Chapter 32
Gion's speech became increasingly fluent, slowly recovering the true bearing of the Marine Headquarters' [Flower on the Ridge].
"['Scarface'] Capone Bell, ['Bandit'] Capone Bege, and Hog, the Pillar of the Second Treasure Navy of the Flower Country—you've already dealt with several Great Pirates, Tao Ya."
"It's nothing special," Adrian said nonchalantly. "They were just a few local underworld bosses making trouble in the West Blue."
"I really want to say that to the local Marines of the West Blue!" The admiration in Gion's eyes grew even more intense.
"The Marines? Miss Tao Zhi..."
Adrian was somewhat surprised. Was she not planning to continue this role-playing game? He had not had his fill yet.
"Let's get reacquainted, Your Excellency, the renowned [White Ghost]." Smiling, Gion extended her delicate hand, her skin as smooth as condensed cream. "I'm Marine Headquarters Colonel Gion."
Adrian raised his right hand, then glanced at Gion and shook his head slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Gion felt a little awkward. She secretly glanced at her palm but saw nothing dirty on it. Nor had any unexpected "sweaty palms" situation occurred...
Adrian sighed. "I feel inexplicably regretful."
"Regretful about what?"
"The progress is simply too fast."
"?"
"I never expected my first time holding Miss Tao Zhi's hand to be because of such a ridiculous reason... But please take my first time away. I've never even held a girl's hand before!"
Adrian delivered Master Azusagawa's classic line and smoothly took Gion's fingertips in his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Gion. I'm Adrian."
"...I never gave you permission to hold it for this long."
"I want to hold it."
"..."
Gion bashfully raised her eyes, but immediately suppressed that girlish demeanor.
"Adrian, may I call you that?"
"Of course, Gion." Adrian went with the flow and took the opportunity to draw their forms of address closer.
"Do you have... any plans to join the Marines?"
Hmm?
Adrian had not expected Gion, who had always displayed such high emotional intelligence, to say something so mood-killing at a moment overflowing with tenderness.
He released her hand and simultaneously reined in the gentle smile on his face. His expression turned cold. "Sorry, Gion. I think I just saw two somewhat familiar figures. Please allow me to leave for a moment."
As he spoke, Adrian suddenly vanished from in front of Gion. He moved so quickly that she could not react at all.
The young Momousagi left behind lowered her head blankly to look at her right hand, then raised her eyes toward the empty space ahead. Her gaze became confused and hollow.
Had she just been taken advantage of by this bastard, only to be abandoned immediately afterward?
Adrian really had not deliberately shaken Gion off!
Really!
He could swear on the Fine Longsword he had just sold to Boss Ipponmatsu!
There was only one reason he had done it.
Adrian had genuinely seen two extremely familiar figures—especially the short, slender one on the right, who wore sandals and an open shirt: the "Straw Hat Boy"!
The Destined Protagonist of the next decade or more—
Monkey D. —
Sorry, wrong one. Let's start over.
The Destined Protagonist of the next decade or more, who inherited the true will of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, gathered elite companions from the Four Blues and the Grand Line, aspired to become the freest pirate on the seas, challenged powerful enemies along the way, and successfully ascended to the position of Emperor of the Sea—
Red-Haired Shanks!
The genuine article!
The Second Generation!
The "Straw Hat Boy"!
To be perfectly honest, Adrian truly believed that, over the next decade or so—at least the next sixteen years—Shanks would unquestionably be the "protagonist of the world"! (Note)
A crew member of the Pirate King, a mysterious background, (possibly) the World's Second Greatest Swordsman, the Fourth Emperor of the Sea, the Mountain Bandit King (crossed out), the defeated subordinate of the Lord of the Coast, a user of the Face-Granting Fruit...
Far too many incredible things had happened to Shanks—things that could leave the entire world dumbfounded.
The most astonishing of all was that he had become the [Fourth Emperor of the Sea] with nothing more than an ordinary human body!
Just look at what the other Four Emperors were!
