Chapter 1: Stormy Seas Opening
Su Xiao's strength had risen dramatically, making him the strongest among the third rank. If he entered the 'Dressrosa Sea Battle' now, it wasn't impossible for him to reap significant benefits.
Su Xiao took a deep breath and chose to enter 'One Piece: Dressrosa Sea Battle'. Drawing this world the first time might have been a coincidence, but drawing it a second time was thought-provoking.
Currently, the open worlds Su Xiao could enter were limited: the Type-Moon world, Bleach, Naruto, Overlord, and My Hero Academia (a medium-sized open world).
The mid-stage combat power in Bleach was too high; conservatively estimated, Su Xiao would need to be at the fourth rank to enter that world. The Naruto world had already been thoroughly wrecked by Su Xiao, making entry unlikely. The Overlord world was excellent but rarely appeared. My Hero Academia was interesting, fluctuating between the third and fourth ranks—a very special world, or rather, the easiest open world to enter.
The reason My Hero Academia was considered special was that its danger didn't come from plot characters, but from the adventurer teams bickering among themselves. When irreconcilable conflicts arose between third or fourth-rank adventurer teams, 70% of them entered this world to settle things to the death.
Because of this, most dangers in this world came from contractors harming each other.
Su Xiao randomly drawing 'Dressrosa Sea Battle' twice already indicated one thing: to enter other storylines in the One Piece world, he must first experience 'Dressrosa Sea Battle'.
Su Xiao had certainly heard of the legendary reputation of the Paramount War. It was the most rewarding event in the One Piece world. Even just playing a supporting role while staying alive could yield massive benefits.
If Su Xiao participated in the Paramount War, he wouldn't be content with just playing a supporting role. He would find a way to get involved in the war, and what he needed most was powerful strength.
[Hunter has selected derivative world. Derivative world One Piece is opening. No anomalies detected in this world. Consuming 0.17 ounces of Space-Time Power...]
[Based on consumed Space-Time Power, contractor's minimum comprehensive evaluation for this world must reach B-grade.]
[Public derivative world contact platform activating (all rank public platform)... Activated. Remaining speaking attempts: 2/2.]
[Fifth-rank contractors entering: 6. Location: Charlotte Linlin's forces vs. Kaido's forces vs. Red Hair's forces battlefield.]
[Fourth-rank contractors entering: 278. Location: Seas near Dressrosa, Donquixote Doflamingo's forces + partial Kaido's forces vs. Charlotte Linlin's forces battlefield.]
[Third-rank contractors entering: 397. Location: Punk Hazard Island, pirate forces vs. Navy.]
[Region allocation in progress...]
[Detected hunter's strength significantly exceeds third rank. To protect third-rank contractors, hunter's entry location: Seas near Dressrosa.]
[As hunter's strength exceeds some fourth-rank contractors, to protect low-level fourth-rank contractors, hunter will be teleported to the central area of the Dressrosa Sea Battle.]
[Equipment teleportation in progress. Hunter teleportation batch: Second batch.]
[First batch of contractors teleporting. Teleportation location: Punk Hazard Island.]
[Teleportation complete.]
[Hunter about to enter derivative world. Please prepare.]
...
There was a lot of information, but the most important points were three. First, this was a chaotic free-for-all world with nearly 700 people. It was originally a sea battle scenario. With so many contractors entering, plus the numerous factions in the One Piece world, it would inevitably turn into a mess, with heads being bashed in like dog heads.
Second, six fifth-rank contractors were entering the One Piece world. The good news was that they were thrown into a high-level battlefield, participating in the conflict between Big Mom and Kaido.
The final piece of information was that this teleportation required preparation. Usually, when this happened...
Su Xiao let out a long breath.
Bang!
His vision went black as space-time power enveloped him.
...
Rumble...
The sky was covered with dark clouds, a massive oppressive mass. Raindrops as big as beans fell, as if trying to connect the sea and sky.
With a crash, surging waves slapped against the ship's railing. A large three-masted ship cut diagonally through the waves. Sailing in such a storm was suicidal, especially since this large ship was maintaining a hard right rudder.
Whoosh~
A whistling sound rapidly approached. Several black cannonballs flew in, directly hitting the cabin. Wood splinters flew everywhere. Flames just ignited before being extinguished by the rain.
The surging waves and the pouring rain from the sky reduced visibility to less than 10 meters. In this harsh weather, over a dozen large ships were engaged in a sea battle.
Clang, clang, clang...
A pirate standing on the mast struck a broken pot. Heaven knows where he found it.
This proved to be an old pirate. Compared to shouting, striking that broken pot was better at attracting the attention of his shipmates.
On the wind-filled sail, rainwater made the sail gleam white. A circular skull pattern was printed on the sail, the skull showing a smile, representing the Donquixote family.
"Hard to port!!"
A pirate with a severed arm roared. With the ship at full rudder in the storm, the hull could easily be twisted in two by the waves. But the storm drowned out his voice, and the surrounding pirates looked at him blankly.
Under the impact of the waves, the planks on the hull creaked. There were at least over a hundred pirates on this ship. Compared to fighting the enemy at sea, they first had to ensure they weren't washed overboard by the giant waves. In this weather, being washed overboard meant certain death.
With another crash, another huge wave hit, nearly engulfing the entire ship.
Inside the seawater, Su Xiao, who had been lying on the deck, opened his eyes.
Gurgle, gurgle.
A large mouthful of salty, astringent seawater rushed into his mouth, immediately waking him up.
As soon as he woke up, Su Xiao felt the impact of the seawater. He squinted, quickly observing his surroundings. He was on a ship... was it sinking?
Soon, Su Xiao realized the ship wasn't sinking; a huge wave had washed over the deck, and now the wave was about to recede.
Su Xiao grabbed the railing in front of him. A dog-paddling figure appeared ahead—it was Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang could swim, and swim well. He bit down on a rope.
The wave receded, and Su Xiao fell onto the wet deck. Cold raindrops slapped against his cheeks.
So far, Su Xiao didn't know what was happening, nor whether the surrounding pirates were friend or foe.
He looked up at the sail. The emblem on it told him where he was.
This was a ship of the Donquixote family, the faction of Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo.
Su Xiao leaned against the railing. Although he wasn't well-versed in sailing, he knew the current weather was a storm.
Black cannonballs whistled overhead. He didn't know if they were from the enemy or his own side. Who would be firing cannons in this weather? Weren't they worried about the rain wetting the gunpowder?
There were at least a dozen large ships in the surrounding sea area. Based on their size, each ship had over a hundred pirates, some even more.
As soon as Su Xiao entered the derivative world, he was directly involved in the Dressrosa Sea Battle.
The sea battle seemed to have encountered a storm before it even began. This was the New World sea area, where weather changes were 'unpredictable'.
The current situation was that once the storm stopped, the two sides would continue their fight. As for who the enemy was, it was most likely the Big Mom Pirates.