Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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After the ranked matches for Honor of Kings were fully opened,
an unprecedented gaming craze swept across the Sea.
Whether in the hideouts of the pirates, the bases of the Marines, or even on distant islands, everyone was absorbed in the gaming frenzy.
In the dormitory building at Marine Headquarters, the lights were bright, and it was bustling with noise.
Inside the rooms, young Marine soldiers had bloodshot eyes, staring intently at their phone screens, their fingers rapidly sliding across the displays.
Their voices rose and fell, filling the entire corridor.
"Are you playing with your feet?! My eighty-year-old grandma moves better than you!"
A soldier roared angrily, the phone screen in his hand buzzing from being slapped.
His teammate had clearly made a mistake, putting him at a disadvantage in the match.
"Cai Wenji as jungler? Why don't you just use Yao to tank the tower?"
In another room, a soldier was slapping his thigh in frustration; his teammate had picked a support hero to jungle, doubling his pressure in the lane.
While controlling his character, he couldn't help but complain, "What kind of messed-up play is this?!"
"ID Marine Sergeant Major? I'll make you clean toilets tomorrow!"
A young Marine soldier typed this on the public chat; his teammate had clearly not performed as expected, causing him to repeatedly suffer setbacks in the match.
"Useless! My dog plays better than you!"
In the corridor, other soldiers heard the shouting and cursing, poking their heads out. Some couldn't help but burst into laughter, while others shook their heads helplessly.
The entire dormitory building was filled with the sounds of game cheers, complaints, and curses.
...
On a certain island,
The tavern was bustling with people, the air filled with the aroma of rum and the smell of tobacco.
Pirates sat around tables in twos and threes, some talking loudly, some playing finger-guessing games and drinking, and others whispering in corners.
Captain Buggy was nestled in a booth in the corner, leaning slightly forward, his red nose almost touching the phone screen.
His fingers slid rapidly across the screen, controlling the jungle hero Dian Wei, charging aggressively toward the blue buff jungle area.
His gaze was focused and fierce, as if he wanted to tear the enemies on the screen to shreds.
"Get out of my way!" Buggy yelled into the air, his voice particularly jarring in the noisy tavern, as if his teammates could hear him. "This is Lord Buggy's exclusive blue buff!"
Just as he was about to use Smite to secure the monster, a figure suddenly flashed in. The enemy jungler Han Xin stole the blue buff with a Smite and knocked Buggy's Dian Wei into the air with his spear.
The health bar on the screen instantly dropped, Dian Wei was knocked into the air, Buggy's red nose turned purple with anger, and his fingers trembled as he typed on the public chat:
[Do you know who I am?! Lord Buggy! How dare you steal my blue buff?!]
The opponent replied instantly:
[Oh, you mean that acrobat who got punched away by Luffy?]
The noise in the tavern seemed to instantly stop, and everything around became exceptionally quiet.
Buggy's pupils shrank violently, his knuckles holding the phone made cracking sounds, and veins bulged.
He stiffly turned his head and found several pirates nearby were holding back laughter and sneaking glances at his screen, the smiles at the corners of their mouths almost overflowing.
"You... you bastard!!!"
Buggy's roar was like a clap of thunder, shaking the chandeliers. The other pirates in the tavern were startled and looked up, their eyes all directed toward him.
He slammed his phone violently into the beer glass in front of him. Foam splattered, and the beer instantly overflowed, spilling all over the table.
The phone screen was still lit, and his teammates were spamming question marks, clearly not knowing what had happened.
"I am Lord Buggy! The future Pirate King!!" Buggy yelled desperately, his voice trembling slightly.
His face turned bright red, his red nose even more noticeable, as if it were about to explode at any moment.
Hearing this, the people around couldn't help but burst into laughter. The laughter echoed through the tavern, making Buggy's face turn even uglier.
Buggy angrily picked up his soaking wet phone. Water droplets dripped from the screen, but the screen was still lit.
This was a special phone from Divine Culture, with excellent waterproof performance, specifically designed for such "accidents."
Buggy glared at the phone, his red nose shining with anger, as if it were about to spout fire.
"Captain..." Mohji cautiously handed him a towel, his voice trembling slightly. "Maybe just let it go..."
"Shut up!" Buggy snatched the towel, roughly wiping the phone, his movements showing a mix of panic and anger. He glared at the screen, his eyes filled with stubbornness. "Watch how I deal with this bastard!"
He controlled Dian Wei and headed straight for the enemy jungle, his fingers sliding rapidly across the screen, as if pouring all his rage into it.
However, as soon as he entered the bush, the screen instantly turned gray. Dian Wei was ganged up on by five people, and his health bar was instantly gone.
In the gray death screen, that Han Xin was still dancing on his corpse to mock him, his movements exaggerated and arrogant.
"Ahhh! I'm going to kill you!" Buggy grabbed a throwing knife from the table and was about to stab the screen.
Richie saw this and quickly stopped him, forcefully taking the throwing knife away, his tone a bit helpless: "Captain, calm down!"
The bartender walked over carefully, a flattering smile on his face: "Um... Lord Buggy, damaging property is prohibited in this establishment..."
He carefully glanced at Buggy, afraid of angering the unpredictable Captain.
Meanwhile,
On a certain Marine warship, a young Marine soldier was covering his mouth and secretly laughing, his shoulders shaking constantly.
He sat on his bunk, his phone screen lit, clearly watching Buggy's recent "excellent performance."
Helmeppo leaned over, looking at him curiously: "What's wrong, Coby?"
"N-nothing." Coby wiped away tears from laughing, trying hard to look calmer. "I just suddenly feel that Honor of Kings is really a great thing..."
The same scene was constantly happening across this Sea.
Whether pirates or Marines, whether commoners or nobles, everyone was freely releasing their emotions in this virtual canyon.
Many people were yelling about smashing their phones, but the strange thing was, despite the constant cursing, everyone was hooked.
In this virtual canyon, the Four Emperors' Conqueror's Haki didn't work, the Admirals' Devil Fruit powers also lost their effect; victory and defeat depended entirely on skill and awareness.
Even the weakest commoners could thoroughly roast the high and mighty big shots here, as if they had found a wonderful balance.
'Honor of Kings, first is skill, second is luck, third is teammates!'
The weight of this statement was becoming heavier and heavier across the Sea...