Chapter 229: The Founding of Marine Headquarters
"What a strange technique… even I can't break free from this?"
In his Crimson Troll form, Whitebeard found himself momentarily unable to shake off the chains binding him.
With his power-sharing ability, the attributes of the Crimson Troll could draw on a portion of his crew's stats—
allowing him to temporarily rival even pure physical fighters like Garp.
Unfortunately,
the diamond chains Vice Admiral Tsuru had released were a one-time-use item,
functioning like a formation, powered by nearly ten thousand Marines.
This was a clear-cut advantage in numbers.
Boom.
The death energy converted from the dragon crystal ignited like a spark in a swamp, reconstructing the Soul Reaper Hall in an instant.
Amid the stunned and confused gazes of the players,
the Soul Reaper, supposedly in the process of revival, reformed his shadowy body with incredible speed.
"You insignificant—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
BOOM.
Another Apollo Bomb detonated.
[Congratulations, player [Marine Venom Dragon], on delivering the final blow to the Corrupted Lord. You have earned one reward draw!]
Moments later,
as players respawned from death for the second time, they finally realized the Navy's despicable scheme.
"Bastards! You're monopolizing the Corrupted Lord!"
"This is cheating! Is the Game Merchant just going to sit back and watch the Navy exploit the system?"
"No way they have a third Apollo Bomb!"
And then—
BOOM.
The Corrupted Lord died for the third time.
[Congratulations, player [Marine Aokiji], on delivering the final blow to the Corrupted Lord. You have earned one reward draw!]
BOOM.
BOOM.
[Congratulations, player [Marine Akainu], on delivering the final blow to the Corrupted Lord. You have earned one reward draw!]
[Congratulations, player [Marine Tsuru], on delivering the final blow to the Corrupted Lord. You have earned one reward draw!]
…
The constant explosions shook the world.
Amidst the Soul Reaper's roars of "You dare bully the dead too much," Death Island was finally laid to rest after being bombarded over and over.
All loot from the battle was gathered exclusively by the Navy.
"Four family tokens, a complete [Wraith Armor Set], two resurrection coins, fifteen Comprehension Pills, and reward points…"
The Navy forces withdrew en masse from Death Island and regrouped at Marine Headquarters.
Vice Admiral Tsuru tallied the spoils with satisfaction.
Including the first token they acquired, they now had five in total.
Enough to create the Navy's own family—and upgrade it to level 2 immediately.
"Tsuru, don't hesitate. Establish the Marine Headquarters Family now!"
Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
There was no way the pirates and the Revolutionary Army would let this slide.
Any delay might give them the opportunity to launch an assault.
"Understood."
Vice Admiral Tsuru raised the family token. Upon activation, the token soared into the sky, casting a light over the makeshift Marine base formed by linked warships.
[Marine Headquarters Family]
Family Level: 1
Family Emblem: None
Family Structures: Family Monument (destruction disbands family), Level 1 Family Wall
Family Head: Tsuru
Family Officers: None
Family Members: 1/200
Family Assets: 150,000 reward points
Most of the Navy's assets had been consumed—what remained was held by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
The current assets represented the value of the naval fleet itself.
"There are still four tokens. Let's upgrade."
Tsuru raised the tokens and communicated with the Family Monument.
[Consume 4 Family Tokens to upgrade family?]
"Yes."
The monument, once rooted at the center of the ship, rapidly grew dozens of meters taller—
becoming like a small mountain.
The family territory also expanded, allowing for the construction of more buildings.
[Upgrade complete. Level 2 Family Shop unlocked.]
Most importantly: the Family Shop.
It now sold all kinds of family-related goods—building blueprints, emblems, and more.
"Everyone's seen how powerful family emblems are. I suggest we use our assets to buy one."
After a moment of thought, Tsuru turned to the Navy's top brass.
"Agreed."
Smoker, Garp, and the others raised no objections.
Tsuru nodded. "The reward points from defeating the Soul Reaper—let's contribute them to the family pool."
She referred to the multiple Apollo Bombs.
They were financed by Marine Headquarters, so it was only natural that the rewards returned to it.
No one objected.
They were all tied to Marine Headquarters.
Only by making the Navy stronger could they secure a better future for themselves.
"Excellent. As a level 2 family, we can equip a level 2 family emblem."
Tsuru's heart was filled with anticipation.
Alabasta's level 1 emblem alone allowed its members to manipulate sand on par with pirates worth tens of millions.
What kind of power would a level 2 emblem grant?
Five level 1 emblems could be fused into one level 2 emblem.
Cost: 500,000 reward points.
Luckily, after killing the Corrupted Lord repeatedly, they had gained 700,000 points.
[Fusion successful. Congratulations! You've obtained Level 2 Family Emblem: [Giant's Strength]!]
A finely etched giant symbol appeared on the Family Monument.
Tsuru closed her eyes, and when she opened them again,
her slender frame had swelled dramatically.
If she hadn't rushed to the deck, she would've smashed through the cabin ceiling.
"I can transform into a giant?"
She looked at her massive fists in awe, then coated them with Armament Haki.
She swung down toward the sea—creating whirlpools dozens of meters wide.
"This isn't just appearance… I truly possess strength beyond even the average Giant!"
As she evaluated the power—
Garp suddenly became excited and jumped to punch her kneecap.
But Tsuru easily grabbed him mid-air. Only when Garp used his full combat strength did he finally break free.
"This emblem directly increases Strength by 20 points."
Tsuru shrank back to normal and revealed the shocking truth.
"You're kidding, Tsuru. My Strength is only 63, and that's after reaching Tier-1 peak! An emblem that boosts it by 20?!"
That was Garp speaking.
As a full-on physical fighter, even at his peak he had barely broken 60 in Strength.
Others looked on in disbelief.
Akainu's expression shifted. "I'm a magma mage. I don't get any Strength boosts."
His best stat was Constitution: 45.
Before the Reincarnation Game, anyone with a stat over 40 was considered top-tier.
Now the power ceiling had clearly been raised.
Tsuru's eyes gleamed.
"It's clear—the Reincarnation Game favors team-based mechanics.
That's why family bonuses are so powerful. And this is the Navy's biggest advantage!"
Just then—
a Marine ran across the chain-linked ships, his voice trembling as he reported:
"Report! Pirate Emperor Red-Haired Shanks… Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard… and the Revolutionary Leader Dragon… they're all approaching!"
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