Pirates: I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First Because I Can't Die

Xia Le sighed softly.

He really hadn't expected anyone to see what happened. The alley was less than a meter wide, and beyond its opposite exit, everyone was kneeling on the ground.

Who would dare raise their head to look ahead in the presence of Celestial Dragons?

Yet Crocodile had been right there.

"Yes!"

Crocodile nodded again.

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Xia Le smiled faintly and looked at the uniformed man before him.

Crocodile fell silent, thinking.

A man who could strike down a Celestial Dragon without hesitation had courage and nerve beyond imagination. He would never be content to remain a mere Rear Admiral. He might not even stop at the Marines.

At last, Crocodile raised his head.

"Whatever ambitions or aspirations you may have, one thing is certain."

"You'll need people you can trust."

He took a deep breath and looked Xia Le firmly in the eye.

"I'm willing to become your most reliable and capable subordinate!"

Once, he might have dreamed of becoming a great pirate, even the Pirate King. But those memories had shattered, leaving him to piece together his former self from scattered fragments.

Now he valued what was in front of him more, just as Xia Le had said at the promotion ceremony.

Live in the present!

Xia Le smiled at Crocodile, then burst out laughing.

The others exchanged puzzled glances, unable to make sense of their cryptic conversation.

"Hey, Crocodile, what's going on? What were you talking to Officer Xia Le about?"

Rosinante ran over, threw an arm around Crocodile's shoulders, and asked curiously.

Evens and the others turned toward them, interested.

"I found out one of our commanding officer's secrets!"

Crocodile pressed his lips together, then smiled.

"What secret?"

"Can you tell us?"

Mina asked.

Crocodile smiled, glanced at Xia Le, and said, "Our commanding officer..."

"He's killed a Celestial Dragon!"

The entire ship fell silent.

Rosinante's pupils contracted, the smile vanishing from his face. The others' expressions changed too.

But when they saw Xia Le standing ahead with his arms folded, smiling at them, smiles quickly returned to their faces.

"Hahahaha!"

"What kind of joke is that?"

"It's not funny at all."

"You nearly scared me to death!"

They laughed and scolded him.

No one took Crocodile seriously. Their commanding officer hadn't confirmed it, after all.

Only Evens, turning his head by chance, abruptly lost his smile. Fear and shock filled his face.

He hadn't denied it either!!!

But soon, everyone put the matter out of their minds.

It was as though nothing had happened.

What interested them more now was what lay inside the wooden chest Evens was holding.

"What could it be?"

"The commanding officer said Headquarters was taking this mission seriously."

"Whatever's inside must be worth a fortune, right?"

"It has to be something we can't even imagine."

They were burning with curiosity, but the rules kept them from casually opening the chest's lock.

"If you want to know what's inside, just open it," Xia Le said with a smile.

He wasn't particularly interested in the chest's contents. He had already made a fair guess.

It was probably a Devil Fruit.

Vegapunk had likely begun a series of studies into Devil Fruits and the Lineage Factor by now.

"We can open it?"

"Doesn't this mission have to be kept strictly confidential?"

T Bone sounded surprised.

"If none of us tells anyone, it stays confidential, doesn't it?"

"Don't be so rigid, Bones! It'll cost you one day!"

Xia Le turned to Crocodile.

"Crocodile, use your power to open it!"

Crocodile smiled. "That's easy."

A moment later, grains of sand slipped into the lock and hardened into a key.

The lock clicked, and the chest opened.

Evens lifted the lid. Everyone looked inside and saw a fruit covered in strange patterns.

"It's a Devil Fruit!" Slo exclaimed.

"Our mission was to escort a Devil Fruit?" Kira said.

Everyone was astonished, but Xia Le remained calm.

He knew that after the Marines brought Vegapunk under their control, the scientist had begun extensive research into Devil Fruits and produced a number of results.

"Close it."

Xia Le glanced around, noticed the longing in their eyes, and spoke flatly.

Evens snapped the chest shut.

"Heh. If you want powers like that, we can work to get them ourselves someday."

"This fruit is our mission."

Only then did the longing fade from Slo's eyes and the others'.

Egghead was neither particularly close nor especially far away.

Ten days later, the warship entered the island's harbor.

As Xia Le had expected, Egghead was heavily guarded. A Vice Admiral received them.

"I'm sorry, Rear Admiral Xia Le. Under our regulations, no one from outside the island is allowed in."

The Vice Admiral's voice was firm.

"What about me?"

Xia Le took the wooden chest from Evens and continued.

"My orders are to deliver this item to Vegapunk personally."

The Vice Admiral was silent for a moment before replying.

"As Garp the Hero's disciple, I believe you can be trusted."

"But as I said, only you may enter with the mission item."

Xia Le nodded.

He passed through the harbor, where elite Marines stood guard, and entered the island.

Egghead was, without question, a tightly secured research facility.

At the facility entrance, Xia Le saw not only Marines but also mysterious people dressed in black. Their expressions were cold, and they were highly alert.

About fifteen minutes later, he met Vegapunk in a waiting room.

"Come with me, Rear Admiral Xia Le."

Vegapunk beckoned when he saw him, then turned and walked away.

Xia Le paused, then followed with the chest.

We're Friends Now

Vegapunk looked remarkably like Einstein, a great scientist from Xia Le's previous life.

He was middle-aged now, with a head so large and tall it nearly touched the ceiling.

Xia Le followed him quietly until they entered a laboratory cluttered with papers and instruments.

"It's stifling here!"

Vegapunk went to a cluster of test tubes and began tinkering with them, making them clink.

"They captured me and brought me here."

"At the time, I was researching the Lineage Factor with Vinsmoke Judge."

"The World Government thought my work was too dangerous. They brought me here and bought off my team."

"But later, I decided it wasn't so bad. At least I no longer had to worry about the vast resources and money my experiments needed!"

Vegapunk gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Xia Le listened quietly, somewhat surprised.

He barely knew Vegapunk. Most of what he knew about him came from his previous world.

"If I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have worked with the World Government. Everything I do here is more or less forced."

Vegapunk continued.

"Is it all right to say that?" Xia Le asked curiously.

"This room is well soundproofed, and they don't care what I say."

"The World Government cares much more about the results of my research."

"Results are all they want!"

Vegapunk smiled.