Chapter 12: The Shameless One (Fourth Update, Monthly Ticket Bonus)
Entering the hall, Angus was immediately pulled away by several colleagues for a drinking contest. As he left, Angus said, "Have fun."
No sooner had Angus left than a tall, slender beauty gracefully approached. The beauty very naturally linked her arm with Su Xiao's.
"Don't resist, okay? Our relationship is very ambiguous right now."
Kalifa chuckled lightly, a hint of triumph in her eyes.
"Is that so? But it seems you've forgotten something."
Su Xiao and Kalifa sat down at a dining table with few people nearby.
"What is it?"
Kalifa picked up a glass of wine and took a small sip.
"How does it feel to have a bomb in your stomach?"
Su Xiao looked at Kalifa with interest. Since she wanted to put on an act, he would play along. He directly wrapped one arm around Kalifa, drawing jealous glances from the surroundings—the fury of single men.
The banquet gathered most of the shipwrights from Galley-La Company, and Su Xiao's fame began to skyrocket at an astonishing rate.
[Your Fame +5.]
[Your Fame +2.]
[Your Fame +8.]
[Your Fame +12.]
Notifications from Reincarnation Paradise came in succession. Su Xiao's actions grew bolder, while Kalifa stiffened in her seat, forcing a smile on her face.
"You bastard! Let go of me!"
Kalifa's voice was strained, smiling through gritted teeth, not daring to speak loudly.
Su Xiao paid her no mind. His fame was about to break four hundred—where else could he find such a good opportunity?
Once his fame reached a certain level, Su Xiao could move freely in Water Seven without needing to guard the shipyard to increase it.
Su Xiao whispered to Kalifa, "I hear you've been with Galley-La Company for a long time."
"So what?"
"I'm not curious about your goal. I can also remove the bomb for you. But in return... I want something."
Kalifa clasped her hands over her chest to block it, as Su Xiao's hand had already slipped under her clothes. She was afraid others might see this, and this strange sensation made her want to kick Su Xiao flying.
"State your terms, and take your hand out!"
Su Xiao chuckled lightly, ignoring Kalifa's words. He was undermining her judgment, and besides, the feel was genuinely good.
"Your target is something of Iceberg's, isn't it? And I have some guesses about your identity—likely someone from the Revolutionary Army or the Navy."
Kalifa pretended to change expression, but inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid Su Xiao had guessed her CP9 identity.
"From your methods, I can tell you're in some kind of espionage role. Otherwise, you wouldn't tolerate this level of 'provocation.' I know a bit about Revolutionary Army agents, and your style differs from theirs, so that leaves the Navy."
Of course, Su Xiao knew Kalifa was a CP9 member. But if he revealed that identity, he'd face relentless pursuit from the CP9 group—the stupidest move possible.
Kalifa's face grew redder. Her current sensation was very strange. Suddenly, Kalifa realized something was off. Even if a sensitive area was touched, she shouldn't react this strongly.
"Medicine... drugs?"
"No. Even if I'm not exactly upright, I wouldn't go so far as to drug a woman. You're just too sensitive."
Kalifa turned her head in frustration and said, "Spit it out. What's your goal? I miscalculated this time."
Kalifa was filled with a sense of defeat. Not only had her plan failed, but she had walked right into the tiger's mouth, suffering a great loss.
"Since you're with the Navy, I want the training method for the Six Styles."
Su Xiao stated his goal. While killing Kalifa might yield the Six Styles, direct extortion was more reliable.
"Impossible. Hmm~."
Kalifa's breathing grew more rapid.
"Oh."
Su Xiao withdrew his hand from Kalifa's clothes, his eyes returning to that icy coldness. Negotiation failed—time to secretly kill Kalifa.
Kalifa quietly adjusted her clothes, glancing around. She saw Rob Lucci watching her, his gaze clearly asking what was going on.
Not only Rob Lucci, but the third member of the spy trio, Kaku, was also looking their way.
Kaku's mouth was wide open, his Pinocchio-like long nose looking especially ridiculous.
At that moment, Kaku was utterly bewildered. He hadn't quite believed the rumors about Kalifa before, but now he was starting to. That man had gone that far, and Kalifa hadn't resisted—was she even playing hard to get?!
