When Su Xiao previously obtained the "Old Flintlock Pistol," he received a lot of prompts,
but the knife he got did not come with any hints, no detailed information, and it didn't show whether it could be sold.
This led Su Xiao to speculate that the "Old Flintlock Pistol" he obtained earlier was partly a matter of luck, and possibly deliberately arranged by 'Reincarnation Paradise.'
The implication being that he could acquire weapons, but would need to take on certain risks, which should be the law of 'Reincarnation Paradise.'
However, the knife he held clearly did not fall within this category. The knife was very sharp, he could use it, but he couldn't take it out of the Pirate World, nor exchange it for Paradise Coins.
Which is only reasonable, if anything could be sold for Paradise Coins, then the currency mechanism of 'Reincarnation Paradise' would just be a joke.
Driving the somewhat disobedient horse, Su Xiao gradually approached the city gates, the few guards already appearing in his line of sight.
Having suddenly changed owners, the old horse was understandably a bit unresponsive, making Su Xiao uneasy. He'd never maneuvered a horse before, but with the guards right in front of him, retreating was not an option.
A pull on the reins, the horse snorted and stopped in place.
Su Xiao actively stopped for inspection, based on his guess, it's relatively lax when leaving the city, but entering the city would not be as simple.
Several guards stepped forward, seemingly lazy in demeanor, yet their eyes were as sharp as birds of prey.
"What's going on, coming back to the city so early today?"
The familiar tone of the guard made Su Xiao's hair stand on end.
These guards might know the identity of that black market merchant, and there might even be an interest relationship between them, making the situation tricky.
"Sir, I just left the city today, and it was robbed by Toby's forces, ugh~."
Su Xiao's voice was very vague, accompanied by frequent dry heaving. His voice differed from that of the coachman, so he deliberately did this.
With the stench of sewage on his clothes, the guards did not suspect, they even stepped back a bit from Su Xiao.
"What? Toby? Are they courting death, even daring to rob you, does he not know your identity?"
The guard in front of Su Xiao was clearly a bit angry, but another guard beside him said:
"Boss, recently Toby's forces have expanded rapidly. According to my informants, Toby has just destroyed Roger's forces. Aside from the Balsam Pirate Gang, no force at Scrap End Station surpasses Toby."
"Just let it go like this? What about the money?"
The guards exchanged glances, each carrying some resentment in their eyes, but they didn't have a solution for Toby, hidden within Scrap End Station.
"You... never mind, if this happens again, don't bother coming back, just 'live' at Scrap End Station."
Su Xiao feigned a submissive nod but his eyes remained very calm.
The more it comes to a critical moment, the calmer you must be, as many failures occur right before success due to complacency.
Driving the horse forth, the brown old horse grudgingly moved forward.
Just before Su Xiao left, a guard bent down to peek under the carriage, ensuring no one was hiding underneath, a common method for vagrants entering the city.
Su Xiao never considered hiding under the carriage, choosing instead to eliminate the coachman directly and take his place, a risky method, but one that exploited a blind spot in the guards' inspection.
The garbage truck gradually passed through the city gates, moving steadily forward, three meters, five meters, ten meters,
"Carlos, wait."
A guard's call came from behind, causing Su Xiao's pupils to contract for a moment but quickly returned to normal.
"I've arranged your nephew's matter, with enough 'sincerity,' he can report to the guard team today."
The guard raised one hand high, thumb and middle finger rubbing together, indicating that the so-called 'sincerity' referred to money.
Su Xiao hurriedly nodded, gesturing to thank, but continued to emit dry heaving sounds.
"Hurry up and go, it's really stinking, I can smell it from this distance."
Such an opportunity wouldn't be missed by Su Xiao, he picked up the whip from beside him, cracking it on the old horse's buttocks.
"Smack~."
The sharp sound echoed, the old horse neighed mournfully, and its pace visibly quickened.
The infiltration succeeded, Su Xiao safely blended into the Royal Capital of the Goa Kingdom.
Though he had safer methods of infiltrating the capital, they required time, which was currently not on his side.
Moreover, from the guards' casual words, he acquired much useful information.
First, the current time is before the main protagonist Monkey D. Luffy goes to sea in the original work, meaning during Luffy's childhood, or Luffy hasn't even been born.
The basis for this conclusion was from the guard's mention of the Balsam Pirate Gang,
If Su Xiao remembered correctly, the Balsam Pirate Gang is the pirate group in the original story that battled in a fire with young Luffy, Ace, and others.
In the original, the Balsam Pirate Gang was used by the King of Goa Kingdom, who personally ignited Scrap End Station and abandoned them to perish in the fire.
The second was an unexpected gain, perhaps the key to Su Xiao's mission success.
The guard's earlier words sparked joy in Su Xiao's heart, 'I've arranged your nephew's matter, with enough 'sincerity,' he can report to the guard team today.'
It seems that the deceased black market merchant and the guards made some deal, buying a position in the guard team with money.
If Su Xiao impersonated the nephew to enter the guard team, it would mean he'd be one step closer to his assassination target.
Though risky, it was still the best option given the Reincarnation Paradise hadn't arranged an identity for him, making him a foreigner without a record.
Su Xiao drove the carriage along the streets of the Royal Capital of Goa Kingdom, being in the outer layer of the capital, it was just a residential area for commoners.
The streets in the civilian area were relatively clean, with stalls lining the sides hawking their goods.
Large groups of civilians leisurely traversed the streets, making the entire city look bustling, though some had worried expressions and hurried demeanor.
The only difference between these civilians and the vagrants outside the walls was that they wouldn't starve, but they also struggled to make ends meet.
The Pirate World was amidst turbulent times, replete with war and roaming pirates, making civilians' living conditions relatively impoverished.
Walking through the bustling streets, Su Xiao felt as if he'd crossed worlds, as if it wasn't a mission world, but a real one, full of blood and breath, not just NPCs.
The guards' earlier vigilance showed that underestimating anyone could be detrimental if Su Xiao hadn't been thoroughly prepared and quick-witted, he might have been exposed.
In the mission world, never underestimate anyone, Su Xiao silently cautioned himself.
But now the primary matter was to find a place to clean his body, and to open the "Treasure Chest (White)" he obtained earlier, utilizing every available resource.
As an LV.1 Su Xiao, it was truly difficult to navigate in this LV.6, Nightmare Difficulty world.