Chapter 305: The Strongest Player on the Game Leaderboard
This time,
the game update brought sweeping changes of unprecedented scale.
No matter which faction players belonged to, they all knew—
such a massive version update would inevitably trigger a great reshuffling that no one could avoid.
"Master, our profits from the game will go down after this update."
Afu looked confused and concerned.
Especially since the [Random Key] mechanic had been removed.
Those players who kept dumping money just to roll items that fit their builds had now lost a major way to spend.
"You're thinking too small."
Fang Yi shook his head. "Tier-2 can't be bought with money."
Tier-1 items contained only a small amount of core essence.
Players could pay just a bit over its true value in Reward Points to buy what they needed from the Game Merchant.
Everyone was happy.
But Tier-2 items contained vast amounts of that core essence.
Forget regular players—even the Celestial Dragons, who owned most of the pirate world's wealth, would have to go bankrupt to obtain one.
Powerhouses like Whitebeard and Shanks, or factions like Kirigakure and Kumogakure—
just acquiring a single top-tier Tier-2 item would be a massive blow to them.
So even if Fang Yi made Tier-2 items available in the Game House,
they would still remain out of reach for most.
Draining the well dry for short-term gain was the worst tactic.
His ultimate goal for accumulating wealth?
To exterminate the monsters of corruption.
Right now, Fang Yi had control of the foundation of two worlds.
It was enough for him to start reaching out—
to rescue the worlds already consumed or on the verge of being swallowed by corruption.
The Game House would offer players basic gear and skills.
The Arad map would provide the resources for players to buy them.
But to advance past Tier-2 and become even stronger,
they'd have to dedicate themselves fully to eliminating corruption.
Players would gradually come to understand their true identities—
heroes meant to save the multiverse.
Afu nodded, half-understanding, and asked, "So, Master, that's why you released the Counterattack Quests?"
"Exactly."
Fang Yi smiled. "Leaderboards, the Arena, and the Kill System are all meant to encourage healthy competition—
to prevent the toxic cycle of stagnation we saw among the ninja factions."
"They're just decorations to support the real core: the Counterattack system."
As he'd said before—
Even Naruto and Luffy, those chosen by fate,
could only break into Tier-2 because of their world's favor.
The Celestial Dragons, those leeches of wealth,
had forcibly reached metamorphosis through sheer mountains of capital.
Now—
Every player would have to face the corruption directly.
Stronger equipment, more powerful skills, diverse tools and items—
from here on out, they'd only be obtainable through Counterattack Quests.
After all, Fang Yi needed warriors who could fight back against the corruption—
Not useless whales who only knew how to swipe credit cards.
Some weaker-willed players would be eliminated by the new version,
reduced to low-tier scavengers.
At Navy Headquarters,
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat at the head, surrounded by the Navy's Four Admirals and top brass.
"Orochimaru is first on the power rankings?"
Opening the Reincarnation Game panel,
Sengoku stared at the top name on the power rankings—the very ninja who had killed Akainu.
The Power Leaderboard—
Measured a player's comprehensive strength.
Specifically, the total point value of their skills, equipment, and items.
After the update, every item now displayed a power rating.
The higher the gear's quality, the higher the power score.
So Orochimaru, at the top,
meant that his entire build—gear, skills, and tools—was the most expensive and advanced of all players.
Of course, high-level equipment didn't always mean real strength.
Celestial Dragons, despite being loaded with purple gear,
were still often defeated in combat by pirates wearing basic equipment.
But that was a pirate-world-specific phenomenon.
Normally, higher power scores equated to higher actual strength.
"Now I get it. No wonder I lost to him."
Sakazuki, still brooding after his resurrection, finally looked less grim when he saw Orochimaru's name.
