REINCARNATION PARADISE

Early the next morning, Su Xiao woke up early.

After freshening up and putting on his guard uniform, Su Xiao headed to the guard headquarters.

Even before entering, he noticed a large group of guards rushing in and out of the building, their faces filled with urgency.

"Hurry! Lord Oka was murdered, and it has alarmed the Left Minister. That great man has ordered a citywide manhunt for the killer." one of the guards shouted.

Hank, with a look of 'grief,' was directing the guards, though a glint of ambition flickered in his eyes. It was clear that with Oka dead, Hank saw himself as the new leader.

Su Xiao noticed two guards standing coldly by the entrance, silently watching the chaos. They were the same two guards who had been with Oka the night before—likely his loyal subordinates. Hank's actions may have already aroused their suspicions, but this was still an opportunity. If Hank played his cards right, he could indeed take Oka's place.

The guard unit wasn't a particularly large department. Besides Oka, everyone else was just an ordinary guard, and Oka himself was more like a captain. There had never been any deputy captain, as having one would not only require more funds but also threaten Oka's control of power—something his arrogant personality would never allow.

Su Xiao hadn't killed Oka because of the man's arrogant attitude towards him. The real reason was that Su Xiao urgently needed a higher position to accelerate his progress. As long as Oka was alive, there was no suitable opening for him to advance.

As for the inner workings of the palace, Su Xiao didn't know much, nor did he intend to get involved. A simple plan with fewer moving parts was less likely to fail. He just needed a position that would allow him to get close to the king and climb the ranks quickly.

Tomorrow was the day the Gray Terminal was scheduled to be burned. The palace certainly wouldn't get its hands dirty with something so disgraceful—they'd send someone lower to handle it.

Su Xiao had done his research. There were two forces in charge of security in the capital: the Guard Unit, responsible for maintaining order, and the Gatekeepers, who controlled the city gates. Normally, this task would fall to the Gatekeepers, but Su Xiao had seen large quantities of explosives while choosing weapons in the warehouse. From the state of things in the warehouse, he could tell that the explosives had only recently been stored there. Their purpose was obvious.

Burning down the garbage terminal would take more than just lighting a fire. Explosives were involved, and Su Xiao needed to take over as guard captain to control the situation. Whether he could meet the king or not would depend on his actions.

"Hank, what's going on?" Su Xiao asked.

Hank, while directing the guards, turned to him. "The boss was assassinated last night, and they only discovered it this morning. You're just in time; you're coming with me to see the Left Minister."

Su Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. See the Left Minister? It seemed Hank might be up to something. Su Xiao had only just become a guard, and that alone was enough to raise suspicions. Was Hank trying to set him up as a scapegoat? It didn't seem likely.

As he silently considered how to deal with Hank, Su Xiao smiled on the surface.

"The Left Minister? A man of such high rank wants to see me?" he asked, feigning confusion while closely observing Hank's reaction.

"Yes, the Left Minister wants to see you. I don't know why either." Hank replied, with a hint of envy in his voice, even a touch of jealousy.

This sudden turn of events surprised Su Xiao. He had no connections to the royal court, so what could this be about? The only possibility was… that recommendation letter? It seemed the letter was far more important than he had realized.

Following Hank through several streets, Su Xiao arrived at a courtyard, where a luxurious villa came into view.

Hank was nervous, walking cautiously up to the front door, where two guards stopped him.

"Is this the person the minister wants to see?" one guard asked.

Hank nodded quickly, and the guards took away Hank's weapons. As for Su Xiao, all his weapons were in his storage space, so they couldn't be detected.

The guards led Su Xiao into a large hall. Inside, a family was having breakfast, with an elderly man with white hair and a stern face sitting at the head of the table.

When the old man saw Hank, he casually put down his food and signaled for the rest of the family to leave, except for one strong man who remained standing behind him.

The muscular man gave Su Xiao a dangerous feeling. Although unarmed, the thick calluses on his knuckles and his flattened fists were evidence of a seasoned martial artist—a bodyguard for the elderly man.

"You're Hank, right? Is this the new guard?" the old man asked in a calm tone, barely looking at Hank.

"Y-yes, sir." Hank stammered, visibly tense.

"You can leave." the old man said, clearly unimpressed by Hank's nervousness.

Hank kept his head low as he backed out of the room, disappearing from Su Xiao's sight.

"I'm the Left Minister of this kingdom. Carlos has given me many interesting treasures. As his nephew, I should look after you." the old man said, now addressing Su Xiao directly.

"Unfortunately, Carlos ran into some trouble leaving the city yesterday, and I didn't get my treasures. Since I can't find him, I'll be looking to his nephew—you—to replace him."

Su Xiao quickly pieced together the situation. Carlos, the black market merchant he had killed yesterday, had been supplying this Left Minister with illicit goods. Now that Carlos was dead, the Left Minister had come to Su Xiao to continue the dealings.

It seemed Carlos had been in an unfortunate situation—squeezed by both the gatekeepers and this Left Minister.

Judging by the current conversation, the minister wanted Su Xiao to step into Carlos's shoes and continue providing him with goods.

Su Xiao wasn't familiar with their dealings, and he couldn't act rashly since this Left Minister clearly had powerful backing. However, this was a rare opportunity to interact with someone high up in the kingdom's power structure.

"The goods won't be a problem. I know all of my uncle's connections." Su Xiao began, "but…"

The minister raised an eyebrow, fixing Su Xiao with a sharp gaze.

"Get me what I need, and you can name your price. I heard your captain died yesterday. If you do this well, I'll make you the new captain." the old man said.

Half an hour later, Su Xiao left the minister's estate, strolling along the streets.

Things were progressing smoothly, but the condition the Left Minister had set was troubling.

On top of that, after the minister made his request, Reincarnation Paradise gave Su Xiao a new mission.

[Side Mission Triggered: The Left Minister's Treasures]

[Difficulty Level: LV.2]

[Mission Description: The Left Minister is a collector of all things valuable. Anything of worth will catch this greedy old man's eye.]

[Mission Details: Kill the master of Mt. Colubo and retrieve its tooth. (Master of Mt. Colubo: A ferocious beast native to the One Piece world—a massive, tiger-like predator.)]

[Time Limit: 10 hours]

[Mission Reward: Position as Guard Captain]

[Failure Penalty: Expulsion from the guards, and being falsely accused and hunted.]

Su Xiao knew what the master of Mt. Colubo was—a massive tiger that had nearly killed a young Luffy.

He sighed deeply. Ever since he had entered the world of One Piece, every opponent he faced had been incredibly strong, leaving him feeling powerless.

"One day, I'll carve a bloody path with my sword, without having to hide in the shadows like this." Su Xiao thought to himself.

But the One Piece world was too dangerous, and he wasn't even qualified to risk his life just yet.

He was still too weak. Before he could become strong, he had to learn to endure.

The master of Mt. Colubo was powerful, certainly not something Su Xiao could confront head-on. But no matter how strong it was, it was still just a beast.

Not being able to face it directly didn't mean Su Xiao couldn't find a way to kill it.

(End of Chapter)

*********************************

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.