Chapter 241: Pirate Alliance
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Robin found Aoki.
"Aoki, I want to stay here," she said.
"Are you sure?" Aoki asked, his gaze steady.
Robin nodded. "You can handle those pirates on your own, right? Whether I go with you or not doesn't change that. It's better for me to stay here and crack the ruins as soon as possible to find what you're looking for."
Aoki hesitated briefly before nodding.
Robin possessed a Miraculous Suit. Unless she encountered someone like one of the Three Calamities or a Pirate Emperor, she wouldn't be entirely defenseless.
More importantly, Aoki had placed a space mark on her. No matter where he was, he could return to her with just a thought.
While establishing a base was crucial, the value of the Devil Fruits hidden in the ruins was no less significant.
---
The next morning, as usual, Robin set off early to continue exploring the ruins.
Meanwhile, Aoki walked directly to the camp where Alice and her group resided.
The atmosphere there was bustling but orderly. Everyone was fully dressed and ready to depart.
Alice, who was conversing with one of her men, noticed Aoki's approach and immediately walked over, Huck following closely behind.
"Aoki, let me introduce someone to you," Alice said. "This is Huck, my assistant."
Huck's face lit up with enthusiasm as he stepped forward.
"Mr. Aoki, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Hello, Mr. Huck," Aoki replied calmly.
Despite the polite greeting, Aoki found it unsettling to be stared at with such fiery admiration by a bald middle-aged man.
This was their first conversation, but Aoki was no stranger to Huck.
In Alice's team, Alice was the indisputable leader and core figure, while Huck served as her second-in-command and military strategist.
"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Aoki!" Huck said, his tone brimming with gratitude.
"This is a deal between Alice and me," Aoki replied evenly before turning to Alice. "Are you ready? When can we leave?"
"We're fully prepared," Alice confirmed. "We can depart anytime."
"Then let's go," Aoki said.
He and Alice began walking toward the coast, with Huck trailing slightly behind and the rest of the group following silently.
When they reached the shore, Huck took charge of organizing the boarding process.
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"From here to Etania, it'll take about a week if everything goes smoothly," Alice informed Aoki as they boarded.
She pulled out a piece of white paper with burning edges. "I just hope my father can hold on until we arrive."
The paper was Vivre Card, crafted through a special technique to reflect the owner's vitality.
Aoki shook his head. "A week? It won't take that long."
Alice looked surprised. "It took us eight days to get here."
Without further explanation, Aoki raised a hand toward the sea.
Crash!
The water churned violently as two pirate ships broke free from the waves and slowly floated into the air.
There was a brief moment of chaos among the crew, but their shock quickly gave way to curiosity and awe.
"Which direction is Etania?" Aoki asked.
Alice instinctively pointed.
Whoosh!
The pirate ships shot forward, accelerating rapidly and soaring into the sky.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Alice felt the strong wind whipping through her hair. Her amazement turned into fiery determination.
Not only was this method faster, but it was also unaffected by ocean currents or wind directions. The return trip would be far quicker—and far more breathtaking—than she had expected.
---
One day later, Alice's excitement became palpable as familiar lands appeared below.
"Aoki, this is Etania!" she exclaimed.
When no response came, she turned toward him in confusion. "Aoki, is something wrong?"
Aoki snapped out of his thoughts. "It's nothing. How far is it to the capital?"
Alice hesitated, embarrassed. Numbers weren't her strong suit.
Huck stepped in smoothly. "At this speed, we'll reach the capital in about an hour."
Aoki nodded.
In the world of pirates, an island was often synonymous with a country. Most nations consisted of just a single city.
Etania's situation, however, was slightly better than that.
Although the royal capital was the only proper city in Etania, numerous small villages surrounded it, giving the region a substantial area.
However, under the current circumstances, having a vast territory was more of a burden than an advantage.
The larger the territory, the harder it became to defend against enemies.
Aoki didn't dwell on the kingdom's geographical challenges; his attention was fixed on the two tasks that had just appeared in his system panel.
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[Destroy the Family and the Country]
> Accelerate the impending fall of Etania.
Mission Requirements:
1. Kill King Philip of Etania.
2. Kill Princess Alice of Etania.
Reward: 1,500 experience points.
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[Destroy the Pirate Alliance]
> The Pirate Alliance is the most powerful entity in this region.
Mission Requirements:
1. Eliminate the captains of the three core pirate groups.
2. Kill 100 members of the Pirate Alliance (0/100).
Reward: 3,000 experience points, 2 free skill points.
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"The hatred that Infinite Dragon Beast has for humans is truly profound," Aoki muttered, shaking his head.
Ever since he learned the skill Spirit of Vengeance, nearly every task the system assigned him revolved around destruction and killing.
"What a waste."
Aoki glanced at the mission panel again and dismissed the idea of completing the Destroy the Family and the Country task.
He had come here to help Etania survive its crisis and establish a base, not to kill Alice and the king.
"Fifteen hundred experience points isn't worth it."
Not that the amount of experience mattered—Aoki would never entertain such a mission.
His focus shifted to the Destroy the Pirate Alliance task, which offered much more generous rewards.
Alice had explained the Pirate Alliance to him the previous day.
The downfall of Etania began with an encounter with the Orlando Pirates, a powerful group led by the cunning and formidable Captain Orlando.
Orlando was far stronger than Alice and had used his wit to unite other pirate groups into a temporary but fearsome alliance.
This alliance was the reason Alice's father, King Philip, abandoned resistance and sent Alice away to safeguard the royal lineage.
Since its formation, the Pirate Alliance had dwarfed Etania in both peak combat power and overall strength.
The alliance comprised over ten pirate groups of varying sizes, with the three most critical ones being the Orlando Pirates, the Silver Blade Pirates, and the Gemini Pirates.
The Silver Blade and Gemini Pirates were familiar foes to Alice, as they had been the primary adversaries of Etania over the past two years.
"I hope this Pirate Alliance lives up to its reputation," Aoki mused to himself.
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His Infinite Dragon Beast had recently broken through to level 26, and his normal strength was now approaching the three-star limit.
Once Infinite Dragon Beast reached level 30, Aoki estimated he might be able to take on four-star enemies.
Of course, even within the same star level, there were vast disparities in power.
For instance, at his peak as an Upper Rank demon, Muzan Kibutsuji and the White Walkers were all considered two-star entities, yet their strengths varied significantly.
The same principle applied to four-star classes.
Moreover, Aoki had begun to notice something important: not all professions were created equal.
The White Walker profession was undoubtedly one of the strongest among two-star classes, but Infinite Dragon Beast might not rank as highly among four-star classes.
Out of the four primary skills of Infinite Dragon Beast, only one was a true combat ability.
Of course, it was also possible that he hadn't fully unlocked the class's true potential.
His most crucial offensive skill, Dragon's Breath, was still at level one. Meanwhile, Devouring had only granted him one additional ability, Spirit of Vengeance, and he hadn't yet unlocked any equipment that could significantly enhance his combat effectiveness.
Additionally, the Ultimate Form skill represented the growth ceiling of the Infinite Dragon Beast, but it wasn't necessarily the peak of its strength.
Even if he were to instantly reach level 40, the Infinite Dragon Beast would still have substantial room for improvement.
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