Chapter 18

The sound of dense footsteps approached as a large group of guards rushed towards the office.

Due to their large numbers, the guards crowded at the office door.

"Hear me, this is our new leader, Lord Baiye."

Hank stood beside Su Xiao, indicating his stance.

The guards around them were somewhat confused, but after Su Xiao raised the letter of appointment in his hand, the guards understood what was happening.

"Hello, Leader."

"Lord Baiye, I am Kaba."

"Leader, from now on, all the brothers will listen to you."

Flattery continued to pour in, and Su Xiao merely nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on Ouka's two confidants.

"These two have been secretly communicating with pirates, intending to disrupt the capital's order..."

Before Su Xiao could finish his sentence, the two confidants of Ouka suddenly drew their weapons and pointed them at him.

"Brothers, don't listen to him, Ouka is our true leader."

Su Xiao was taken aback, looking at the two with some surprise. Are these guys brainless?

Actually, it wasn't that they were brainless, but Su Xiao's current status and his words had made them somewhat fearful.

Su Xiao had previously said that they would stay here forever.

"Move in, these two have been secretly communicating with pirates, and now they are openly rebelling."

Hank was very quick-witted and immediately realized the situation.

"Really, fools."

Su Xiao sat behind the desk, not moving. There was no need for him to act now.

A large group of guards surged forward, and at this moment, the two confidants of Ouka were completely hopeless.

"Wait, we just wanted to..."

Before the two could explain, the guards had already attacked with a flurry of blades.

The sounds of weapons clashing, gunfire, and flesh being torn apart echoed one after another.

Thirty seconds later, the office had two more mangled corpses, and every guard in the room was covered in blood.

The smell of blood spread throughout the room.

This might seem absurd, but it wasn't.

The rules of the pirate world were brutally stark: the strong controlled everything, and the weak could only wait to die.

In the blood-soaked office, the royal messenger swallowed hard. Su Xiao's ruthlessness made the messenger somewhat fearful, and the idea of gaining some benefits had vanished.

"Clean up, you can leave now."

Before long, only three people remained in the office: Su Xiao, Hank, and the messenger.

Hank didn't leave; he stood straight beside Su Xiao.

Su Xiao glanced at Hank and then ignored him. He was too unfamiliar with the guard headquarters and needed someone like Hank, a seasoned veteran.

He needed a smart and ambitious assistant.

"Lord Baiye, please have your subordinates step aside, I have important matters to convey."

"No need, he is my 'confidant.'"

Hearing Su Xiao's words, Hank's face broke into a smile.

"Alright, the matter is this: you've probably heard about the 'operation' tomorrow night."

The operation the messenger referred to was the burning of the waste disposal site.

"I've heard about it."

"Good, I'll get straight to the point. The higher-ups have decided that there are three groups suitable for this task. We have already made preliminary contact with these three groups, and now, you need to meet with these three groups and choose one to carry out the 'operation' tomorrow night."

"Hmm?" Su Xiao looked at the messenger, his eyes revealing a curious expression.

"Am I to decide who does it?"

"Yes, you will decide. After all, we have only heard about these pirates and need to make a decision after actual contact."

Receiving a clear answer, Su Xiao was overjoyed. He had indeed made the right choice, and his current status played a crucial role.

"Understood, I'll go meet those three groups shortly."

The messenger smiled at Su Xiao and turned to leave.

"By the way, there's one more thing. Although there are three groups, only one can be chosen to carry out the plan tomorrow. The specific information is in the document."

The messenger left with Hank's escort, and Su Xiao picked up the document on the desk.

It contained the detailed plan for the burning of the waste disposal site. The gist was:

Choose one pirate group, then provide them with explosives to ignite the waste disposal site.

There were three pirate groups to choose from.

The first group was the Bursam Pirate Group, a local force of the Goan Kingdom, the same group that fought with young Luffy, Ace, and others in the original story.

The second group was the recently arrived Crockford Pirate Group.

Seeing the information about this pirate group, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised. This was another group he was familiar with.

The Crockford Pirate Group was a well-known pirate group in the East Blue. In the original story, they were wiped out by the Mihawk group and later fled to the Baratie, where they fought and lost to the Luffy Pirate Group.

Although it was ten years before the story began, the Crockford Pirate Group was still quite powerful, with a fleet of about 600 people.

As for the third pirate group, the Skull Pirate Group, they were not very strong and were immediately ruled out by Su Xiao.

According to the original story, the Bursam Pirate Group was generally weak, having been defeated by young Luffy, Ace, and a group of bandits, indicating their strength.

However, Su Xiao had high hopes for the Crockford Pirate Group, so he wanted to meet them first.

"Hank, contact the Crockford Pirate Group."

Hank smiled awkwardly.

"Sir..."

Hank's attitude made Su Xiao understand.

"Leave it to you, you must meet them today."

It was clear that Hank could contact the Crockford Pirate Group, and Su Xiao didn't care about their relationship.

Collusion between government officials and pirates was a common phenomenon in the pirate world, with many possible mutual benefits.

Hank didn't disappoint Su Xiao. In just two hours, he had arranged a meeting with the Crockford Pirate Group.

The meeting place was, of course, within the capital, as no one would trust a group of pirates.

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In the civilian district, a dirty alley, several men in loose black clothing with hoods on their heads stood in the alley, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

"Boss Crockford, this is the place. The old warehouse ahead is the agreed-upon location."

A thin, wiry pirate with a sailor's knife on his belt stood cautiously behind a tall man.

The man was also dressed in loose black clothing with a hood, but through the gaps in the clothing, one could see that he was wearing a golden armor.

"Alright, wait here. Akin, come with me."

Crockford's voice was low, and his armor clanked as he walked.

"Yes, Boss."

Akin was dressed similarly, with weapons hidden in his sleeves.

"Boss, I've heard that the newly appointed head of the guards is very ruthless. We should be cautious."

Crockford turned his head to look at Akin.

"Hmm? Can't I handle a head of guards? If it weren't for the convenience that noble status brings, I wouldn't be working for the Goan Kingdom."

Arrogance and self-importance were common traits among most pirates.

Akin remained silent as the two walked towards the warehouse.