Imu was not satisfied with something diluted. She wanted blood closest to the ancient gods.
"That's right."
Fang Yi nodded.
"Even diluted divine blood is already at the limit of what the pirate world can handle."
"Only when your lifeform tier undergoes transformation and reaches Tier 2 can you handle more refined divine bloodlines."
In the New World—the dark, corrupted Arad continent—Fang Yi had prepared the Tier 2 battlefield.
Once pirate players conquered two Tier 1 corrupted fragments, they would unlock the new world map, like the ninja world had.
Originally, the Ninja World players should have rooted themselves in the Arad continent by now, delving into the corrupted depths.
But when Fang Yi checked in,
he saw they were stuck in a delicate balance—each side holding the other back, afraid one would reach Tier 2 first.
They were pouring resources into new players instead, boosting overall numbers to prevent any single faction from advancing too quickly.
"If this continues, they'll spiral into internal conflict."
Fang Yi wasn't worried though.
Let them squabble for now.
When the pirates arrived in the New World,
the clash of cultures and ideologies would force the ninja factions to drop their grudges and unite.
Just like how Uchiha Madara once nearly destroyed the world.
"I'd like to exchange for the diluted divine bloodline first."
Imu's reply came through the robot's mechanical voice.
The surrounding crowd was stunned.
No one had expected even Imu, the ruler of the world, to turn to the Game Merchant for items.
The noble faction breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Especially the Goa Kingdom nobles, led by Oteluk—their eyes sparkled, wild ideas flashing through their minds.
They still remembered vividly the last time a Celestial Dragon visited the Goa Kingdom.
Back then, nobles, commoners—even the king—had to kneel in worship of the supposed descendants of the creators.
But now—
The Revolutionary Army had stripped the World Government bare, exposing the lack of sanctity behind the mask.
The nobles… were starting to stir.
"Damn… even a crumbling World Government still has terrifying wealth."
Dragon looked grim.
His Wind Dragon bloodline was similar in grade to a diluted divine bloodline—nearly draining all of the Revolutionary Army's liquid assets.
And yet Imu purchased it without hesitation.
The difference in resources… was staggering.
Suddenly—
Several Sea Kings burst from the ocean, their massive bodies crashing toward nearby Marine warships.
"Huge beasts… terrifying indeed."
A beam of golden light hung in the air,
solidifying into Borsalino.
He pursed his lips in mock surprise at the Sea Kings erupting from the water.
Arms crossed, he formed his signature pose—
Yasakani no Magatama!
Countless radiant light bullets fired, piercing through the Sea Kings' bodies.
The towering creatures collapsed into the sea, the resulting waves rocking nearby Marine vessels.
"Borsalino!"
"Garp the Iron Fist, the Warden of Impel Down, and now even Admiral Kizaru has come to the East Blue…"
Marines shaken by the Sea Kings' ambush had barely begun to breathe easy—
And then they saw who had arrived.
Their relief turned to dread.
Another Admiral.
Was Marine Headquarters deploying all of its forces?
Who was next? Aokiji? Akainu?
The Island of Death would be sealed for five days.
Without the Reincarnation Game's respawn mechanics,
which pirate crew could possibly escape the Admirals?
Elsewhere—
Magellan, suffering from a bout of diarrhea, turned his head from the toilet toward the Den Den Mushi on the wall.
"Poison is tricky, sure… but I didn't go to the East Blue!"
He paused, frowning.
Then his gaze landed on the Marine standing confidently on the deck—a white-haired man puffing on a cigar.
Smoker.
Magellan's face turned blue. He stomped.
"You idiotic pirates will regret this! I'm the real Poison Man!"
Damn you, Smoker!
...
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"Kizaru."
Borsalino ended the battle and landed gracefully on Tsuru's warship.
She glanced at the panicked pirate crews and nodded in satisfaction.
The arrival of Admiral Kizaru had clearly shaken them.
With his reputation for speed, if he wanted to—none of them would escape.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's latest order:
Under no circumstances are we to clash with the Game Merchant."
Tsuru's tone was serious.
Her original orders were to probe the Game Merchant's strength.
But after everything that had happened—those orders were now obsolete.
"At all costs, surpass the pirates and the Revolutionary Army. Seize the corrupted source!"
That was Sengoku's final command.
"Sounds like a hassle. These guys are all monsters…"
Kizaru scanned the surroundings lazily.
His gaze landed on the Arlong Pirates, the Krieg Pirates…
"Such fearsome pirates from the East Blue…" he said with a pout.
Tsuru rubbed her forehead and changed the subject.
"With your speed, you should've arrived with me. Why were you late?"
She was curious.
Borsalino looked uneasy.
"The East Blue event attracted some really dangerous pirates.
I had to take a detour around them."
"Who?"
"Beast Pirates—King the Wildfire.
Red-Haired Pirates.
Whitebeard Pirates…"
Kizaru counted them off on his fingers, trying to recall which flags he'd seen.
"Red-Haired and Whitebeard?"
Tsuru's expression changed.
"From those crews, who came? Limejuice and Beckman? Phoenix Marco?"
She listed the deputy commanders of the Four Emperors.
Especially Marco the Phoenix—whose strength rivaled an Admiral.
With high mobility and healing powers, he was notoriously difficult to deal with.
"None of them."
Kizaru shook his head.
Tsuru breathed a little easier.
If the Four Emperors' top officers were in the East Blue, the Marines wouldn't be able to act freely.
"It was the entire Red-Haired and Whitebeard crews."
Kizaru added casually.
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