Chapter 21: Killing Instinct
Shampoo Islands, 30th Red Tree District.
Koala, wearing light makeup, walked along the street without any concern about being exposed. Whether it was due to her unique method of applying makeup or something else, every time she put on cosmetics, her appearance would undergo subtle changes. In other words, aside from infiltration missions, she rarely wore makeup at all.
Carrying a shopping bag, Koala was in a good mood. She had even bought some small gifts for Sabo, Dragon, and Su Xiao. When she thought of Su Xiao, her mood noticeably soured. Whether in the past or now, Su Xiao always gave her a very dangerous feeling.
When sharing a room with Su Xiao, even though his gaze at her was normal, without any covetous looks at her appearance, Koala still felt something was off. It was like being in the same room as a blood-soaked vicious beast. When that beast smiled, it was sunny and calm, but when it fell silent, she felt her hair stand on end.
After circling around the Shampoo Islands a few times, Koala eventually disappeared into an abandoned house. When she reappeared, she was already in front of the abandoned ship in District 72.
Thump, thump, thump.
Koala knocked on the wooden ship as usual, but this time she waited for several minutes without any response. This made her instinctively tense up.
With a crack, Koala pried open a hidden door on the wooden ship. A puff of purple smoke surged out. She immediately leaped backward and tore off a piece of her skirt to cover her mouth and nose.
"Andre, Nehemiah, are you in there?"
Koala called out softly, but the abandoned ship was deathly silent. Now she was certain something had gone wrong.
"As expected!"
Koala took a deep breath and charged into the abandoned ship. Amid the hazy purple mist, she saw Andre and Nehemiah lying on the ground, drooling. She checked their breathing—they were fine, just unconscious.
Holding her breath, Koala rushed to the room where Su Xiao had been staying. The wooden door was slightly ajar, and the air inside was fresh. She hurried into the room.
"Huff... huff... What kind of gas was that? Just holding my breath for a few seconds nearly suffocated me."
Koala surveyed the room. There were no signs of a struggle. Dozens of potion bottles were arranged on a wooden table, and a Den Den Mushi sat there as well.
Although she had already roughly guessed what had happened, Koala still picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed. It connected quickly.
"Kukulin?"
Koala tentatively asked.
"It's me. Something wrong?"
From the Den Den Mushi, Koala could hear the sound of waves, along with what seemed like other people talking.
"You... where are you?"
"On the Moby Dick."
"Hey, Bai Ye, don't expose our intel."
"What does it matter? Our ship left the New World, and the Revolutionary Army already got word of it."
"Even so, it's still a bit annoying."
The chaotic voices came through the Den Den Mushi, and Koala frowned.
"The Moby Dick? The Moby Dick!"
Koala's expression was one of disbelief as she asked, "You're on... Whitebeard's ship?"
"That's right. Any problem?"
"It's not about whether there's a problem... No, what am I saying? Why are you on Whitebeard's ship? Whitebeard is about to fight the Navy..."
Before Koala could finish, Su Xiao interrupted.
"I know. So?"
"Ka..."
Koala was momentarily at a loss for words, clearly stuck.
"I'll send someone to pick you up now. We'll talk when we meet."
"No need. I'll contact you in a few days."
Click~
The Den Den Mushi was hung up. Koala tilted her head, pondered for a moment, then chose to contact Dragon.
"Mm, I understand."
Click~
Dragon hung up the Den Den Mushi. Koala seemed broken, standing frozen in place with the Den Den Mushi in hand.
"What kind of mission is this? Why do I feel like I'm being manipulated the whole time? Can't the leader just tell me what's going on? And Kukulin Bai Ye... I hate researchers!"
Perhaps from today onward, Koala would be wary of all researchers.
...
Grand Line Waters, Moby Dick.
Su Xiao sat on the deck with a bottle of wine in hand, while across from him, Whitebeard was tilting his head back, gulping down strong liquor.
"Kulalala, boy, you've joined the Revolutionary Army in just a few days."
Whitebeard was still dressed as usual, but he no longer needed an oxygen tube, and there were no IV needles in his arm. The oppressive aura he exuded was completely different from when they first met.
"I'm being hunted by the World Government lately, so I had to join them."
Su Xiao glanced at the pirates nearby, who were sitting in circles and having a banquet. Though none were drunk, they were teasing each other and laughing loudly. That was how pirates were—even if they were to face death tomorrow, they would revel to the fullest today.
Seeming to notice that Su Xiao had little interest in continuing the pirate banquet, Marco, who was eating pizza, stood up.
"Kukulin, about that promise earlier... it can be fulfilled now."
"Good."
Su Xiao also stood up and followed Marco into the cabin. Once inside, he found it was Whitebeard's quarters—not luxurious, but spacious and tidy.
Marco pressed his hand against the wooden wall inside the cabin. With a few crisp sounds, a wooden door jutted out slightly from the wall. Marco gestured for Su Xiao to enter. This was the Whitebeard Pirates' treasure vault.
Su Xiao stepped into the vault. It was a small room of about ten square meters. Gold and gemstone jewelry were piled on the floor like trash, showing Whitebeard's attitude toward wealth.
Stepping over the jewels, Su Xiao saw over a dozen wooden shelves on both walls of the room, holding over a hundred items.
He picked up a wooden box about twenty centimeters long. It was carved from a single piece of Adam Wood, its value even exceeding that of the same volume of gold.
Opening the box, Su Xiao found a photo inside. It showed a Whitebeard who was over a decade younger, crouching down with one hand on the head of a young boy. The boy seemed to be sulking, but due to the size difference, he could only accept the photo with a displeased expression, while Whitebeard was smiling warmly. This was a photo of Whitebeard and a rebellious Marco. To Whitebeard, this photo was a treasure.
There were over a dozen such wooden boxes in the vault. Jewelry was thrown on the floor, but photos were carefully stored in Adam Wood boxes—very much in line with Whitebeard's style.
Su Xiao put the box back and continued searching. He spotted nine Devil Fruits: three Paramecia and six Zoan. For a Yonko crew, this wasn't much, especially for someone from Whitebeard's era. Most of the Devil Fruits he obtained were likely given to his sons.
After some searching, Su Xiao found that most valuable items were Legendary rank, mostly tools and equipment, with some Epic rank items as well.
Since Su Xiao was there to collect his reward, he could view the information on all items in the vault, not relying on luck. He quickly made his selection.
[Moon's Grace (Epic Gem): When embedded in attack-type equipment, grants the equipment the Swiftness trait. When embedded in defense-type equipment, grants the equipment the Moon Armor trait.]
[Unknown Name Devil Fruit (Paramecia) ×3.]
[Unknown Name Devil Fruit (Zoan) ×2.]
[Yearning Conch (Legendary Tool).]
[Mithril Deep Sea Ore ×2 (Legendary Material, Alchemy Exclusive).]
[Killing Instinct (Epic Equipment · Belt, Shark Leather).]
Having chosen ten items, Su Xiao's favorite was not the Epic gem, but the Epic equipment, Killing Instinct.