Sengoku took a deep breath and expanded the full leaderboard:
[Power Rankings]
1st – [Ninja World] Orochimaru: 1000
2nd – [Pirate World] Im: 960
3rd – [Ninja World] Mei Terumi: 910
4th – [Pirate World] Monkey D. Dragon: 900
20th – [Ninja World] Samui: 700
Note: Power Rankings reflect item, skill, and tool ratings. They do not necessarily reflect actual combat ability.
After reading through it—
Sengoku sighed deeply. "Thirteen players from the ninja world made the list. Only seven from the pirate world."
No surprise that Im was high up.
Quietly sitting on her throne all this time, and still right behind the top spot.
Clearly, she relied on centuries of accumulated wealth from the Celestial Dragons.
No one could match that.
Then came the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon—
The first player in the pirate world to accept the game and bet everything on it.
His high ranking was well deserved.
Then Whitebeard—
17th place. With his Crimson Troll power and the logistical support of New World pirates,
he barely made it onto the list.
The most embarrassing fact?
Not a single Navy player made it onto the leaderboard.
Before, without a public ranking, it was impossible to say who was strongest—
Only a real fight could settle that.
But now?
The power ranking was in plain sight. And Navy Headquarters, always proclaiming justice,
was beaten not only by the God Clan's Im but also by pirates and revolutionaries.
Sengoku's face darkened like soot.
The entire room fell into dead silence.
Finally, Vice Admiral Tsuru broke the tension. "Smoker, what's your power score?"
Poison Dragon Smoker.
Currently considered the Navy's strongest fighter, maybe even surpassing the old three admirals.
Smoker sighed. "670."
Tsuru turned to the others. "Kuzan, Akainu, Kizaru?"
"630."
"620."
"I've only got 600. You three are terrifying."
Kizaru was the lowest. The others hovered just above the 600 mark.
Tsuru calmly analyzed,
"Don't fixate too much on the rankings."
"Even the strongest player, Orochimaru, can't stand against a coordinated group of players. That's already been proven."
During the failed raid on the Dragonkin Lord—
Orochimaru had been hunted by multiple players afterward,
forced to flee in disgrace.
At the time, if Akainu had backup from Kuzan,
Orochimaru wouldn't have escaped—much less turned the tables.
"So as long as power levels are similar, tactics and teamwork still matter most."
She said it to steady morale. "Right now, even though we didn't make the list,
our overall strength still makes the Navy the top faction."
It was both reassurance—and truth.
In the ninja world, things were uncertain.
But in the pirate world, even the revolutionaries and Whitebeard—who made the rankings—
were still beaten down by the Navy.
The Reincarnation Game wasn't a solo player's paradise.
Navy Headquarters had five experts with over 600 power,
and more than a dozen in the 500s.
They could dogpile Orochimaru to death.
"Even so…"
Sengoku sighed again. "Justice needs a symbol.
If people can't see our justice, it'll be easy for evil and ambition to twist it."
For such a massive group like the Navy—
They needed someone on the leaderboard to showcase their strength,
so righteous-minded players would continue to join.
Justice could not be allowed to fade.
"Agreed."
Tsuru didn't argue. The Navy needed a beacon.
She thought for a moment and said,
"In five days, we'll hold a Navy Tournament. Any Navy player can enter. Whoever wins will get full support from Headquarters. How's that sound?"
"Approved."
"Sounds good."
"I second it."
The Navy's top officers all agreed.
Everyone's eyes turned to five people.
The Four Admirals—
and one stubborn Vice Admiral who refused promotion: Garp the Hero.
"What about Garp?"
As the meeting neared its end, Sengoku suddenly realized Garp wasn't present.
A nearby officer reported,
"Vice Admiral Garp says he's overseeing construction of the Metamorphosis Chamber. He couldn't attend."
"That damn guy's just slacking off again!"
Sengoku's temple bulged with veins.
That's a logistics job—what's it got to do with you, Garp?!
Elsewhere—
Vice President of the Adventurer's Guild, Dracule Mihawk, stared silently at the Equipment Rankings.
Lost in thought.
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