Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Preparation and Estimation
Walking through the streets of the royal capital, Su Xiao kept an eye on the shops along the way until one, a small shop called "Dulu Grocery" caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks.
This was the place he had been looking for. Su Xiao entered the quiet little shop.
"Ah, Sir Guard, the security fee was paid three days ago. What brings you here?" The shopkeeper looked at him as if he were a plague, clearly used to being exploited by the guard team.
"I'm not here for the security fee. Do you have a plant that looks like this...?" Su Xiao asked.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao left the shop with a smile, and the shopkeeper enthusiastically saw him off. It seemed Su Xiao had bought quite a few items.
Killing the master of Mt. Colubo wouldn't be simple.
From his memory, Su Xiao knew the tiger's size was several times that of a regular one. Its height alone was around four or five meters—this was a true monster.
Su Xiao didn't head directly out to the wild in search of the creature but first returned to the guard headquarters.
After wandering the headquarters for a while, Su Xiao went to the warehouse where supplies were stored.
Due to the death of Oka, the guard team was now without a leader, and within just one morning, the team had started splitting into factions. Hank and Oka's two trusted subordinates were forming rival groups and secretly fighting for power.
The night after tomorrow would be the time to burn the Gray Terminal, so a new guard leader would definitely be chosen today, or it would affect the operation.
In this chaotic situation, Su Xiao easily infiltrated the warehouse. After spending some time inside, he left the headquarters and headed toward Mt. Colubo.
Passing through the city gates, where the gate guards merely nodded and let him pass without any questions, Su Xiao made his way out of the city. He had previously entered this way and now, leaving was easy.
After passing the Gray Terminal, he reached the outskirts of the Mt. Colubo's forest, the place where Luffy had grown up in the original story.
Entering the forest, Su Xiao immediately noticed how fresh the air was, filled with the scents of various plants. Some unknown birds chirped noisily in the tree branches, and occasionally, some herbivorous animals moved through the bushes, not afraid of humans.
Mt. Colubo, while beautiful, was also dangerous, frequently inhabited by wild beasts. Most people didn't dare to venture deep inside.
Walking through the forest alone, Su Xiao kept his hand near his sword hilt, appearing calm but staying alert to his surroundings.
The dense forest wasn't ideal for his hunting ground. He needed an open space.
The clearing didn't need to be large, but it had to meet two conditions: first, it needed a water source. The Goa Kingdom, being an island, often faced water shortages, so there weren't many water sources in Mt. Colubo. Finding one would greatly increase his chances of finding the giant tiger. Second, the clearing had to have vegetation, making it easier for Su Xiao to set traps.
Of course, the traps Su Xiao intended to set weren't the kind where a pit is dug to lure the creature in.
The soil in Mt. Colubo wasn't very hard, and unless the pit was reinforced with concrete, it would collapse under the weight of such a massive creature. If that happened, it would be a dead end for Su Xiao, and he wouldn't be able to escape.
Su Xiao's ideal trap setup was hard to find, but after three hours of searching, he finally found a suitable terrain.
It was a small clearing surrounded by trees, covered in lush grass and dotted with colorful wildflowers, emitting a faint fragrance.
The smell of flowers made Su Xiao frown. It could interfere with his plan, but it also had its advantages. The floral scent could mask the scent of the things he would be setting up.
Taking a shovel out of his storage space, Su Xiao removed his jacket and began digging in the clearing.
Two hours later, Su Xiao, now shirtless with his muscles visible, was hiding in a large tree near the clearing. The clearing seemed normal, with only a few dried fruits casually scattered on the ground.
Sweat dripped down Su Xiao's face as he sat on the tree, revealing his lean and smooth muscles. His physique wasn't overly muscular, as bulging muscles would slow him down and reduce flexibility—something that could hinder combat.
Su Xiao had once trained with a famous boxing coach, and while the coach's muscles were impressive, they weren't as useful for combat as one might think. Su Xiao, trained in killing techniques rather than sport fighting, was able to easily defeat the coach in a real fight, even though the coach was much stronger.
Su Xiao now sat on a thick tree branch, holding a Worn Flintlock Pistol, which had three bullets remaining. He had tried reloading the gun earlier, but the system had warned him that the gun was so damaged that reloading could cause it to break completely.
This restriction seemed to apply because the gun was something Su Xiao had found, not obtained from a treasure chest.
After opening a couple of white treasure chests, Su Xiao had started to understand some of the rules of the "Reincarnation Paradise."
Items from treasure chests were usually "rule items" that could be taken out of the One Piece World, while items found during quests had a chance of being taken out, like the Dragon Flash at Su Xiao's waist.
Through trial and error, Su Xiao had concluded that the semi-data system in place was mainly there for convenience. Strength, for example, was easier to gauge when it was shown numerically. Health, on the other hand, wasn't so easily quantified. Instead, it was often shown as a percentage, and once an enemy received a fatal blow, their health bar would instantly empty, signaling their death.
He also noted that equipment data was more interesting. For example, the Dragon Flash had a durability and attack power rating of 5-16, which indicated its sharpness and attack strength.
What mattered most was the equipment's score, which indicated its overall value.
After several battles, Su Xiao understood that while the system provided a way to measure strength, it was still based on the real world. There was nothing like the game mechanics where enemies would lose a certain amount of health after each hit. Everything was grounded in reality.
The semi-data system allowed for a clearer understanding of his abilities and the value of the items he owned.
This was the greatest help Reincarnation Paradise had given him.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.