Pirates: I Loaded the Game Panel

Yamakaji's smile faded. "You killed Kado?" he asked, a little surprised.

The Marines stationed across the four outer seas were not weak. But they had such vast territories to cover that the personnel spread among their bases were, on average, less formidable.

Yamakaji had once led Marines from his base in pursuit of Kado. But Zoan Devil Fruit users had extraordinary stamina and powers of recovery, and the Honey Badger Fruit's defenses were especially astonishing. After a brief clash, Beast Kaido had escaped with ease.

Yet only a few months later, White Ghost had killed Beast Kaido.

His reputation was well deserved!

Yamakaji opened the wooden box. One glance was enough to confirm that the head belonged to Beast Kaido.

"I happened across him while he was raiding a town," Adrian explained casually.

Yamakaji nodded. On the boundless sea, "happened across him" might sound far-fetched, but it really was how most encounters occurred.

"Marine Headquarters recently notified the branches across the Four Blues that it plans to expand recruitment next year," Yamakaji said. "Would you consider joining the Marines, White Ghost?"

"Join the Marines?" Adrian waved a hand. "I'll pass. I can't stand being bound by too many rules."

After a pause, Yamakaji began, "White Ghost—"

"Call me Ad—" Adrian remembered what had happened in Flower Country and changed course. "Call me Tao Ya. Hearing 'White Ghost' all the time gives me the creeps."

And the next time I see the beautiful Gion, I can get close to her as Tao Ya again...

"Tao Ya," Yamakaji said, readily adopting the name. "Joining the Marines now would also give you a special opportunity."

"Oh?" Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Major Yamakaji, are you planning to...?"

What Adrian meant was obvious: abuse of authority, favoritism, and the like.

"No, no. I can't offer that sort of 'opportunity.'" Yamakaji shook his head repeatedly with a rueful smile.

Then he explained in earnest, "The next class at Marine Headquarters' Elite Training Camp is about to begin. With your talent, Tao Ya, joining the Marines now would surely earn you a chance to train at Marine Headquarters!"

"That really does sound like an incredible opportunity..."

Adrian rubbed his chin.

In Sea Circle Calendar 1490, the Marines had formally established the Elite Training Camp. The current Marine Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr, served as its chief instructor, training outstanding Marines handpicked from the Grand Line and the branches across the Four Blues to bring fresh blood into the force.

The Elite Training Camp was dedicated to producing first-rate officers. Its first class had included Sakazuki and Borsalino; its third had included Kuzan. It was practically a gathering place for monsters!

Huh? Had he just said a forbidden word?

Ahem...

If Adrian remembered correctly, the Marines' future three admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji—the two admiral candidates, Momousagi and Chaton, and more than a dozen elite Vice Admirals in their prime had almost all come out of that camp!

Its success rate was terrifying!

To be fair, Black Arm Zephyr's talent for teaching was nothing short of astounding!

The man had first seen real combat at eighteen, had not become a corporal or learned the Six Powers until twenty-eight, and had then risen to Marine Admiral in just ten years. He was a monster through and through!

His titles said even more.

"Black Arm Zephyr" described his mastery of Armament Haki!

"Non-Killing Admiral" spoke to Zephyr's true strength and his breathtaking combat skill!

Countless people across the sea dreamed of receiving personal instruction from the Non-Killing Admiral.

Anticipation shone in Yamakaji's eyes.

Without a doubt, this conscientious West Blue major desperately wanted to bring the West Blue legend White Ghost into the Marines!

After all, White Ghost's actions showed that he despised Pirates and other criminal forces. Anyone who stood in his way, whether a Pirate roaming the seas or a gang lording it over a town, had met the same fate.

But...

"I refuse!" Adrian declared, striking a pose like Aramaki in a bizarre color shift.

Yamakaji looked baffled. "Why?"

Adrian fell silent for a moment, then answered with ringing conviction: "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is justice."

The future Marine Vice Admiral regarded him with instant respect.

Another Pink-Haired Little Girl

By the time Adrian left the Marine Base, evening had fallen.

