Chapter 17: Domination (Fourth Update)
The explosion had just sounded when Bubu Wang, who was sleeping in bed, was startled awake. He jumped up from the bed, and beside him, Dellinger, holding an alchemy bomb, quickly rushed out of the room.
As a researcher, Su Xiao naturally didn’t need to go to the battlefield and fight. Killing ordinary pirates might yield treasure chests, but the probability was too low. Even if he joined the battle, Su Xiao would choose to engage enemy elites.
Currently, Su Xiao had no such intention. The third part of the promotion/main quest would activate in five hours, and besides, he needed to wait for the Don Quixote family to use alchemy bombs on the battlefield.
Dressrosa had seven landing points, all located on the southern side of the island. From the King’s Plateau, Su Xiao had a clear view of the battlefield.
At least dozens of large ships were approaching Dressrosa. These were the ships of the Big Mom Pirates. They didn’t immediately close in on Dressrosa but instead bombarded the coastline with their bow cannons.
The pirates of the Don Quixote family seemed to be silenced by the bombardment, hiding behind large rocks on both sides of the landing points, waiting for the Big Mom Pirates to land.
Boom, boom, boom…
The port was engulfed in gunfire, sand flying everywhere. A hundred meters from the explosion zone, hundreds of pirates hid behind rocks, holding old-fashioned flintlock muskets. Strangely enough, these muskets could fire continuously.
After half an hour of relentless bombardment, the Big Mom Pirates’ fleet began to approach Dressrosa.
Something unexpected happened to the Big Mom faction. When they landed in the shallow waters, they didn’t encounter the anticipated hail of lead bullets.
Though unclear why, the pirates of the Big Mom faction still charged toward the port.
“Men, kill them all! Mama has ordered that once we take Dressrosa, this island is ours to enjoy for three days!”
A gap-toothed pirate squad leader shouted, and his subordinates burst into laughter. If they could conquer Dressrosa, they could loot and pillage freely for three days. The island’s beauties were famous far and wide.
Thinking of that scene, the pirates in the shallow waters felt a heat in their lower abdomens, their laughter growing more lecherous.
“Charge!”
The pirates drew their cutlasses and surged toward the port in a chaotic wave. Don’t think that ordinary pirates under a Yonko are anything special. Pirates are always pirates; their discipline can never match the Navy’s.
When the group of pirates reached the beach area, the Don Quixote family’s pirates still hid in the distance, not even opening fire.
“Halt!”
The pirate squad leader sensed something wrong, but it was too late.
Boom, boom…
A series of explosions rang out, and the beach instantly turned into a sea of fire.
Screams of agony came from within the flames. Alchemy bombs alone wouldn’t have such power, but with Doflamingo’s intelligence, he naturally wouldn’t rely solely on alchemy bombs to repel the enemy.
Doflamingo first had his men bury a large number of artillery shells in the beach area. By using the remote detonation capability of the alchemy bombs, he triggered those shells.
In an instant, the beach became a living hell. The same scene played out at the other five landing points. The only one who didn’t fall into the trap was the pirate force led by Charlotte Katakuri. He was impossible to ambush.
Although Charlotte Katakuri’s Observation Haki was powerful enough to foresee the future, he could only see a brief future.
Inside the fourth floor of the villa area, Su Xiao witnessed the explosion at the port through his telescope. At the same time, he received a flood of notifications.
[You have gained 1 Pirate Reputation Point.]
[You have gained 4 Pirate Reputation Points.]
…
[You have gained 1 Pirate Reputation Point.]
[You have gained 1 Pirate Reputation Point.]
…
Su Xiao’s plan had succeeded. Although the Pirate Reputation wasn’t as much as he had hoped, it was still a success.
Su Xiao’s plan wasn’t about exploiting loopholes; it was entirely based on his own abilities.
First, Su Xiao needed the strength to negotiate with Doflamingo. Second, he had to master the art of making alchemy bombs and have a certain reputation in the pirate world to convince Doflamingo of his capability to produce them.
Many conditions were indispensable. Although Su Xiao and Doflamingo might turn against each other at any moment, the current situation was exactly what Su Xiao wanted.
Why risk getting covered in blood by charging into the pirates with a blade when he could gain benefits without taking risks?
As his Pirate Reputation gradually increased, Su Xiao returned to the stone table and continued making alchemy bombs. Taking advantage of the free time, he checked the current Pirate Reputation rankings.
[First Place: Kutū (Fifth Rank), Pirate Reputation: 4500 points.]
[Second Place: Qianmeng (Fifth Rank), Pirate Reputation: 2780 points.]
[Third Place: Performer (Fifth Rank), Pirate Reputation: 2176 points.]
[Fourth Place: Sen (Fifth Rank), Pirate Reputation: 1902 points.]
[Fifth Place: Mǎnshí (Fifth Rank), Pirate Reputation: 1877 points.]
…
The top five spots in Pirate Reputation were already occupied by fifth-rank contractors. Su Xiao was currently in seventh place, with 1463 Pirate Reputation points.
The first-place Kutū was a beast, with a whopping 4500 points. But Su Xiao didn’t care; his Pirate Reputation was steadily increasing at a moderate pace.
Su Xiao was indeed helping the Don Quixote family produce alchemy bombs at full capacity. As for weapons like Apollo that could decide the war’s outcome, he would supply them in limited quantities. If he provided too many and the Don Quixote family successfully repelled the Big Mom Pirates, Su Xiao would lose big.
What Su Xiao wanted was a sustainable war, ideally lasting ten days to half a month. Even if he gave up on earning Paradise Coins and treasure chests in this world, he would still compete for the top two rewards in the Pirate Reputation rankings. The rewards that fifth-rank contractors valued so highly would definitely compensate for the loss of Paradise Coins and chests.
Judging by Kutū’s momentum, he clearly intended to dominate the first place. This also indicated another thing: the first-place reward was so desirable that even a strong fifth-rank contractor like Kutū craved it.
While competing with Kutū for the top spot, Su Xiao also had to guard against him coming to kill him. There was no need to think twice—with his current strength, he couldn’t face a fifth-rank contractor head-on.
After making alchemy bombs for a while, Bubu Wang barked from the window, signaling, “Master, come quick! The beach is a mess, heads are being bashed in like dog heads.”
Su Xiao set down the alchemy bomb. Indeed, the beaches of Dressrosa were already stained red, with flames blazing in some spots.
From his storage space, Su Xiao took out a metal stand and set it up by the window. The enhanced +13 Duke of Annihilation was semi-fixed on the stand.
Su Xiao was about four kilometers from the beach, and the maximum range of the Duke of Annihilation was 4762 meters. There was no better sniping position.
The Duke’s Domain ability activated, and the adaptive scope popped out from the gun’s body. At this distance, locking onto enemies was the most reliable option.
At this stage of the war, ordinary pirates weren’t worth Su Xiao’s bullets. He only needed to target elite units.
With the share from alchemy bomb kills and sniping elite units, Su Xiao believed he could surpass Kutū.
Su Xiao quickly spotted a figure on the battlefield. This guy was named Charlotte Cracker.
“Bubu, get ready.”
Hearing this, Bubu Wang rushed downstairs. Su Xiao was responsible for killing enemies, while Bubu would take the opportunity to collect treasure chests. Perfect coordination.