Chapter 63: Lone Wolves
Little Mantou stared blankly at Su Xiao, her initial expression of surprise quickly shifting to terror.
Before entering this world, Little Mantou had heard of Su Xiao, or rather, the name Bai Ye.
When she first heard of Su Xiao, Little Mantou’s impression was that another dark horse had emerged within the third rank, but this had nothing to do with her ‘comfortable’ life. Not long after, Little Mantou heard another piece of news from her teammates: the Starfire Adventure Group had been wiped out by a single person.
From that point on, Little Mantou realized that this recently renowned contractor was no dark horse at all, but a ruthless individual capable of taking on an entire adventure group single-handedly.
“Super invincible third-rank big shot?”
Upon hearing Little Mantou’s address, Su Xiao furrowed his brow. He had no reaction to such a ‘rustic’ title.
“You can call me Bai Ye, or just ‘you.’ The real monsters are all over at Wan Guo.”
Su Xiao didn’t consider himself the strongest. In fact, there were contractors stronger than him on the Shampoo Islands alone.
The suppression of a single rank was no joke. Those high-ranking fourth-rank contractors were extremely difficult to deal with. Earlier, near District 21, Su Xiao had encountered a lone wanderer. They were about a hundred meters apart, and neither intended to make a move, but the other’s aura left a deep impression on Su Xiao—viscous, dark, as if it wanted to devour everything.
Shen Huang and Stan were top-tier fourth-rank contractors. As leaders of two large adventure groups, they bore the burdens of command while enjoying the benefits of their organizations. Their equipment and abilities were nothing short of luxurious.
Su Xiao’s Divine Radiance had come from Shen Huang. Although Divine Radiance was only of dark purple quality, its secondary invincibility shield was far too useful. Even some gold-quality scabbards couldn’t replace it.
“Wan Guo? You’ve come into contact with those fifth-rank guys?”
Little Mantou, who had been a bit lively earlier, now became much more subdued.
“Stop with the nonsense. Where is Roger’s sidearm?”
Su Xiao certainly wasn’t going to give up those 10,000 Pirate Reputation points. If he obtained this item, his top spot on the reputation leaderboard would be secure.
“It’s at the Gunpowder Tavern. Roger’s sidearm is there. No one dares to touch it now. There are at least five snipers around. Anyone who rushes in dies. Iron Tank, Barbatre, Mask, and others are all there. These guys are famous among the fourth rank. What’s worse, Lanzo is also there. That guy is freakishly strong.”
When Little Mantou mentioned Lanzo, she clearly showed some unease.
“Lanzo?”
Su Xiao’s brow furrowed. Setting aside his strength, that guy was a complete oddball.
“That’s right, those lunatics from the Brigade. I really don’t get why Lanzo is ranked tenth in the Brigade. His strength might not be as strong as Gulu, but he’s definitely above Weini.”
What Little Mantou didn’t know was that Lanzo’s tenth-place ranking was purely his own choice.
“That idiot.”
Su Xiao muttered, his voice low, but Little Mantou still heard him.
“Huh?”
Little Mantou glanced around nervously, as if afraid someone might overhear Su Xiao’s words. Lanzo was notoriously vengeful.
“You… know Lanzo?”
“No, but I know he’s an idiot.”
Recalling a certain incident, Su Xiao felt a dull ache in his head. Once, after he returned to Reincarnation Paradise, Lanzo had sought him out and extended a second invitation to join the Brigade.
Su Xiao had no intention of joining at the time and flatly refused. After that, a certain event led to a few ‘pleasantries’ exchanged between Su Xiao and Lanzo, ending in a sour parting.
Was Lanzo really an idiot? Of course not. On the contrary, Lanzo was strong. His strength was below Gulu but above Weini. While he wasn’t among the absolute strongest within the fourth rank, he was still a formidable enemy not to be underestimated.
Although they had clashed before, it was merely a result of incompatible personalities, not to the point of becoming mortal enemies.
Lanzo was the tenth member of the Brigade. Why he was ranked tenth despite his strength was anyone’s guess.
“So, everyone knows about this now?”
“That’s right.”
After Little Mantou’s somewhat disjointed explanation, Su Xiao pieced together the whole story. First, some unlucky bastard obtained Roger’s sidearm and triggered a hidden quest. After completing the final stage of the quest, the unlucky guy met his end in District 21. Several subsequent ‘successors’ also died in turn.
Roger’s sidearm was left behind at the Gunpowder Tavern. Now, the gun was just lying on the tavern floor. A few snipers had formed a loose alliance. Anyone who tried to grab the gun would be sniped, and they would provide fire support for each other.
These snipers were the biggest winners at this stage, having undoubtedly earned a massive amount of Pirate Reputation.
Near the Gunpowder Tavern, other fourth-rank powerhouses were lying in ambush, all waiting for an opportunity. The good news was that no adventure groups were involved in this matter, which was entirely understandable. Adventure groups were large targets; once they made a move, they would be surrounded and attacked by multiple solo contractors.
Dozens of powerful solo contractors or lone wolves had already taken control of the area around the Gunpowder Tavern. They first united to drive away the adventure groups, and the smaller and medium-sized groups didn’t want to fight these lone wolves to the death.
After driving away the adventure groups, internal conflicts arose among these lone wolves. There was only one of Roger’s sidearms, worth 10,000 Pirate Merit Points. No one was indifferent to that.
If District 21 was a battlefield, then the area around the Gunpowder Tavern was a chaotic bloodbath. Even Lanzo, Iron Tank, Barbatre, Mask, and others dared not easily enter that tavern.
Su Xiao was very interested in this matter, or rather, he was interested in Roger’s sidearm. After the Battle of Dressrosa, he had no good way to earn Pirate Reputation, and competing with fifth-rank contractors was clearly a struggle.
Su Xiao stood up. Although he knew the area around the Gunpowder Tavern was fraught with danger, it was also an opportunity. The reason he, as a third-rank contractor, could go head-to-head with fourth-rank contractors wasn’t due to talent or luck, but his unwavering resolve to face life and death in critical moments.
“Lead the way.”
“Eh~”
Little Mantou stared blankly at Su Xiao, the smile on her face quickly fading.
“Are we… really going?”
“Of course.”
Su Xiao got up and walked out of the bar. Bound by the contract, Little Mantou had no choice but to follow.
To Little Mantou, the short-haired woman who got her head blown off was already a vicious contractor. But in the eyes of the lone wolves near the Gunpowder Tavern, the short-haired woman’s team was just a weak group bullying the smaller fish on the outskirts of District 21. Little Mantou was already afraid of the short-haired woman, and those lone wolves were far beyond her ability to handle.
……
Inside District 21, near a bullet-riddled tavern.
The streets around the tavern were deathly silent. A strong wind blew, carrying sand and old newspapers through the air. A corpse lay on the empty street, surrounded by a swarm of flies buzzing loudly.