Chapter 177: The Soul-Reaping Envoy Who Defies the Rules of the Game

"Is this... a Lord Monster?"

Countless villi from the giant heart, like tree roots extending from deep underground, kept spreading toward the center.

Buggy retreated repeatedly.

Ice-blue bullets were fired; the root-like villi were only frozen for a few seconds before breaking free from the Frozen State.

The Buggy Pirates, unable to retreat in time, were instantly entangled by several pirates, who emitted sucking sounds as they were drained into shriveled human skins.

"Get out of the way!"

Mihawk drew his Black Blade and swung a scorching, fiery Jiangji toward those tree roots.

In an instant,

Countless tree roots were severed, and the emerald flames burned down into the ground along with them.

"Something's wrong. The heart is just a shell; the interior is the true Lord Monster!"

Mihawk leaped high into the air, unleashing his most powerful Jiangji.

Clusters of emerald-green fiery Jiangji faintly coalesced into the shape of a skull, fiercely biting into the giant heart.

The Sword Qi Seed within his body had already reached Lv. 14.

The swung Jiangji had gradually fused with a trace of will and spirit, which was Sword Intent.

Boom.

A skull-shaped, deep crater appeared on the town-sized giant heart, and bubbling blood emerged, only to be quickly repaired as before.

Not far away,

Zoro, who had intended to sprint toward Mihawk, suddenly stopped his steps.

"How is this possible!"

Looking at that scorching Jiangji that seemed capable of melting the very air,

Zoro's eyes widened.

Just moments ago, he had also swung his three blades to attack the heart, yet he hadn't even been able to cut through the weakest fascia and blood vessels.

He knew clearly that there was a gap between him and the World's Greatest Swordsman, but he hadn't expected the gap to be this massive.

However,

He did not become disheartened; instead, an even more intense fighting spirit erupted in his eyes.

"His Jiangji has already reached Purple Quality? As long as I can keep hunting Pollution Monsters, I will definitely be able to reach the same realm as him, and eventually surpass him!"

If it were the former him, even if he saw a stronger Sword Master, he would have chosen to fight without hesitation.

Even if it meant being smashed to pieces.

He feared that a single moment of fear or retreat would mean he would never be able to grip the blade in his hand in front of that man ever again.

But now it was different.

He had already found a brand-new Jiangdian and possessed the courage and goal to climb to the peak.

He was no longer lost; he believed in his heart that even if he was inferior to others now, one day he would be able to stand at the very pinnacle of the world!

A phantom of a ghost god coalesced behind Zoro.

He did not continue to challenge Mihawk beyond his own capabilities, but instead buried that fighting spirit deep in his heart, constantly tempering and honing it.

It was just like forging a sword; when the time came to be unsheathed, it would surely shock the world.

"Interesting."

Mihawk turned his head to look at the green-haired young man not far away, and upon seeing the three blades at his waist, he understood everything.

He hadn't been frightened by this Jiangji, but instead erupted with an even stronger fighting spirit?

It was this violent fighting spirit that made Mihawk notice this minor character he had only caught a glimpse of a few times.

"Want to challenge me?"

Their eyes met.

As fellow Swordsmen, Mihawk sensed Zoro's intentions and thoughts, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

With the appearance of the game merchant, there would be more and more interesting Swordsmen like Zoro in the future, and they would have the opportunity to climb to the peak; he imagined his own path of Jiangdian would never be lonely again.

"Luffy, I will definitely become the World's Greatest Swordsman! You must not hold me back."

"That goes without saying, I'm going to be the Pirate King! What about you, Sanji?"

"Idiot, my name is Sanji!"

Sanji's angry fist struck Luffy's head, but he only felt a rubber-like elasticity, causing not the slightest injury.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "I have many dreams. I want to find the legendary sea, I want the Transparent Fruit, and I also want to complete my Full Course Menu!"

"Hahahaha, Full Course Menu? That must have a lot of food, and there will be countless adventures. You have to make it for me when the time comes, Sanji!"

"Bastard, don't go talking to yourself there; I haven't agreed to be a Pirate yet!"

"How can you have an adventure if you aren't a Pirate?"

Luffy laughed very happily, turned his head, looked at the orange-haired girl, and said, "And Nami, what is your dream?"

"I want to defeat the Arlong Pirates, and then draw a giant sea chart of the entire world!"

As the earliest player, Nami already knew of the existence of other worlds.

The abilities of a Magic Scholar came from another world, and her original dream of drawing a sea chart had grown increasingly vast as her horizons expanded.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Then let's... go on an adventure!"

Puchi.

The giant heart was constantly being attacked by the players, but it still hadn't suffered any substantial damage.

Suddenly, that vigorous and majestic life force abruptly began to wither; at a speed visible to the naked eye, the entire heart shriveled and shrank like a peach that had been squeezed flat.

"Something is wrong. I can feel the essence of this giant heart all converging into one spot!"

Dragon, having rushed to the edge of the Abyss rift, looked grave, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the ground below.

Rumble.

The giant heart, with its defense maxed out, was torn open raw by a pair of hands.

"Those who trespass into Soul Hook Hall, die!"

He was clad in pitch-black armor with a ferocious appearance, and behind him was a massive cloak from which the wails of countless wandering souls emanated.

Every word spat from his mouth sent out a ripple of grayish-black Yin energy, spreading in all directions and shaving off more than half the HP of the weaker players.

Soul Hook Envoy.

Folklore says that when a person is about to die, ghosts from the Underworld come to hook their soul, preventing the confusion of Yin and Yang and ensuring souls do not linger in the human world.

"Oh no, Master, the Soul Hook Envoy sensed the constant death of the wandering souls and came straight to the first layer of Death Island."

A Fu, who was constantly monitoring the players' movements, said nervously as soon as the figure of the Soul Hook Envoy appeared.

"This is something I could have imagined."

Fang Yi showed a look of 'don't be nervous' and said, "Death Island is, after all, a product of slightly modifying the World Fragment of the Soul Hook Envoy. I did not block the Soul Hook Envoy's perception; he would certainly be able to detect the large-scale death of his soul troops."

A Fu said very anxiously, "Given the current strength of the players, they cannot defeat the Soul Hook Envoy at all; the entire army will be wiped out!"

Although the number of players from the Pirate World is greater than the number of players from the Ninja World was back then.

However, when they hunted the Ghost Mage in the Ninja World, they had undergone a long period of training and growth.

They had decent quality equipment and weapons, and their skills were very strong.

"But the current Pirate players haven't even formed their equipment sets yet; the battle will definitely be one-sided."

A Fu also did not want to watch helplessly as Death Island and the Trial Tower were destroyed by the Pollution Source, the Soul Hook Envoy, because the players' strength was insufficient.

"Don't panic."

Fang Yi waved his hand and said, "Do you remember what I told you? The one thing the Pirate World doesn't lack is Origin."

The vast, boundless sea.

Countless islands and countless resources—this is the greatest asset of the Pirate World.

A kingdom on any randomly selected prosperous island contains more Origin than a small Ninja Village in the Ninja World.

"In the face of the huge temptation of rewards, players won't care about being reserved; they will have all sorts of methods to perform Reinforcement on themselves."

"Master, are you saying?"

(End of this chapter)