Chapter 232: Golden Reward—Demon-Sealing Tower!
"Mihawk, such arrogant words."
Shanks was stunned at first, then let out a bitter smile.
He knew very well—
Mihawk wasn't the type to boast. If he said such a thing, it meant he truly had the confidence to suppress his power and still defeat him.
"To think… in just a few months, this sea has been completely turned upside down."
Shanks looked up at the dazzling golden wheel above, shining like a burning sun—along with the figure that resembled a god.
Although he had long acquired a Contract Fruit and become a player,
he'd always kept his distance from the Reincarnation Game.
He had resisted its many tempting items with sheer willpower.
Because he didn't want to disrupt the balance of the seas.
Luffy had already set sail, and the new era he had pinned all his hopes on was beginning to bare its fangs.
If he just followed the flow of fate… everything should turn out well—shouldn't it?
He had always remembered what Captain Roger said—perhaps a prophecy:
"Someone yet to be born will one day surpass us."
Roger had uttered that line after seeing Laugh Tale.
Kozuki Oden believed it—and died a hasty death in Wano because of it.
First Mate Rayleigh believed it—so he stayed hidden, waiting at the crossroads of the new generation.
Whitebeard believed it too—he tried to mold Ace into the next Pirate King.
Among them,
Shanks was the one who believed it most.
Even though he had both Joy Boy's straw hat and the Gomu Gomu no Mi,
he saw himself only as a vessel to carry that will forward—not the one who would create the new era.
So when he heard Luffy shout those bold words and watched the Gomu Gomu no Mi choose its destined user,
Shanks had no hesitation—he bet his arm on the new era.
But now,
the prophecy that had given him such faith seemed to be unraveling due to the arrival of one being.
Shanks found himself lost again.
He didn't know what to do,
but instinctively came to the East Blue. When he saw the Marines gaining the upper hand,
he rallied everyone to resist them—if only to preserve the path fate had once shown.
Then Mihawk spoke:
"Shanks, if you go on like this, the era will leave you behind."
Mihawk had no friends.
Shanks was one of the rare few he could speak to—an opponent, a kindred spirit.
He didn't want to watch Shanks falter and be crushed beneath the wheels of history—reduced to a forgotten relic.
"Don't say something that heavy!"
Shanks laughed heartily and said,
"Let's see what the Navy gets. We're pirates—if it's good, we'll just steal it!"
His smile was infectious. The crew laughed too.
Only Mihawk looked at him deeply,
aware that Shanks' grin couldn't hide his growing uncertainty.
…
On the deck of the Moby Dick
the Whitebeard Pirates were brimming with fury, just waiting for the Navy to finish drawing their reward so they could launch an all-out assault.
"Dad, the level 1 emblem from Alabasta's family was already shocking. I can't imagine how powerful the Navy's level 2 family might be…"
Watching his crewmates eagerly gearing up, Marco wore a worried expression.
Unlike the Shinobi World,
the One Piece world didn't usually have battles involving tens of thousands of people.
Fights were usually between pirate crews and naval bases.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates had 43 allied crews under their flag, they were scattered across the sea.
The core group was 1,600 strong, with 16 powerful division commanders.
However—
the family system was terrifying.
It didn't enhance individual players, but buffed entire forces.
A single family emblem could empower 200 people with the same ability.
They might not match the division commanders in power—but they easily surpassed ordinary crew members.
That alone turned Alabasta's guard unit, once toyed with by Crocodile,
into a massive pirate crew that could threaten the New World.
How much stronger would a level 2 Navy family be?
"Don't worry. With Red-Haired and the other hungry pirates around, the Navy won't gain too much from this."
Whitebeard gripped Murakumogiri tightly.
He agreed with Shanks—if they allowed the Navy to snowball any further, it would become a fatal threat.
Of course, his greatest trump card remained his Crimson Troll abilities:
all injuries could be healed.
As long as his Whitebeard Pirates banner remained standing, none of his sons would fall.
That was why he dared go all out.
…
"Justice will prevail!"
"Victory for the Navy!"
The roars echoed across the East Blue, picked up by Den Den Mushi and transmitted all the way to the Holy Land of Mariejois.
Nusjuro Saint adjusted his glasses and said emotionlessly,
"The Navy has betrayed us."
"Purge them?"
Saint Saturn leaned on his cane, expression cold.
"To stir this kind of chaos… Sengoku's more capable than I thought. Did he sell off all of Marine HQ?"
"Wait and see what happens."
"Set up the teleportation array. There's still time."
"Oh, and Nusjuro—take a trip to Gran Tesoro and kill Tesoro. It's time we reclaimed that gold."
"Didn't that man say overusing game exchanges would bring disaster?"
"Exactly. A perfect excuse to cleanse the traitors to the Divine Race."
…
The golden light finally settled on the pointer.
[Congratulations, player. You have drawn a gold-tier reward: [Tier 1 Shushan Demon-Sealing Tower]!]
The glow lingered, casting everyone's faces in gold.
Silence. Absolute stillness.
"G-Gold-tier?"
"The Revolutionary Leader's magic fortress was only silver… and the Navy just drew a gold item?!"
"This isn't luck. Combining five draws into one increases the chance of a gold-tier pull. It makes sense…"
Player expressions shifted from shock to awe to outright envy.
Since the Reincarnation Game's arrival,
even players like Doflamingo who sold entire nations rarely had more than a full set of purple gear.
For the average player,
grinding for blue equipment was considered lucky.
It wasn't about scarcity—it was about imbalance.
The Revolutionary Leader's silver reward was already enough to turn heads.
But now the Navy had gone even further—drawing gold.
"Demon-Sealing Tower?"
Back in Marineford, Sengoku was elated, radiating golden Buddha-like energy, practically glowing in celebration.
They didn't even know what the gold-tier item did yet—
but this was a Game item. Gold-tier. How could it be bad?
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, intel just arrived from the East Blue!"
"Read it!"
Sengoku's voice was booming, pride overflowing—
as if it were his own golden glow that summoned the reward.
"The Shushan Demon-Sealing Tower is a powerful structure used to imprison and suppress evil."
The Game Intelligence Division's deputy director handed over the report as Sengoku practically danced.
[Shushan Demon-Sealing Tower (Tier 1)]
Type: Structure
Function: Demon-Locking Chains Lv.1, Spirit-Cleansing Pool Lv.1
Note: The Demon-Sealing Tower is a sacred relic used to combat demons and protect humanity.
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