Chapter 62: The Glimmer of Gold Coins
Entering the interior of the Judicial Tower, sounds of fighting could be heard from above from time to time.
The Judicial Tower was spacious, with over a dozen floors, each containing dozens of rooms of various sizes.
Su Xiao looked around, located the stairs, and began heading upward. Just as he reached the third floor, he heard a burst of rapid gunfire.
He stopped in his tracks. To his left, on an open area, were three people—two men and one woman. One of the men lay on the ground; it was CP9's Lion's Embrace.
Su Xiao turned his gaze to the man and woman. Their pairing was somewhat peculiar—it was actually Nami and the Revolver Man.
This surprised Su Xiao. How had the Revolver Man managed to infiltrate the enemy's ranks? If Su Xiao remembered correctly, the Revolver Man had joined the World Government faction; he had received a notification earlier.
Crazy Nurse was in the Straw Hat Pirates faction, the Three Brothers of National Football were in the Galley-La Company faction, while Su Xiao and the Revolver Man were in the World Government faction.
At that moment, Nami was chatting with the Revolver Man. If Su Xiao's guess was correct, Lion's Embrace had been defeated by the Revolver Man.
The Revolver Man held a purple treasure chest in his hand. Lion's Embrace had been killed by him alone, and the reward was generous.
"No problem, I'll come help afterward."
The Revolver Man smiled and nodded at Nami, looking relaxed, as if he had achieved his goal.
"Really? Thank you so much."
Nami's face lit up with joy. She had managed to recruit a powerful ally.
Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps approached. Nami and the Revolver Man both turned their heads.
The moment the Revolver Man saw Su Xiao, he raised his gun and fired, then turned and ran toward the window.
With a crash, glass shards scattered everywhere as the Revolver Man leaped out the window and fled. He had just fought Lion's Embrace and was in poor condition, with only about 20% of his health remaining. If he fought Su Xiao, he would surely die.
Nami stood frozen in place. Her newly acquired strong ally had just fled. Seeing Su Xiao, she recalled the bloody scene on the rooftop.
"Y-you... hello."
Nami forced a smile, slowly backing away.
Su Xiao didn't draw his blade. Nami and Usopp of the Straw Hat Pirates were somewhat special. Killing them would at most yield World Source, but without two years of training, their strength was lacking.
At this point, Nami was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person. She relied on small-scale weather manipulation to fight, and her close-combat ability was very weak—even inferior to some elite pirates, though much stronger than common ones.
Seeing Nami's forced smile, Su Xiao dashed forward and grabbed for her arm.
He grabbed nothing but air. Nami dissolved into a puff of mist and vanished.
Su Xiao was taken aback. It was an illusion—one that could fool perception. Nami had already escaped.
"Mirage, huh."
He tapped the ground with his finger. Instead of trying to sense Nami directly—since her ability might block perception—he focused on sensing the vibrations in the floor.
...
On the fifth floor of the Judicial Tower, hurried footsteps echoed. Nami, drenched in sweat, ran into an empty room and gasped for breath.
"I almost got caught. If I had been caught, I'd be dead."
Still shaken, Nami peeked out from the doorway. Hearing no footsteps, she breathed a sigh of relief.
After a few minutes, she confirmed the fifth floor was safe. Aside from some ordinary agents running past, she hadn't seen anyone too strong.
Ding!
A faint, crisp sound reached her ears. Nami froze, her ears perking up.
"That familiar sound..."
Nami stood up. She wanted to leave the room multiple times, but knowing she was on Enies Lobby, she understood the danger.
Yet that sound held an irresistible allure for her. After a long internal struggle, Nami poked her head out of the doorway and scanned the area.
A gold coin lay on the ground not far away, with some scattered gold and silver jewelry nearby.
Nami's first thought was a trap. But after careful observation, she realized it might not be. It looked like someone fleeing with money had dropped their valuables in a hurry.
Several times, Nami wanted to turn and walk away, but the treasure was so close. She couldn't control herself.
After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively approached the gold coin. When she picked it up, her heart leaped with joy—it was a very rare coin.
Just as she picked it up, a glimmer of golden light caught her eye. Not far away, there was another one.
Nami hurried forward, stopping at the entrance of a room. When she bent down to pick up the coin, she saw a man standing at the doorway, smiling at her.
"Um... is this your gold coin? I-I'll return it to you."
Nami dropped the coin and tried to run, but it was too late.
She was now within close range of Su Xiao. The outcome was predictable. A dozen seconds later, with tears in her eyes, Nami was dragged into the room.
"No! What is this? Don't shove it in my mouth! Ugh..."
Her cries for help echoed from the room. Not long after, Su Xiao stepped out, straightening his slightly wrinkled clothes, no longer paying Nami any mind.
"Ugh..."
Inside the room, Nami retched repeatedly. She had been forced to swallow a "snake"—a white snake.
Throughout it all, the man hadn't said a word. She had no idea what his goal was. More importantly, the gold coin she had gotten was taken from her.
Nami was deeply distressed. She had swallowed an unknown object and had her treasure stolen.
Su Xiao headed toward the upper floors of the Judicial Tower. He now had a preliminary understanding of the Straw Hat Pirates. Earlier, he had tried to sense Nami with his perception, but once she hid, he couldn't find her at all.
So he took a different approach, using the [World Government Commemorative Coin (Green)] as bait. The effect was obvious.
Just now, when Nami struggled and he grabbed her throat, the Reincarnation Paradise displayed a long row of blood-red warnings.
After seeing those warnings, Su Xiao understood why contractors didn't attack the Straw Hat Pirates. This was a high-martial world, and the protagonist team wasn't so easy to kill.
Earlier, the Revolver Man had been alone with Nami but showed no killing intent. He must have received the same warning.
If a contractor killed a member of the protagonist team, the Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't punish them, but the derivative world would change drastically, with difficulty skyrocketing.
If Nami died, the difficulty of the One Piece world would rise to Lv.36. At that level, Su Xiao couldn't handle it.
The protagonist team wasn't unkillable, but it required considerable strength.
Su Xiao suspected that killing a member of the protagonist team—even a weak one—would yield over 30% World Source.
After consulting, he learned that if Chopper, Nami, or others died, the derivative world's difficulty would rise to between Lv.30 and Lv.40. If Sanji or Zoro died, it would rise to between Lv.40 and Lv.60. If Luffy died, the difficulty would soar above Lv.80. Just how terrifying would a derivative world at Lv.80 be?
Su Xiao's face darkened. He couldn't survive even in a world around Lv.30, let alone above Lv.80.
But his target had never been the Straw Hat Pirates. Without the corresponding strength, he wouldn't go after the protagonist team. That wasn't seeking fortune through danger—it was seeking death.
The Straw Hat Pirates themselves weren't the real threat; it was the people behind them. Figures like Marine's Garp, the Four Emperors' Shanks, the Revolutionary Army, the Vinsmoke Family, and the Red Hair Pirates' Yasopp.