Pirates' Max Level System

The climate of the South China Sea is very good. Like the East China Sea, it enjoys the benefits of ocean currents and monsoons. The entire South China Sea area and islands have good weather all year round.

But don’t be fooled by the atmosphere in the South China Sea. Unlike the East China Sea, the pirates in the South China Sea are much stronger than those in the East China Sea, which is known as the weakest sea.

Of course, when we say that the East China Sea is the weakest sea, we don't count the members of the Red Hair Pirates, Luffy and his crew, Roger, Dragon and others. The strength here refers to the general combat power of the pirates in this sea area.

……

The South China Sea is located in the upper hemisphere of the first half of the Grand Route. The Amazon Lily, also known as the Women's Kingdom, and the Great Prison Propulsion City are located in the doldrums between the South China Sea and the Grand Route.

There are many powerful pirates who came out of the South China Sea. Among the supernovas of the same period as Luffy, there are "Captain" Eustace Kidd, "Killing Samurai" Killer and "Gluttonous Girl" Joelle Bonnie.

Qin Luo and his four companions also came to the South China Sea for the first time. They were both unfamiliar and curious about this sea area.

Qin Luo's first stop on this trip was Nanshierlaf, one of the five major cities in the South China Sea. This city, known as the Pearl of the South China Sea, was built on a small group of islands, which were the Nanshierlaf Islands and the origin of the city's name.

Nanshierlaf is a city of commerce, and nearly three-quarters of the entire South China Sea's trade volume occurs there every day. Nanshierlaf's administrator is also a large commerce organization. Qin Luo had met with a representative sent by this organization in Qiansui City some time ago, although it was only a quick glance.

Qin Luo and his four companions stopped on a small island on the edge of the South Hill Raff Islands. The island was not far from South Hill Raff, but it was just out of the jurisdiction of South Hill Raff.

Therefore, apart from a few fishermen, there are not many other people on this island, which makes it more suitable for the sudden appearance of Qin Luo and his group of strangers.

Chapter 539: Clues to Nanshierlaf

Qin Luo and others appeared on the beach of the island. Across the sea, they could see the shadow of the city of South Hillraf in the distance.

After distributing the clothes prepared in advance, Qin Luo and the other five changed their outer clothes slightly, and their dressing style had changed to that unique to the South China Sea. From this point of view, Qin Luo and the other five were no different from the South China Sea merchants who came to South Hill Raff.

"You two will act alone, and you don't need to follow us. As we said before, gather intelligence on the guardian family and find out what other forces are looking for them. If you get any information, contact me using Den Den Mushi. Kisame, if you have any questions, ask Suigetsu."

Qin Luo waved his hand at Suigetsu Hozuki and Kisame Hoshigaki and gave them two bags of gold coins. Hoshigaki Kisame, who had just been summoned less than half a day ago, might not know what a Den Den Mushi was, but with Suigetsu Hozuki, who had been in the pirate world for more than a month, there shouldn't be any problems.

Qin Luo will take Olivia and Taotu to slowly explore the secrets of the Guardian Family through another way.

"Yes, boss." Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Suigetsu answered at the same time.

After saying that, the two jumped into the sea and disappeared in an instant. This kind of flexibility and speed is unmatched even by ordinary fishmen. Qin Luo secretly praised himself for summoning Hoshigaki Kisame.

After sending away the two people who acted as light bulbs, Qin Luo was not exaggerating, he could definitely turn this search trip into a honeymoon.

The hotel is full and there are not enough rooms. Let's squeeze into one big bed. Qin Luo's mind was full of interesting things.

The three of them put on some simple makeup, found a fishing boat, and boarded the ship to South Hilllove in the name of small businessmen.

The Lost Sea is located in a corner of the South China Sea. The nearest major city is Nanshierlaf. Some time ago, the Undead Fleet visited this city. However, by the time the Undead Fleet arrived, most of the people in Nanshierlaf had already fled.

