Adrian continued, "Then a pirate crew this impressive must have collected plenty of gold, silver, and treasure, right?"
Shanks blinked, letting out a belated cry of realization.
"...Huh?"
"Did you forget?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes, his tone utterly genial.
"Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, you still owe me three Devil Fruits, don't you?
"Or were you hoping... your debts would die with you?"
Chapter 464: Master Buggy's Backstab
As Adrian's words fell, everyone on the deck of the Red Force reacted differently.
Beckman sighed, closing his eyes and pressing a hand to his forehead, as though recalling some unspeakable incident from the past.
Lucky Roux froze outright, nearly dropping the meat on the bone he clutched even in his sleep.
Buggy was so terrified that all five of his extremities flew apart, but even in his panic, he remembered to clamp both hands over his mouth, afraid he might scream.
Even the composed Mihawk could not help looking at Shanks, his sharp yellow hawk eyes seeming to ask, "How did you manage to owe White Ghost a debt and still live this long?"
"My debts dying with me..."
Shanks, the subject of their discussion, shook his head frantically and protested over and over.
"Isn't that a little too terrifying?!"
Adrian chuckled softly.
During the Sword Trial Tournament, he had deliberately refrained from troubling Shanks to keep his identity as "White Face" concealed. Even when giving the Swordmasters their daily lessons, he had intentionally avoided Shanks's usual routes.
Aside from when the Red Hair Pirates first landed on Bird Mountain Island, Adrian had not used Observation Haki to track Shanks's every move precisely.
What he had not expected, however, was that during the nearly week-long battle with Whitebeard after the Sword Trial Tournament ended...
Despite knowing his true identity, Shanks