- The Reincarnation World Where Only I Know the Storyline
- RWWOKS Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Baroque Works
On a dark and windy night, a group of people scaled the cliffs surrounding an ancient fortress. The cold wind cut through the air, clearing the last remnants of their drunken haze.
They had originally planned to rest for a day, but here they were, about to throw themselves into another deadly battle.
For most, the pressure would have been overwhelming by now, but Fang Bo’s nerves were steady. He had slowly grown accustomed to this dangerous, blood-soaked lifestyle.
The fortress stood tall with high walls and constant patrols by soldiers. In normal circumstances, sneaking in was nearly impossible.
As for attacking head-on, they would be wiped out long before they even breached the main gate.
Wielding her spiked club, Alvida spoke coldly, “Kid, there are about two thousand guards inside. If I were you, I wouldn’t even think about a frontal assault.”
“Of course.” Fang Bo wasn’t bothered by her tone. He figured Ryuno had already briefed her, which explained the ugly look on Alvida’s face.
His guess was correct. Alvida deeply resented the idea of being anyone’s subordinate. If it weren’t for Ryuno’s involvement, she might have already turned against the Black Cat Pirates.
She didn’t want to be anyone’s underling, but the temptation to defeat the Pirate Admiral was too strong to ignore. This mission would serve as a test—if they could claim the fortress’s treasure, there might be a chance for further cooperation. With enough resources, they could face Krieg’s pirate crew on equal footing.
But first, they would need to bring Kuro back into the fold.
Alvida knew her own limitations. She couldn’t defeat Krieg, the Pirate Admiral, alone. Only Kuro, the former Black Cat captain, could face such a terrifying opponent.
Fang Bo, ever pragmatic, had revealed Kuro’s survival to win her cooperation. Without that knowledge, Alvida would never have agreed to merge her crew with the Black Cat Pirates.
“Get ready. I’m going in.” Fang Bo tied a rope around his waist and, to everyone’s surprise, leaped off the cliff.
The gas propulsion from his maneuver gear sent him hurtling toward the fortress walls at incredible speed. As he neared a patrolling guard, Fang Bo unleashed a powerful psychic attack before the soldier could even react.
**[Your psychic shock deals 18 points of damage to the guard.]**
The more his psychic attributes grew, the more terrifying his attacks became. This was the benefit of boosting his base stats.
Not wanting to draw attention with gunfire, Fang Bo quickly grabbed the stunned guard and threw him over the cliff’s edge.
He secured the rope to the fortress wall, allowing the rest of the pirates to climb up. Though the distance was significant, he trusted their physical strength to make the climb with ease.
Even the strongest fortress could be undone from within. If they could capture the defense systems, their job would be much easier.
As time passed, the pirates successfully scaled the walls, one by one.
When Alvida’s feet hit solid ground, her expression softened ever so slightly. For all her disdain, Fang Bo’s plan had worked. It proved he wasn’t just some reckless fool.
Maybe, just maybe, teaming up to take on Krieg wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Fang Bo, acting as if this were just another small task, immediately began organizing the next steps. Without realizing it, he had taken on the role of leader for both pirate crews. Strangely, no one seemed to question it.
“The next move is to capture the fortress’s leader. With a hostage, they’ll think twice before using heavy artillery on us.”
Following his orders, some pirates moved to secure the defense systems while others infiltrated the inner fortress.
Considering the uncertainties inside, both Fang Bo and Ryuno decided to personally lead the team into the palace, leaving the outer battles to the two captains.
As their squad made its way into the palace, the sounds of battle and shouting echoed from outside.
The guards quickly realized there was an intruder, and the fortress ramped up its defenses.
“Quick, the intruders are here!”
With their cover blown, Fang Bo drew his pistol, Blackstar, and unleashed a rapid volley of shots.
A guard fell as one of Ryuno’s talismans exploded near him. Together, they quickly dispatched their opponents.
Staring down at the lifeless body, Fang Bo sighed. “Still no treasure chest.”
In the last world, the world of giants, he had collected several plot chests. Yet here, in the world of pirates, despite all the enemies he had slain, he hadn’t seen a single one.
Hearing his disappointment, Ryuno glanced at him, her expression unreadable.
“The depth of the story affects the drop rate of treasure chests. The larger the map, the lower the chance of a chest appearing.”
She paused, almost as if debating whether to voice her thoughts, but decided against it.