So there weren't many casualties, but there were still a lot of ruins in the city. Expecting the undead to obey the law in the city was like expecting a rooster to lay eggs.

There is no information indicating that the Guardian Family is in South Hillraf, but as the largest city in this area, the most information can always be collected here.

Some time ago, many businessmen sold their properties in South Hill Raff, and Qin Luo and the other two successfully rented a small courtyard as a temporary place to stay.

"Guest, this is the key to the courtyard, please keep it safe. If you have any questions, you can contact me at any time." The waitress who was responsible for receiving Qin Luo and others was very enthusiastic, especially when facing a generous customer like Qin Luo.

"Oh, do you know anything about that mysterious family? I saw people talking about that family along the way." Qin Luo asked casually after hearing what the waitress said, and his tone sounded more like a curious chat.

"A mysterious family? You're referring to the family that fought against the Undead Fleet, right? A lot of people have been discussing that family lately. You've reached the right person. I don't know much about that family, but I have a friend who's a reporter for the newspaper that covered the story. Could I help you contact them?"

Qin Luo just asked casually, but he didn't expect to get something.

Looking at the waitress in surprise, Qin Luo said, "Oh, I didn't expect the waitress to have such a wide range of friends. But it's not necessary, I just asked casually. If I really need anything, I'll come to you again."

Qin Luo rejected the waitress's suggestion. Even if he wanted to know, Qin Luo would not be so eager. Now he was playing the role of a businessman.

"Okay, if you need anything, you can contact the Chamber of Commerce through the Den Den Mushi in the room, and then I or someone else will come to solve these problems." After bowing respectfully, the waitress took her leave.

After the outsiders left, Taotu, who had been pretending to be calm, pounced on Qin Luo. "Hey, Qin Luo, isn't there news about that family? Why did you refuse?"

Speaking of which, this is Taotu's first time coming across news related to the Undead Fleet, and there are many things she doesn't understand.

Without waiting for Qin Luo to return, Olivia spoke up, "Now the streets are full of news about that family. It's good enough if there's even a little bit of truth in it... If it's just newspaper reporters, there's no need to look for them. It's not surprising that people who want to be in the news every day would make up fake news themselves."

Qin Luo nodded silently. He didn’t expect that Olivia was so clear about the morals of reporters.

"Then do you have any news about that family?" If we were to ask who here knows the most about this guardian family, it would be Olivia.

"Yes, two." Olivia opened the travel book in her hand, turned to a page and placed it in front of Qin Luo and Taotu.

"Silverbridge City, where the author of this travelogue first encountered the members of the Guardian family. There's also a place just outside Silverbridge City, a historic lighthouse clock tower. I saw the family crest on it."

As she spoke, Olivia placed a travel brochure of South Hilllove in front of Qin Luo. One of the photos was of the lighthouse clock tower that Olivia mentioned.

At first, Qin Luo thought that there was no clue about the guardian family in Nanhilllav, but after having a target, the plan was easier to arrange, and Qin Luo and his companions did not have to run around like headless flies.

After discussion, Qin Luo and the other two worked out the next plan together.

In the first few days, Qin Luo and the other two were not in a hurry to go to these two locations. From the moment they entered the city, they felt the different atmosphere in 3.0 City. Some forces were constantly searching for something in the city.

Judging from the timing, it was undoubtedly the Guardian Family. This family had existed and operated in this sea area for thousands of years, so naturally, Olivia wouldn't be the only clue.

Other forces got some information to a greater or lesser extent and searched everywhere in South Hillraf.

Qin Luo and the other two were still waiting for Shuiyue and Kisame to collect intelligence on the various forces in Nanshierlaf City before making any plans.

During this time, Olivia also began to study some books and information that were only available in South Hilllove, hoping to find some clues from them, and it was not without results.

On the fourth night, the Den Den Mushi in Qin Luo's arms finally rang, which also meant that Suigetsu and Kisame had collected general information.

Chapter 540: Silverbridge City

They agreed on a meeting time. At midnight, there were "sparse" sounds in the courtyard. As expected, it was Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Suigetsu who came.

