Chapter 19: The Night Before
In a dilapidated warehouse, Krieg and Gin were growing impatient as they waited.
"Creak..."
The long-unused warehouse door made a harsh, grating sound as it opened.
Both Krieg and Gin immediately became alert. They were pirates, men who lived with their swords always ready.
Su Xiao stood at the entrance of the warehouse but didn't walk in immediately.
"Wait for me here." he said.
After speaking, Su Xiao walked inside, leaving Hank behind. Hank opened his mouth as if to speak but eventually stayed silent. He remained outside the warehouse, standing guard.
Once inside, Su Xiao was greeted by the sight of a few randomly placed wooden crates and a floor thick with dust. It was clear the warehouse had been abandoned for some time.
"You're late. Is this how the Goa Kingdom shows its respect?" Krieg was the first to speak, his tone far from pleasant.
Su Xiao chuckled lightly, sizing up Krieg.
Krieg was a tall man with his face hidden under a hood. Even from several meters away, Su Xiao could catch a strange odor—a toxic smell. He was familiar with this scent as it was the same type he often coated his blade with.
"Let's get straight to the point. You handle the task, and the kingdom will grant you noble status afterward." Su Xiao said, cutting right to the chase. He didn't want to waste time with pirates.
"That's it? Aren't there supposed to be three groups vying for this job...?" Krieg started to protest but was cut off by Su Xiao.
"No, those two other groups are just a joke. I have the final decision. All I need from you is a simple yes or no."
Krieg was visibly annoyed at being interrupted, but since they were deep within the Goa Kingdom's capital, even he had to hold back some of his arrogance.
Su Xiao wasn't foolish enough to meet Krieg alone. He had over a hundred guards secretly lying in wait nearby.
Krieg hesitated. He didn't fully trust Su Xiao, or more precisely, he didn't trust the Goa Kingdom.
"Tell me what exactly you want us to do first."
Krieg wasn't aware of the full details behind the mission to burn down the Gray Terminal. While those within the city knew about it, outsiders like Krieg, who had sailed in, didn't have the full picture. The promise of noble status was what had lured him to this meeting.
"At 6 o'clock tomorrow evening, you need to set the Gray Terminal on fire. The timing must be precise." Su Xiao explained, going over the details of the mission. The more Krieg and Gin listened, the more serious their expressions became.
"Burn everything? That's quite a challenge. The Gray Terminal covers a huge area." Krieg pointed out.
"Ever heard of explosives?" Su Xiao replied coldly, keeping his gaze fixed on Krieg, preparing for the possibility of the pirate turning on him. The negotiation was at a critical point.
"You must be joking. We'll need a massive amount of explosives for that. Unless you provide them, we're not doing it." Krieg retorted.
Su Xiao had anticipated this reaction.
"Oh well, that's unfortunate." Su Xiao said, turning to leave without bothering to haggle.
"Wait!" Gin quickly called out, stopping Su Xiao. He then whispered into Krieg's ear, "Boss, if we use all the explosives we have on the ship, it should be enough."
Krieg was furious, glaring at Su Xiao. He knew full well that they had enough explosives, but he was reluctant to part with them.
"Do you really think setting the Gray Terminal on fire will get me noble status? If you want the explosives, you're going to have to provide them yourselves. Otherwise, we're done here."
Half an hour later, Su Xiao left the warehouse, leaving Krieg and Gin behind, both visibly frustrated.
As a show of good faith, Su Xiao had left behind a document—an official certificate for noble status from the kingdom. All Krieg had to do was sign it, and then later have it officially notarized, which would make him a noble.
This document wasn't something that could be easily voided either, as it bore the seal of the World Government.
Pirates weren't easily swayed, and without real bait, they wouldn't take risks.
"Sir, is everything settled?" Hank asked cautiously. Su Xiao suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Su Xiao's cold gaze caused Hank to instinctively take a step back.
"No, I don't."
At that moment, Hank deeply regretted not killing Su Xiao when he had the chance during the weapon selection process.
"Hank, I have something important for you to do. It's... very important." Su Xiao said before signaling the hidden guards to show themselves. Over a hundred soldiers gathered behind him as he led them back to the guard headquarters.
Night had fallen, and Su Xiao sat alone in his dark office at the guard headquarters. The room was pitch black.
