Chapter 201: The Consequences of Recklessly Converting Money
Saint Saturn was furious. He amplified the Den Den Mushi's voice and roared to those around him,
"All Marines, full force assault on the Revolutionary leader—dead or alive!"
The Magic Fortress was far too important to simply let the Revolutionary Army take it away.
"Revolutionary leader, do you think you can hide in the Island of Death forever?"
"I can't."
When the Soul Reaper died,
all players received a system message: the Island of Death would remain sealed for five days, waiting for the boss to respawn.
During this sealed period, it wouldn't be counted toward the [Descent to Reality] timer.
Which meant—
All players would be teleported off the island. At that point, there would be no limitations from player status or abilities.
Every Marine could attack Dragon at full power.
"If you surrender now, it's not too late to undo everything."
Saint Saturn spoke patiently.
"So long as you admit your crimes and relinquish ownership of the Magic Fortress, the World Government will show leniency."
"After all, your father is a hero of the World Government."
They had to maintain the Government's dignity.
Letting people think they could defy the World Government and walk away unscathed would be unacceptable.
At the same time, they needed to avoid outright killing the Revolutionary leader,
so as not to lose the Magic Fortress to the Game Merchant's reset mechanic.
Bringing Garp into it helped soften the blow.
His capture of the Pirate King, combined with the "atonement token" that was the Magic Fortress, made mercy more palatable.
There was no choice—
the Magic Fortress was just too tempting. Even the Five Elders didn't want to see it taken back by Fang Yi upon Dragon's death.
"I refuse."
Dragon's reply was firm,
leaving no room for negotiation.
"Then die!"
Saturn's voice turned icy cold.
As one of the Five Elders, holding supreme power,
he pronounced Dragon's death sentence.
Though losing the Magic Fortress was painful,
the World Government's bottom line could not be violated.
...
"Lord Saturn, have you decided on the compensation?"
The atmosphere of the Island of Death was weakening.
All players could feel their sealed real-world powers slowly returning.
Fang Yi asked with curiosity. He was genuinely interested in what the Five Elders would offer as compensation.
Suddenly being addressed by the Game Merchant again,
the Five Elders—who had just moments ago thundered with rage—visibly hesitated. Tension and anxiety replaced their earlier dominance.
"Mr. Fang Yi," Saturn said carefully,
"We're willing to offer 700 billion as compensation."
The Celestial Dragons never lacked money.
Every year, countless kingdoms sent the Heavenly Tribute to Mary Geoise—
filling the treasury with endless wealth.
As long as a problem could be solved with money,
it wasn't really a problem.
In fact—
The Five Elders were even a little curious.
With power beyond comprehension, if Fang Yi wanted treasure, why didn't he simply take it?
Why go to the trouble of selling games and items to collect wealth?
"Seven hundred billion all at once? Are you sure?"
Fang Yi hadn't expected them to be this bold—
handing over 700 billion to avoid disaster.
"Absolutely."
The Five Elders relaxed slightly when Fang Yi didn't immediately reject the offer.
To them, treasure was just paper.
Even if the treasury was emptied and their liquidity vanished—
who would dare come and collect from the Celestial Dragons?
"While I appreciate the World Government's sincerity,
injecting 700 billion Berries into the system will create unpredictable consequences."
Whether Revolutionary Army, pirates, or the Government—
Fang Yi showed no favoritism. Even the Five Elders—despite all their evil—deserved fair warning.
"Unpredictable consequences?"
The Five Elders didn't understand.
They looked at one another. The Financial God, Saint Nasjuro, shook his head.
"In a normal country, that kind of loss might trigger chaos, but the World Government will be fine."
After all—
They held the ultimate power.
Even sudden losses could be offset by taxing the Four Seas.
And they controlled the issuance of Berries.
Fang Yi asked,
"Have you made your decision?"
The reason money could be exchanged for reward points was because it contained Origin.
That Origin wasn't in the paper currency,
but in the power behind the currency—the national strength of those who issued it.
A nation's Origin came from its prosperity, land, resources, and powerful inhabitants.
As time passed and the country grew, more Origin would accumulate.
Thus—
Money, in essence, was a reflection of national power.
The World Government collected Origin through the Heavenly Tribute—
but 700 billion Berries' worth of Origin was already pushing their absolute limit.
This meant—
All the Origin they had previously absorbed would begin to leak in various forms—
balancing itself out.
"Mr. Fang Yi, we've made our decision."
Unable to contact Imu,
the Five Elders had no choice but to offer assets that were technically expendable.
They dared not touch anything tied directly to the Government's foundations.
Fortunately—
The Game Merchant seemed as shortsighted as a pirate.
He was interested only in worthless assets.
Nasjuro even felt a bit smug.
No matter how powerful Fang Yi was, he lacked vision.
Didn't he know that wealth comes from force?
With overwhelming strength, even if the Government exchanged all its assets,
it could create new ones instantly.
"If possible, begin printing more Berries across the islands."
Thinking this,
Nasjuro began to breathe faster.
What they once feared as a threat—
now looked like an endless treasure trove.
A sheep that just kept growing wool.
All they had to do was keep printing money, and they could buy whatever they wanted.
"Then the deal is done."
Fang Yi had made the consequences clear.
As for deeper lectures?
He was a merchant of games, not a mentor for the world. That wasn't his job.
Buzz.
As soon as he spoke,
a strange, indescribable sensation surged in everyone's hearts.
Everyone.
Including the players drawn to the East Blue,
the spectators watching through Den Den Mushi,
and the uninformed civilians and slaves who knew nothing about the Reincarnation Game.
Even unintelligent beasts and Sea Kings, the plants rooted in the soil, and the wind drifting through the sky—
All felt it.
A massive one-time Origin exchange had taken place—
and the consciousness of the Pirate World let out a mournful wail.
The stronger a being was,
the more they could resonate with the will of the world.
It felt like a deep emotional slump—
a sudden, directionless sorrow.
Dragon.
Mihawk.
Garp.
Smoker.
All those who had reached this level of power…
looked toward Fang Yi in shock.
A strange sensation overtook them—
Just like how Fang Yi had effortlessly restored the shattered island earlier…
Now—
it felt like he was kneading the entire Pirate World in his hands.
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