Hank pushed the office door open with a fawning smile.
"Boss, it's me, Hank."
Ender followed him into the office.
"Is that you, Hank? Good thing you knew not to interrupt my fun. Now, what do you want?"
Inside the office sat a large, bare-chested, muscular man. His shiny bald head and fierce manner made it clear that this man was strong.
"This is the new guy, Hakuitsu. 'That person' sent him. Here is the letter of introduction."
The strong man glanced at Ender, took the letter, looked at it quickly, and then tore it up.
"The price was 200,000 Berries before, but lately, a big event is coming up, and things are tense. So, it will be at least 400,000 Berries now."
Ender kept smiling. He was still weak right now, so he had to hide his true feelings. Even though he wanted to shoot the big man and ask how much the price really was.
Ender took out 400,000 Berries and placed them in front of the strong man without saying a word.
Ender's quick action made the strong man raise an eyebrow.
"You really are from 'that side.' You are generous with your money. You are part of the Guards from now. Remember to call me Boss or Sir."
Ender was still smiling, but the smile looked strange.
"Yes, Boss."
Joining the Guards was successful. With this, his mission to kill the King moved a big step forward.
Hank was standing nearby with his head down, staring at the floor, as if something interesting was happening there.
That wasn't true. Hank was showing that he didn't see his boss take the bribe.
This event shows how chaotic things are in this derived world. With enough money, he could likely buy even higher jobs. For Ender, this was good news.
Berries were not important to him. The thing he needed most was time. Any problem that Berries could fix was not a problem at all.
[Note: The Hunter has joined the Guards. The storyline has changed a little. Gained World's Source 2.1%.]
Walking out of the office, Ender received the standard Guards uniform and a matchlock gun.
In the storage room, Ender looked at the simple matchlock gun in his hand, feeling speechless. He looked at Hank.
"Hank, can I switch to a different weapon?"
Hank looked troubled.
"Well, these are the set supplies. I also..."
The hesitant tone made Ender understand that the man was asking for a bribe.
Ender quietly put 30,000 Berries into Hank's pocket. Hank's face changed immediately, and he was all smiles.
"We are co-workers. We can talk about problems. You can choose your own weapon, but only one. That's a rule no one can change."
Ender put down the matchlock gun and looked around the storage room. There were all kinds of weapons. Soon, his eyes settled on a long knife.
The knife was over a meter long and about three centimeters wide. The curve of the blade was small. Although it wasn't as good as Ender's own knife, it was still a good weapon.
"I'll take this one."
Ender picked up the knife and put it in its sheath. When he touched the long knife, Reincarnation Paradise immediately showed an alert.
"Hey, hey, you can take other weapons, but not that knife."
Hank's expression turned cold, as if he had never taken the 30,000 Berries.
"What did you say?"
Ender held the long knife, tilted his head, and looked at Hank. His eyes flashed with coldness. If he just kept giving in, others would think he was weak and easy to bully.
Hank was shocked when he saw Ender's look and felt a sudden chill.
This guy has killed people, and not just one.
Hank struggled inside. He wanted to argue with Ender right then, but Ender, holding the sharp blade, made him very cautious.
"Hank, don't worry about this. We are friends, aren't we?"
Ender pointed the handle of the knife at Hank's chest.
It was either take the money and stay quiet, or Ender would kill Hank right there. These were the only two choices because this long knife would help him a lot with his mission.
Also, Ender would not give up something he already had just because of a small threat.
Ender believed that even if he killed Hank, if he gave the strong man enough money, the man would just ignore it.
"This is just between you and me. Let's call this knife a friendship gift."
Hank patted Ender's shoulder warmly. He gave in, and the tension in the storage room faded.
I just arrived in the capital city today and need to know some things. So, I will definitely be your friend.
Ender sighed to himself. If a simple guard was this hard to deal with, what kind of enemies would he meet when he got closer to the King?
This feeling of being challenged made Ender's heart beat faster. His blood was pumping. He was starting to like this feeling.
The desire to fight inside him was waking up.
Ender was so bent on getting the knife because of the alert Reincarnation Paradise gave him when he touched it.
[Gained Dragon Slayer]
Dragon Slayer (White - Rare)
Origin: One Piece, Iron Furnace Blacksmith Shop
Durability: 35/40 (This weapon was badly broken before. Durability -5.)
Attack Power: 5 to 16
Requirements: Strength 2 can use it. Strength over 5 can use it well.
Rating: 10. (Note: White Equipment is rated from 1 to 10. White Equipment with a rating of 10 will be marked as 'Rare' and have a special added feature.)
Added Feature: Dragon's Power. When holding this weapon, it will cause an intimidating effect on enemies. (Intimidating effect reduces the enemy's fighting spirit.)
Summary: This was once the favorite knife of the Dragon Slaying Swordsman, Ryuma, when he was young. But it was badly broken, and its rank dropped after it was fixed. After Ryuma got the Black Blade Shusui, this knife was left in Ryuma's room. After Ryuma died, this weapon was not important enough to be buried with him, so it was lost.
Master, I am almost rusting. Where are you? Please use me to cut down that dragon!
Price: 1,100 Paradise Coins (This is a special item that can be taken out of the derived world).
...
Ryuma was a very famous and powerful person in One Piece. Maybe even the current best swordsman in the world, Mihawk, wasn't stronger than him.
How could a weapon used by such a strong person when he was young be weak? Ender even thought that if this Dragon Slayer had not been broken, it might have been Green or even Blue Equipment.
This is why Ender was willing to argue with Hank to get this knife.
Luckily, they didn't really fight, and this fake 'friendship' could last a little longer.
"You're a lucky guy. This knife was taken from a group of pirates. Few people besides me know this knife is valuable. If I knew how to use a sword, and if there wasn't a strict rule that you can only choose one weapon, I would have taken this knife long ago."
Ender smiled and said nothing, just putting the Dragon Slayer at his waist.
With the knife on him, his fighting power grew a lot, which made him feel safer.
"Let's go. A big event is happening in two days. We will both be busy till then."
Hank sighed, as if he was worried about something.
"What is it? Tell me ahead of time so I can get ready."
"In half a month, the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, will come to Goa Kingdom to check things out. So, in two days, we have to 'clean up' the Gray Terminal!"