Chapter 10: The Desire for Strength

After Su Xiao slashed through both men, he immediately noticed a faint red health bar appearing above Ouka’s head.

Needless to say, this must be Ouka’s remaining health—his blade had pierced Ouka’s spine, leaving him in a pseudo-dead state, not truly dead.

Pseudo-death means the body has lost all capacity to resist, yet the brain remains alive.

This was Su Xiao’s first time seeing a health bar; when he killed the black-market merchant earlier, he’d shot him in the head—no health bar had appeared.

The health bar is clearly a benefit of partial dataization, allowing him to judge whether an enemy is dead and estimate their remaining health.

Ouka’s current health is roughly 5%, already on the brink of death.

Pulling the long blade from the back of Ouka’s skull, Su Xiao switched his grip from reverse to normal and slashed downward at Ouka’s neck.

“Squelch.”

Blood sprayed several meters high; a few drops splattered onto Su Xiao’s cheeks, making him appear chillingly cold.

After this strike, Ouka’s head flew off, and the health bar vanished instantly.

【You killed Head Guard Brandon Ouka】

【Brandon Ouka was an official of the Goia Kingdom. You gained 3.6% of the World Source. Total World Source acquired: 5.7%.】

【Your talent ‘Soul Eater’ activates, permanently increasing Mana by 10 points. Current Mana: 75.】

【Your talent ‘Soul Eater’ activates, permanently increasing Mana by 1 point. Current Mana: 76.】

Su Xiao merely glanced briefly at the consecutive prompts.

Killing Ouka had granted him World Source—something Su Xiao hadn’t expected. If he killed stronger enemies, the amount of World Source gained would rise accordingly.

If he killed Marine Admiral Sakazuki or the Four Emperors like Red-Haired Shanks, the World Source gained would surely be an absurd number.

But for now, it was only a thought—he could never encounter such powerful beings, and even if he did, he wouldn’t attack, for that would be suicide.

The purpose of World Source was still unclear; the Lunhuileyuan had only hinted that it related to his reward upon completing his mission and leaving the Pirate World.

This so-called reward must be the key to his strengthening.

The Pirate World certainly had many ways to grow stronger, but all required time—he had only seventy-two hours, and now less than sixty remain. Just completing his mission within the deadline would be lucky enough; Su Xiao had no time to consider anything else.

As for Devil Fruits, those godlike artifacts, Su Xiao hadn’t even considered them—without a solid foundation of strength, one had no right to seek or seize a Devil Fruit.

He was merely an ordinary person with slightly enhanced physical attributes, fundamentally inferior to the strong ones of the Pirate World.

Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao’s first world should never have been One Piece, such a high-risk realm—it was solely because of his Hunter identity.

The current situation was like throwing a level-1 novice into a high-level map, where every minor enemy was a boss to Su Xiao.

Su Xiao had already surpassed ordinary limits to reach this point; any ordinary Qiyuezhe would likely have died at the Scrap Terminal outside the Goia Kingdom capital.

Leaving aside the World Source gained, the Mana he acquired left him utterly confused.

He had no ability to consume Mana at all—even if he had more, it was meaningless, offering no combat benefit.

Everything is hard at the start; he must rely on himself.

Floating above Ouka’s corpse was a white treasure chest, identical to the one he had opened before.

Su Xiao picked up the chest and directly placed it into his storage space, then quickly left the scene.

He was now a guard—this identity was crucial to him.

Moreover, if anyone discovered he had killed Head Guard Ouka, he would become a fugitive of the Goia Kingdom.

Then, not only would completing his mission be impossible, but evading the Goia Kingdom soldiers’ pursuit would leave Su Xiao overwhelmed.

The cool night wind stirred Su Xiao’s black hair, gradually diluting the bloodstained odor on his body.

Before the same residential house where he had bathed that day, Su Xiao checked his earlier warning setup—a short twig and several strands of hair—no one had come; it was safe.

