Chapter 287: Akainu Defeated?

This is one of the new features of the 【Friend List】,

allowing one to observe a friend's status, whether they are in-game or in the real world.

Both parties can also send each other gifts every day to increase intimacy; once intimacy reaches a certain level, they can obtain some special materials and items.

Or they can unlock certain friendship buffs, which provide attribute bonuses when in a party.

There is also a spectator ability;

if a friend is dueling in a special combat space, although one cannot help as a friend, one can still spectate.

By simply paying a sum of Reward Points, one can project the image from inside the combat space.

"It's Boss Naruto, he's dueling someone!"

Konohamaru was very excited and hurriedly spent Reward Points to project the combat space, saying boastfully: "When there's a chance later, I'll introduce you all to Boss Naruto. He's a very easygoing person and treats his friends especially well!"

"Now, let me show you Boss Naruto's strength!"

The projection, in the form of a light screen, was shared by Konohamaru with the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the strongest Stone Hashira.

Not just at the edge of the Grand Forest, but in many other places, players curiously opened the projection, wanting to enjoy a relatively rare in-game duel.

After all, rule-based items like this are special drops from high-level monsters; they are rare in quantity, and those who can obtain them are top-tier players.

Can a battle between top-tier players be anything but attractive?

Especially Uzumaki Naruto, whose optimistic and guileless personality led him to meet many players during the game, and his Friend List is directly in the four digits.

There were hundreds of light screens lighting up all over the game world.

"A duel between Konoha and Otherworld players?"

Near the Ten Thousand Year Snow Mountain, inside 【Stone City】 where a large number of the Bantum tribe reside, Terumi Mei, who was busy, looked up. Seeing the two figures appearing in the projection, her eyes narrowed slightly.

She said: "Chojuro, get the intelligence team over here. Record the battle between Konoha and the Navy, and roughly estimate the current strength of the Konoha players as well as the combat power of the Otherworld Navy."

Uzumaki Naruto is considered the strongest top-tier player in Konoha.

The only one who can be stronger than him is Tsunade; otherwise, there are no other particularly strong opponents, and their level is roughly similar to the newly formed 【Seven Ninja Swordsmen】.

As she spoke, she looked at Chojuro with some dissatisfaction and said: "As for you, as the right-hand man of the Mizukage, you have only just barely touched the threshold of a top-tier player. Have you actually been putting effort into hunting monsters?"

"You have already been eliminated by the version, do you understand, Chojuro!"

"Yes."

The honest man said with a bitter face.

"It's Admiral Akainu's battle. Who is that on the other side? Such an unfamiliar yellow-haired brat?"

Even players who have not landed on the Arad map can open the projection screen.

The one speaking was a new Navy recruit who had been saved by Akainu.

His name is Xige, and he was once a mountain bandit near Windmill Village in the Goa Kingdom, but he was scared out of his wits by the notorious Pirate Four Emperors, Hongfa Xiangkesi.

From then on, he was dispirited.

He fell to the point of being loathed by everyone, struggling even to eat, and encountered a small Sea King while out fishing.

Just when he thought his boring life was about to end, a figure appeared before him.

The Mountain Bandit King Xige still remembers the scene clearly to this day.

"Admiral Akainu, your leg... sob sob~"

Thinking of the right leg that Admiral Akainu had bitten off by the small Sea King to save him, Xige felt his nose ache, and tears flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.

"Don't cry, only cowardly fellows cry!"

Akainu took off the rose accessory from his chest, hung it on Xige's chest, and said: "This Rose Medal is my most important accessory; I will leave it to you to keep."

"After you become an outstanding Marine, remember to return it to me."

"Xige, we have an agreement: kill all pirates who insult justice!"

It was also at that time that Xige, having just become a player and being valued by Akainu, sat on a dilapidated wooden boat, rowed all the way to the gate of the Navy base, and shouted his dream: "My name is Xige, and I am the man who will become the Navy King!"

The memory ended. Looking at Akainu fighting in the projection, Xige clenched his fists tightly and thought to himself: "The Marine Admiral will absolutely not lose!"

Watching the projections lighting up everywhere, Fang Yi sighed helplessly: "Originally, the 【Arena】 function, which would have opened after the appearance of Tier 2 players, has not been updated to this day because players were sabotaging each other."

The 【Duel】 type rule items dropped by monsters were originally items prepared for the Arena.

As a result, they haven't been put to use even now.

However,

Fang Yi's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the Straw Hat Crew, who were constantly gathering materials for 【Family Construction】 missions, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

I don't know whether to call it the luck of the foolish or say that new players have heaven-defying luck, as if there is a beginner's welfare period in the dark.

Near the Ten Thousand Year Snow Mountain,

Snow Ninja and Mist Ninja are confronting each other, both wanting to snatch the first kill of 【Ice-Heart Youth】 Charlie, locked in an inseparable struggle.

Near Bel Myre, as far as the eye can see, Konoha and the Navy, as well as Orochimaru who is secretly ambushing, are in a chaotic battle.

Near the Dark Elf Kingdom are the Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja, as well as Whitebeard and Hongfa Xiangkesi who have just landed.

Because of the arrival of the Pirate World, the fragile balance originally achieved in the Ninja World has been shattered.

Everyone has fallen into fighting and chaos, starting to snatch monsters and resources.

Instead, it is small groups like the Straw Hat Crew, who are powerful but have no faction, that are actively collecting materials to break through to Tier 2.

They are ignored by countless people.

"Straw Hat Pirates, Buggy and Crocodile, as well as the lone wolves of the Ninja World—let's see who can successfully break through to Tier 2 before the general trend reacts?"

In the end, Tier 2 is a transformation of the life level; increasing combat power is just an incidental benefit.

A weakling at Tier 1 who transforms into Tier 2 is still a weakling, just like a Lv. 28 trash mob in a game; even with a level advantage, they would still be beaten up by a Lv. 19 player covered in divine artifacts.

The greatest purpose of leveling up is to unlock the key to continued evolution!

However,

Some factions do not want to break the current balance.

They worry that the appearance of 【Tier 2】 will lead to their own elimination, so they have taken the lead in trying their best to obstruct players from breaking through to Tier 2.

This has led to the formation of this malicious trend.

"These stubborn old fools who are content with the status quo, weak-willed, and afraid of the torrent of the era, will always appear in various forms."

"It is not surprising."

Fang Yi sighed inwardly,

but the final right of interpretation for the Samsara Game does not lie in the hands of these decaying souls; their feeble wills cannot stop the surging torrent and will eventually be submerged and eliminated.

However, what these stubborn old fools are doing is not necessarily a bad thing.

Obstructing the appearance of Tier 2 players and causing the game update to be delayed can be considered a disguised way of letting players familiarize themselves with the new version of the game environment in advance.

After all, these Rule-type Items themselves can involve Tier 2.

Just like 【Duel】 type rule items,

once the Arena system appears, they will serve as entry tickets, and the winners of each competitive match will receive various rewards and prizes.

"Akainu, however, is likely in danger this time."

"Uzumaki Naruto's strength will very likely exceed the imagination of the Pirate players."

It is different from the Pirate World, which cultivates the strong through mutual slaughter and a gu-insect mode.

The Ninja World is entirely in nursery mode; Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha, the two Children of Prophecy, are players cultivated with the investment of the entire Ninja World.

It is extraordinary.

(End of this chapter)