"Come in." Qin Luo's voice came from inside the house. He and Peach Rabbit Olivia had been waiting for a long time.

"Sir." Hoshigaki Kisame and Hoshizuki Suigetsu heard the voice and entered the room, respectfully bowing to Qin Luo. At the same time, Hoshizuki Suigetsu handed a document to Qin Luo and the other two.

These are the information that Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Suigetsu have collected over the past few days, including the guardian family that is the target and the forces that are also looking for this family.

The leaders of these forces are undoubtedly the World Government and the Navy, and these two are indispensable wherever they are. However, Qin Luo was somewhat surprised that the strongest force would be the Newspaper Association, led by Morgans, the president of the World Economic Newspaper, and the vice president of another large newspaper.

Both of them have the combat power of the general level, especially this "big news" Morgans. Qin Luo remembered that he should be very close to the aunt.

Behind these forces are some pirate groups and other forces. The ones that need attention are the Chamber of Commerce of South Hill Raff and the Red Hair Pirates. After a while, Red Hair Shanks appeared in the South China Sea.

Given Shanks's personality, would he care about the secrets of this guardian family? Qin Luo thought it was unlikely. Then why did Shanks come here? Could he just happen to be traveling? It was undeniable that Qin Luo had a good impression of both Shanks and Roger.

"Is there any more news about the Red Hair Pirates?" Qin Luo asked.

Although he was a little surprised why Qin Luo asked this question suddenly, Gui Deng Shuiyue suppressed his doubts and said: "The Red Hair Pirates, Captain Shanks, currently has six crew members, and their strength information is unknown. They appeared in Nanshierlaf before the Undead Fleet came to the South China Sea a few months ago. Now it seems that they are also looking for people from the Guardian Family."

"No, if the Red Hair Pirates were already in South Hillraf a few months ago, they should have witnessed the entire confrontation between the Undead Fleet and the Guardian Family. The Red Hair Pirates' continued stay here should not be just for the purpose of searching for the Guardian Family."

According to the progress, Red-Haired Shanks should still be recruiting his crew members.

"My lord, have you obtained other information?" Gui Deng Shuiyue couldn't help but think so when she saw that Qin Luo was so confident.

"No, it's just intuition. By the way, this red-haired Shanks was once Roger's crew member, so he can be considered his partner. If I can help, I will help him secretly." Qin Luo's intuition told him that the breakthrough in finding the Guardian Family lies in Red-haired Shanks, but Qin Luo didn't know how to explain it, so he simply didn't say it and observed for a while.

"Lord Roger, since I'm his partner, I will naturally help him." After working with Roger for a while, Suigetsu Kizuki was also impressed by Roger's demeanor.

After that, Kisame also reported some information that they had heard but could not confirm.

Some people have seen members of the Guardian family appear in South Hillraf. And before the Guardian family was almost wiped out by the Undead Fleet, they had a temporary base in South Hillraf, located in the villa area of ​​the northern islands of South Hillraf.

However, after the news spread, countless people visited the place. However, it was said that it was just an ordinary residence. Although there were some things related to the Guardian Family, there were not many, let alone the secret arts. This Guardian Family should have a base camp in the nearby sea area.

Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Suigetsu also went there to take a look. Now it is just a dilapidated house. Not only has the ground been dug three feet deep, but even the walls have been scraped.

The current situation in South Hilllaf is not as calm as it seems. After the Undead Fleet left, some descendants of the Guardian family were seen in the city, so many forces have been monitoring the entire city and are unwilling to leave.

After reporting all the information, Hoshigaki Kisame and Hozuki Suigetsu left with new tasks. Hoshigaki Kisame was sent by Qin Luo to pay attention to the dynamics of various forces, while Hozuki Suigetsu was asked by Qin Luo to continue collecting various information and slowly approach the Red Hair Pirates.

After the two men left, Qin Luo and Olivia looked at each other. The information they needed to collect had been collected, and they could carry out their own plans next.