The memory of Yamakaji's expression before they parted—as if he wanted to raise a glass with Adrian and spend another three to five days talking heart-to-heart—made Adrian's face stiffen.

Better keep the dramatic lines to a minimum from now on.

A little playful talk attracts women.

Too much posing only attracts men...

And since when was Adrian a "my heart and actions are as clear as a mirror" kind of man?

It's more like "my heart and actions are as calculating as Ito's," okay?!

Carrying a suitcase full of Beli out of the Marine Base, Adrian looked at the fiery sunset in the western sky. He abandoned his plan to leave the island and decided to explore nearby and find an inn.

The island was a fairly typical medium-sized island in the West Blue. Four or five towns dotted it, and with no country governing it, the Marines were able to station a base there.

At dusk, the town's streets bustled with people: elderly residents out for a stroll after dinner, women beginning their nightlife, and, most of all, vendors hawking their wares at the evening market.

Suitcase in hand, Adrian strolled leisurely along the street while considering his plans for the near future.

He had done more than drift aimlessly across the sea over the past three months.

Aside from experience points, he had gained quite a bit!

[You have obtained a new profession: Navigator. Your Stamina has increased slightly. Intelligence +2, Charm +2. You have gained 3 Free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!]

Just a few days earlier, Adrian had completed the profession advancement quest for Navigator. The system panel had accepted the map he drew of the West Blue, formally unlocking the advanced Navigator profession and Advanced Navigation, the upgraded skill for Basic Navigation!

That was not all.

There had been another pleasant surprise.

[You have captured a total of five Pirates with bounties exceeding 1 million Beli. You have obtained a new profession: Bounty Hunter!]

[You have obtained a new profession: Bounty Hunter. Your Stamina has increased. Strength +1, Stamina +1. You have gained 2 Free Attribute Points and 1 Skill Point!] ```

Because Bounty Hunter was his sixth Secondary Profession—the advanced Navigator profession had replaced his original Navigator profession and did not count separately—the experience cost of leveling them had climbed considerably.

Adrian spent his accumulated experience to raise both new Secondary Professions to the maximum, level 10, giving his attributes another boost.

His six attributes now stood at Strength 110, Agility 90, Stamina 84, Intelligence 458, Charm 45, and Luck 1. (Come to think of it, the earlier numbers were wrong, and nobody even noticed...)

Strength had officially passed 100, while Agility and Stamina were no longer weak points.

Most striking of all was his Intelligence, which had reached 458 thanks to the Ghost Fruit's Intelligence ×2 Specialty!

More importantly, Adrian had once again accumulated 74 Skill Points, enough to raise a skill to its maximum level in an instant!

But after several days of hesitation, Adrian had decided against immediately maxing out Ghost Creation. His current skills were already adequate, and more importantly, the max-level Ghost Body buff was still working for him.

As noted before, a max-level Ghost Body acted like an "automatic experience buff" for the Ghost Fruit's other two skills.

With that buff working day and night, Ghost Creation had already reached level 2, and Spirit Projection was not far from leveling up either.

Adrian planned to keep taking advantage of the buff for a while before leveling up, which would save him a few Skill Points.

After all, one could never have too many Skill Points.

Especially when he would still have to learn Haki!

Adrian did not expect to acquire Conqueror's Haki. He might be a transmigrator, but even transmigrators had to respect the basic rules.

Anyone without sufficient ambition and force of spirit could never awaken Conqueror's Haki!

That was why Sengoku was the only person in the vast Marine organization who possessed it.

The justice that Sengoku the Buddha truly upheld had always been the justice of making the Marines reign supreme!

As for the other Marines?

Most were little more than puppets obeying their superiors' orders.

Back to Adrian himself.

Conqueror's Haki was a castle in the air. Skill Points probably could not help him obtain it.

But Armament Haki and Observation Haki would certainly consume a huge number of Skill Points in the future!

The dizzying experience bars for leveling up Ghost Fruit skills were enough to make Adrian's scalp tingle. He had no idea how much experience leveling up Haki would require...

