Assassination

The blue-haired girl took a deep breath. Though she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind, when it came time for the real thing, she still could not help hesitating.

Killing someone—was she really prepared for it?

Even if he was a vicious pirate with a bounty of thirty million Beli.

But when she thought of her country, which had already begun to rot, and saw Ling Donglai approaching the carriage to put the items inside, the best opportunity to strike was about to slip away.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and sprinted toward Ling Donglai.

She trembled...

The closer she got to that man, the more directly she could sense his strength. Her body nearly submitted on its own; it was the instinctive reaction one had when facing danger.

Her hesitation... her doubts about what she was doing... all her inner struggles vanished as she crashed into that powerful man.

It felt... like she had slammed into a wall. It hurt. It was like being shocked by electricity. Was that an illusion?

The plan had gone wrong. She had expected her reckless collision to knock the man over, but in reality... he did not budge at all, while she herself landed on the ground on her backside.

"Ow!" The girl with watery blue hair sat on the ground, looking dazed.

Smells nice... Ling Donglai caught a whiff of perfume.

Why had this girl deliberately run into him? Ling Donglai was somewhat puzzled.

Unhurriedly, he placed Nami's clothes into the carriage before turning to look at the little girl who had run into him.

Perhaps because the fall had hurt, she did not immediately get back up. Her eyes were misted over with tears.

"You did that on purpose just now, didn't you?" Ling Donglai did not offer her a hand.

Even though the little girl was cute and pretty, he did not help her up.

Because she had deliberately rushed into him. Such a simple, straightforward approach was enough to reveal her intentions.

Women, children, and the elderly.

Three kinds of dangerous beings.

Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, was known as the world's most beautiful woman. Her powers were bizarre; supposedly, any man who fell for her could be turned to stone.

The user of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit would become a child after eating it. With a touch, they could forcibly turn others into toys. They could even impose a loyalty contract straight out of some fantasy webnovel, leaving victims unable to resist the Devil Fruit user. At the same time, the world's memory of anyone turned into a toy would be erased. No one would remember that you had ever existed.

Even if the protagonist's crew got hit by it, their friendship-bond buff would be erased outright. They would not even get the chance for a last-minute power-up.

As for the elderly, there was Mother Carmel, a human trafficker disguised as a saintly nun and the user of the Soul-Soul Fruit. She vanished overnight, and afterward, Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, became the one who possessed the Soul-Soul Fruit.

Whether that nun was actually dead remained a mystery. Ling Donglai had transmigrated before One Piece had even finished, and his increasingly blurred memories made him especially wary of these three ability users.

In this world... compassion was a luxury he could not afford.

Ling Donglai considered those three abilities the most threatening and terrifying to him.

So Ling Donglai would not feel any unnecessary softness toward an unfamiliar little girl like this.

"You did that on purpose just now, didn't you?"

The low question rang out. Though phrased as a question, the man sounded utterly certain.

"You bastard! The little girl is practically crying, and you won't even lend her a hand?" A passerby happened to see the scene and angrily questioned him.

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry!" Tears streamed from the blue-haired girl's eyes as she got to her feet and bowed.

Waist-length hair... just my type...

As she stood, Ling Donglai noticed her waist-length hair.

If Nami keeps growing hers out, it'll get longer too...

Breathing in the pleasant fragrance in the air, Ling Donglai's thoughts drifted away.

"...I'm sorry!"

The little girl bent into a ninety-degree bow. Her hand swept over her short skirt, drew a sharp knife, and flicked it toward Ling Donglai's abdomen.

Nami, who had just come out of the shop carrying a bag of underwear, happened to see this. Her face went pale.

The girl's hand stopped in midair. A pair of powerful hands clamped around her arm like a vise.

"Honestly... when you're trying to kill someone, you should look at them."

Ling Donglai gripped her arm. Such a feeble attack was something he could block even while distracted.

She should have recognized me from my bounty poster. Why would she attack me in such a stupid way?

Or were thirty million bounties worthless on the Grand Line?

"How is that possible? You were poisoned. How can you still grip me so strongly?" The little girl looked up. Her tears had long since vanished, leaving only deep shock.

"Poisoned... when did that happen?!" Ling Donglai frowned.

At some point, a miniature pistol had appeared in the little girl's hand. With its exquisite craftsmanship, it looked less like a weapon for killing and more like a fine work of art.

That magazine could only hold one or two shots, right?

Bang! Bang!

Her mind completely blank, the girl fired mechanically. The bullets struck Ling Donglai in the lower abdomen, then fell uselessly from his skin as black pellets.

"Why are you... so strong?!"

Clatter!

The pistol fell to the ground. It was unbelievable. This man... was not even afraid of being shot at point-blank range?

A monster!

He had to be a monster, just like those senior agents in the company—monsters with supernatural abilities!

"Captain, are you okay?!" Nami ran over, panting. The shopping bag in her hand swayed, and Ling Donglai could see what was inside.

"I'm fine. I rarely encounter attacks this feeble. If you're going to be an assassin or bounty hunter, you're far too unqualified."

Ling Donglai took the shopping bag from her and tossed it into the carriage.

"So what now? Why would someone as young as you become an assassin?" Nami looked at the little girl.

She seemed even younger than Nami, around twelve years old.

"Karoo!" A giant duck came sprinting over, wearing a helmet on its head. Its running speed was astonishing, comparable to a cheetah's, and it reached Ling Donglai in an instant.

Then the duck leaped high into the air and delivered a flying kick at Ling Donglai.

"I haven't really tried the meat of a huge beast before." Ling Donglai caught the flying kick, then slammed the duck down with force, leaving its head spinning.

"Karoo!" Seeing the duck injured, the dazed girl snapped out of it and hugged the giant duck.

Her plan... had completely failed!

"Please don't hurt Karoo!" The girl held the injured duck tightly.

"Then tell us why you attacked my captain!" Nami demanded angrily.

"Do I need a reason to kill pirates?" the girl asked through gritted teeth.

"The bounty poster caused all this trouble." Nami spread her hands. "We're not pirates. That wanted poster was completely an accident, understand?"

The Marines were an authority, after all. Most people trusted authority.

Before getting to know someone properly, people could only rely on authority for their first impression.

"Just when we're almost at Alabasta, I run into something this pointless." Ling Donglai sat atop the carriage, Azure Thunder surging in his eyes.

I was originally planning to take a break after one update, but everyone has been so supportive that I'll keep writing without resting.

Thanks to Chilege Longzi for the 500-point donation, Heheda Ada for the 100-point donation, and Eternal Golden Eyes for the 100-point donation.