Chapter 6: The Poker Pirates

Doesn't sound very smart.

Luo Di looked at the Grouper on the eaves and muttered to himself, but he remained vigilant; the opponent's strength was not weak, and being able to break free from Star Platinum's grasp meant he could very likely threaten his life.

His techniques were indeed similar to the Paper Art within the Six Powers, but clearly a grade lower.

To hear my, Grouper's, name and not show a hint of nervousness—it seems this guy is troublesome. Strange, when did such a person appear in the East Blue?

His ability should be a Devil Fruit; I didn't expect this woman to have an Ability User as a backer. It seems I need to redeploy a new assassination plan.

The two stared at each other like this, neither moving.

Luo Di stood where he was, his mind racing; just during that stare, Star Platinum had already circled a hundred meters around, finding no other accomplices for the assassin.

First, use Shadow Flash to ambush the shadow to his right, then use a gun to blow his head off; if he dodges the bullet, use Shadow Flash to get close and kick his crotch the moment he dodges.

With this thought, Grouper twisted his left foot, an afterimage appeared on the spot, and he quickly flashed to the predetermined position.

At the same time, he drew his gun.

Bang!

In Ka Li Na's eyes, Grouper suddenly tilted his body without any warning and flew straight into the wall; before he could react, his whole body kept trembling, as if being hit by something with great force.

"Ora ora ora ora!"

Star Platinum unleashed a barrage of strikes; Luo Di remained standing in place. When he had grabbed Grouper in the air earlier, he had broken free because he didn't know his ability, but no matter how fast the opponent was, he couldn't be faster than Star Platinum. Before Grouper could make a move, Star Platinum was already standing by at Luo Di's side.

If I can't even beat one assassin, how am I supposed to go to the Grand Line and fight those monsters?

"Pfft."

Grouper spat out blood, the intense pain from his body kept coming, his eyes were hit causing him to lose his sight, and he had gradually lost consciousness during the barrage.

"I, I am Grouper, how can I die in a place like this!" Grouper opened his eyes wide, focused all his strength into his right foot, and swept it fiercely toward Luo Di's position.

Whoosh!

A hidden weapon shot out from the leather shoe at his toe, the speed so fast it made a piercing sound.

Watching the hidden weapon turn into a black dot in front of Luo Di's forehead, the corners of Grouper's mouth lifted.

But the next moment, his facial expression froze.

Blood seeped from Luo Di's forehead, but the hidden weapon seemed to be caught by an invisible force, hovering precisely in place, unable to advance even half an inch.

Seeing this scene, Grouper sat down against the wall, his last shred of hope completely shattered.

He twitched the corner of his mouth: "So this is an Ability User..."

The next moment, a massive force slammed into his face, hammering the back of his head straight into the wall; blood flowed down his body onto the ground. At the very last moment, a ray of light suddenly appeared in his pitch-black vision, and before dying, he seemed to see his parents in front of him waving at him.

"Uh—" Grouper's body trembled, he spat out a large amount of blood, and after a few seconds, he stopped moving and died completely.

Squish.

Star Platinum grabbed the hidden weapon Grouper had fired and stabbed it into his neck. After Luo Di confirmed he was completely dead, he stepped forward to him.

Ka Li Na also followed; her chest was heaving violently. She had a natural fear of Grouper, but Luo Di had killed her opponent once again. She looked at Luo Di's face, but could not see any expression.

"Bolo bolo bolo."

The sound of a Den Den Mushi rang out again.

"It's a Den Den Mushi." Just as Ka Li Na finished speaking, Grouper's clothes suddenly lifted automatically, and a miniature Den Den Mushi flew in front of Luo Di.

Star Platinum pressed the answer button, and the Den Den Mushi suddenly turned into a clown's face.

"Hey, is it settled?" A voice came from the Den Den Mushi.

"Settled," Luo Di said indifferently.

"Hmm? Who are you?" The Den Den Mushi frowned.

Luo Di said: "The woman you are hunting is now my person. If you don't value your life, then keep coming."

"Oh? Interesting, state your name."

"Then listen well, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King. If you have the guts, come find me." After saying this, Luo Di hung up the Den Den Mushi.

"Who is Luffy?" Ka Li Na asked in confusion.

"You'll know later." As Luo Di spoke, he had Star Platinum rummage through Grouper's body, eventually pulling out a short flintlock, a dagger, a dozen spike-shaped hidden weapons, and a stack of cash.

"Your ability is really useful." Ka Li Na looked envious, and remembering the battle just now, she asked with concern: "Are you okay with your injury?"

Luo Di wiped away the blood casually; the hidden weapon had only just pierced the skin and was already almost healed. Just now, he had been focused on manipulating Star Platinum to beat Grouper, but he had neglected the opponent's desperate counterattack ability. If it hadn't been for Star Platinum subconsciously protecting him and pulling back, perhaps the one lying on the ground now would be him.

Star Platinum's ability was unquestionable, and its room for growth was extremely high, but his current proficiency was clearly insufficient, his physique couldn't keep up, and he was very lacking in combat experience.

"Ka Li Na, let's set sail in a while," Luo Di suddenly said.

"Ah? What's wrong?" Ka Li Na asked.

Luo Di replied: "I still need more combat experience. If one assassin can make me sweat, there's no way to resist the winds and waves of the sea."

Ka Li Na nodded and glanced at the corpse on the ground: "Actually, she is already considered very strong in the East Blue, but if you want to go to the Grand Line, you do need stronger power."

While she was speaking, Luo Di had already started walking toward the block.

Ka Li Na hurried to keep up, walking to Luo Di's side. At this moment, she noticed that Luo Di's clothes were already soaked through; presumably, the battle just now had been very intense for him as well.

In the world of One Piece, fighting and people dying on the roadside were nothing out of the ordinary. In these outer streets, one could see corpses from time to time, and no one would care.

Finding a tavern, Luo Di slapped the cash he had taken from Grouper onto the table and shouted toward the bar: "Boss, bring all the wine and meat, fill the table."

"Hey, can you finish all that you ordered?" Ka Li Na said speechlessly.

But ten minutes later, she was dumbfounded.

She saw the table piled high with various meats, vegetables, and fruits. Luo Di was devouring them, stuffing them into his mouth desperately, swallowing them whole without even chewing, sending them straight into his stomach.

The battle just now had consumed a lot of energy, and Luo Di was in urgent need of replenishment. Although he hadn't fully figured it out yet, his current physique was clearly worlds apart from his previous life; his stomach now was like a bottomless pit.

Seeing this scene, Ka Li Na smiled helplessly, took a sip of wine, and said softly: "Luo Di, the person who was hunting me just now was an assassin hired by the Poker Pirates."