"Forget it. No point dwelling on depressing things." Adrian shook his head, pushed those unpleasant thoughts aside, and turned his attention back to the lively market.

"Hm?" Adrian bent down and picked up a small woven bag from a nearby stall. "What a lovely little shoulder bag. Little Robin should like it when I go back to Ohara, shouldn't she?"

The vendor was a pink-haired girl of around ten. Most of the woven bags at her stall were beautifully made, all from sturdy rattan. Rattan was one of the most common materials used in woven crafts, but it could easily cut the hands of anyone working with it.

Adrian could already see the many cuts on the girl's fingers. Slightly yellowed bandages wrapped her small, slender hands. Evidently, even those cheap bandages were expensive supplies she had to reuse.

When she saw Adrian pick up a bag, hope filled her clear eyes.

"Do you like that one, sir?" the girl asked, summoning her courage. It was the first time anyone had stopped to look at her wares. "It's very cheap. Hina made them all herself. It's only 50 Beli."

"50 Beli?" Adrian sounded surprised.

"If that's too expensive, 40... 30 Beli is fine too." The girl hurried to lower the price. She had clearly never bargained with a customer before. "Hina only needs 30 Beli..."

"No, I think 50 Beli is far too little for such a beautiful little bag," Adrian said. "The cheapest thing I'm carrying costs 5,000 Beli. This bag is much too cheap."

"5,000 Beli..." The girl's head spun. At her age, she could not even imagine how much money that was.

"Your name is Hina, right?" Adrian picked up two more woven bags. "I'll take these three. Can you work out the total?"

"150 Beli," little Hina murmured.

"Hm?"

"15,000 Beli..." This time her voice was even softer, almost inaudible.

"15,000 Beli. That really is a lot of money." Adrian put on an exaggerated sigh, then casually made up an excuse. "I don't have that much cash on me. I can only offer you a job instead. Would you be interested, little Hina?"

"What kind of job?"

"Well, I think the nearby Marine Base is recruiting, and I happen to know Major Yamakaji, the officer there..."

Adrian saw little Hina's eyes light up at once and deliberately paused.

"Can Hina become a Marine too?"

Adrian smiled. "Of course. I'm sure Hina will become an excellent and beautiful Marine officer someday."

There was no doubt about it: this pink-haired little girl with her distinctive habit of referring to herself by name was the future Black Cage Hina, one of the Marines' four beauties!

Adrian personally escorted the pink-haired girl to the Marine Branch base.

Although he had no idea why the dignified White Ghost had suddenly brought him a little girl, Major Yamakaji still took Hina in and appointed her, right there and then, to a position at the Marine Base as...

A kitchen helper.

There was no helping it. Hina was simply too young for any other kind of work, and Yamakaji did not want to offend White Ghost. After racking his brains, he came up with a relatively unimportant position as a cook.

Before saying goodbye, Adrian patted little Hina, her face streaked with tears, on the head. A strange thought occurred to him.

Come to think of it, am I somehow destined to meet pink-haired girls? How many have shown up already?

The Moonlight Pirates

Early the next morning.

Beneath a cloudless, crystal-clear sky stretched an endless blue sea. White gulls wheeled freely overhead, occasionally casting curious glances below.

A simple white boat carrying one person bobbed on the waves. Adrian had quietly left town and now lay on his back on the deck, hands tucked behind his head. He gazed up at the clear sky and hummed a tune he had heard somewhere.

I wonder if little Hina will be upset and cry because I left without saying goodbye. But I can't help it; little girls do nothing for me... Beautiful older women are much more fun. In every sense of the word...

Now I finally understand why most Pirate crews have someone like a musician aboard. Drifting across the sea alone is far too monotonous. Should I look for a lifestyle-oriented Secondary Profession? Musician, painter, something like that? But I still have no idea how to unlock one. Surely I don't actually have to study for years...

"Huh?"

Adrian suddenly sat up and looked toward the distant sea.

A tiny black speck had appeared at the edge of the horizon.

Mini Hollow: Swift Scout.

Adrian released a tiny Ghost scout and used its eyes to investigate what lay in the distance.