The next day, at noon, Qin Luo was strolling leisurely with Taotu and Olivia in Silver Bridge City.

Silverbridge City is a major feature of South Hillraf. It was once the city center of the earliest South Hillraf city and also the most prosperous area.

Silverbridge City is composed of six closely spaced islands. The five outer islands are large residential islands, each approximately a hundred meters apart. In the middle of the five islands is a smaller island, also approximately a hundred meters apart from the other five. The six islands are arranged like a regular pentagon.

To facilitate communication and trade between the islands, the earliest residents and merchants of South Hilllove began constructing cross-sea bridges between the six islands. While these bridges were called large, they were actually similar to any other bridge over a river, making them relatively easy to build. However, these bridges were enormous, capable of carrying over ten carriages simultaneously.

Because the bridge deck was large and limited space was available, merchants eventually began setting up stalls on the bridge. This phenomenon became more common, and the people of South Hillraf simply eliminated their limited residential space and moved the commercial street to the central island, setting up stalls on the bridge.

This unique form attracted more and more tourists and merchants, a real bridge market was established, and more and more bridges were built between the six islands.

Until now, when Qin Luo, Taotu, and Olivia arrived at the Bridge Market, the six islands were densely packed with bridges, some of which were double-decker. On the bridges were shops and stalls selling goods, most of which were built with wood and tents, giving people the feeling of being at a market.

While Olivia was explaining the basics like a tour guide, Qin Luo and his group arrived in front of an open-air flower shop and cafe. That's right, a flower shop and cafe that sells both coffee and flowers. This shop has existed since the establishment of Qiao City.

In the travelogue, the author met a member of the Guardian family for the first time here, when the other party was working in the store.

"It seems that the guests know a lot about Silverbridge City." Perhaps after hearing Olivia's detailed account of the history of Silverbridge City, the manager of the flower shop and cafe, a mature woman, said to the three of them.

Chapter 541: Harvest and Encounter

Olivia was not surprised to be interrupted. When the manager of the flower shop and cafe came over, Qin Luo and the other two had already noticed it. However, what they were talking about was not a secret, so it didn't matter if someone overheard it.

Moreover, if one wants to know more about the secrets of the flower shop cafe and whether it is related to the Guardian Family, one must indeed establish a relationship with the store manager.

"It turned out to be the store manager. I was shocked." Olivia pretended to be the beautiful girl in Chitose Castle and said in fake shock.

"I'm sorry for being so presumptuous, but judging from your accents, you shouldn't be from South Hilllove." The manager of the flower shop cafe said as he brought the coffee ordered by Qin Luo and others.

"Yes, store manager. We are all tourists. To be more specific, the three of us are travelers. I am Vio, a traveling scholar whose goal is to study the history and architecture of various beautiful cities. He is Luo, a traveling businessman whose goal is to become an independent businessman. Of course, if he fails, he will have to go back and inherit his family's tens of millions of assets." Olivia smiled and introduced herself and the others to the store manager, of course, they all used pseudonyms.

"Hello, store manager, don't listen to his nonsense. If I really had this money, I would just eat and wait for death. Why come out to suffer?" They were all movie stars. Qin Luo greeted the store manager while scolding Olivia with a smile.

"She's Pace. What's her goal?" Olivia pointed at Taotu, the "only" woman in the group, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "She should become the world's number one foodie."

"Get lost." Taotu tickled Olivia without hesitation. To outsiders, they looked like a young couple, but in Qin Luo's eyes, it was clearly a love affair.

"According to the plan, we should have come to South Hillraf earlier, but as you know, due to the Undead Fleet, we had to return home first, so we are only now coming to South Hillraf to continue our journey."

After a series of conversations, Olivia and the store manager gradually became familiar with each other. Qin Luo didn't believe that without Olivia's handsome appearance and scholarly status, at least the store manager and Qin Luo were still almost strangers.

