Initial Success

After returning to the Royal Capital, Su Xiao went directly to the home of the Minister of the Left.

Inside the study, the Minister of the Left was examining those few tiger teeth.

"Yes, that's right, very good." The Minister of the Left put away the tiger teeth and looked at Su Xiao with a meaningful gaze.

"I didn't expect you to actually pull it off. Although that tiger isn't exactly strong, it's hidden deep in Mt. Colubo and is extremely difficult to hunt. You are more capable than your uncle, so from now on, you will take his place."

With just a few words, Su Xiao had replaced the position of the Black Market Merchant. It was clear how cold-hearted this Minister of the Left was; the tributes the Black Market Merchant had previously offered him were already forgotten.

"The mission is complete. I intend to take over the position of Guard Captain today. I wonder, Minister of the Left..."

Su Xiao watched the Minister of the Left. Given this old man's callous nature, it wasn't impossible for him to renege on the deal.

"Guard Captain? What are you talking about? I never said..."

The words of the Minister of the Left came to an abrupt halt, and his cunning old eyes suddenly began to dim.

[The Minister of the Left has defied the regulations of Reincarnation Paradise. Reincarnation Paradise is conducting a forced correction...]

A cold voice appeared in Su Xiao's ear; this was the first time he had heard the voice of Reincarnation Paradise.

It was a mechanical tone, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, revealing a sense of cruelty within its coldness.

After a brief moment of silence, the Minister of the Left continued: "Since you have completed the mission, the position of Guard Captain is yours. I will go to the Royal Palace shortly to arrange it for you. In one hour, you will be the current Guard Captain."

The tone of the Minister of the Left was robotic and contradictory, which left the guards behind him looking puzzled.

Su Xiao observed the Minister of the Left closely; the man's abnormality was definitely related to Reincarnation Paradise.

Su Xiao had long guessed that the Minister of the Left would not keep his promise. The only reason he went to hunt the Master of Mt. Colubo was because Reincarnation Paradise had issued the mission.

Up until now, although Reincarnation Paradise had appeared very cold and devoid of emotional fluctuation, it had never once gone back on its word.

Cold and cruel, yet fair—that was the impression Reincarnation Paradise had left on Su Xiao.

Therefore, Su Xiao had also wanted to test what would happen if the Minister of the Left broke the agreement.

After all, the reward for his side mission was the status of [Guard Captain].

Judging by the current situation, Reincarnation Paradise had chosen to directly manipulate the Minister of the Left to forcibly grant the mission reward.

As for what would happen to the Minister of the Left in the future, it was hard to say. Perhaps he would recover in a while, or perhaps he would become an idiot?

Not only that, but Su Xiao had previously been puzzled by one thing: was the One Piece World he was in a real world, or a world fabricated by Reincarnation Paradise?

If it were a world fabricated by Reincarnation Paradise, the Minister of the Left would be equivalent to an NPC and would never have been able to break a promise.

From the current situation, it was highly likely that this was a real world; at least everything Su Xiao had come into contact with felt very real.

The so-called [Derivative World] might just be a world derived from people's fantasies that eventually became real.

Leaving the residence of the Minister of the Left, Su Xiao began to think about how to assassinate the King.

Although he had now become the Guard Captain, this status would not help him see the King, and even if he did, he couldn't just assassinate him directly.

The King was surely surrounded by heavy guards. Even if Su Xiao risked the one-in-ten-thousand chance of a successful assassination, he would die in the process.

Reincarnation Paradise had previously warned that if he died in the One Piece World, he would die permanently with no second chance.

It looked like Su Xiao was in a dead end, but that wasn't the case; he already had the capital to assassinate the King.

To successfully assassinate the King, two points were crucial. First was infiltrating the Royal Palace, something Su Xiao had never worried about.

The second point was drawing away the guards around the King, which was the most critical factor.

The guards around the King were surely very strong. Under what circumstances could those personal guards be drawn away?

