Pirates

The sound of dense footsteps approached as a large group of guards rushed toward the office.

Because there were so many of them, the guards crowded together at the office door.

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

Hank stood beside Su Xiao, making his position clear.

The guards looked somewhat confused, but after Su Xiao raised the appointment letter in his hand, they all understood what was going on.

"Hello, boss."

"Lord Byakuya, I'm Kaba."

"Boss, from now on, all of us brothers will follow your orders."

Flattery continued to pour in. Su Xiao merely nodded in acknowledgment before turning his gaze toward Ogre's two trusted men.

"These two have colluded with pirates and intended to disrupt order in the Royal Capital..."

Before Su Xiao could finish speaking, Ogre's two trusted men suddenly drew their weapons and aimed them at him.

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

Su Xiao froze for a moment and looked at the two men in surprise. Did these two idiots not have brains?

Actually, the two men were not brainless. It was Su Xiao's current identity, along with what he had just said, that had frightened them.

Su Xiao had already told them that they would remain here forever.

"Get them! These two have colluded with pirates and have now been exposed. They actually intend to openly resist!"

Hank was extremely quick-witted and immediately recognized the situation.

"Honestly... what fools."

Su Xiao sat behind the desk without moving. There was no need for him to act anymore.

A large group of guards surged forward. At that moment, Ogre's two trusted men were utterly desperate.

"Wait, we only wanted to..."

Before the two men could explain, the guards had already hacked at them with their weapons.

The clash of weapons, gunshots, and the sounds of flesh being torn apart rang out one after another.

Thirty seconds later, two mutilated corpses lay in the office, and every guard in the room was spattered with blood.

The stench of blood spread through the room.

It looked absurd, but in fact, it was not.

The rules of the One Piece World were this cruel and naked. The strong controlled everything, while the weak could only wait to die.

In the blood-soaked office, the palace messenger swallowed nervously. Su Xiao's ruthlessness chilled him, and his original plan to take advantage of the situation had vanished without a trace.

"Clean this up, then leave."

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

Hank did not leave. He merely stood straight beside Su Xiao.

Su Xiao glanced at Hank before ignoring him. He was too unfamiliar with the Guards Headquarters, so he needed an experienced old hand like Hank.

He desperately needed an assistant who was clever enough—and ambitious enough.

"Lord Byakuya, please have your subordinate leave. I have important business to convey."

"No need. He is my 'trusted aide.'"

A smile appeared on Hank's face when he heard Su Xiao's words.

"Very well. Here's the situation. You should have heard about tomorrow night's 'operation,' right?"

The operation the messenger referred to was the burning of Terminal Station.

"I've heard about it."

"Good. I'll get straight to the point. This is what the higher-ups intend: there are currently three forces suited to carrying out this task. We've made preliminary contact with all three. Now, we need you to meet with them and choose one to carry out tomorrow night's 'operation.'"

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

"I get to decide who does it?"

"That's right. You'll make the decision. After all, we've only heard about those pirates. We still need to meet them in person before making a choice."

After receiving a definite answer, Su Xiao was overjoyed. He truly had made the right choice. His current identity had played a crucial role.

"Understood. I'll meet with those three forces shortly."

The messenger smiled at Su Xiao and was about to turn and leave.

"By the way, there's one more thing. Although there are three forces, only one can be chosen to carry out tomorrow's plan. The specific information is all in the documents."

The messenger left under Hank's escort, and Su Xiao picked up the documents on the desk.

They contained the detailed plan for burning Terminal Station. In essence, it involved:

Choosing one pirate crew, providing them with explosives, and using those explosives to set Terminal Station ablaze.

There were three pirate crews to choose from.

The first was a local force from the Goa Kingdom: the Bluejam Pirates, the same pirates who had fought young Luffy and Ace in the original story.

The second was a pirate crew that had recently sailed into the nearby waters: the Krieg Pirates.

Su Xiao was somewhat surprised when he saw the information on this crew. It was another pirate crew he was familiar with.

The Krieg Pirates were a relatively famous pirate crew in the East Blue. In the original Baratie arc, the Krieg Pirates were wiped out by Mihawk before fleeing to the sea restaurant, where they fought Luffy's pirate crew and were ultimately defeated.

Although this was ten years before the start of the story, the Krieg Pirates were not weak. Their entire fleet consisted of around six hundred people.

As for the third pirate crew, it was called the Skull Pirates. Their strength was mediocre, so Su Xiao eliminated them immediately.

According to information from the original story, the Bluejam Pirates were of average strength. They had been defeated by young Luffy, Ace, and a group of bandits, which demonstrated their capabilities.

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

"Hank, contact the Krieg Pirates."

Hank gave an awkward smile.

"Well, this... Lord..."

Hank's attitude made Su Xiao understand.

"I'm leaving it to you. We must meet them today."

Clearly, Hank could contact the Krieg Pirates. As for the nature of their relationship, Su Xiao had no interest in knowing.

Government officials and pirates colluding with each other was a common phenomenon in the One Piece World. The two sides could have all kinds of mutually beneficial dealings.

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

The location was naturally inside the Royal Capital. No one would trust a group of pirates.

In the Commoner District, several men dressed in loose black robes and wearing hoods stood in a filthy alley, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

"Boss Krieg, this is the place. That old warehouse ahead is the agreed meeting point."

A thin, gaunt pirate with a sailor's sword hanging from his waist stood cautiously behind a tall man.

The man was also dressed in a loose black robe and wore a hood, but through the gaps in his clothing, one could faintly see a suit of golden armor beneath.

"Hmm. You wait here. Gin, come with me."

Krieg's voice was deep, and the clash of armor sounded with every step he took.

"Yes, boss."

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

"Boss, I heard that the newly appointed Guard Captain is extremely ruthless. We should still be careful."

Krieg turned his head toward Gin.

"Hmm? Do you think I can't handle a Guard Captain? If not for the convenience that comes with noble status, I wouldn't be working for the Goa Kingdom at all."

Arrogance and conceit were common ailments among most pirates.

Gin fell silent, and the two of them walked toward the warehouse.