Round Three Is About to Begin! (Continued)

Before leaving, Adrian handed Tommy the letter he had just written.

"Tommy, wherever these people want to go, let them, as long as they have a good reason."

"Also, don't ask about their identities. That's both a reminder and a warning."

"Finally, keep your identity hidden on the way to the North Blue. Don't expose yourself."

"Understood, sir," Tommy replied.

With those instructions given, Adrian's business on Oatfee Island was more or less done. He took flight and departed through the sky.

But Adrian did not head straight for Little Sky Island on the Grand Line.

Instead, he turned toward the East Blue to turn in a quest.

With Ghost Body carrying him through the air at full speed,

Adrian crossed the vast ocean in just two or three days, traveling from the West Blue to Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue.

Inside Isshin Dojo, the sword students were still training with fervor. Their crisp shouts carried faintly beyond the grounds.

Shimotsuki Koshiro held a newspaper, his gaze unfocused. His emotions churned like the seas around Wano Country.

"White Ghost, a bounty of 1.68 billion Beli... Just what kind of monster did I teach back then?"

"Master Koshiro, it's been a long time."

"White Ghost?"

Koshiro glanced at the newspaper, then at the figure who had suddenly appeared before him. He rubbed his eyes without thinking.

"Oh? Has Master Koshiro recognized me already?"

Adrian glanced at the newspaper in Koshiro's hand. The story was old news, but on this peaceful little island in the East Blue, it still counted as the latest intelligence.

"Tao Ya?!"

Only when Adrian spoke again did Koshiro confirm his eyes had not deceived him.

"What brings you here?"

"To turn in... Ahem. To tell you about Wano Country, of course." Adrian coughed twice and