Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Xia Zuo slowly raised his hands and clasped them together, then asked, "That succubus-like beauty was called Typhoid Mary. Is your name Bloody Mary?"

Bloody Mary exclaimed with delight, "Handsome, you guessed right! You're such a good man!"

"Here's what I'll do. I'll kill you first, then drink your heart's blood, so you won't feel any pain."

Suddenly, the beautiful woman's red hair flew wildly, and she threw the dagger in her hand as a hidden weapon. Then, she clasped her hands together and summoned a ball of flame out of thin air.

Just as she was about to attack, Xia Zuo split into two, then into four, then into eight, then sixteen, each one lifelike yet with different movements.

[Ninja Art: Clone Technique]

In the Naruto world, ninjas can instantly distinguish between clones and their real selves; clones can only provide momentary disruption.

However, in the Marvel Universe, no one can sense chakra fluctuations, and very few can distinguish between clones and the real body, making the clone technique a god-like skill.

It doesn't take much chakra to put Bloody Mary on the defensive.

As the red-haired beauty stared in disbelief, Xia Zuo reached out and grasped her hands, extinguishing the flame.

Xia Zuo chuckled softly, "Beautiful Mary, it'll be dawn in two hours. Shall we try a different fighting style?"

Bloody Mary's eyes flashed with a murderous glint: "You're asking for it!"

She growled and grabbed Xia Zuo's hands with both of them, holding on tightly.

At the same time, the thrown dagger, driven by telekinesis, suddenly returned and stabbed fiercely into Xia Zuo's heart.

Just as the dagger was about to touch the clothes, Xia Zuo suddenly leaped upwards without moving his hands.

Not only did he miraculously dodge the dagger, but he also twisted his body and kicked the dagger hard.

The immense power shared by the pirate Shazo propelled the dagger, which withstood Bloody Mary's telekinesis, pierced through the suddenly appearing transparent armor, and plunged into her heart.

The beautiful red-haired woman opened her mouth wide, but could no longer take a breath. She slowly slumped to the floor, gradually losing the spark of life.

Xia Zuo sighed regretfully, "This is the first time I've ever met such a beautiful red-haired woman."

"It's such a pity, but I really don't have the bad habit of taking advantage of the moment."

Muttering wicked words, Xia Zuo took out his phone and dialed a number, finding a cleaner in New York.

These are staff members affiliated with the "High Table" hotel in mainland China, specializing in cleaning up the aftermath for the organization's assassins, removing traces of battle scenes, and disposing of corpses that cannot be exposed to light.

Xia Zuo wasn't a registered assassin at the Continental Hotel, but as a local bigwig in New York, it wasn't a problem for him to demand paid services from the cleaners.

The manager of the Continental Hotel was very willing to serve a famous police officer like Xia Zuo in exchange for the New York Police Department turning a blind eye.

This is an essential condition for having connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

After the cleaner left, Xia Zuo took a shower, changed into dry clothes, and finally remembered a question he had overlooked: Who is this red-haired beauty?

She was mentally ill, her name was Mary something something something, I can't remember.

She has a personality called Typhoid Mary, who is very charming, moist, and alluring.

There is also a personality called Bloody Mary, who is a crazy, eccentric, and bloodthirsty monster.

After summarizing all this information, Xia Zuo realized that he still didn't know who Mary was.

Xia Zuo: "..."

"Maybe I shouldn't have acted so quickly?"

"Damn it, now I don't even know who wants to kill me. This is so troublesome."

"Be careful next time, you must be careful next time. You must find out who it is before you kill them."

……

The 153rd Marine Branch in Shells Town, Yotsuba Island, in the world of One Piece.

Xia Zuo's self-recommendation letter was thrown out by the Marine who had been drinking all day. He drunkenly said, "Let's go, kid. The Marines won't recruit savages like you anymore."

Xia Zuo asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that?"

The navy officer chuckled and said, "Don't you read the newspapers, kid?"

"Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp, has captured the Pirate King Gol D. Roger!!"

"The era of pirates is over! The Navy's casualties will be greatly reduced, and we won't need so many new recruits anymore!"

The navy officer picked up the bottle and chugged down half of it, exhaling a large breath of alcohol, and laughed loudly, "From now on, it will be a peaceful and stable era. Kids like you won't need to risk your lives anymore."

"Make a good living on the ship, marry a free-spirited woman, have a bunch of troublesome kids, and then worry about their future!"

"The navy will never need such crazy sacrifices again, never again, sob sob sob..."

Xia Zuo's face twitched. So that's the time.

With the Pirate King, the most legendary figure in the One Piece world, about to be executed, the World Government and the Navy are blindly optimistic and have no intention of continuing to expand their forces.

If all goes well, the World Government might even reduce the size of its navy, returning to the era of several years ago when there was only one admiral.

With so much money, wouldn't it be better to let the Celestial Dragons squander it?

However, Xia Zuo knew that the capture and killing of the Pirate King had actually ushered in an even more violent era, with countless people flocking to the seas to become new pirates, and a great pirate era had begun.

In other words, within a few months of Gol D. Roger's execution, the Navy will be forced to expand and recruit new soldiers on a large scale.

But Xia Zuo no longer wanted to enlist in the 153rd Marine Division. Although it was much better than the 16th Division, it was still a place where defeatism prevailed.

In such a branch, if you don't work hard, you'll soon be corrupted; if you do work hard, you're more likely to incur public anger and be ostracized. In short, you won't be able to achieve your plan to climb the ranks.

Perhaps the war-torn Western Sea would be a more suitable starting point, but it's too far away, and he has no way to get there.

In the world of One Piece, there is no free navigation. Only the Navy, the World Government, and a few superpowers can cross seas. Ordinary countries, merchants, and pirates are powerless to cross seas.

Xia Zuo decided: "Going to Loguetown might mean missing the grand scene of the Pirate King's execution, but that small naval base is directly under the command of the Marine Headquarters, so we should be able to get a relatively fair chance."

Two months later, Xia Zuo arrived in Rogge Town without any incident.

There is no doubt that Xia Zuo missed the iconic scene that marked the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, but he was no longer concerned about it.

For two whole months, Xia Zuo did not enter the dream world, which filled him with fear, as if he were a lone goose separated from its flock.

Moreover, this is his cheat code, the foundation that will allow him to surpass all enemies, challenge the strongest teacher Kaido, and defeat the world's ruler Im.

Without the dream world, Xia Zuo felt that he might still become a general in the future, but he could not break through this limitation no matter what.

Then wouldn't his time travel have been for nothing?