Chapter 39: Heading to the Sea Restaurant**

“You still haven’t offered enough.”

Caressing the Dragoon in her hand, Ryūna spoke her true thoughts: “If I throw it into the space plaza, those gunners will keep raising the price in a bidding war.”

In reality, Kiba could only be considered to have some long-range attack capabilities; he was hardly a true gunman.

Those specialized shooters among the Reincarnators possess multiple relevant skills, enhancing their damage, accuracy, and even inflicting negative status effects.

If the Dragoon fell into their hands, it would become even more formidable.

“Sigh.” Kiba sighed inwardly, knowing he needed to pay additional story points.

One had to admit that women are truly talented when it comes to bargaining; even he felt his offer was somewhat low.

Seeing that she had set the stage well, Ryūna switched the topic and outright rejected his terms: “I don't need more story points; I just want you to agree to one thing.”

Her demeanor was akin to a boss trying to tempt a young intern, and her suggestive tone immediately put Kiba on guard.

Fortunately, she didn't mean it that way at all. Ryūna wanted him to help her complete the Banshee’s destiny mission.

A certain monster, driven by hatred, kept a group of humans captive in its nest, most of whom were infants.

They were fed well daily, but when the boys grew up, they would face the most brutal slaughter.

The Banshee, who particularly loves children, decided to save these babies’ futures.

If it could fulfill this wish, the Banshee would transform into Ryūna’s follower—not just a summoned creature but a Reincarnator recognized by space, entitled to the same privileges as them.

Of course, followers can never betray their contract and must face countless challenges and hardships, which are the costs they must bear.

To break free from the shackles of fate, one must carve a thorny path with the blade in hand.

“I hope to help the Banshee be reborn, to free her from her predetermined destiny,” Ryūna said seriously.

From everything before, it was clear that the Onmyoji was different from most Reincarnators; she didn’t view story characters as mere NPCs.

Facing a good companion who fights alongside her, it’s only natural she wants to save them. The critical issue is that Ryūna herself couldn’t break into the monster’s lair.

Using the resources she had, she could only find a way to bring one person in. Jason might not be the strongest, but he was the best fit for the job.

If he agreed, they could complete the transaction immediately. Of course, verbal agreements weren’t enough—they needed to sign a secure contract.

“Alright.” After a brief hesitation, Kiba agreed, “After this world ends, I’ll help you complete that destiny mission.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a space notification.

*[User #14005 has sent you a contract.]*

After carefully reading the contract, Kiba signed his name.

After handing over his trade item, he finally acquired the silver flintlock. Gently stroking its barrel, he began pondering another matter.

After hearing Ryūna’s mission description, Kiba had a good idea of what kind of monster ate people. Going with her on the mission, could he possibly capture that Shikigami?

After all, the mission was to save the babies, not necessarily to eliminate the enemy—there might be some room for maneuver.

*Name:* Kiba

*ID:* 14552

*Rank:* Private Second Class

*Merit:* 2

*Story Points:* 1605

*Attribute Points:* 0

*Story World:* 1

*Title:* Pirate Backbone

*Health:* 51/110 (+40)

*Status:* Injured

*Strength:* 7 (+1)

*Constitution:* 7

*Agility:* 6 (+1)

*Spirit:* 22 (+5)

*Perception:* 14 (+4)

*Equipment:* Enhanced ODM Gear IV, Dragoon, Lost Homeland, Exquisite Ring, Damaged Police Goggles

Glancing at his current basic information, Kiba decided to keep this thought to himself for now.

*Kiba felt drained as he watched the pirates start moving the gold. Alone, he returned to the Braku and immediately fell into a deep sleep. He didn't wake up until noon the next day, jolted awake by a sudden notification sound.*

*“User 14552 and User 14005 have triggered a continuous hidden mission: Pursuit by Baroque Works!”*

He jumped out of bed in an instant, stunned for a couple of seconds before understanding what had happened.

“So this is what that woman meant by pursuit.”

*[Continuous Hidden Mission: Pursuit by Baroque Works.]*

*[Mission Description: You killed an important executive of Baroque Works. The mastermind is furious and has ordered your death, no matter where you are.]*

*[Step One: Avoid being hunted by the company's operatives.]*

*[Special Note: You can complete the mission by entering the story world multiple times.]*

In other words, even if he couldn't complete the mission in this storyline, he could always return to the world of One Piece in the future.

