Chapter 178: Ideological Clash in the Pirate World
"The nine floors of the Trial Tower each seal a part of the Soul Reaper's limbs and internal organs. For the Soul Reaper to forcibly appear on the first floor is a violation of the game's rules."
"To maintain fairness in the game…"
Fang Yi lightly tapped a finger on the center of the Island of Death.
The Soul Reaper, whose aura had reached its peak just moments ago, suddenly weakened.
Chains wrapped tightly around his limbs and torso, suppressing his presence to its initial state.
"With this, the difficulty of hunting the Lord-tier boss returns to normal."
Nine chains in total—one for each limb and organ. Every time the Soul Reaper is slain by players, one chain will break, and his power will increase. After eight defeats, he will finally be able to unleash his full strength.
Moreover, every death of the Soul Reaper yields a reward drop.
This gives players time to grow between battles.
Ah Fu frowned. "But with such short intervals, players don't have enough time to grow."
The Soul Reaper revives in less than two days after being killed by players.
In two short days, it's impossible for them to become stronger.
Fang Yi nodded in agreement. "If by 'growth' you mean hunting wraiths, then yes—it's not enough."
Trying to rack up enough reward points through ghost hunts in just two days to upgrade skills and gear? Unrealistic.
But Fang Yi had never intended for them to grow that way.
After all, there's another way to become stronger.
Pay to win.
A simple, low-difficulty, fast-results method for gaining power.
Now it was just a matter of seeing how much each faction in the pirate world was willing to invest in this boss battle.
—
"The Lord monster's aura has weakened… was that the Game Merchant's doing?"
Dragon's breath came heavy.
He had felt the suffocating pressure the Soul Reaper emitted when he got close—so intense it made him want to kneel.
It was only the roar of defiance from deep within his body that allowed him to stay standing.
And yet this terrifying creature had been sealed in the Trial Tower, like some kind of toy or wager, by the Game Merchant.
Moreover,
to suppress the Soul Reaper's aura so effortlessly—this was clearly a world apart from the Navy's hard-fought struggle against Golden Lion.
—
"The Soul Reaper is backed by the corrupted faction [Yin Cao Underworld], which includes the Ten Kings of Hell, the Four Ghost Emperors, and the Lords of the Eighteen Hells…"
Fang Yi looked calmly at the Soul Reaper, who was struggling futilely against the binding chains.
Both were second-tier corrupted beings, but while a wandering soul mage like Salina was among the weakest,
the Soul Reaper, tied to the Yin Cao Underworld, was leagues stronger—so potent that his mere presence could suppress all tier-1 players inhabiting game bodies.
On the flip side,
if slain, the amount of Origin Energy Fang Yi would receive would be extremely substantial.
—
"He's terrifying… are we really supposed to fight something like that?"
Some Marines and pirates began trembling before the Soul Reaper's aura, already thinking of retreat.
It was a fear no one could resist.
It came from the Underworld—an essence that stripped away life. Pure death. Pure Yin energy.
Especially since—
most pirate players weren't yet familiar with the resurrection system. Unlike the shinobi world players, who had spent days immersed in the game, fully trusting its revive mechanics.
To them, the fear of death was still very real.
—
"A trap?!"
The chained Soul Reaper first looked shocked, then radiated icy killing intent.
"To dare deceive a Soul Reaper of the Yin Cao Underworld—do you want this world to be annihilated?!"
He had conquered countless worlds, most of which feared the Underworld like a plague. Some didn't even dare to dream of resistance.
And yet this weak world—the pirate world—had dared lure him into a confrontation?
He glanced around and frowned.
He had activated his [Aura of Terror], a hallmark of the Underworld's envoys and one of the greatest techniques bestowed by the Ghost Emperors.
Its activation should have thrown all life into paralyzing fear, with only the most iron-willed able to resist.
And yet…
the humans before him—these lowly ants—while afraid, still retained clarity of mind.
"Could they belong to another force? But they don't have a trace of corruption…"
He couldn't understand it.
—
"The reason Reincarnation Game can go toe-to-toe with corrupted worlds is because of one thing—absolutely pure Origin-crafted creations."
Fang Yi gently rocked in his game room's chair, completely at ease.
In most worlds, when trying to wield Origin, all creations were weakened versions—overpowered within their own realm but nerfed the moment they entered another due to local world rules.
This ensured that the world's consciousness could always pull back its Origin if needed, avoiding foreign invasion or consumption.
So short-sighted.
But Fang Yi's rewards, items, equipment, and skills were all perfect Origin-grade constructs—unhindered by world laws, always at their peak.
The Soul Reaper's Aura of Terror?
A nerfed skill.
That's why it couldn't crush the players outright.
—
[System Notice: Every time you defeat the Lord-tier monster, you will receive a reward.]
Smoker, shaking off the last of his fear, looked grim.
The Soul Reaper's oppressive aura was even stronger than a full-powered Marine Admiral. It transcended life itself.
That kind of presence was unbearable.
"Vice Admiral Garp."
Smoker turned to the strongest Marine currently on the island. "I'll take command of four branch squads and intercept the Revolutionary Army. You go probe the Lord monster's strength."
Now, while the Soul Reaper was weakened by the chains, was the Navy's best shot.
They couldn't let the Revolutionaries steal the lead.
—
"You think you can stop me? Do you even have the strength?"
The Revolutionaries weren't intimidated by the Navy.
Ivankov and Inazuma stepped forward, leading a squad of Revolutionaries into battle with Smoker's men.
Poisonous mist clashed with Holy Light.
Razor-sharp scissors met Smoker's toxic shadow needles.
Before the Soul Reaper even moved, the players were already at war.
It wasn't just Marines versus Revolutionaries.
Nobles, pirates—none of them wanted anyone else to reach the Soul Reaper first.
—
"Master, what now?"
Ah Fu looked anxiously at the chaotic battlefield.
"It seems the factions in the pirate world are even more volatile and irreconcilable than those of the shinobi world."
Fang Yi sighed as he watched the skirmishes unfold. "In the ninja world, wars stem from resource scarcity. Villages may hate each other, but they'll cooperate when there's a chance to fight for resources."
Just like when Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Konoha joined forces to hunt the Ghost General.
Despite constant wars between the Five Great Ninja Villages, they still had cooperative Chunin Exams and shared mission systems.
But pirates? No chance.
World Nobles, kingdom nobles, Marines, pirates, Revolutionaries, civilians, slaves…
They didn't lack resources. Their conflicts stemmed from ideology.
The Celestial Dragons' supremacy, the Marines' sense of justice, the Revolutionaries' desire to overthrow the world, the pirates' ambition, the slaves' desperate will to survive…
These were contradictions that could not be resolved.
Unless one side was annihilated, the fighting wouldn't stop. Not even with the Soul Reaper looming before them.
They had to destroy each other first.
—
"But that's fine. If guided properly, this kind of conflict… can be turned into pay-to-win motivation."
Fang Yi's eyes sparkled with amusement,
his gaze landing on Doflamingo—who had just dumped all of Dressrosa's wealth into Fate Item purchases, fully unlocking his real-world powers.
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