After a while, the store manager gave the three of them three free cups of signature flower tea and went to entertain their guests. Qin Luo and the other two also had the opportunity to take a good look at the flower shop and cafe, and by the way, see if Olivia had gained anything.

"Mireva Alfred Austin Holborn Ignatiwoods, that's the name of the store manager." Olivia suddenly said something out of the blue.

"What's wrong?" Taotu asked in confusion, and Qin Luo was the same. Apart from the long name, they couldn't see anything strange.

"Don't you find it strange? This kind of surname, given name, and naming method are rare nowadays. As far as I know, only noble families thousands of years ago would like to use this naming method to show the noble bloodline and status of their descendants."

After Olivia's explanation, Qin Luo and Taotu both realized: "Could it be that the store manager is..."

Olivia shook her head and said, "I'm not sure yet, maybe it's just a coincidence."

Afterwards, Olivia, Taotu and Qin Luo chatted casually. Because there were other guests nearby, they did not continue to talk about sensitive topics.

At this time, Qin Luo and his friends finally had time to scan the entire flower shop and cafe. The flower shop and cafe were indeed one of the places recommended in the South Hilllove travel guide. There were many customers coming to the store, especially the signature flower tea given by the store manager. Even Qin Luo, who was not used to drinking this kind of thing, could not help but sigh at the deliciousness and fragrance of the flower tea.

The flower shop and cafe occupied a large area, almost three times the size of an average Qiaoshi store. Half of it was occupied by open-air seating like Qin Luo and his group, and the other half was occupied by a two-story building made of bamboo.

The flowers in the shop are both merchandise and decorations. Beside each tea table is a bamboo and wood screen filled with a variety of flowers and vines entwined around them. In the bustling city of Qiaoshi, only the flower shop and coffee shop have a touch of fairy air.

There are also many customers who buy flowers. After paying the price to the waiter, the customers can take the flowers on the screen away directly.

"How is it, Vio? My shop is okay, isn't it? I wonder if it's worthy enough to be featured in the book you wrote?" After greeting the customers, the store manager came back.

"Manager, you must be joking. This flower shop and cafe is one of the most incredible paradises on earth I have ever seen. I will definitely describe it in detail in my book. But manager, I see that the main flowers in your shop are white flowers. It is this kind of flowers that can create this atmosphere." Olivia said.

"That's not the case, bro. Our store used to feature Blue Rose, Dream Rose and other flowers of various colors, which all gave people a different kind of beauty." Before the store manager could answer, an older man next to him said, who seemed to know the store manager and was a regular customer here.

"I know everything you said. I've seen a lot of white flowers, but this is the only one I can't recognize." Olivia noticed that not only in the store, but the manager also had one on his head.

"No wonder. This flower is unique to our South China Sea and is called white cherry. It is a symbol of holiness and also represents the longing for loved ones." The store manager explained, with some melancholy in her tone.

Is that really the case? When no one was paying attention, a smile appeared on Olivia's lips...

After staying for a while, Qin Luo and the other two got up and left. They still wanted to go to the lighthouse clock tower to take a look. Qin Luo discovered that the buildings here in South Hill Raff like to combine two things into one, whether it is a combination of a flower shop and a cafe, or the combination of a clock tower and a lighthouse in front of them.

From a distance, Qin Luo and the other two could see the symbol in the center of the clock tower. It was the family emblem of the Guardian family.

The only people who know this crest are the World Government and Olivia. This crest isn't just for the Nankai Guardian Family; it's the common crest for all Guardian Families. Olivia had previously seen this mark at the ruins of a Guardian Family near Chitose Castle.

Qin Luo and the other two did think so until they ran into an acquaintance in front of the lighthouse.

Gui Deng Shuiyue was also very surprised to meet Qin Luo here. He came out from the corner and saluted Qin Luo.

Hozuki Hozuki was sent by Qin Luo to approach the Red Hair Pirates. Since he is here, doesn't it mean that Red Hair is in the lighthouse clock tower?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Qin Luo's mind. Red-haired Shanks, you really know a lot.