Chapter 10: Forcibly Becoming the Life-Saver
Two hours later, on a calm stretch of sea.
The sea breeze blew as Su Xiao sat on a rectangular block of ice. This ice was created by Amu, who, if he released his internal ice energy, could easily form a frozen domain. That sounded nice, but in reality, it couldn't be used in combat; Amu's outward release of ice energy was too slow, taking at least half a minute.
This temporary sea foothold was 10 meters long, 20 meters wide, and 3 meters thick. With the foam filler inside the ice layer, it could float on the sea surface without issue, but Amu needed to occasionally release ice energy to prevent the ice from melting.
Soaking wet, Su Xiao stood on the ice. He simply took off his shirt to enjoy the warm sea breeze.
The ice drifted slowly with the wind. Bubu Wang and Amu were both on the ice, along with a sturdy figure lying there—Pica, who was half-unconscious.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, directing Amu to give Pica first aid. Pica had only swallowed too much seawater; with his physique, clearing the water from his lungs would suffice.
Amu reversed his grip on his warhammer and drove the barrel-thick head straight into Pica's lower abdomen.
*Bang!* Pica's body convulsed, but no seawater came out.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang signaled Amu to stop immediately, afraid he might crush Pica to death, which would be ridiculous.
After a discussion between the dog and the bull, they decided to use the "anti-gravity drainage method." Don't think this was some high-tech technique; in reality, Amu simply grabbed Pica by the feet and shook him vigorously...
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The unconscious Pica woke up, spewing large amounts of seawater from his mouth and nose.
Amu dropped Pica, who landed with a *thud* on the hard ice, nearly passing out again. Amu had no idea what "gentle" meant.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
After a bout of violent coughing, Pica regained consciousness. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and though he didn't know where he was, he remained calm.
"You're awake."
Su Xiao spoke from the edge of the ice, a cigarette between his fingers.
"You?"
Pica's breathing was a bit erratic, but he instinctively gripped the sword hilt at his waist. His high-pitched, squeaky voice was far too distinctive.
Pica was a burly man over three meters tall, with muscles bulging all over, yet his voice was a shrill, childish tone. The contrast between his physique and voice was absurd, but it was something innate and not worth mocking.
Su Xiao glanced at Pica's hand on the sword hilt and smiled. "Is this how you repay your savior?"
Hearing this, Pica showed no reaction, but Bubu Wang's dog face twisted in awkwardness. All of Pica's subordinates had been killed by Su Xiao earlier. The situation now was that Su Xiao was forcibly becoming Pica's savior.
To be fair, Su Xiao was quite lucky. In his first battle, he had earned a massive amount of pirate reputation, killed Spero, and now "saved" Pica.
Su Xiao was curious about what kind of position Donquixote Doflamingo would offer him when they met.
It was worth noting that, to Doflamingo, Su Xiao was definitely a hot potato. Su Xiao was wanted by the World Government and had now made an enemy of Big Mom.
As for turning Su Xiao away? Don't be ridiculous. Spero's head was the letter of introduction, plus the life-saving favor. Doflamingo was a sea overlord; he would surely understand what rejecting Su Xiao meant.
"So what?" Pica's face regained some color as he stared directly at Su Xiao. "I'm a pirate."
"Even pirates need to know gratitude."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of blue smoke. According to his original plan, he had intended to use his 30 points of Charm Attribute plus the identity of a savior to establish a "friendly relationship" with Pica. Unlocking personal favorability would have been ideal.
But Su Xiao was surprised to find that his 30 points of Charm Attribute seemed to have little effect. Not only did Pica not appreciate his "life-saving grace," but judging by the way he looked around, this guy seemed... ready to flee at any moment?
Given Pica's current state and the terrain, Su Xiao could kill him in an instant. Perhaps Pica knew this too.
In Pica's perception, Su Xiao was completely different from other pirates. Even those pirates who burned, killed, and plundered at sea didn't have bloodlust as intense as Su Xiao's.
"You seem hostile toward me?"
Su Xiao's expression was relaxed as he tried to suppress his bloodlust.
"..."
Pica said nothing. Compared to a momentary verbal spat, he valued his life more.
"Don't worry. I'm here to join Doflamingo. I won't be your enemy."
Su Xiao took compressed food from his storage space and tossed it to Pica. After a moment's hesitation, Pica tore open the package and ate heartily.
He wasn't worried about poison. If Su Xiao wanted to poison him, he would have done so while he was unconscious. Besides, he urgently needed to regain his strength.
"You're the one the World Government wants, Bai Ye, right?"
"That's right."
Though Su Xiao didn't know the World Government had put a bounty on him, he could guess as much. After what he did at Enies Lobby, it would be strange if they didn't.
"You helped us in that sea battle for this purpose?"
"Of course."
"Then... how did you end up on my ship?"
"I was shipwrecked, and your people rescued me."
"..."
Pica was clearly speechless. He felt Su Xiao's story was full of holes, but the current situation wasn't suitable for calling him out.
Su Xiao hadn't actually expected Pica to believe him. As a 40-year-old adult, Pica had his own judgment and thoughts.
Rather than fabricating a bunch of lies that could be exposed, it was better to just brush it off. The Donquixote Family had their own intelligence channels; they could investigate what Su Xiao had done in the pirate world.
"Is our course toward Dressrosa?"
Pica stood up. He needed to return to Dressrosa as soon as possible. The conflict between the Donquixote Family and the Big Mom Pirates wasn't over.
"If we're lucky, the course is toward Dressrosa."
"Lucky...?"
Pica stared blankly at Su Xiao.
"You mean we're drifting at sea with the wind?"
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I saved you?"
Pica was speechless again. He seemed to understand why Su Xiao had saved him. Yes, that was one of the reasons Su Xiao "saved" Pica—he had no idea how to get to Dressrosa Island.
Dressrosa Island was the main location for this plot event. Though the event was called a sea battle, if you wanted to reap big rewards, Dressrosa was the first choice.
Pica glanced at the ice beneath his feet. "Is this how you usually sail?"
"In the past, wherever I wanted to go, I just notified the Navy. Usually, a Vice Admiral or a special agent escorted me. Sometimes Kizaru would escort me too."
"Kizaru..."
Pica clearly didn't know how to respond. To be fair, Su Xiao wasn't lying. During the time he made alchemical bombs for the World Government, the pretty Major, Vice Admirals, CP9 agents, Kizaru, and others had all escorted him. Tina, a promising Navy officer, had even been assigned by the World Government to be Su Xiao's "personal little secretary."
"So, you're saying we're lost at sea?"
Pica frowned deeply as he looked around at the vast ocean, seeing nothing but water.
"You don't know the direction to Dressrosa?"
Su Xiao flicked away his cigarette butt, sensing trouble.
The two locked eyes, confirming that neither of them knew the route.