As they neared the edge of Dressrosa Island, Orochimaru and the others were moving swiftly.1 "I'm starting to believe this really is another world," the Raikage said gloomily. Being suppressed by Doflamingo had left him deeply frustrated. It was only the second time since he'd made his debut that he'd suffered such a crushing defeat in battle.
"If my guess is right, completing this mission should help us understand the mechanics of these Reincarnation Missions. And everything behind them is getting more and more fascinating." Orochimaru's thoughts were as practical as ever.
Just as they hurried toward the edge of the island, a figure approached from behind, flying through the air as if stepping across empty space.
It was Doffy, using his Devil Fruit ability to swing himself through the clouds overhead.
"You killed members of the Donquixote Family and still think you can run?"
The killing intent in Doffy's heart boiled over. His Observation Haki had already locked onto the sinners. Their tricks—the Substitution Technique—had only worked as a flashy diversion the first time. He'd memorized their auras, and this time, he wasn't going to let them escape!
As Doffy moved swiftly, he lightly tugged at the strings with his right hand. The large gaps along the Birdcage's edge ahead rapidly filled with fresh white threads, weaving into a dense web and cutting off any chance of escape.
The fleeing group exchanged glances. The Raikage, Kitsuchi, and Kisame fell half a step behind, preparing to hold Doffy back.
Seeing three of the five split off to stop him, Doffy laughed in fury. "You really think you can hold me off?"
None of them were the sort to waste words in a fight, and they immediately attacked Doffy together.
Orochimaru and Pakura reached the edge of the Birdcage. Seeing it block their escape, they began forming Hand Seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" "Scorch Release: Ultra-Steam Murder!" A gigantic fire dragon and dozens of enormous fireballs surged toward the towering Birdcage woven from white strings.
As a String-String Fruit user, Doflamingo was powerful, having reached the middle of the third tier. But objectively speaking, the String-String Fruit itself wasn't particularly strong. What made it formidable was Doflamingo's skill in developing its power, his mastery of the Three Types of Haki, and his exceptional combat intelligence.
Without Armament Haki, the strings of the String-String Fruit were merely unusually tough, comparable to metal.1 And with the Birdcage so densely woven, Doflamingo couldn't cover every thread with Haki. Faced with the fire-based ninjutsu of Orochimaru and Pakura, the Birdcage held out for a moment before slowly melting...
Pinned down by the Raikage and the others, Doffy was furious. They'd killed members of his family and still wanted to run? Even though Doflamingo had the upper hand, the Raikage's fearless attacks and the endless interference from Kitsuchi and Kisame kept him from breaking free.
"Young Master!" Pica and the rest of the Donquixote Family arrived from behind. The Raikage and the others felt their hearts sink. They could feel that little Chakra remained in their bodies, and their breathing grew labored. Then Orochimaru's urgent voice rang out: "Retreat!" The Raikage and the others were overjoyed. They hurriedly used genjutsu and the Hidden Mist Technique to escape the battlefield.
"Damn it!" Doflamingo suddenly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, breaking free of the genjutsu. All he could see was a thick fog, but his Observation Haki had sensed the five escaping through the hole they'd made in the Birdcage. He angrily chased after them, only to see the Raikage and the others dive into the sea. Far away, a ship with a spider-shaped skull pirate flag hanging from its mast was approaching.
Doflamingo used the String-String Fruit to survey the area from high above, but found nothing. Yiwen, captain of the Guimian Pirate Crew, assumed that Doflamingo had come to welcome him and hurriedly ordered his men to bring the ship closer.
A brown-haired man with a sinister expression stood at the bow and called up to Doffy. "Joker! Heh heh heh! You're so impatient!"
"Cancel the plan," Doflamingo said coldly, suppressing his anger. Then he returned to Dressrosa Island, leaving Yiwen and his men staring after him in confusion.
Within the boundless white expanse of the Main God Space, five figures appeared in a flash of light.
Orochimaru and the others had appeared in the plaza of the Main God Space. Where were they? Just a moment ago, they'd been struggling to escape in the sea. Then they'd suddenly heard the voice of the so-called Main God in their ears:
[Main Mission Two complete. Return to the Main God Space. Would you like to return immediately?]
Naturally, none of them wanted to struggle for survival in the vast ocean, so they all agreed without hesitation.
In the next moment, they felt themselves go weightless. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in this unfamiliar space.1
Before them stretched what seemed to be an endless plaza. The ground was made of some unknown white material, and a gigantic white orb hung overhead, glowing faintly like the sun and illuminating this strange space. Beyond it was an endless white expanse, seemingly empty as far as the eye could see...
Inside the Main God Space, the enormous orb overhead was the manifestation of part of Zhu Shen's will. The space where his true soul resided was a Warp. He had split off a portion of it to create the Main God Space and manifested part of his will as the Main God orb. Watching the returning Reincarnators, he sent them the information he'd prepared about the Main God Space.
The five, who had just awakened inside the Main God Space, stared blankly at the huge orb overhead. Suddenly, a screen appeared in their minds, displaying a string of information in an unknown language. Though they couldn't read it, they somehow understood its meaning:
[Main Mission One: "Snipe the Heavenly Yaksha" complete
Reward: Each member receives 3 C-rank Side Mission rewards and 3,000 points;
Main Mission Two: "Survive" complete. Each member receives 2,000 points;
Kill Diamante, the highest-ranking officer of the Donquixote Family: 1,000 points (Orochimaru); kill Buffalo, an officer of the Donquixote Family: 500 points (Kisame); kill Machvise, an officer of the Donquixote Family: 500 points (Kisame)
Reincarnator Novice Mission complete. Reincarnator status unlocked]
[Reincarnator condition detected: critically injured. Automatically repair? Note: This repair is free upon completion of the Novice Mission.]
