Better to Rely on Oneself Than to Ask Others

Xia had already been like a candle flickering in the wind, her flame of life liable to go out at any moment. Yet upon hearing that voice, she somehow burst forth with a powerful will to survive, as though she had been granted a final flash of vitality.

"Yes, unknown being, please save me. No—please save Xun."

"I will not intervene. The only one who can save her is you."

"I'm about to die. How could I possibly save Xun?" Xia did not notice that her soul was gradually solidifying, as though the soul the God of Death had torn from her body was being stuffed back inside.

"I can give you a chance to start over, but you will have only one chance. Go. Prove your worth to me. Remember, if you fail to satisfy me, I will take everything back from you."

"What? What exactly do you mean?" Xia was utterly confused. Yet as she thought this, she suddenly realized that her mind had become clear again. Even her body no longer felt unbearably heavy. Her injuries had completely healed, and even the wound in her heart had vanished. She was utterly horrified. Just what kind of terrifying being had saved her? A god? A demon?

"God or demon, it doesn't matter. As long as I can save Xun, nothing else matters." Xia could clearly sense that although she had not gained any enhancement, her body had fully recovered to its peak condition. She also recalled that being's cold words: "Prove my worth? If I'm not mistaken, what he means is revenge. Kill everyone here and take my little sister back. Good. That's exactly what I want too."

However, Xia remained motionless on the ground, pretending to be dead rather than acting rashly. She knew that she was no match for this band of pirates, especially that sharpshooter. She had to deal with him first, or her struggle would be meaningless.

In the forest not far from the little village, Roy and several Senior Executives watched what was happening in the village and discussed it without restraint. Strangely, no one could detect the presence of Roy and his group.

"Captain, you really are cold-hearted. You watched those two little girls get beaten so badly before making a move." King looked at Roy with a half-smile.

"Heh. That's just how the world is. The greatest support a person can ever rely on is themselves. Those who always expect someone to come save the world at the critical moment are nothing but trash. If her eyes hadn't moved me this time, I wouldn't have bothered stepping in. I've already given her an opportunity. Now we'll see whether she can prove her worth. Those without value might as well die here."

Roy also sighed inwardly. When he had first come to this world, realized its cruelty, and set out to sea, hadn't he possessed that same look? Resolute, fierce, and carrying a dream in his heart.

That was precisely why he thought highly of Xia and gave her an opportunity. Not everyone with a strong heart could reach the pinnacle, but everyone who reached the pinnacle had a strong heart. Those who possessed strength but could not understand their own hearts were nothing more than castles in the air.

"What? Captain, if that Xia fails to meet your expectations, are you really going to abandon them? Her little sister's Devil Fruit Ability is incredibly rare!" King asked uncertainly. If he was not mistaken, once that little girl's ability spread across the seas, it would certainly provoke a scramble among all the major powers. Abandoning her like this would be far too wasteful.

"You think highly of that little girl called Xun? Hehe, unlike you, I think more highly of Xia. That's why I have such high expectations for her. If those expectations aren't met, I'll be very unhappy."

"Captain, are you planning to give her that thing? It wasn't hard to see from her fight just now that she has absolutely no foundation in Body Technique. Any pirate on our ship could defeat her with ease." King was truly shocked this time. Did that little girl Xia really have such tremendous potential?

"Human potential is limitless. The bigger one's heart, the bigger one's world. But it's too early to say that now. Let's keep watching this show."

"Damn it, what a bunch of useless trash. They actually let some stinking little girl kill nearly half my men. The captain will definitely chew me out when I get back. Tch, it seems my mindset still hasn't changed. As long as I can control this little girl, the captain's position will surely be mine." The Chief of Staff was immensely glad that he had taken this mission. It was practically heaven itself giving him the chance to rise.

"You lot of scum, come with me. Leave this damned place, and I'll show you just how vast the sea is." Considering the prospect of setting up on his own, the Chief of Staff set his sights on these refugees. They were all useless, but they could at least make up the numbers.

"Thank you, Pirate Lord! Thank you, Pirate Lord!"

"Idiots, you should be thanking the Chief of Staff. We're Pirate Lords now too."

"These two girls really didn't know what was good for them. The Chief of Staff thought so highly of them too."

"Hmph, daring to resist Pirate Lords? They deserved to die."

As they watched the refugees repeatedly offer their thanks, the pirates secretly mocked them. Did this bunch of garbage really think that boarding the ship made them pirates? They were nothing more than cannon fodder.

Xia burned with rage at what she heard, but she also knew she had only one chance. She had to kill with a single blow, so she forcibly endured her anger and searched for the best opportunity.

"Are the ropes tied?" The Chief of Staff was growing impatient and asked.

"No problem. Looks like this brat really fainted from overusing her ability."

"Good. Move out."

Sizzle—boom! A brilliant signal flare burst high in the sky, eye-catching even in broad daylight.

"Hm? That's... a signal flare from the Wild Bull Pirates. Could the other two overlord pirate crews have come looking for trouble? We need to leave quickly. This level of battle isn't something we can get involved in." Seeing the signal flare, the Chief of Staff muttered to himself.

Roy's group in the forest also spotted the signal flare and were rather surprised.

"That seems to be a signal flare from the Wild Bull Pirates. But before I left, I ordered everyone else to remain on the ship and await orders. Could the other side be taking the initiative to provoke us?" Roy raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Hehe, Captain, you're overestimating those cowards. They were scared out of their wits on the Grand Line long ago. Knowing that our Phantom Sword Pirates have their sights set on the Grand Line and won't remain in the North Blue for long, they would never provoke us first." King knew far more than Roy about the secrets behind this.

"Then could it be the other two overlord pirate crews?"

"Outsiders may not know this, but during my years as an assassin, I learned some of the inside details. The three major pirate crews made an agreement long ago to watch out for one another and jointly maintain their dominant position in the North Blue. If the Phantom Sword Pirates hadn't risen so quickly that they had no time to react, the three pirate crews would have joined forces against us long ago. Under these circumstances, the other two major pirate crews could never take the initiative to attack the Wild Bull Pirates."

"Oh? Then it seems another fairly powerful pirate crew has arrived on this island."

While everyone's attention was drawn to the signal flare, Xia was overjoyed. Realizing that this was the perfect opportunity, she no longer hesitated and sprang up to kill.

The dozen or so meters vanished in an instant under Xia's full-speed burst. By the time the pirates realized something was wrong, Xia had already reached them. Covered in blood, she looked like a true demon in their eyes.

The Chief of Staff was the most terrified of all. He had personally seen Xia's heart pierced through by a bullet. How could anyone survive such an injury? Yet now, someone who should clearly have been dead was standing alive before him. No matter how he looked at it, it was like a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life.

"Hah!"

Before the Chief of Staff's horrified eyes, Xia's downward kick came crashing down with the force of Mount Tai bearing down, instantly driving his head completely into his body and ending his life.