Entering the house, Su Xiao didn’t turn on the lights. Instead, he sat in the pitch-black bedroom and pulled out the treasure chest gained from killing Ouka.

【Treasure Chest (White). Open?】

Opening the chest, a necklace appeared directly in Su Xiao’s hand.

【You opened the Treasure Chest (White). Obtained the following items】

【Obtained 300 Park Coins】

【Obtained Wife’s Locket】

Wife’s Locket (White)

Origin: One Piece, Garrett Gem Company

Category: Jewelry (Jewelry items are rare)

Durability: None. (Jewelry items have no durability and require no repair)

Equipment Requirement: Anyone may wear.

Effect: Strength +1.

Rating: 8. (Note: White equipment ratings range from 1 to 10; those rated 10 are marked ‘Rare’ and gain special attributes.)

Description: I love you, just as you loved those little lovers—Ouka’s suicide wife.

Price: 1600 Park Coins.

……

Clutching the necklace in his hand, Su Xiao smiled.

He had finally, finally found a way to grow stronger—this gemstone necklace actually increased his Strength.

He exhaled slowly, calmed himself, and fastened the 【Wife’s Locket】 around his neck.

Checking his profile again, his Strength had risen from 6 to 7.

A warm current flowed into his body; Su Xiao clearly felt his strength had surged dramatically.

Increasing Strength to 7 wasn’t merely a one-sixth boost—it was a massive leap.

This meant each point increase in attribute brought profound changes, far from simple addition.

“The Lunhuileyuan is truly a miraculous place.”

Su Xiao clenched his fist, knuckles cracking; powerful energy surged within him.

This sudden surge of strength intoxicated him, yet he remained clear-headed.

Su Xiao knew well: the necklace’s strength boost was external—his own strength hadn’t increased. Once he removed the necklace, his Strength attribute would drop again.

The joy of increased Strength did not cloud Su Xiao’s mind.

He immediately realized: this locket was Ouka’s item, possibly recognizable by others—if so, trouble would follow.

As Su Xiao fretted, he suddenly noticed a tiny line of text appearing in his vision, almost imperceptible.

【Open Hidden Equipment Function? This function costs 100 Park Coins and is permanent.】

Su Xiao didn’t yet understand the purchasing power of 100 Park Coins, but every coin in his hand was earned at the cost of his life—precious beyond measure.

Yet this function was extremely practical; Su Xiao activated it without hesitation.

【Hidden Equipment Function activated. You may freely hide equipped items. Weapon-type equipment cannot be hidden.】

The locket around his neck gradually vanished—but the Strength bonus remained. Su Xiao was thoroughly satisfied; the 100 Park Coins were well spent.

When he first entered the Lunhuileyuan , Su Xiao had doubted: what purpose did this unknown, powerful entity serve?

From the current situation, as long as he completed his mission, the Lunhuileyuan would reward him.

Whether the Lunhuileyuan intended to harm him, Su Xiao no longer cared much.

The fact that it had restored his fatal injuries and transported him to the One Piece world proved its immense power.

Su Xiao had no habit of worrying needlessly—if the Lunhuileyuan wanted to harm him, why bother saving him?

Even if it was merely using him, he could still gain benefits—benefits he could never obtain in the real world: the power to grow stronger.

Perhaps, after completing his first mission, he would understand the Lunhuileyuan better. For now, growing stronger was the key.

Weakness is the original sin—Su Xiao understood this deeply. If he had been strong enough back then, he could have prevented that tragedy.

The bloodstained white floor, the shattered remains, and that…

Su Xiao forcibly cut off the memory, his dark eyes wide open in the darkness.

Lying awake without sleep, Su Xiao forced himself to rest—tomorrow held many tasks; proper rest would keep him sharp.

The situation was now open. If everything proceeded smoothly, Su Xiao was confident he could kill the King of the Goia Kingdom.

Not only kill him, but escape unharmed—he was executing a mission, not acting as the Lunhuileyuan ’s assassin; there was a fundamental difference.

Assassins were merely disposable tools; Su Xiao had a clear goal.