Ryuno had wanted to say that these were common facts in the Reincarnation Space. Any reincarnator who had been through two or three worlds should know this.
Given Fang Bo’s earlier questions, she began to suspect something bold: what if this “Jason the Brutal” was actually a complete newbie who had been through fewer than three worlds?
“If that’s true, I might have underestimated him,” she mused.
Oblivious to her suspicions, Fang Bo continued leading the charge, with swordsman Paul vigilantly watching for any ambushes.
Everything Fang Bo knew about the Reincarnation Space came from his newbie guide. But that guide was written by individuals and often overlooked common knowledge. In casual encounters, it wasn’t an issue. But in extended interactions with other reincarnators, his “shallow understanding” could easily be exposed.
Even so, it didn’t really matter. At worst, people would simply think he was a talented and lucky super rookie.
No matter how they guessed, no one could uncover Fang Bo’s true secret—nor could they predict how quickly he would continue to grow.
Dodging a bullet, Fang Bo swiftly reloaded Blackstar and resumed picking off the guards.
In terms of individual combat ability, pirates were far superior to these guards. And with three “elite units” in their ranks, their progress was unstoppable.
Paul the swordsman, along with two other senior members of Alvida’s crew, tore through the guards with brutal efficiency, cutting down anyone or anything in their way until they reached the palace’s inner sanctum.
“Don’t let the target escape!” Fang Bo ordered as they pressed deeper into the palace.
In a grand, lavishly decorated room deep inside the palace, the castle’s lord was panicking.
“What should we do? What should we do?” The once-proud noble was trembling with fear, knowing his guards wouldn’t stand a chance against the pirates.
Rumors said he intended to rebuild his fallen kingdom, but the truth was far simpler. His father had carried that dream, but all the lord wanted was to continue living in luxury.
Holding a beautifully crafted flintlock pistol, he nervously turned to his captain of the guard. “Maybe we should flee before they get in.”
“We can’t,” the captain said firmly, loyal to the lord’s father and determined to restore the kingdom’s glory.
Facing the world government was one thing—they were unbeatable. But these pirates were nothing. If they couldn’t even stand up to this threat, the captain might as well slit his own throat.
“You—” The lord’s face twisted with anger. His authority was being challenged, and though he was cowardly in the face of danger, he was ruthless toward his subordinates.
Without hesitation, he pointed the pistol at the captain’s head. “I order you to escort me out, now!”
Just as the tension reached its peak, a man and a woman entered the room. Upon seeing them, the lord’s expression brightened, and he clapped his hands in relief.
“Ah! How could I forget about you two?”
Managing such a large fortress and army came with many challenges, some of which couldn’t be solved through traditional means. For those problems, the lord had turned to certain… organizations.
The two who had just entered were from Baroque Works.
Baroque Works was a secretive organization based at the entrance to the Grand Line, and many powerful leaders had dealings with them.
Put simply, if you had the money, they could do anything—spying, assassination, infiltration. There was nothing they wouldn’t accept as a mission.
The lord didn’t know much about the organization, only that its agents never used their real names. Whether male or female, they all went by code names.
The men were called “Mr. + a number,” with lower numbers indicating greater strength.
For example, there were Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and so on.
The women used “Miss + a date or holiday,” like Mr. Sunday and Miss Valentine’s.
As a group intent on conquering the Kingdom of Alabasta, Baroque Works raised funds through various means. The lord’s wealth was a juicy target, though for certain reasons, they hadn’t yet moved to seize it outright. Instead, they slowly drained his resources through more “legitimate” services.
Miss Valentine and her partner had been serving the fortress for over six months, during which they had earned nearly 70 million Beli in payment.
They had planned to continue slowly siphoning off the lord’s wealth, but the pirate invasion had changed everything.
Hearing the lord’s desperate plea for help, Mikita turned to her partner, who was casually picking his nose. “What do you think, Mr. 5?”
“We can do it.” Mr. 5 smiled coldly as he flicked his finger. “Eight million Beli, and we’ll take care of the pirates for you.”
The exorbitant price made the guard captain’s fists clench in anger, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.
“Fine! I agree!” The lord, nearly beside himself with fear, nodded vigorously.
Eight million was a steep price, but abandoning the fortress would cost far more. The lord was a man who understood the value of money.
Boom!
A loud explosion shook the room, and the two Baroque Works agents quickly left.
They had a job to do, and there was no way they would let that eight million Beli slip through their fingers.
These pirates would be no trouble at all.
(End of Chapter)