As the Main God's light washed over them, their doubts gave way to belief, and their injuries healed, both great and small. This included the old injuries left by years of training in the Raikage's body and the damage to Orochimaru's soul from his research.
"This is incredible." After accepting the Main God's free repairs, they also received information about the Main God Space through the Main God Sub-System in their minds:
[The Main God Space was created by the unknown, great being known as the Main God. It draws in chosen individuals from the countless universes of the myriad worlds and gives them the identity of "Reincarnators," sending them across the myriad worlds to carry out Reincarnation Missions... In return, the Main God awards Reincarnators points, which they can use to exchange for anything they desire: power, health, wealth, authority, lifespan, even immortality!]
Faced with this grandiose claim, they were skeptical. But when the Main God Sub-System opened the exchange list in their minds, the sheer variety of items left them stunned. The first few items on the default list were:
[Rinnegan, eyes of the Otsutsuki Clan. Cost: 100,000 points, 1 A-rank Side Mission
Tenseigan, the final evolution of the Byakugan. Cost: 100,000 points, 1 A-rank Side Mission]
All kinds of Kekkei Genkai, ninjutsu, and secret techniques from the legends of the Ninja World could be exchanged for. Even more astonishing were the previously unseen items farther down the list:
Philosopher's Stone, an item created by alchemists through the transmutation of living people. It could produce any substance without regard for the principle of equivalent exchange. Cost: 120,000 points, 1 A-rank Side Mission
Prehistoric Wu Clan Physique, the body of the ancient Wu Clan from the prehistoric universe. It cultivated no divine powers, only the physical body. Cost: 1 S-rank Side Mission, 2,000,000 points
At the same time, Zhu Shen exchanged for some films he remembered from his previous life, edited their grand scenes of war, science fiction, and fantasy into a short clip, then enhanced them with the system's black-tech scene-rendering technology. The result was an incredibly convincing CG showcasing the myriad worlds, surpassing every compilation of blockbusters he'd ever seen. He then sent it to all the Reincarnators through the Sub-System.
Orochimaru eagerly browsed through all the items on the exchange list, from familiar ninjutsu and ninja tools from the Ninja World to fantastical items from unknown worlds. The countless treasures seemed to open the door to a whole new world for him! He wished he could exchange for every good thing he saw.
Suddenly, a short clip about the myriad worlds appeared in his mind:
This was the Origin Universe Sea, whose beginnings had long since been lost to time. Countless universes cast their silhouettes across its boundless expanse, scattered through the void like endless stars. Some clustered together, while others kept to themselves, each radiating dazzling light...
The scene shifted. Orochimaru saw enormous fleets of steel ships shatter planets in a vast sea of stars, mighty beings overturn rivers and seas and pluck stars and moons from the sky, and countless humanoid and nonhuman races fight one another for survival... The images made them feel as though they were right there, experiencing the myriad worlds in all their splendor. They left a profound impact on the five, whose world had barely grasped the concept of planets! Long after the clip ended, they still couldn't recover...
Orochimaru was the first to calm down. Glancing at the others, who were either thinking with grave expressions or browsing the information with their eyes closed, he reflected: The myriad worlds, countless universes... So the Ninja World was merely one tiny planet, smaller than anything imaginable! Life was so insignificant... For someone as fixated on immortality and power as he was, the wondrous Main God Space seemed to light a beacon for the pursuit he'd devoted his life to!
"The Main God? What a mysterious existence."
Orochimaru licked his lips. He recalled the rules of the Main God Space that had just appeared in his mind: Reincarnators could upload their equipment, items, ninjutsu, and secret techniques (duplicates not allowed). He immediately uploaded, without holding back, all the ninjutsu he'd learned over the years, along with some he'd developed himself. In total, he received 3,000 points (the system kept two points for every point awarded to a Reincarnator).
Looking at the 6,000 points he'd just earned, Zhu Shen thought, For Reincarnators, uploading things was more profitable than doing missions at first, but it was a one-time deal. Missions would still have to be their main source of income.
After all, any points they earned would be spent in his space, so Zhu Shen could take a cut. For example, Orochimaru had just uploaded a collection of snake-style ninjutsu and received 1,000 points. If someone wanted to exchange for that set of techniques in the Main God Space, Zhu Shen would charge 3,000 points. He'd make a profit either way—he was practically rolling in it... While Zhu Shen considered how best to fleece his customers, everyone in the Main God Space also uploaded their ninjutsu and secret techniques. Their Side Mission and point totals were as follows:
Orochimaru: 3 C-rank Side Missions, 9,000 points (5,000 from Main Missions, 1,000 for killing Diamante, 3,000 from uploading ninjutsu)
Raikage: 3 C-rank Side Missions, 6,000 points (5,000 from Main Missions, 1,000 from uploading ninjutsu)
Kisame: 3 C-rank Side Missions, 6,800 points (5,000 from Main Missions, 1,000 for killing the officers Buffalo and Machvise, 800 from uploading ninjutsu)
Pakura and Kitsuchi had 6,000 and 5,500 points respectively, and each had 3 C-rank Side Missions.
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