Chapter 32: The Burning Sea
Su Xiao glanced at the special-grade alchemy bomb that Doflamingo had taken out, and almost instantly understood what the other party meant.
Su Xiao could be certain that Doflamingo had not revealed the existence of Apollo to Jack. This guy intended to keep Apollo as a secret weapon to defend against the Big Mom Pirates' attack.
If Jack knew about Apollo, he would at least demand one from Doflamingo and send it to his boss, Kaido.
"You should all be clear about my current situation."
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to Jack, who remained silent, indicating that he had already learned of Su Xiao's predicament from Doflamingo.
Su Xiao's brief skirmish with Jack earlier might have seemed reckless, but that wasn't the case. Su Xiao knew too well how to deal with villains. Without that brief fight, Jack would not have adopted his current attitude; instead, he would have tried every means to exploit Su Xiao's value.
After the brief clash, Jack knew Su Xiao was not someone to be trifled with. That was precisely why the three of them were sitting at the dining table to talk.
"To be honest, helping either side manufacture bombs makes little difference to me. Rather than working for the World Government, I'd prefer to cooperate with pirates. After all, when cooperating with pirates, I can ensure my personal freedom. However…"
As soon as Su Xiao uttered this "however," Doflamingo's heart skipped a beat. He didn't need to think to know that continuing to obtain Apollo from Su Xiao would no longer be as simple as before.
"Recently, my bomb-making skills have improved, allowing me to produce some special types of explosives."
"Special types?"
Jack glanced at Doflamingo, who waved his index finger left and right, indicating he didn't know either. In reality, his mind was as clear as a mirror.
"That's right, special types. As a gesture of sincerity for cooperating with you all, I can manufacture standard-type bombs unconditionally. As for the special-type bombs, that will require a certain fee."
Su Xiao hadn't actually developed any new type of alchemy bomb. The "special type" he referred to was Apollo.
"That seems fair."
Doflamingo's ominous premonition grew stronger.
Jack said nothing, indicating his tacit agreement. He also felt that Su Xiao was a good collaborator. First, Su Xiao was strong enough to fight when needed. He had taken down 'Charlotte Perospero' and 'Charlotte Cracker,' both of whom Jack had fought and knew their strength.
"As for me, I have no interest in money. As for power, if I were keen on it, I wouldn't have broken away from the World Government."
This time, even Doflamingo looked puzzled. He exchanged a glance with Jack, and both suddenly felt that Su Xiao was unreliable.
Not wanting money or status—how could such a dreamlike collaborator exist in this world?
"I'm very interested in famous swords. If not famous swords, then Devil Fruits are acceptable, but I won't accept artificial Devil Fruits."
"Cough, cough…"
Jack choked on his drink, and Su Xiao's next words dispelled his previous notion of a 'dream collaborator.'
"For example, Great Grade Swords of the Twenty-One Works. I'm very interested in those."
"…"
"…"
The banquet hall fell into dead silence. Sugar stared at Su Xiao in surprise, her expression clearly saying: 'Are you a demon? So greedy.'
"As for the specific exchange rate, three special-type bombs for one Great Grade Sword of the Twenty-One Works."
The Great Grade Swords of the Twenty-One Works Su Xiao mentioned weren't actually limited to twenty-one. 'Great Grade Sword' was just the rating for famous swords in the One Piece world.
The so-called 'Twenty-One Works' referred to the top twenty-one swords within the Great Grade category. According to official World Government statistics, there were at least over forty existing Great Grade Swords.
Famous swords were meant for battle, and battle caused wear and tear, loss at sea, or even destruction. If no more Great Grade Swords could be forged afterward, only a few would remain, or even none. What was truly rare were the Supreme Grade Swords.
For instance, in the original story, Roronoa Zoro's Skillful Grade Sword, Yubashiri, was destroyed, yet Skillful Grade Swords still numbered fifty works.
Skillful Grade < Great Grade < Supreme Grade. Su Xiao never expected to obtain a Supreme Grade Sword from Doflamingo or Jack. Whether the two could even acquire a Great Grade Sword was uncertain; such items were very rare.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, you'll be responsible for the materials. As for the details of the transaction, those are all 'negotiable.'"
