REINCARNATION PARADISE

Mia nodded but quickly shook her head.

In the Gray Terminal the rarest resource is food. The scavengers who rely on foraging for survival constantly hover on the brink of starvation.

Su Xiao pulled out a few pieces of compressed biscuits from his pocket, his emergency rations.

He had already scoped out a forest in the distance beyond the Gray Terminal. With his gun, food wouldn't be an issue for him.

Mia hesitantly took one of the biscuits, clearly intimidated, as she had never seen such food before.

Under Su Xiao's instruction, Mia carefully unwrapped the biscuit and took a cautious bite.

"It's delicious!"

The girl, who hadn't eaten anything all day, quickly devoured the biscuit.

"Your name is Mia, right? Take me out of here, and these biscuits are all yours."

Mia, having finished her biscuit, stared directly at the other pieces in Su Xiao's hand, swallowing hard.

"Alright, but you must promise not to hurt me."

Su Xiao didn't answer. He simply rummaged through the rundown house. Mia, now feeling a little better, followed closely behind.

"Where are you going? You don't look like a resident of the Gray Terminal." Mia asked.

Su Xiao suddenly stopped, a cold gleam in his eyes. He threw one of the biscuits on the ground and then stomped on it, crushing it underfoot.

"Just lead me out. Don't ask anything else."

If Mia showed any signs of betrayal, Su Xiao's hand, which was gripping his gun, would aim at her head without hesitation.

Frightened by Su Xiao's sudden action, Mia took a few steps back.

"O-okay."

She didn't dare say more and quickly started walking ahead.

"Take me to the entrance of the Goa Kingdom."

He stayed alert, scanning his surroundings. From time to time, he saw scavengers eyeing him hungrily, but once they noticed the gun in his hand, they quickly retracted their greedy looks.

Recalling the intel he had gathered from the anime, Su Xiao began formulating his next steps.

The so-called Gray Terminal was essentially a massive garbage dump. The Goa Kingdom had been dumping their waste outside the city, leading to this chaotic and wretched landscape.

The scavengers, who eyed him hungrily, were once citizens of the Goa Kingdom. These people had either committed serious crimes or offended the nobility, resulting in their exile.

The rotting trash emitted toxic fumes that constantly seeped through the Gray Terminal, slowly eroding the health of the scavengers.

Su Xiao's own health had already dropped from 100% to 98% after spending time in the terminal, a clear sign of the dangerous environment.

There were no doctors, no food, and rampant crime and disease. It was a lawless place where strength ruled all.

With Mia leading the way, Su Xiao soon left the Gray Terminal and arrived at a towering black stone wall. A small city gate came into view.

"This is as far as I can go. The Goa Kingdom has laws. If a scavenger is caught entering the city, they'll be executed on the spot." Mia said, though her eyes remained fixed on the biscuits in Su Xiao's hand.

Su Xiao tossed her a biscuit and then ignored her. Mia quickly ran off—her motivation for leading Su Xiao was purely the food, nothing more.

The side gate to the Goa Kingdom was wide open, with a few guards stationed on either side.

This was just a side entrance, primarily used for dumping trash.

Although the guards appeared relaxed, their eyes occasionally gleamed coldly. They had likely killed many scavengers attempting to sneak into the city.

Su Xiao hid nearby, not rushing to enter. He was waiting for the right moment.

Su Xiao concealed himself nearby, waiting for the right moment. There was no point in trying to confront the guards head-on. The people of the One Piece World had extraordinary physical strength, and even the girl Mia had recovered from a hard blow far quicker than Su Xiao had anticipated.

He suspected the guards' stats were well above ten points, possibly even higher.

An hour passed, then two. Finally, after three hours, it was midday, and the temperature was rapidly rising. The scorching heat finally gave Su Xiao the opportunity he was waiting for.

A cart loaded with household garbage rolled out of the city, the stench so foul that the guards instinctively took a few steps back, their faces twisted in disgust.

"Do you need to perform an inspection, sirs?" The cart driver asked nervously.

"Just get out of here. It stinks!" one of the guards snapped, waving his hand dismissively.

The driver, relieved, hurried along without a second glance from the guards.

After the cart reached a secluded area within the junkyard, the driver began dumping the trash. Although he had previously appeared timid, Su Xiao noticed a dagger at his waist. Survival of the fittest was the rule in the Gray Terminal.

Lighting a cigarette to mask the stench, the driver grabbed a shovel and started cleaning his cart, drenched in sweat.

Just as Su Xiao was about to knock him out from behind, his foot accidentally stepped on a half-broken glass cup.

Crunch—a sharp sound echoed.

The driver flinched in shock, and so did Su Xiao. The ground was so soft and covered in trash that it was impossible to know what lay beneath his feet.

But there was no turning back now. Su Xiao immediately leaped toward the driver.

The driver, no stranger to violence, instantly drew the dagger from his waist and aimed it at Su Xiao with a murderous intent.

The driver's vicious expression made it clear to Su Xiao that the man intended to kill him.

Su Xiao's eyes grew cold. In this world of missions, it was kill or be killed. Mercy towards the enemy was cruelty to oneself.

He raised the flintlock gun and aimed at the driver's head.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have stopped or backed away upon seeing the gun, but the driver only lunged faster.

Su Xiao, his expression cold, pulled the trigger. The hammer struck the flint, sparks flew, and the gunpowder ignited. The explosion within the barrel propelled the bullet forward with immense force, accompanied by fire and smoke.

Bang!

Smoke billowed as the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air. The lead bullet lodged itself in the driver's head, stopping him in his tracks. His body was flung back two meters, twitching twice before he died.

[Notification: You have killed a Black Market Merchant.]

[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated, permanently increasing your Mana by 5 points. Current Mana: 65 points.]

[You have obtained a Treasure Chest (White).]

[This is your first kill. Storage Space (2 cubic meters) has been unlocked. You may upgrade the space with Reincarnation Paradise Coins after returning to the Reincarnation Paradise.]

The notification from Reincarnation Paradise clarified that this wasn't just a simple driver, but a Black Market Merchant who was likely conducting some shady deals in the Gray Terminal under the guise of being a driver.

After the merchant's death, a small white chest floated above his body. It was palm-sized but surprisingly heavy.

[Treasure Chest (White): Open? Yes/No.]

Su Xiao didn't open the treasure chest immediately. Instead, he stored it and the Worn out flintlock pistol in his new storage space.

With a thought, the pistol reappeared in his hand. Su Xiao was quite pleased with the new storage ability—it would be highly useful for completing his missions.

This place wasn't safe, so Su Xiao decided not to open the treasure chest just yet. If it caused some flashy spectacle, it would draw too much attention. His priority now was to enter the capital of the Goa Kingdom.

Su Xiao stripped off his own clothes and changed into the dead merchant's outfit.

After some hesitation, he rolled around in the dirty water on the ground. The stench clung to him, and his face and clothes were now smeared with grime, making it hard for anyone to recognize him.

Sitting at the front of the cart, Su Xiao clumsily guided the cart toward the city gate.

In his hand, he held a dagger—the same one that had belonged to the Black Market Merchant—but it wasn't quite what he had expected.

(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.