"Hunter"—that's what this mysterious place called the "Reincarnation Paradise" kept calling Su Xiao from the very beginning.
The name felt strange to him, especially since he hadn't signed any kind of contract.
"What does the title 'Hunter' mean?"
Su Xiao's question triggered a massive response from the Reincarnation Paradise.
….
[Normal individuals, after signing a contract, become Contractors. These Contractors carry out tasks for the Paradise and receive rewards in return.]
[Hunters are a special category of Contractors with combat-focused talents.]
[In addition to normal tasks, Hunters receive special missions to eliminate abnormal or dangerous Contractors.]
[Inquiry limit reached. Paradise will no longer answer questions. Please sign the contract or await death.]
….
The surrounding light faded, and the world plunged into darkness.
A piece of ancient-looking parchment suddenly appeared, hovering in midair.
Su Xiao struggled to his feet and walked toward it.
Strange symbols covered the parchment, leaving only a large blank space at the bottom.
[Sign Contract: Yes / No]
Su Xiao had a feeling—if he signed this contract, his life would change completely.
But he had unfinished business in his life. Even if the road ahead was a bottomless abyss, he had no choice but to leap.
"I... agree."
As soon as he spoke, his hand moved on its own. His thumb pressed into the blank spot on the parchment.
A sharp pain pricked his finger. Bright red blood seeped out, staining the parchment, which turned a faint red and began to emit a faint metallic scent.
[Contract established. Initiating Hunter healing process.]
A soft green light wrapped around Su Xiao. Within seconds, all his injuries were completely healed.
[Injury recovery complete. Forcing Hunter talent awakening.]
Just as he felt relieved, pain exploded through his body.
The agony was so sudden and intense that veins bulged across his body.
But Su Xiao's endurance was extraordinary. He merely let out a muffled grunt and dropped to one knee.
As abruptly as it came, the pain vanished. Su Xiao could sense something awakening inside him.
It didn't feel foreign—more like an innate ability that had always been there, just unnoticed.
[To display Hunter stats, semi-datafication is now active.]
[Warning: Semi-datafication is only for aiding combat. Serious damage to vital organs like the heart or brain will still result in death. Proceed with caution in derived worlds.]
[Hunter exclusive trial commencing. Failure will result in removal of Hunter status and reversion to regular Contractor. Death during trial results in permanent death.]
[Paradise Rule: All things are exchanged at equal value.]
Just as Su Xiao finished reading the message, everything went black again, and he lost consciousness.
[Transmission in progress…]
….
When Su Xiao awoke, he found himself inside a run-down shack.
The room was no larger than a dozen square meters. The roof had partially collapsed, allowing sunlight to shine in.
Dusty cobwebs filled the corners. The windows and door were missing. Trash filled the room, spilling in from outside.
This shack was buried in a massive landfill, with the only visible exit being the roof.
A foul, sour stench filled the air. As Su Xiao prepared to leave, a burning sensation seared through his arm.
A black tattoo shaped like a sword appeared on his forearm.
The blue system text reappeared—not floating in the air this time, but directly overlaid in his vision, fixed in place no matter where he looked, as if etched into his retina.
….
[World Entry: One Piece]
[World Difficulty: LV.6 - Nightmare (This is the exclusive trial difficulty for Hunters)]
[World Source: 0% (Increases as the Hunter explores the world or interacts with its inhabitants. Source affects final mission score.)]
[World Summary: Oceans, freedom, pirates, navy, World Government.]
[Main Mission: Assassinate the King of the Goa Kingdom]
[Side Missions: None]
[Warning: Do not mention anything about 'Paradise' within this world. Violation will result in immediate execution.]
[Note: This is a high-level derived world. Do not leave the Goa Kingdom area. Doing so will drastically increase world difficulty.]
[Note: Language comprehension automatically granted for 3 natural days due to first-time entry.]
[World Start!]
….
The text vanished. Su Xiao began organizing what he had just learned.
First, he had arrived in a mysterious place called "Reincarnation Paradise." He didn't yet understand its ultimate goal, but his own objective was clear: gain strength. Only with power could he exact revenge.
Second, his current situation—he was now in the One Piece world.
Though he sought vengeance, he had occasionally watched anime to relax. A person couldn't stay tense all the time.
From what he knew about One Piece, it was an extremely dangerous world. In the later stages, powerful characters could sink islands or wipe out entire nations.
Su Xiao might be skilled at killing, but in a world like this, he was little more than an ordinary man—survival would be extremely difficult.
The difficulty level labeled "Nightmare" confirmed that this world was no joke.
As for the mission—"Assassinate the King of the Goa Kingdom"—that was all the info he had at first. No details, no guidance.
As he mulled this over, information began to flow from the sword-like tattoo on his arm.
This mark was called the "Brand." It was important and had many functions.
Su Xiao activated it using his mind. Instantly, a menu appeared:
[Personal Info]
[Mission]
[Storage Space]
[Skills]
[Equipment]
(Other functions locked due to low rank.)
Only the first two functions were usable right now.
Eager for more details about his mission—since failure likely meant death—he opened the mission tab.
….
[Main Mission: Assassinate the King of the Goa Kingdom]
[Difficulty: LV.3]
[Mission Description: The Goa Kingdom lies in the East Blue, ruling over nearby towns and villages. Neighboring locations include Windmill Village and Mt. Colubo.]
[Mission Details: Kill King "Philip Herbert" of the Goa Kingdom by any means necessary. Target usually resides in the royal palace. Assassination difficulty: high.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours]
[Reward: Full activation of Hunter status]
….
Now it made sense. His target was the king, and he was currently located near the "Gray Terminal" next to the capital of the Goa Kingdom—the same massive garbage dump that had once been burned down in the original One Piece story due to a Celestial Dragon's visit.
In canon, One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and major characters Ace and Sabo lived on Mt. Colubo as children, along with a gang of mountain bandits.
Su Xiao wondered what time period this was. Had the trio already left, or were they still children?
The Goa Kingdom's capital was just beside Mt. Colubo, right next to this very trash heap.
All this garbage likely came from the capital itself.
Realizing this, Su Xiao didn't rush to leave. The Gray Terminal was crawling with violent vagrants and criminals. It would be wiser to understand the lay of the land first.
He closed the mission panel and opened his personal info.
(End of Chapter)