Su Xiao certainly didn't expect Doflamingo or Jack to produce a Great Grade Sword immediately; that was basically impossible. The specifics of the deal still needed discussion. Three Apollos for one Great Grade Sword was his personal asking price, and Doflamingo and Jack naturally wouldn't agree to it right away.
"I want to see the finished product."
Jack didn't immediately refuse.
"There's no finished product for now."
"…"
Jack lost interest in the special-type bombs. It remained to be seen whether he would still hold that attitude after witnessing Apollo's explosion site.
After a hearty meal, Jack picked up the iron jaw on the table, fastened it under his chin, left a remark about 'going to settle my subordinates,' and left the King's Plateau.
"Bai Ye, the price is too high."
Doflamingo's expression wasn't pleasant. He had only obtained two Apollos, a quantity absolutely insufficient for war.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to temporarily stop manufacturing Apollo."
"Apollo…"
Doflamingo actually knew that the special-type bomb was Apollo. Su Xiao's previous cooperation had confirmed one thing: compared to the Beasts Pirates, Su Xiao was more willing to cooperate with the Donquixote Family.
Su Xiao stood up and headed toward the upper floors of the villa. He wasn't worried about Doflamingo rejecting his price. The other party hadn't used Apollo yet; once he tasted the benefits, his attitude would change.
Returning to the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao locked the door tightly. The long-awaited third ring of the main quest finally activated.
[Promotion/Main Quest: Defense Battle (Third Ring).]
Difficulty Level: Lv.22.
Quest Brief: Completely repel the BIG·MOM Pirates and obtain 1500 Pirate Prestige Points.
Quest Info: Promotion/Main Quest consists of four rings.
Quest Time Limit: 18 natural days.
Quest Rewards: Soul Crystal (Large) ×5, 2 True Attribute Points, 40,000 Paradise Coins.
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution.
…
The difficulty of the Promotion/Main Quest had directly jumped from Lv.15 to Lv.22. Su Xiao ignored the 1500 Pirate Prestige Points. As for completely repelling the BIG·MOM Pirates, he was somewhat confused. Did it mean driving the Big Mom Pirates out of the waters near Dressrosa, or completely scattering their fleet?
The former was possible, but the latter's difficulty was at least several times higher.
Su Xiao keenly sensed that his main quest might differ from other third-rank contractors. Not to mention repelling the Big Mom Pirates, just the 1500 Pirate Prestige Points alone would be enough to kill off over 95% of third-rank contractors.
Apart from Su Xiao, the third-rank contractor with the highest Pirate Prestige Points currently had only 986 points.
Su Xiao's quest was different from other third-rank contractors; he had long suspected this. This time, his quest was a combination of the promotion assessment to fourth rank and the main quest. Although the objective was much clearer, the difficulty had significantly increased.
Su Xiao flopped onto the bed with a thud. He urgently needed rest.
He didn't know how long he had slept when he was jolted awake by a roar, accompanied by a flood of notifications.
[You have gained 10 Pirate Prestige Points.]
[You have gained 1 Pirate Prestige Point.]
[You have gained 32 Pirate Prestige Points.]
[You have gained 6 Pirate Prestige Points.]
…
The notifications instantly 'flooded the screen,' densely packed with at least several hundred entries. Su Xiao directly gained 1690 Pirate Prestige Points.
Su Xiao sat up from the bed with a whoosh and pulled open the curtains. Outside, it was pitch black. On the coastline, a vast expanse of blazing flames was particularly conspicuous, covering at least half a kilometer.
The Big Mom Pirates had landed on the island under the cover of night. As soon as they landed, Doflamingo had someone toss an Apollo at them.
Sand, ships, and even the seawater were burning, with large amounts of steam rising.
…
On the roof of a civilian house at the edge of the Dressrosa coast, Doflamingo stared at the vast, blazing flames, his expression slightly stunned.
"Pica, have the Shabondy Auction House start acquiring Great Grade Swords. As soon as possible."
Doflamingo stared at the raging flames. The Big Mom Pirates' night raid plan had failed before it even began, blown back by a single Apollo.