On a dark and windy night, a group climbed the cliff surrounding the ancient castle.
The cold wind blew away the last traces of drunkenness.
Initially planning to rest for a day, they had to fight again.
Anyone else might have broken under the pressure, but Fang Bo’s nerves were steel. He had begun to grow accustomed to this life of dancing on a knife’s edge.
The castle was surrounded by high walls and guarded by soldiers around the clock, making a stealthy infiltration impossible.
As for a frontal assault, they would likely be decimated before breaking through the gates.
Swinging her mace, Alvida coldly stated, “Kid, there are about two thousand guards inside. If I were you, I wouldn’t try a frontal assault.”
“Of course,” Fang Bo replied, unfazed by her attitude. Ryuno must have said something to her; otherwise, this ugly woman wouldn’t be so hostile.
His guess was correct. Alvida was deeply resentful of Fang Bo’s plans. Were it not for Ryuno’s involvement, she might have already clashed with the Black Cat Pirates.
She didn’t want to become anyone’s subordinate but was tempted by the prospect of defeating the Pirate Admiral. This mission would be a small test. If they could seize the castle’s wealth, further cooperation would be possible. With more recruits, they might stand a chance against Krieg.
But they needed to bring back Kuro first. Alvida knew she wasn’t strong enough to face Krieg alone; only the former Black Cat captain could handle such a formidable foe.
Fang Bo had revealed Kuro’s fake death to get her to join. Alvida would never agree to merge their crews without knowing Kuro was still alive.
“Everyone ready? I’m going in,” Fang Bo said, tying a rope around his waist. He then leaped off the cliff to the gasps of those around him.
The powerful thrust from the gas propelled him toward the high walls.
A patrolling soldier appeared, but Fang Bo unleashed a potent mental shock before he could react.
【Your mental shock inflicted 18 points of damage on the guard】
With the same energy consumption, his mental attacks had become increasingly lethal—one of the benefits of higher base attributes.
To avoid detection, Fang Bo refrained from using his Black Star pistol. As the soldier clutched his head in agony, he quickly hurled him off the cliff.
Unfastening the rope from his waist, he secured one end to the wall. The distance was considerable, but the pirates’ physical prowess would allow them to climb up easily.
A fortress is always more vulnerable from within. It would be even better if they could seize some defensive positions.
Time passed, and the pirates climbed the rope one by one, finally reaching the castle wall.
With both feet firmly on the ground, Alvida’s gaze softened slightly.
Whatever else might be said, Fang Bo’s plan had proven effective, showing he wasn’t just a delusional madman.
Joining forces against Krieg is feasible.
As if having accomplished a minor task, Fang Bo immediately began assigning the next mission.
Unnoticed, he had become the de facto leader of both pirate crews, and no one seemed to question it.
“Next step: capture the castle’s master. With a hostage, they won’t dare use heavy artillery.”
Following his coordination, one group seized defensive positions while another infiltrated the castle.
Given the unknown dangers inside, both Fang Bo and Ryuno decided to head to the palace personally, leaving the outside battle to the captains.
As they entered the palace, the sounds of a fierce battle erupted outside.
Realizing intruders were present, the guards heightened their vigilance, and their presence was soon discovered.
“Quick, the intruders are here!”
Seeing they couldn’t hide, Fang Bo drew his Black Star and fired several shots.
With the explosion of a talisman, the guard who had raised the alarm was quickly dispatched.
Looking at the lifeless body, Fang Bo sighed, “Still no treasure chest.”
In the previous Giant World, he had obtained numerous story chests. But here, despite killing many, not a single one had appeared.
Hearing his lament, the onmyoji cast a sidelong glance, her eyes filled with an enigmatic look.
“The depth of a story world affects the drop rate of chests. In other words, the larger the map, the lower the drop rate.”
She paused, swallowing her curiosity.
In truth, Ryuno wanted to say that these were common knowledge among reincarnators. Anyone who had experienced two—or three-story worlds would know this.
Considering Fang Bo’s earlier questions, she began to suspect he was a complete newbie with fewer than three world experiences.
“If that’s true, my evaluation of him might still be incomplete.”
Unaware, Fang Bo continued to lead the charge, with swordsman Paul vigilantly guarding against ambushes.
His knowledge of the Reincarnation Space came from a newbie guidebook.
Compiled by individuals, it likely missed some common knowledge, which could easily expose his “shallow understanding” when interacting with other reincarnators for extended periods.
But even if exposed, others would see him as a talented and lucky super rookie.
No matter how they speculated, they couldn’t uncover his true secret or predict his rapid growth.
Ducking under incoming bullets, Fang Bo quickly reloaded his Black Star and picked off the guards individually.
Pirates were superior to guards in terms of individual skill, especially with three “elite monsters” in their ranks.
One was swordsman Paul, and the other two were core members of the Alvida Pirates.
The trio cut a path of destruction, reaching the palace interior.
“Get inside, don’t let the target escape.”
Deep within the palace, a luxurious room:
“What do we do? What do we do?” the royal heir asked, distraught and fearing his guards would be unable to fend off the pirates.
Rumors claimed he sought to restore the fallen kingdom, but that was his father’s dream. As a pampered heir, he only wished to live in luxury.
Holding an ornate flintlock, he nervously asked his guard captain, “Shouldn’t we flee? The enemies are almost here.”
“No.” The captain of the guard firmly refused, loyal to his old master and determined to restore the kingdom’s glory.
Resistance would be futile if they were facing the World Government. But today’s invaders were mere pirates.
Refusing to face them would be disgraceful.
“You—” The royal heir’s face twisted in anger, feeling his authority challenged.
While cowardly against external threats, he was unjust with his men.
One wrong word and he pointed the gun at his captain.
“I order you to escort me out immediately.”
As they argued, a man and woman entered the room. Seeing them, the heir clapped delightfully, “I almost forgot about you two.”
Managing such a large castle and a two-thousand-man army involved countless issues.
Many problems could only be solved by covert agencies.
The man and woman were from Baroque Works.
Baroque Works, a mysterious organization based at the entrance to the Grand Line, had dealings with many major powers.
Simply put, they would accept any task, espionage, assassination, or infiltration, as long as the price was right.
The castle owner only knew a little about them, only that Baroque Works agents never used their real names and were always referred to by codenames.
Male agents were called Mr. followed by a number, with lower numbers indicating higher strength.
For example, Mr.1, Mr.2, and so on.
Female agents were called Miss, followed by a date or holiday.
As a group aiming to conquer Alabasta, Baroque Works members often raised funds externally.
Such a valuable target as the castle owner attracted many eyes, not just pirates.
For various reasons, Baroque Works hadn’t directly plundered him, instead opting for a more gradual wealth extraction.
Over the past six months, Miss Valentine and her partner had been serving the castle, amassing nearly seventy million Berries.
They intended to drain the owner slowly, but the pirate invasion changed plans.
Hearing the owner’s plea, Miss Valentine turned to her partner, who was picking his nose, “Mr.5, what do you think?”
“Okay.” Mr.5, eyeing the nasal deposit, smirked, “Eighty million, and we’ll repel the pirates.”
The exorbitant price made the guard captain clench his fists, but his anger had no effect.
“Alright, I agree.” Terrified, the castle owner quickly nodded.
Eighty million was a bargain compared to losing the castle. He knew how to value things.
Boom!
Feeling the tremor from behind, the Baroque Works agents left the room.
They couldn’t let the eighty million slip away after accepting the job.
A group of lowly pirates should be easy to handle.
(End of Chapter)
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