REINCARNATION PARADISE

The gunfire gradually subsided, leaving only the sounds of the wounded groaning in pain.

Su Xiao, who had been observing from the shadows, felt the time was right. Toby, the burly man leading one faction, had successfully driven away the rival scavengers.

The scavengers fought with no strategy whatsoever. After a chaotic exchange of gunfire, they charged recklessly.

Emerging from behind a building, Su Xiao landed silently but immediately lowered his body to the ground.

What lay before him was an endless heap of garbage, with smoke rising from the piles. A foul stench of decay assaulted his senses.

Ignoring the smell, Su Xiao's gaze locked onto a gun lying on the ground in the distance—a short-barreled flintlock pistol. Although worn, it was still a deadly weapon.

The owner of the flintlock was already dead, their throat shattered by stray bullets, leaving them in a gruesome state.

It seemed that Toby's gang had missed this weapon, possibly because the body had fallen in a hidden spot. In a place like the Gray Terminal, where weapons were scarce, no one would leave behind something as valuable as a flintlock.

Keeping his body low, Su Xiao began to move toward the gun.

But just then, a scrawny scavenger had already reached the flintlock, his filthy hand reaching out to grab it.

Su Xiao frowned, not because the man had beaten him to the gun, but because he was worried the scavenger might draw the attention of both warring factions.

Picking up a fist-sized stone, Su Xiao hurled it with all his strength.

The stone flew with great force, smashing into the scavenger's arm.

"Thud!"

The scavenger stumbled, letting out a cry of pain.

Su Xiao dashed forward, positioning himself behind the scavenger. Shifting his body to the side, he drove his knee hard into the man's spine.

The scavenger hunched forward, spitting out a mouthful of stomach acid, but despite the heavy blow, he only staggered forward a few steps without collapsing.

Su Xiao's pupils contracted slightly. The people in this pirate world had unnaturally strong physiques, and this scavenger was likely one of the weakest.

There was no time to dwell on that now. The scavenger's eyes were already showing a feral rage, like a wild beast provoked. His mouth full of yellowed teeth clenched tight, muscles bulging with aggression.

This savage appearance would make an ordinary person instinctively back away. But not Su Xiao. He had combat experience, and he knew that if he tried to flee, his exposed back would be an easy target.

Clenching his fist, Su Xiao landed a punch to the scavenger's jaw before the man could fully recover.

The jaw was a sensitive spot packed with blood vessels. A sudden blow here would disrupt blood flow to the brain, causing oxygen deprivation and leading to temporary unconsciousness.

"Crack!" Several bloodied yellow teeth flew into the air.

The scavenger, having taken Su Xiao's full-force punch, fell backward like a felled tree.

Normally, a person hit in the jaw would stay unconscious for several seconds, but people in this world had absurdly strong bodies. Just to be sure, Su Xiao flipped the scavenger over and delivered another punch to the back of the neck.

With a dull thud, the scavenger lay motionless, his fate unclear.

Su Xiao grabbed the flintlock from the ground, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

Before he could read it, he saw a large group of people approaching in the distance—it was Toby's group, returning after failing to catch their prey.

Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat. If he were discovered now, he'd be shot on sight. These people were blood-crazed and wouldn't give him a chance to talk.

Glancing around, Su Xiao's face turned grim. He was surrounded by towering garbage heaps, forming a ring that blocked his escape.

There was no way Su Xiao was going to climb one of these unstable heaps of trash. They could collapse at any moment, and who knows what sharp objects might be buried within. One wrong move, and he could be pierced by debris. In this environment, an injury like that could be fatal, whether from blood loss or infection.

His only option was to duck back into the ramshackle building where the girl named Mia was hiding, her face still filled with fear.

His only option was to duck back into the dilapidated house. Inside, the girl named Mia was watching him with fear in her eyes.

This time, Su Xiao didn't need to say anything. Mia spoke up on her own.

"I won't say a word."

