Chapter 78: Settlement
In the New World, a sea area shrouded in purple mist.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and black-purple mist floated on the sea surface. The waters within a few hundred kilometers appeared eerie and ghostly, having swallowed countless ships.
This place was called "Kesuludong," a land of poisonous fog and lost souls. Cold and gloomy were the strongest impressions it gave.
Creak~
The sound of wood rubbing came from within the purple mist. A ghost ship with tattered sails and moss-covered planks silently sailed through the fog.
"What do we do now?"
A woman's voice came from the ghost ship. She lay on a horizontal beam above the deck, hands behind her head, legs crossed, black hair hanging naturally.
"Just wing it."
A somewhat frustrated voice replied, metallic in tone. The speaker was a man wearing a metal mask.
This man and woman were Ku Tu and Qian Meng. They had just completed an extremely difficult side mission together. After finishing it, Ku Tu's reputation exceeded Su Xiao's by over 5,000 points.
Just when Ku Tu thought he had it in the bag, Su Xiao dealt them a fatal blow.
"I bet your psychological shadow area is this big."
Qian Meng spread her thumb and index finger wide, glancing sideways at Ku Tu on the deck. Clearly, she was "letting herself go."
"Let her out. She might have a way."
Ku Tu seemed unwilling to chat with the madwoman on the beam, unsure which words might provoke her.
Qian Meng's eyes closed, then opened a moment later. She sat up and perched sideways on the beam.
"She's very unhappy."
Qian Meng spoke, her tone gentle.
"You know the situation. Is there any turning point in this?"
"No turning point. Just go die, hahaha."
Qian Meng suddenly burst into laughter, exuding a tomboyish vibe.
"I fucking..."
Ku Tu's head throbbed faintly. Qian Meng clearly hadn't switched to her gentle personality.
"There might... still be a way, but the risk is high."
Qian Meng's tone softened again. Hearing this gentle voice, Ku Tu's eyes lit up.
"What turning point?"
Ku Tu sighed, his heart weary.
"Kill me, and your pirate reputation will crush that kid."
Qian Meng suddenly "changed face."
"It's still me, old lady. Surprise, surprise, hahaha..."
The tomboyish Qian Meng laughed unscrupulously, but no one noticed she was actually exhausted.
"Ku Tu, don't forget, I dominate two-thirds of this body. That woman is the main personality, but she suffers from severe PTSD. Without me controlling those memories, your gentle Qian Meng would collapse in no time."
"..."
Ku Tu relaxed completely, leaning against the ship's railing. This time... it was basically over.
"Ku Tu, that's just her nature. Don't mind it."
Qian Meng's voice became gentle again. Ku Tu glanced at her, his meaning clear: 'If I believe you this time, I'm an idiot.'
"This time, she really went back."
Qian Meng smiled apologetically. Ku Tu sighed, about to speak.
"Are you thinking, 'If I believe you again, I'm an idiot'? Hello, idiot Captain, I'm Qian Meng. Nice to meet you..."
Amid Qian Meng's laughter, Ku Tu snapped his fingers, blocking out the surrounding sounds.
"Lost."
The tomboyish Qian Meng lay back on the beam. She suppressed the gentle personality, preventing her from taking over the body. The gentle one's plan seemed unreliable to her.
The tomboyish Qian Meng handled combat and killing. Her hands were stained with blood, and she acted impulsively, but not to the point of inhumanity.
As for the gentle Qian Meng, she handled social interactions and strategizing for the team, a completely friendly unit.
As long as they weren't hostile, neither personality was too dangerous. However, when both personalities took over the body simultaneously, Qian Meng became a devil.
Powerful combat ability, a rational to the point of cold personality—in that state, Qian Meng saw only two types of people: the living or the dead. She didn't mind turning everyone in sight into corpses.
...
In a vast expanse of stars.
Several meteors streaked across. Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu were within the starry space.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao should have returned to Reincarnation Paradise. But due to the pirate reputation rankings, he had to wait until this pirate world ended before returning.
Su Xiao took out a timer. The precision machinery inside ran at high speed, producing a faint, unique melody.
The timer had four hands: hour, minute, second, and sub-second. The second hand had stopped, while the minute hand ticked forward.
Time was accelerated. No, it was more accurate to say the time unit had been replaced. In this starry space, time was measured in minutes.
Time was actually harder to understand than space. Fortunately, Su Xiao was a combat type; he didn't need to study these brain-draining matters. Among the great scholars who studied this, nine out of ten were probably bald.
Time passed quickly. It felt like only a few minutes had passed when contractors began appearing in the starry space.
Jiamian, Iron Tank, Du Mang (an invisible contractor), and many lone wolves who had clashed with Su Xiao in District 21 were all teleported into the starry space.
Not only that, but fifth-rank contractors like Ku Tu, Qian Meng, and Performance Hand also arrived.
Ku Tu scanned the many fourth-rank contractors, looking for someone. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen that person before.
"Over there."
Qian Meng tilted her head. Her tone was gentle now; she had seen Su Xiao before.
Their eyes met. Ku Tu, wearing his metal mask, raised his chin slightly as a greeting. Although he hadn't secured first place in the rankings, this was fair competition. As a fifth-rank contractor, he had that much magnanimity. Losing wasn't shameful; only shouting after losing was.
Jiamian gritted her teeth, glaring at Su Xiao. When Su Xiao turned his gaze toward her, she looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
"Little wildcat, scared of getting beaten?"
Du Mang spoke. He had always kept a low profile, but that didn't mean he was weak. In the Gunpowder Tavern, he had nearly one-shot the strength-type contractor Ba Ba Te Lei. The two large soul crystals that Lan Zuo had taken out eventually ended up in his hands. This low-key guy was one of the winners of the District 21 free-for-all.
"If you're so tough, go duel him. I seriously suspect that guy is a tank."
Jiamian snorted. Being pinned down and chopped up wasn't something she'd bring up.
Just then, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Announcement: The One Piece · Dressrosa Naval Battle has ended.]
[Announcement: Pirate reputation settlement in progress...]
[Announcement: Settlement complete. Rankings as follows:]
[1st Place: Bai Ye (3rd Rank), Pirate Reputation: 30,258 points.]
[2nd Place: Ku Tu (5th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 25,978 points.]
[3rd Place: Qian Meng (5th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 23,075 points.]
[4th Place: Performance Hand (5th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 8,360 points.]
[5th Place: Sen (5th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 7,600 points.]
[6th Place: Du Mang (4th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 6,809 points.]
[7th Place: Man Shi (5th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 5,701 points.]
[8th Place: Jiamian (4th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 5,360 points.]
[9th Place: Iron Tank (4th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 4,200 points.]
[10th Place: Wu (4th Rank), Pirate Reputation: 3,916 points.]