That would be if a powerful enemy appeared within the Royal Palace, and furthermore, if that enemy posed a threat to the King's safety. In such a desperate situation, the guards would take the initiative to attack.

And at that moment, it would be the time for Su Xiao to make his move.

As for the King's own strength, Su Xiao wasn't worried. If the King were very strong, the possibility of completing the mission would be too low; the difficulty of a main mission couldn't possibly be only LV.3.

As for where to find a powerful enemy capable of threatening the King, that would depend on the burning of the Terminal Station.

That was why he had strived to obtain the status of Guard Captain—it was solely to gain decision-making power over the burning of the Terminal Station.

Although the nobles of the Goa Kingdom didn't consider the refugees outside the city as human beings, they wouldn't let the kingdom's departments handle the burning of the Terminal Station.

The reason was simple: it would tarnish the image of the kingdom.

Therefore, the burning of the Terminal Station would only be handed over to some black-market forces, and the black-market forces in the One Piece World were nothing more than the pirates in the nearby seas.

Several large pirate crews in the nearby seas had received news that the Goa Kingdom had a big deal; if they did it well, they could obtain noble status.

Noble status held a fatal temptation for those outlaws, as most people only became pirates as a last resort.

Thus, several pirate crews had already arrived in the waters near the Goa Kingdom, waiting for this opportunity.

Tonight, the Goa Kingdom would select one of these pirate crews to burn the Terminal Station tomorrow night.

As the armed force within the Royal Capital, the Guard Corps—and Su Xiao's current position—was responsible for contacting and negotiating with those pirates.

If he made good use of his current status, he would definitely have the opportunity to successfully assassinate the King.

According to the original plot, the King never intended to grant those pirates noble status; he was merely using them.

While Su Xiao was thinking, he had already returned to the Guard Headquarters.

Compared to the Guard Headquarters a day ago, the place now appeared chaotic and in shambles.

The guards who had been standing watch at the entrance were nowhere to be seen, and upon entering the Guard Headquarters, Su Xiao saw over a dozen guards gambling in the main hall, with a few even huddled together drinking.

The stench of low-quality tobacco, alcohol, and sweat permeated the hall.

There was no boss here anymore; although Su Xiao was technically the boss now, he had no intention of managing those guards.

He only needed the current status, and as for the state of the Guard Headquarters, it had nothing to do with him.

Arriving at the office Ogre had occupied while alive, Su Xiao pushed the door open and entered.

There were three people in the office: Hank and two of Ogre's confidants.

Hank was sitting on the sofa, while Ogre's two confidants stood on either side of Ogre's chair; the three were in a standoff, but no one dared to sit in that chair.

Su Xiao walked into the office, which caught the three of them by surprise.

Hank didn't speak, but Ogre's two confidants spoke up.

"Is this a place where you belong? Get out!"

Su Xiao lowered his eyelids, not even looking at the other party, and walked straight to Ogre's seat to sit down.

"You bastard, is this a place you can sit? Who do you think you are..."

One of Ogre's confidants walked toward Su Xiao with a face full of rage.

"Get lost. You are no longer a guard. I'll give you one minute to disappear."

Su Xiao still didn't look at him; he was thinking about his next strategy, and he didn't want to bother with trash like this at all, as it was a waste of time.

Ogre's confidant stood frozen in place, stunned, before looking at Su Xiao with a cold sneer.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and a Messenger walked in, holding some documents in his hand.

"Mr. Byakuya, this is your appointment notice as Guard Captain, as well as your identification."

The Minister of the Left's efficiency was faster than he had imagined.

Ogre's confidant froze, staring blankly at Su Xiao.

"You two don't need to leave anymore; stay here forever."

Su Xiao looked at Ogre's two subordinates, while Hank, standing to the side, had his thoughts racing and let out a loud roar.

"Everyone downstairs, get up here! Let's congratulate our new boss."

Hank was extremely unwilling, but he had no choice; he dared not openly defy the kingdom's orders.