Hank wore a fawning smile as he pushed open the office door.
"Boss, it's me, Hank."
Su Xiao followed him into the office.
"So it's Hank. You're smart not to interrupt my fun. Speak, what's the matter?"
Inside sat a burly, shirtless man. His shiny bald head and the violent aura surrounding him made it clear—this man was no pushover.
"This is the newcomer, White Night. He comes recommended by that person. Here's the letter of introduction."
The bald man gave Su Xiao a glance, casually skimmed through the letter, then tore it to shreds.
"The original price was 200,000 Beli, but with recent major events coming up and things getting tense, the new minimum is 400,000 Beli."
Su Xiao kept a polite smile on his face. Though weak at the moment, he had to conceal his real emotions. Deep down, he wanted to shoot the man in the face and ask again—how much?
Without a word, Su Xiao handed over the 400,000 Beli.
His decisiveness made the bald man raise an eyebrow.
"No wonder you're from that side. You're generous. From now on, you're one of the palace guards. Remember to call me Boss—or Sir."
Su Xiao kept smiling, but there was a strange edge to that smile.
"Of course, Boss~."
He had successfully joined the palace guard—an important step toward assassinating the king.
Meanwhile, Hank kept his head down, eyes fixed on the floor as if something fascinating were there.
In reality, he was showing deference: pretending not to have seen his superior take a bribe.
This moment illustrated just how corrupt the One Piece world was. With enough money, even higher positions could be bought. Fortunately for Su Xiao, this was good news.
Money didn't mean much to him. Time was his most precious resource. Any problem that could be solved with Beli wasn't a problem at all.
[Notification: Hunter has joined the Palace Guard faction. Plotline altered slightly. Gained 2.1% World Source.]
After leaving the office, Su Xiao received the standard palace guard kit: a uniform and a matchlock musket.
In the armory, Su Xiao stared at the crude matchlock in his hands, clearly unimpressed. He looked over at Hank.
"Hank, is it possible to get a different weapon?"
Hank made a troubled face.
"Well… these are official supplies, I can't really…"
That hesitant tone made Su Xiao realize Hank was fishing for a bribe.
Calmly, Su Xiao slipped 30,000 Beli into Hank's pocket. Instantly, Hank's face lit up with smiles.
"We're comrades now! If you need help, just say the word. Pick whichever weapon you like—but only one. That's the rule and it can't be changed."
Su Xiao set the musket aside and started browsing the weapons in the armory. Soon, his gaze locked onto a long katana.
It was over a meter long, with a blade about 3 cm wide. The curve was slight. While not as good as Su Xiao's usual blade, it was still a decent weapon.
"This one."
As he sheathed the sword, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared the moment he touched it.
"Hey, hey! You can take any other weapon, but not that one!"
Hank's expression turned cold, as if he hadn't just pocketed 30,000 Beli.
"What did you say?"
Holding the sword, Su Xiao tilted his head and looked at Hank, eyes flashing with cold light. Endless patience only made one look weak.
Seeing Su Xiao's eyes, Hank's heart trembled—this guy had killed people, probably more than a few.
Hank hesitated. He wanted to confront Su Xiao, but the blade in Su Xiao's hand gave him pause.
"Hank, don't sweat it. We're friends, right?"
Su Xiao gently pressed the hilt of the blade against Hank's chest.
The message was clear: accept the bribe and shut up—or die. There were no third options. The sword was too valuable to give up, especially for the mission.
Su Xiao knew even if he killed Hank, as long as he gave the bald man enough money, he'd look the other way.
"This stays between you and me. Let's say… this blade seals our friendship."
Hank patted Su Xiao on the shoulder with fake affection—he gave in. The tense atmosphere in the armory dissipated.
"I just got to the capital today and have a lot to catch up on. So yeah, we're friends now."
Su Xiao sighed internally. If one low-level guard was this tricky to handle, what kind of enemies would he face closer to the king?
But this kind of challenge… made Su Xiao's blood race. He could feel the rush of combat waking up inside him.
The reason Su Xiao insisted on the sword? When he touched it earlier, a notification had appeared:
….
[Acquired: Dragon Flash]
[Rarity: White · Rare]
[Origin: One Piece – Iron Furnace Blacksmith Shop]
[Durability: 35/40 (-5 from damage)]
[Attack Power: 5–16 (scales with slash strength)]
[Requirements: 2 STR to equip, 5+ STR to use effectively]
[Rating: 10 (max for white rarity; thus marked 'Rare')]
[Special Effect: Dragon's Majesty – Intimidates enemies while wielded (reduces their aura/presence).]
[Lore: Once the blade of the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman Ryuma in his youth. Severely damaged and downgraded in quality. After Ryuma obtained the black blade "Shusui," this sword was shelved in his room. Upon his death, it wasn't even buried with him and eventually ended up here.]
[Quote: "Master, I'm rusting. Where are you? Wield me and slay the dragon again!"]
[Value: 1,100 Paradise Coins (can be taken out of the One Piece world)]
….
Ryuma was a legendary swordsman, possibly even stronger than Mihawk, the current world's greatest. If this was his old weapon, it couldn't be weak.
Su Xiao even suspected that if it hadn't been damaged, Dragon Flash might've been a green—or even blue—rarity item.
That's why he'd risked falling out with Hank for it.
Thankfully, things hadn't turned hostile. Their phony "friendship" could still hold—for now.
"You're lucky, kid. That sword was seized from a group of pirates. Hardly anyone knows it's special—except me. If I used swords and the rules didn't forbid taking more than one, I would've taken it long ago."
Su Xiao just smiled and strapped Dragon Flash to his waist.
With a proper sword, his combat power had increased dramatically, giving him a sense of security.
"Let's go. Something big's going down in two days—we won't be idle."
Hank sighed, as if troubled.
"What is it? Give me a heads-up so I can prepare."
"In half a month, the World Nobles—the Celestial Dragons—are coming to inspect the Goa Kingdom. So in two days, we're going to 'clean up' the Gray Terminal."
(End of Chapter)