Chapter 442: Guobei County
"Don't look at me with those eyes. It's disgusting."
Akainu's expression was ice-cold, making no effort to hide the loathing in his gaze. The way he looked at Orochimaru was as if staring at a bowl of snake soup.
If not for the Navy Alliance's deep reserves and their stockpile of revival coins, he would have been killed for real by Orochimaru's use of the Death Duel Emblem. That kind of life-and-death grudge was not something easily forgotten.
"I'm just surprised. I didn't expect the Navy Alliance, who pride themselves on justice, to come knocking on my door."
Orochimaru smiled, the purple markings beneath his eyes widening slightly as he looked at the approaching Akainu with amused curiosity.
A robust body—his physique was likely over [200] points.
A close-combat specialist fused with a Hellfire Demon, a [Hellfire Magma Warrior]. If Orochimaru could manage to kill Akainu, his Death Legion would gain a powerful gold-tier commander.
The thought made Orochimaru lick his chin with his tongue.
Shhhhk!
A sharp magma spike shot past Orochimaru's cheek, piercing beyond the glow of the Samsara Shrine and lighting up the black mist behind him.
Dark monsters, fangs bared and claws poised, were waiting—like hunters crouched just outside a glass tank, watching for prey to poke its head out.
Zzzzt...
In the blink of an eye, the magma spike was swallowed by the black mist, extinguished, barely reaching five meters before vanishing.
In the world of One Piece, that magma spike would have been enough to destroy a small island.
Akainu frowned. "I already told you, don't look at me with those filthy eyes. If you're not serious about this cooperation, I have no problem turning to other factions in the ninja world."
"Fine."
Orochimaru withdrew his tongue, now more intrigued than offended. "So then, Admiral Akainu—or rather, the Navy Alliance—what sort of cooperation do you have in mind?"
He knew full well that Akainu wouldn't come to him willingly. This had to be an order from the Navy Alliance.
Sakazuki's tone remained cold. "The power of the dark monsters far exceeds what the Navy Alliance anticipated. I doubt even you can handle it on your own."
This wasn't Akainu's idea.
It was the result of a majority vote among the Navy Alliance's upper echelon—Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Chief Strategist Tsuru, and many of the Four Seas commanders.
"The ones suffering the most right now are probably the Navy Alliance, aren't they?"
Orochimaru, though uninterested in managing factions, had a sharp eye and an uncanny talent for it.
The rise of the Hidden Sound Village, and now the flourishing Fire Empire, were both testaments to that.
"In the past, what let the Navy Alliance continually hunt bosses was the presence of hundreds—no, thousands—of elite players."
"Let me think... Warden Magellan, the blazing swordsman Burnfire, the eight-legged ghost spider..."
He grinned as he listed off names, each a thorn in the side of the Navy Alliance now.
It was precisely because they had such a massive force of elite players that the Navy Alliance had secured their dominant position.
These players, though not quite at the gold-tier level, weren't far behind.
When gathered in force, with top players like Akainu and Smoker anchoring them, even Orochimaru wouldn't dare face them head-on.
"But the Black Myth map breaks that monopoly."
"Players without sufficient strength can't even reach the second floor of the Tower of Death. And even if they somehow scrape by, those without gold-tier combat strength are no match for the dark creatures."
That was the Navy Alliance's current dilemma.
The black mist nullified all detection abilities, making it impossible for large groups to gather without being ambushed by waves of hidden monsters.
Solo play was not the Navy Alliance's strong suit.
Akainu, Kizaru, Smoker, Garp the Iron Fist...
While these players represented the Navy Alliance, they only ranked mid-tier among the game's top players.
It wasn't that the Navy lacked potential—
But that the commanders of the Four Seas didn't want any one navy player becoming too strong and upsetting the balance.
"Exactly."
Akainu didn't deny it. He admitted Orochimaru had hit the mark.
This was indeed their current predicament. Denying it would be pointless, and besides, he didn't particularly want to team up with Orochimaru either.
"So the Navy Alliance wants to form a team with me to hunt monsters in the black mist?"
Though he posed it as a question, Orochimaru's gaze was firm—he already knew the answer.
Top-tier players were rare in every faction. For the Navy Alliance to have four mid-level top players to offer was already remarkable.
Konoha, for instance, only had Tsunade, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha who could qualify as top players.
But unfortunately—
The dark creatures inside the black mist were absurdly strong. Even top-tier players couldn't fight them alone.
Teamwork was essential.
Whether it was a pirate crew or a ninja squad, these compact, high-power strike teams were the only way to effectively break through the darkness.
If the Navy Alliance could think of this, then Orochimaru could as well.
Perhaps—
This was also Mr. Fang Yi's intention: to reduce player hostility and shift the priority to monster hunting.
"To be honest..."
Akainu stared at Orochimaru, eyes filled with murderous intent. His voice dropped to a growl. "Teaming up with someone as evil as you taints the honor of the Navy. But since you clearly have no intention of working with us, I'll report back to Sengoku and be done with it."
Orochimaru's strength was beyond question, which was why the Navy Alliance had chosen him as their first partner candidate.
If he refused, they could still reach out to others.
Akainu had no interest in teaming up with pirates. Whether it was Shanks, Whitebeard, or Big Mom, he feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself from punching them into oblivion.
"I accept."
Even if he could see that the Navy Alliance stood to gain more from the partnership, Orochimaru still agreed.
Given his usual ways, only major factions like the Navy—who restrained themselves with politics and diplomacy—would ever set aside the notions of good and evil to work with him. No other faction would be willing.
"Hmph..."
Even after securing the agreement, Akainu didn't look pleased.
But Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Strategist Tsuru were elated. They smiled and said, "Lone wolves like Orochimaru might appear evil, but in truth, they're the most reliable teammates."
The Fire Empire of the ninja world had been isolated by every other faction.
No matter how strong Orochimaru became, he couldn't find partners. The Navy Alliance's decision to extend an olive branch meant that, until he found a better offer, their alliance would remain stable, with minimal risk of betrayal.
Sengoku and Tsuru were no fools. As the brains of the Navy, they had clearly done their homework and fully understood Orochimaru's situation before daring to approach him.
"So then—my sincerity is myself. What about the Navy Alliance?"
Orochimaru's aura surged, releasing a terrifying [Tier 2] gold-level pressure that weighed down on Sakazuki.
His show of sincerity was his strength—as one of the Samsara Game's most powerful players.
If the Navy wanted to team up, they'd have to offer something worthwhile in return. Would it be game items dropped by bosses? Or… information?
Akainu replied calmly, "The Intelligence Division's scout players found a boss-level dark monster a few hundred meters west of the Samsara Shrine, near the ruins of the former game town—[Guobei County]."
The Navy Intelligence Division's scouts all had agility stats over [150] and burned through massive daily fees just to probe the black mist for boss-related leads.
"Guobei County?"
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