The third time was this [Erudite] advancement quest. (Continued)

Chapter 401: The players' current situation and plans for harvesting them

A crisp reply came from the helm.

The enormous sails adjusted their angles automatically, without anyone touching them.

Under Lumi's precise control, the Nether Abyss sailed slowly toward the desert kingdom of Alabasta.

Adrian still remembered his last trip to Alabasta. He had gone to complete his [Wind Tamer] Profession Upgrade Quest, and along the way, he had thoroughly bullied a certain Big G who preferred to remain anonymous.

Though it was hard to say whether he had bullied the man or given him a good time.

A fair bit had been edited out, anyway.

Ahem!

In any case, that Big G, who had yet to go blind, seemed to have enjoyed himself.

This trip to Alabasta, however, was to take the measure of the newest member of the Shichibukai.

To be precise.

Adrian wanted to use Crocodile to make his stance clear to the World Government and the other powers:

The Shichibukai, huh? I, White Ghost, would like to see just what sort of trash pirates this organization that deliberately excluded me has recruited!

If he really managed to trigger some "Shichibukai-exclusive quest" from Crocodile...

Then, barring any surprises, Adrian would continue hunting down the Shichibukai recruited by the government.

The Shichibukai were pirates too.

Even if the World Government slapped a "legal" label on them, they were still pirates!

And they could still be killed!

Besides.

Judging from their portrayal in the original story, the members of this force of compliant pirates, forcibly propped up by the World Government to balance the Marines and the Four Emperors, had always been changing.

At the very least, even in Sea Circle Calendar year 1517, when Ace set sail...

The World Government still needed to recruit powerful new pirates to