When Su Xiao obtained the [Worn Flintlock Pistol], he received a lot of system prompts.
But now, despite acquiring this dagger, he got no notification—no detailed info, no indication of whether it could be sold.
This led Su Xiao to suspect that the earlier weapon drop—the [Worn Flintlock Pistol]—may have involved some luck, but more likely was deliberately arranged by "Reincarnation Paradise."
In other words, he could get weapons, but would have to bear certain risks. That was probably how "Reincarnation Paradise" operated.
But the dagger he now held clearly wasn't governed by those rules. It was sharp and usable, but he couldn't bring it out of the One Piece world, nor could he exchange it for Paradise Coins.
Which made sense. If everything could be sold for coins, then the entire currency system of Reincarnation Paradise would be a joke.
Guiding the uncooperative old horse, Su Xiao slowly approached the city gates. The guards were now in sight.
The horse, now with a new master, clearly didn't want to listen, which gave Su Xiao a bit of trouble. He had no experience riding or guiding a horse. But with the guards right there, retreat wasn't an option.
With a sharp tug of the reins, the horse snorted and came to a stop.
Su Xiao chose to stop and accept inspection. Based on his guess, the city allowed loose checks for those going out, but reentry was much stricter.
Several guards approached. They appeared relaxed, but their eyes were as sharp as hawks.
"Back so early today?"
That familiar tone startled Su Xiao—it made the hairs on his neck stand up.
These guards probably knew the identity of the black-market merchant he had killed. Worse, they might've even had business ties. This was going to be tricky.
"Boss… just left the city today, but got robbed by Toby's crew— ugh!"
Su Xiao's voice was deliberately unclear, mixed with dry heaves. His voice didn't match the original cart driver, so he made himself hard to recognize.
Combined with the foul stench from the filthy clothes he wore, the guards didn't question him. In fact, they stepped back in disgust.
"What? Toby? They're pushing their luck, robbing even you. Don't they know who you are?"
The lead guard seemed genuinely angry. But another guard next to him spoke up:
"Boss, Toby's crew has been growing fast. According to my intel, they just wiped-out Roger's gang. Right now, only the Bluejam Pirates are stronger than Toby in the Gray Terminal."
"So we just let it go? What about the money?"
The guards looked at each other. They were clearly frustrated but had no way to deal with Toby's growing influence in the lawless Gray Terminal.
"You… forget it. If this happens again, don't bother coming back. Just live in the Gray Terminal."
Su Xiao nodded obediently, eyes calm and focused.
The more critical the moment, the calmer he needed to be. Many failures happen right before success—when people get careless.
He drove the horse forward. The brown horse neighed in protest, but moved.
Before the cart was fully through the gate, one of the guards crouched to check under the cart—looking for stowaways, a common method for vagrants trying to sneak into the city.
But Su Xiao hadn't gone for that. Instead of hiding, he'd outright killed the original cart driver and taken his place. Risky, yes, but it exploited a blind spot in the guards' inspection routine.
The garbage cart slowly rolled past the city gate: three meters, five meters, ten meters...
"Carlos, wait up!"
A voice from behind made Su Xiao's pupils contract, but he kept his cool.
"I've already taken care of your nephew's job. With enough 'sincerity,' he can report to the guard squad today."
The guard raised his hand, rubbing his thumb and middle finger together—a clear sign: "sincerity" meant money.
Su Xiao quickly nodded, pretending to express gratitude, but responded with more dry heaving.
"Get going! You stink to high heaven—I can smell it from here."
It was the perfect excuse. Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao grabbed the whip and lashed the horse's rear.
Crack!
The old horse whinnied and picked up speed.
He had made it. Su Xiao had successfully infiltrated the capital of the Goa Kingdom.
There were safer ways to sneak into the city, but they would've taken time—something he didn't have.
And from the guards' casual words, Su Xiao had gathered valuable intel.
First: The current timeline was before the original protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, set out to sea—possibly even before Luffy was born.
The clue was the mention of the Bluejam Pirates.
If Su Xiao recalled correctly, they were the pirates who attacked during the fire in Luffy and Ace's childhood. The Goa Kingdom's king used them, then abandoned them to die in the blaze.
Second: A completely unexpected opportunity—potentially key to completing his mission.
That guard had said: "I've arranged your nephew's position. With the right sincerity, he can report to the guard squad today."
Clearly, the dead black-market merchant had bribed his way into getting a relative a position in the city guard.
If Su Xiao posed as that nephew, he could enter the guard squad—and get closer to his assassination target.
Risky, but it was the best option. The Paradise hadn't assigned him a cover identity; he was just an outsider—a "black household" in this world.
Driving the cart through the outer ring of the city, Su Xiao entered the capital's residential district.
The streets in the commoner area were fairly clean, lined with shouting vendors.
Crowds bustled through the streets. Some looked relaxed, others anxious and grim.
The only real difference between these people and the vagrants outside the walls was that these folks wouldn't starve—but they still struggled to survive.
This was an era of chaos in the One Piece world, with constant wars and pirates everywhere. Life for the average citizen was hard.
As he moved through the busy streets, Su Xiao felt a strange sense of detachment. It no longer felt like a mission world—it felt real. These weren't just NPCs; they were living, breathing people.
The guards earlier had been highly alert. If Su Xiao hadn't been well-prepared and quick-witted, he'd have been exposed.
In a mission world, never underestimate anyone. Su Xiao reminded himself to stay sharp.
But first things first—he needed a place to wash up. He also had a [White Treasure Chest] to open.
He had to use every resource he could get.
At only LV.1, surviving in this LV.6 Nightmare-level world was incredibly difficult.
(End of Chapter)