The sudden appearance of the Krieg Pirates hadn't disrupted his plans; if anything, it had made things go even more smoothly.
Resting his elbow on the desk, Su Xiao pressed his fingers to his forehead.
He knew his current plan wasn't flawless. There might be unforeseen loopholes. But that was something he couldn't help. He was still too weak and had to rely on strategy to achieve his goals.
Su Xiao would have preferred to solve everything with his sword, as that suited his style more.
"Soon… I just need to leave this dangerous world."
Despite the perilous nature of the One Piece world, Su Xiao was confident that Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't constantly send him into worlds five levels beyond his own.
He believed entering the One Piece world was some kind of test, a trial related to his Hunter identity.
Or perhaps, until he completed the main mission, he wasn't truly a Hunter. He only had the title without the actual duties.
That night, Su Xiao slept in his office.
The next morning, Su Xiao woke early and began preparing for that night's operation.
It was the final day of the mission's deadline—tonight at midnight was the absolute latest he could complete it.
Tonight, he would assassinate the king of the Goa Kingdom. It was all or nothing.
He spent the entire day in constant activity. As the main person responsible for burning down the Gray Terminal, every department he interacted with gave way to his authority.
The Left Minister was completely out of commission. Every time Su Xiao saw him, those dead, lifeless eyes sent a chill down his spine.
By four in the afternoon, everything was finally in place. Su Xiao retreated into his office at the guard headquarters, vanishing from sight.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the pirates outside the city to ignite the Gray Terminal.
As for the Goa Kingdom's motivation for burning down the Gray Terminal, it was almost laughable.
In just a few days, the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, would be arriving for their inspection. To ensure the Celestial Dragons didn't witness the massive mountains of garbage outside the city, the Goa Kingdom had chosen to burn it all down, along with the thousands of homeless people living there.
There were at least a few thousand people living outside the city.
Such was the nature of the ruling powers in the One Piece world. To keep their flaws hidden from the upper class, they were willing to incinerate thousands of lives.
At 5 o'clock in the evening, the sky grew darker, and the wind carried a cool breeze. In an hour, the Gray Terminal was set to burn. The city was eerily silent.
Sitting alone in the dark office, Su Xiao suddenly pulled out a green treasure chest.
This chest was the reward from killing the leader of Mt. Colubo. He had been too busy recently to open it.
The green treasure chest filled Su Xiao with anticipation, and a smile spread across his tired face.
[Green Treasure Chest: Open it? YES/NO]
Su Xiao chose to open it, and several items appeared in his hands.
[You have opened the Green Treasure Chest and received the following items]
[1,000 Paradise Coins]
[Soul Crystal (Small)]
[Tiger Claw]
He didn't get any equipment, but that wasn't surprising.
Su Xiao had opened enough treasure chests to understand how they worked.
The level of items found in a chest depended on the chest's color, and so far, he only knew of three levels: White < Green < Blue.
The type of items also depended on what kind of creature or person the chest dropped from. For example, killing a tiger wouldn't result in a sword or a shield. It would likely yield claws or pelts.
The same applied to people. When he killed a black market merchant, he got an introduction letter. When he killed Oka, he received the pendant Oka wore.
…
Su Xiao inspected the items he had obtained.
The Paradise Coins went straight into his imprint. Despite being called "coins," they were actually a form of currency without a physical manifestation.
[Tiger Claw
Quality: Green
Type: Material
Rating: 16 (Note: Green materials are rated between 10 and 30. The higher the rating, the more valuable the material.)
Description: The claw of an elite beast. Can be used in Reincarnation Paradise to forge equipment or as an enhancement material.]
[Soul Crystal (Small)
Quality: None
Type: Concentrated Soul Essence
Rating: None
Description: Soul Crystals are rare items with various uses... (Further information is restricted.)]
…
As Su Xiao examined the small, transparent Soul Crystal in his hand, he felt confused by its function.
Still, he had a feeling that this crystal, no larger than a fingernail, was possibly the most valuable item he had ever obtained.
He would learn more once he returned to Reincarnation Paradise. For now, the priority was completing his mission.
The time had unknowingly crept toward 6 PM.
Su Xiao left his office and disappeared into the night. Tonight, he would either complete his mission or die in the royal palace—there was no third option.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.
Also Sorry for no uploads for 2 days. I will upload 6 chapters today.