The gunfire gradually died down, replaced by the wails of the wounded.
Hidden in the shadows, Su Xiao judged that the time was ripe—Toby, the burly man, and his group had successfully driven off the attacking vagrants.
The vagrants fought without any strategy; after a chaotic exchange of gunfire, they broke formation and pursued recklessly.
Su Xiao climbed out from a building and landed quietly, immediately crouching low.
Before him stretched endless mountains of trash, wisps of green smoke rising from the heaps, the stench of rot assaulting his nostrils.
Ignoring the foul smell, Su Xiao's eyes locked onto a gun lying in the distance—a short-barreled flintlock pistol. Though old and worn, it was still a deadly weapon.
The gun's owner lay dead nearby, half his throat shredded by a stray bullet—a gruesome death.
Perhaps because of the hidden location of the body, Toby's gang hadn't discovered the weapon. In a place like the "Gray Terminal," where weapons were rare, there's no way they'd just leave a gun lying around.
Keeping low, Su Xiao began making his way toward the flintlock.
But just then, a skinny vagrant rushed in and reached for the gun with his filthy hand.
Su Xiao frowned—not because the man beat him to it, but because the movement might alert the two factions nearby.
Without hesitation, Su Xiao picked up a fist-sized rock and hurled it with full strength.
Thud.
The rock struck the man's arm hard, making him stumble and cry out in pain.
Su Xiao dashed in, sidestepped, and rammed his knee into the man's spine.
The vagrant hunched forward, vomiting bile. Despite the heavy blow, he staggered but did not fall—his resilience startled Su Xiao.
Just how strong are the people of this pirate world? And this guy was just a lowly vagrant.
No time to dwell on that—the man now looked enraged, like a wild beast. His mouth full of yellow teeth clenched, jaw muscles bulging.
Faced with this feral expression, most people would instinctively back off. But Su Xiao wasn't most people. He had combat experience and knew turning his back would get him shot.
Clenching his fist, Su Xiao struck first—a solid punch to the vagrant's jaw. The lower jaw is full of blood vessels, and a sudden blow can disrupt blood flow to the brain, causing momentary unconsciousness.
Crack.
A few bloody yellow teeth flew from the man's mouth as he collapsed like a felled tree.
Normally, a punch like that would knock someone out for at least half a minute. But knowing the absurd physical toughness of this world, Su Xiao flipped the man over and delivered a second punch to the back of the neck.
Thump.
With a dull sound, the man went limp—his life or death uncertain.
Su Xiao grabbed the flintlock from the ground. As he did, a line of text appeared in his vision.
Before he could read it, the sound of footsteps approached—Toby's group was returning after a failed pursuit.
Su Xiao's heart turned cold. If they found him now, he wouldn't even get a chance to speak—he'd be riddled with bullets. These men were already out for blood.
He looked around quickly—trash mountains surrounded him in a circle, blocking all paths.
Climbing them wasn't an option—unstable and full of unknown dangers, they could collapse or hide sharp objects. A single misstep could lead to a fatal wound or deadly infection in this filthy environment.
With no choice, Su Xiao slipped back into the broken-down building, where the girl named Mia still huddled in fear.
This time, Su Xiao didn't have to tell her to stay quiet.
"I won't say anything," she whispered.
Realizing she'd spoken, Mia quickly clasped her hands over her mouth and glanced nervously at the gun in Su Xiao's hand.
Soon, loud curses echoed outside, followed by silence—Toby's men were likely scavenging, but judging from their frustration, they found nothing of value.
Su Xiao exhaled and turned his attention to the system notification:
….
[Obtained: Worn Flintlock Pistol Pistol (White)]
[Worn Flintlock Pistol Pistol (White)]
[Origin: One Piece World, Leopold Workshop]
[Durability: 6/30]
[Ammo Capacity: 4/6 (This multi-shot flintlock is a One Piece world specialty)]
[Attack Power: 2–13 (based on distance)]
[Equip Requirement: Strength 1 to use, Strength 3+ for skilled handling]
[Rating: 3 (Note: White equipment is rated 1–10. A score of 10 is marked "Rare" and may have special effects.)]
[Description: A poorly maintained flintlock. Once rated 9, its score has dropped to 3. Use with caution—its next shot might be its last… and yours.]
[Price: 150 Paradise Coins (Random drop; cannot be taken out of the One Piece world.)]
….
[First equipment acquired. Initiating equipment quality tutorial.]
{Equipment ranks: White, Green, Blue... (Further tiers locked due to insufficient rank. Please explore on your own.)}
[First contact with Paradise Coins. Initiating tutorial.]
[Paradise Coins are the universal currency for all transactions in the Reincarnation Paradise system.]
[Use them to trade with the system or other Contractors.]
{Warning: Every Paradise Coin is your capital for survival and growth. Use them wisely.}
….
Su Xiao nodded in understanding. Reincarnation Paradise had strict rules, clearly labeling gear stats and offering a complete currency system.
Though he knew great danger lay ahead, he couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement—perhaps this world could help him grow stronger.
He didn't yet know the exact path to power, but it must exist—otherwise, how could they expect him to complete even harder missions in the future?
After inspecting the flintlock carefully, Su Xiao smiled faintly.
At last, he had a weapon. In a world this dangerous, that brought some peace of mind.
Still, he preferred melee weapons—especially thin, razor-sharp blades. If he had his old sword, his combat effectiveness would rise by at least 50%.
He now had a general grasp of the situation. His next step was preparing to complete his mission.
He had only 72 hours. Su Xiao had no intention of finding out what failure meant. He had to devote himself fully.
But assassinating a king was no simple task. He needed another approach—at the very least, a way to get close to his target.
Su Xiao didn't even consider sneaking into the palace—this was the One Piece world, where some could sense others using "Observation Haki."
From what Su Xiao remembered, this king was linked to the Celestial Dragons. It wasn't unthinkable that powerful Haki users guarded him.
Otherwise, the difficulty rating of "LV.3" for killing a king wouldn't make sense.
Back in the real world—despite its surveillance—Su Xiao had completed his revenge. In a world less advanced in technology, this should be easier… right?
But that was a problem for later. First, he needed to understand where he was.
Reincarnation Paradise didn't offer maps. Everything had to be discovered on his own.
Su Xiao's gaze turned toward the girl huddled in the corner—Mia. She lived in the "Gray Terminal." She would know this place well.
Sensing his gaze, Mia shrank back even further.
"W-what do you want?" she asked, voice trembling with the hint of tears.
She'd been hiding her gender the whole time—being a woman here was dangerous.
"Are you hungry?" Su Xiao asked.
He squatted in front of her with a warm smile on his face—but his eyes remained icy.
He was not a kind man. Hatred had long since wiped out any kindness left in his heart.
(End of Chapter)