A continuous hidden mission suggested that the pursuit was just the beginning; later steps might involve taking down Baroque Works entirely.

By that time, he might have to face one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

When he stepped out of the cabin, he immediately saw the Onmyoji, her face beaming with joy.

“This is great! A continuous hidden mission!” She looked like she’d just hit the jackpot.

Kiba didn’t quite get it, so he asked, and Ryūna, knowing he was a newbie, explained, “Hidden missions are already rare; they can only be triggered around story characters with significant plot importance.”

“Oh.”

“As for continuous hidden missions, the conditions to trigger them are even more stringent, and the rewards for completing them are naturally incredible.”

“I see.”

Seeing his calm expression, Ryūna felt a sense of frustration; it was suffocating when your excitement wasn’t shared.

“This guy must be single in real life,” thought the Onmyoji, feeling somewhat annoyed, but she still had to work on the next task.

That task was to merge the two pirate crews, essentially having everyone join the Black Cat Pirates.

With the threat from Baroque Works, convincing the captain would be much easier; Alvida knew she wasn’t a match for those guys.

After Kiba finished counting the loot, he received a notification about the merger of the two pirate crews.

Beyond the basic forces, the Black Cats gained three elite members at the executive level and a powerful Onmyoji.

“Still not enough,” Kiba knew the strength of their enemies; a massive fleet of fifty pirate ships wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

To crush the enemy in one blow, he needed to expand their base forces as much as possible, making their next task to recruit more pirates.

“I’ll leave this to you,” Kiba, as vice-captain, directly assigned the task.

He had other things to attend to, so recruiting pirates was Ryūna's responsibility.

They couldn’t be stingy; put all 700 million on display to lure greedy pirates.

Before the official operation, do not reveal the Black Cat Pirates' true goal, or it might scare others away. Once it was time to fight, retreating would no longer be an option; not fighting meant being slaughtered, so the pirates would surely fight for their lives.

“Contact the shipyard; no matter what, get enough pirate ships quickly.”

Once his task was complete, it would be time to go after the Krieg Pirates.

“Got it.” Ryūna didn’t ask too many questions. Everyone has their own secrets, and they weren’t exactly teammates—more like simple collaborators.

As long as it didn’t affect the ultimate mission, what one did in the meantime was personal business.

Kiba had his goals, and Ryūna had work to do—she needed to raise her personal bounty.

After setting a time and place to regroup, Kiba used his vice-captain’s “enforcement suggestion” to designate the next target for plundering.

Zango and the others were a bit puzzled but chose to trust the vice-captain’s judgment.

Without the guidance of Mad Jason, how could the Black Cat Pirates have their current status?

Even after Captain Kuro left, the crew’s strength hadn’t diminished; in fact, they’d grown even stronger by merging with Alvida’s crew.

Once the latest round of expansion was complete, they might truly dominate the East Blue.

Baratie was a sea restaurant located in the Sambas waters of the East Blue.

People from all over came to savor the owner’s delicious cuisine; even high-ranking Navy officials would dine there.

The owner, Zeff, was once a pirate. After his crew was shipwrecked while attacking a passenger ship, he and an apprentice chef from the passenger ship survived on a deserted island for 85 days.

After being rescued, Zeff, understanding the agony of hunger, sold all his treasures and, together with the apprentice, opened the Baratie restaurant.

Though his strength had waned post-rescue, Zeff’s culinary skills only grew more impressive, gradually making Baratie the most famous restaurant in the East Blue.

In a corner of the restaurant’s main hall, two men were enjoying the food. They seemed no different from other diners, but the tattoos on their wrists betrayed their true identities.

These two, like Kiba, were Reincarnators from the space.

Clinking a delicate glass, Vincenzo’s eyes were filled with amusement. “Boss, it seems like our plan is working.”

“Maybe.” Kurosawa set down his glass, his eyes on the bustling chefs. “Just because I held back in our confrontation doesn’t mean they’ll go all out.”

Quickly, his gaze locked onto a young man with blonde hair.

“Once we finish eating, let’s go say hello. I hope those guys haven’t fed us false information.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two Reincarnators suddenly froze, then turned simultaneously towards the restaurant entrance.

With a loud bang, the restaurant door was kicked open, and Mad Jason, clad in a black cloak, strode in.

(End of chapter)