Realizing she had just spoken, Mia quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, her gaze flicking nervously toward the flintlock in Su Xiao's hand.

Moments after Su Xiao re-entered the house, the sound of shouting came from outside.

After a string of curses, the noise gradually faded. It seemed Toby's men had come back to scavenge for supplies, but judging by their angry voices, they hadn't found much.

Su Xiao let out a quiet breath, then finally looked at the message from earlier.

[Obtained: Worn Flintlock Pistol (White)]

[Worn Flintlock Pistol (White)

[Origin: One Piece World, Leopold Workshop]

[Durability: 6/30]

[Ammunition: 4/6 (Rapid-fire flintlock technology is unique to the One Piece world)]

[Damage: 2-13 (dependent on range)]

[Requirement: 1 point of strength to use, 3 points of strength for proficient use.]

[Rating: 3 (Note: White-grade equipment is rated from 1 to 10. White equipment rated 10 will be marked 'Rare' and have additional special attributes.)]

[Description: This poorly maintained flintlock has seen better days. Its high original rating of 9 has fallen to 3 due to lack of care. Use it cautiously—your next shot could be your last.]

[Price: 150 Paradise Coins (This item cannot be taken out of the One Piece world, as it was acquired by chance.)]

…

[First time acquiring equipment. Initiating equipment grade tutorial.]

[Equipment grades: White, Green, Blue… Insufficient level to access further information. Please explore on your own.]

[First time encountering Paradise Coins. Initiating currency tutorial.]

[Paradise Coins can be used for transactions with the Reincarnation Paradise or other contractors. It is the sole currency within the Paradise.]

[Warning: Use each Paradise Coin wisely, as they are your lifeline for survival and growth.]

…

Su Xiao nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that the Reincarnation Paradise operated under strict rules, not only providing detailed weapon stats but also having a comprehensive currency system.

Though Su Xiao knew more dangers awaited, he couldn't help but feel a little excited. He looked forward to getting stronger through this Reincarnation Paradise.

Although he didn't yet know how to become stronger, the Paradise surely had a way. Otherwise, there would be no hope of completing the increasingly difficult tasks ahead.

Inspecting the flintlock in his hand, a smile crept across Su Xiao's face.

Finally, he had a weapon. Without one, he wouldn't have been able to rest easy in this dangerous world.

However, Su Xiao preferred cold weapons over firearms, especially blades—long, narrow, and incredibly sharp swords.

If he had his sword with him, his combat abilities would increase by at least fifty percent.

With the basics of his situation understood, Su Xiao now needed to focus on completing his mission. The time limit was only seventy-two hours, and he didn't want to find out what would happen if he failed.

But assassinating a king wasn't going to be easy. He would need a plan, at the very least a way to get close to the king.

Sneaking into the royal palace wasn't an option, as there was something in this world called Observation Haki.

According to Su Xiao's memory, the king he was after had ties to the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons. It wasn't impossible that someone around him would have mastered Observation Haki.

If not for the possibility of such strong opponents, Su Xiao's assassination skills would have made killing a king a far simpler task—certainly not something that would be rated as a level 3 mission.

In the modern world, even with all its surveillance, Su Xiao had managed to carry out his revenge. The lack of advanced technology in this world should theoretically make things easier.

But it was too early to think that far ahead. His priority was to figure out his location. The Reincarnation Paradise didn't offer maps or anything of the sort—everything had to be discovered on his own.

Su Xiao's gaze shifted to the girl in the corner, Mia. She lived here in the Gray Terminal, so she must know a lot about the area.

Noticing his gaze, Mia curled into herself.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling and on the verge of tears. She had been hiding her gender because in the Gray Terminal, being a woman was dangerous.

"Are you hungry?" Su Xiao crouched in front of the girl, a gentle smile on his face. But his eyes were cold.

He was not a kind man. Hatred had long since erased any kindness in his heart.

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.