Pirates

Dense footsteps approached as a large group of guards rushed toward the office.

Because of the sheer number of people, the guards crowded together at the office entrance.

"Listen up, everyone. This is our new boss, Lord Byakuya."

Hank stood beside Su Xiao, making his stance clear.

The guards all around were somewhat confused, but after Su Xiao held up the appointment letter in his hand, they all understood what was going on.

"Greetings, Boss."

"Lord Byakuya, I am Kaba."

"Boss, from now on, the brothers will all listen to you."

Compliments poured in one after another. Su Xiao merely nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting to Ogre's two confidants.

"These two have been colluding with pirates, intending to disrupt the order of the Royal Capital..."

Before Su Xiao could finish his sentence, those two confidants of Ogre actually drew their weapons and aimed them at him.

"Brothers, don't listen to him! Lord Ogre is our only boss."

Su Xiao was stunned, looking at the two with some surprise. Did these guys not have brains?

In reality, it wasn't that the two were brainless; rather, Su Xiao's current status and his previous words had terrified them.

Su Xiao had previously stated that he would make sure the two stayed here forever.

"Attack! These two were colluding with pirates, and now that they've been exposed, they are actually trying to openly rebel."

Hank was very sharp and immediately realized the situation.

"Honestly... what fools."

Su Xiao sat behind the desk without moving; he didn't need to lift a finger now.

The large group of guards swarmed forward, and at this moment, Ogre's two confidants fell into complete despair.

"Wait, we just wanted to..."

Before the two could explain, the large group of guards hacked at them with their blades.

The sounds of clashing weapons, gunfire, and flesh being shredded followed one after another.

Thirty seconds later, there were two mangled corpses in the office, and every guard in the room was covered in blood.

The smell of blood began to permeate the air.

This might seem absurd, but it was not.

The rules of the One Piece World were just this nakedly cruel: the strong controlled everything, and the weak could only wait for death.

In this blood-scented office, the Messenger from the Royal Palace swallowed hard. Su Xiao's ruthlessness made the Messenger tremble, and the thoughts he'd had about skimming some benefits vanished into thin air.

"Clean this up, and then you all may leave."

Not long after, only three people remained in the office: Su Xiao, Hank, and the Messenger.

Hank did not leave, standing straight by Su Xiao's side instead.

Su Xiao merely glanced at Hank before ignoring him; he was too unfamiliar with the guard headquarters and needed an old hand like Hank.

He desperately needed an assistant who was both smart and ambitious.

"Lord Byakuya, please have your subordinate step aside. I have important matters to convey."

"No need, he is my 'confidant'."

Hearing Su Xiao's words, a smile appeared on Hank's face.

"Very well then. The situation is this: you should have heard about the 'operation' tomorrow night, right?"

The operation the Messenger spoke of was the burning of the Terminal Station.

"I have heard of it."

"That's good. I'll get straight to the point: the higher-ups have decided that there are three factions suitable for this task. We have made preliminary contact with all three, and now, you need to approach these three factions, choose one among them, and carry out tomorrow night's 'operation'."

"Oh?" Su Xiao looked at the Messenger, a strange glint appearing in his eyes.

"I get to decide who does it?"

"Correct, you decide. After all, we have only heard of these pirates; we need to make contact with them in person before making a final decision."

Having received a clear answer, Su Xiao was overjoyed. He hadn't chosen wrong; his current identity was playing a vital role.

"Understood. I will go and contact those three factions shortly."

The Messenger smiled at Su Xiao and turned to leave.

"Right, one more thing. Although there are three factions, you can only choose one to carry out tomorrow's plan. As for the specific details, they are all in the file."

The Messenger left under Hank's respectful escort, and Su Xiao picked up the file on the desk.

Inside was the detailed plan for burning the Terminal Station, which roughly stated:

Choose one pirate crew, provide them with explosives, and use the explosives to ignite the Terminal Station.

There are three pirate crews to choose from.

The first is a local force of the Goa Kingdom, the Bluejam Pirates, which is the same crew that clashed with a young Luffy, Ace, and the others in the original story.

The second is a pirate crew that recently sailed into nearby waters, the Krieg Pirates.

Seeing the information on this pirate crew, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised; this was also a crew he was familiar with.

The Krieg Pirates are a relatively famous crew in the East Blue. In the Baratie arc of the original story, the Krieg Pirates were wiped out by Mihawk, after which they fled to the Baratie and clashed with the Luffy Pirates, eventually suffering defeat.

Although this is ten years before the start of the main plot, the strength of the Krieg Pirates is not weak, with a total fleet of about six hundred people.

As for the third pirate crew, named the Skull Pirates, their strength is nothing to write home about, so Su Xiao dismissed them immediately.

According to information from the original story, the strength of the Bluejam Pirates is average, as they were defeated by a young Luffy, Ace, and a group of mountain bandits, which speaks for itself.

As for the Krieg Pirates, Su Xiao had high hopes for them, so he wanted to meet this crew first.

"Hank, go contact the people from the Krieg Pirates."

Hank smiled awkwardly.

"About that, sir..."

Hank's attitude made Su Xiao understand.

"Leave it to you. I must see them today."

It was obvious that Hank could contact the Krieg Pirates. As for what kind of relationship the two parties had, Su Xiao had no interest in knowing.

Government officials colluding with pirates is a common phenomenon in the One Piece World, and the two sides have many potential dealings of mutual interest.

Hank did not disappoint Su Xiao; in just two hours, he had arranged a meeting place with the Krieg Pirates.

The location was, of course, within the Royal Capital; no one would trust a group of pirates.

In a dirty alleyway in the commoner district, several men wearing loose black clothes and hoods stood inside, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.

"Boss Krieg, this is the place. That old warehouse ahead is the agreed-upon location."

A thin pirate with a sailor's knife hanging at his waist stood cautiously behind a tall man.

The man was also wearing loose black clothes and a hood, but through the gaps in his clothing, one could faintly see that he was wearing a suit of golden armor.

"Hm, you guys wait here for me. Gin, come with me."

Krieg's voice was low, and his armor clanked as he walked.

"Yes, boss."

Gin was dressed in the same attire, with weapons hidden in his sleeves.

"Boss, it's said that the newly appointed Guard Captain is extremely ruthless. We should be careful."

Krieg turned his head to look at Gin.

"Hm? Do you think I can't handle a mere Guard Captain? If it weren't for the fact that noble status brings a lot of convenience, I wouldn't be doing favors for the Goa Kingdom."

Arrogance and conceit are common ailments for most pirates.

Gin said nothing, and the two walked toward the warehouse.

Brothers, remember to vote! Fei Wen is in the new book period, so don't let it die from neglect.~~~