Kaku's first thought was that Kalifa had betrayed them. But considering Kalifa's personality, it seemed unlikely.
While Kaku was dumbfounded, Rob Lucci walked over and whispered to him, "Kalifa has been exposed. Don't contact her, and don't look at her."
Kaku understood. When his gaze inadvertently swept over Su Xiao, it carried killing intent.
Su Xiao sat silently in his chair, lighting a cigarette.
"You're going to... kill me?"
Kalifa had always thought she wasn't afraid of death, but when Su Xiao was about to kill her, her throat felt dry.
"Yes."
Su Xiao's tone was utterly flat, as if he weren't about to kill a person but handle a task.
"You were definitely never a king's guard. Someone like you, who's killed countless people, wouldn't be anyone's guard. Don't deny it—the smell of blood on you is strong, especially on your blade."
Kalifa's voice was calm. She had composed herself.
The surroundings were filled with laughter and the joy of the banquet. Su Xiao and Kalifa were negotiating—negotiating life and death.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I know your identity. Dying before completing your mission isn't the way of a spy."
From Kalifa's tone, Su Xiao suddenly sensed a crack.
"Remove the bomb now, and I'll give you 30 million Berries. That's my final offer."
"Heh. Do you think I care about money? I want the training method for the Six Styles' Shave. That's my final offer."
Su Xiao picked up a piece of meat from the table. Meat in the One Piece world was peculiar—large chunks attached to bone, fatty but not greasy, very appetizing.
Su Xiao ate the meat, grabbed a bottle of rum, and took several big gulps. He hadn't eaten much all day and was hungry.
Kalifa lowered her head, considering something, her eyes flickering.
"Fine."
Su Xiao lowered the bottle from his lips and looked at Kalifa.
"Verbal or written?"
"Written."
Su Xiao pulled out paper and pen from his pocket, causing Kalifa's pupils to contract. A terrifying thought crossed her mind: had he planned for this all along?
Of course, he had. Even if Kalifa hadn't approached him at the banquet, he would have sought her out. If Su Xiao hadn't planned it, how could he have "molested" their female spy companion right in front of two spies?
Kalifa began writing. Five minutes later, a sheet of paper with the training method for 'Shave' was handed to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao glanced at it a few times, then tore the paper to shreds, casually tossing it onto the table.
"What are you doing?" Kalifa was furious.
"Last chance. If it's fake again, we're done talking."
Su Xiao continued eating, not looking at Kalifa. She hesitated for a long time before finally picking up the pen.
This time, Kalifa wrote only a dozen lines, but a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[You have obtained: Six Styles 'Shave' Training Method (2/3).]
A smile spread across Su Xiao's face. In his eyes, Kalifa was growing more and more beautiful, her attractiveness rising by seven or eight levels. She was a walking skill ATM.
"Write the remaining third, and I'll remove the bomb."
Kalifa instinctively moved aside. She suddenly felt that a smiling Su Xiao was far more terrifying than when his face was cold.
"Fine, but you have to remove the bomb first."
Su Xiao snapped his fingers, and the alchemy bomb in Kalifa's abdomen reacted.
"Two-thirds are already removed. So keep writing."
Kalifa gritted her teeth and wrote the remaining third, handing the paper to Su Xiao.
[You have obtained: Six Styles 'Shave' Training Method (Complete).]
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Through mental manipulation, the alchemy bomb was deactivated. It was his creation, and only he could control it, as it contained his mana.
Kalifa felt the bomb in her stomach vanish and couldn't help but smile, killing intent surging in her eyes. But Su Xiao's next words nearly made her faint from rage.
"The first bomb is removed. Now, let's talk about the remaining two."
Su Xiao wore a warm smile, while Kalifa's lips trembled uncontrollably.
Earlier, Su Xiao had stuffed three alchemy bombs into Kalifa's mouth. The bombs were too small and tied together, so Kalifa hadn't noticed.
"You shameless, despicable, base bastard!"
Kalifa was in despair. The enemy was too cunning. One misstep, and she was doomed.
PS: (Monthly tickets, monthly tickets, calling for monthly tickets)