Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 231: War Reparations, Hostage Vivi!

"What do you want?"

King Cobra, sitting weakly on the ground, looked up at Uchiha Yi's imposing figure, his voice trembling with fear.

"Didn't you just say that I was the one who tried to assassinate you?"

"Now that I'm actually going to kill you, isn't that completely justified?"

Uchiha Yi's face was expressionless, showing nothing but cold indifference.

The chilling aura surrounding him was like a sharp blade pressed against Cobra's neck, ready to take his life at any moment.

"This is a misunderstanding!"

"Respected pirate, I am willing to offer reparations!"

Cobra immediately admitted defeat, regret filling his heart.

He never should have involved himself in pirate affairs.

Now, with Uchiha Yi—the **most ruthless pirate he had ever encountered—**locking onto him, his fate was uncertain.

Moreover, after witnessing how easily Uchiha Yi defeated Crocodile, he realized that someone of his caliber would never need to rely on cheap assassination tactics to get things done.

This whole misunderstanding partly stemmed from his own misjudgment.

His only hope now was to appease Uchiha Yi with compensation and pray for mercy.

At this moment, identity, dignity, and wealth meant nothing.

In the face of absolute strength, the weak had no control over their fate!

---

"Let go of my father, you villain!"

A sharp, urgent voice suddenly rang out from a distance.

"Vivi?!"

Cobra instantly recognized the voice.

Turning his head, he saw his daughter, Vivi, rushing toward them on her duck, Karoo.

Within moments, kicking up a trail of dust, she arrived in front of the two men.

Without hesitation, Vivi drew her Peacock Slashers and positioned herself between Uchiha Yi and her father, facing him fearlessly.

---

"Interesting."

"Should I take this as a challenge?"

Uchiha Yi's aura suddenly expanded, oppressive and terrifying.

In that instant, both Cobra and Vivi felt an overwhelming dread wash over them.

Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as if death itself was looming over them.

---

"No, no, no!"

"Please don't misunderstand, great pirate!"

"Please, calm your anger!"

"We will compensate you immediately!"

"I am willing to offer all the treasures of Alabasta!"

Seeing Uchiha Yi's cold expression, Cobra panicked and hurriedly tried to defuse the situation.

He pressed down on Vivi's shoulders, signaling her not to act recklessly.

Only then did the situation avoid spiraling out of control.

---

"Treasures? I'm not interested."

"I only want Devil Fruits."

"If you can't provide them…"

"Then I'll simply destroy the Kingdom of Alabasta."

Uchiha Yi's tone was calm and indifferent, as if he were merely stating an undeniable fact.

---

"We have! We have! We have!"

"I will arrange for them to be delivered to you immediately!"

Hearing this, Cobra breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, Alabasta did have a small reserve of Devil Fruits.

Otherwise, his entire kingdom might have been wiped out today.

Based on the overwhelming strength Uchiha Yi had displayed, Cobra estimated that he was on par with a Marine Admiral.

Such an opponent was not someone a poor desert kingdom could afford to offend.

The only option was to compromise.

---

"That's not enough."

"You need to provide ten Devil Fruits as compensation."

Uchiha Yi added, his demand increasing drastically.

---

"But… I don't have that many!"

Cobra's face turned pale, his heart sinking.

---

"Then you will have to gather the remaining ones within three years."

"If you fail to do so…"

"There will be nothing left to discuss."

Uchiha Yi gave a deadline.

Whether Cobra could accomplish this or not was no longer his concern.

---

"Understood!"

Cobra nodded grimly.

Three years of survival was better than immediate destruction.

If he refused now, Alabasta would be erased from existence today!

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

---

"Good. Then it's settled."

"Your daughter, Vivi, will remain with me as a maid."

"Once you have paid back all ten Devil Fruits, I will return her to you."

"If you fail to repay the debt within three years…"

"For every additional year, the debt will increase by one extra Devil Fruit."

"Also, artificial Devil Fruits don't count."

---

If someone made a mistake but didn't suffer any consequences,

Then what was the point of being strong?

If he had lost today, what would his own fate have been?

Uchiha Yi had no sympathy just because Cobra was a main character in this world's story.

He had chosen not to kill him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't exploit him.

Cobra would spend the next few years struggling to collect Devil Fruits for Uchiha Yi.

---

"Yes!"

Faced with Uchiha Yi's overwhelming dominance, Cobra couldn't even bring himself to refuse.

He had no choice but to obey.

In the end, Cobra departed with his remaining guards.

But his daughter remained behind.

Before leaving, he solemnly warned Vivi not to act recklessly.

Otherwise, she would bring disaster upon Alabasta.

---

These words left Vivi feeling completely lost.

Since childhood, her father had always been an unshakable pillar of strength.

But now, in front of a single pirate, he was completely powerless!

The image of her father as an indomitable protector began to crumble.

---

Uchiha Yi had no interest in Vivi's inner turmoil.

He handed her over to an AI maid for training, instructing her to begin her duties.

With Vivi as a hostage, he didn't need to worry about Cobra backing out of their deal.

---

With Crocodile's defeat,

the ridiculous "King's Assassination" incident immediately lost all credibility.

Not long after, Cobra arranged for the first Devil Fruit to be delivered.

It was a common Zoan-type—Desert Lizard Form.

Uchiha Yi had no interest in such a weak fruit and immediately gave it to one of his high-quality AI soldiers.

This was the perfect opportunity to test a theory:

Could AI creations also become Devil Fruit users?

---

Under Uchiha Yi's watchful eye,

the AI soldier devoured the entire Devil Fruit.

The next second—

visible lizard-like features began to appear on the AI soldier's body.

This confirmed his theory—AI beings could also gain Devil Fruit abilities!

---

Unfortunately, Devil Fruits were extremely rare.

Even a country as large as Alabasta only had one in its possession.

Most other kingdoms wouldn't even have that many.

And the strongest Devil Fruits were hoarded by Mary Geoise.

Clearly, he needed to pay the Holy Land a visit someday.

---

With his objectives completed—

1. Deploying AI soldiers across Alabasta

2. Spreading his name far and wide

There was no longer any reason to stay.

It was time to set sail for the next island.

---

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