[Remnant of the Old Era], [World's Strongest], [Tremor-Tremor Fruit User] Edward Newgate, Whitebeard;
[Immortal Monster], [Strongest Creature], [Azure Dragon Fruit User] Kaido of the Beasts;
[Natural Destroyer], [Queen of Totto Land], [Soul-Soul Fruit User] BIG MOM, Charlotte Linlin.
But what was the strongest aspect of "Red-Haired" Shanks?
[Conqueror's Haki], and [Swordplay].
The former was rare, but not nonexistent. According to the twelfth-generation Pillar of the Happo Navy, who did not wish to reveal his name, users of Conqueror's Haki in the New World were as plentiful as crucian carp crossing a river.
The latter was even more common. Almost every pirate who went to sea knew a few decent sword techniques. The only difference was how strong they were.
Yet "Red-Haired Shanks" had relied on these two unremarkable abilities to become the Fourth Emperor—and also the [Youngest], [Fruitless], and, especially, [One-Armed] Emperor of the Sea!
What did that mean?
It meant...
It meant he definitely had a huge number of specialties!
And most of them were definitely top-tier specialties no weaker than [Three Thousand Styles]!
What happiness could there be in flirting with a beautiful woman who lacked any tact and only wanted to recruit him into the Marines, compared with becoming the simp of a future legend and Emperor of the Sea in the New World?!
As the saying went, wealth was sought through devotion!
As for the person beside him, bearing the titles [A Name Forbidden When Reversed], [Conqueror's Luck], [Swordsman Bane], [World-Class Super Streamer], [Strength Entirely Relies on Imagination], [Thousand-Gold Clown], [King of the Real Economy], and [Leader of Common Prosperity]...
Your mother's maidservant, how did Buggy have more titles than Shanks?!
Caught off guard, Adrian lost sight of Shanks and Buggy in his daze. When he came back to himself, he could not help feeling regretful.
"Should I go back and continue flirting with Gion? Nah, forget it. I'd probably get cut down... Huh, wait. Who else have I found?"
[Chapter 57: The Future Big Shots]
The person who appeared in Adrian's field of vision was a young man of average build with short black hair.
He wore nothing on his upper body except a dark-red windbreaker with a tulip pattern. A golden cross necklace hung around his neck, while he wore black trousers and black short boots.
Compared with the young man's distinctive hook-shaped sideburns, his bright yellow-brown eyes were even more memorable. They were as sharp as a hawk's eyes.
Dracule Mihawk!
The regret in Adrian's heart vanished instantly. It was true that "Red-Haired" definitely possessed a large number of high-level specialties, but the number of high-level specialties attached to "Hawk-Eye" was probably no smaller!
Especially specialties related to swordsmanship!
After all, this was the future [World's Greatest Swordsman]!
Just then, Mihawk also noticed someone observing him, and his gaze met Adrian's head-on.
"Hmm? A decent swordsman, and a decent blade."
After looking him up and down, a glint flashed in Mihawk's sharp hawk-like eyes. His straight sword brows rose high, and with a clang, he drew the longsword at his waist and pointed it at Adrian.
"Interested in a little spar, stranger?"
"Of course." Adrian raised an eyebrow and replied readily.
As a swordsman who had just obtained a fine Skillful Grade blade, he could not possibly refuse a request to "test the blade"!
As Yubashiri left its sheath, it lightly clashed with Mihawk's sword several times in the air, ringing with the sharp sound of metal.
"What are you doing! No troublemaking within Loguetown!"
Several Marines wielding fire pistols and longswords rushed forward and used their bodies to separate Adrian and Hawk-Eye. The Marine leading them was Bellemere, whom Adrian had happened to glimpse at the docks earlier.
Mihawk retorted, "What's wrong with swordsmen sparring with each other?"
"It's absolutely wrong!" Bellemere rebuked him with considerable force. She stared at Mihawk without the slightest trace of weakness and said, "Loguetown prohibits all troublemaking during this period. If there's a next time, I'll send both of you to prison to cool your heads for a while! In the name of Marine justice!"
Mihawk gave a contemptuous laugh. He looked at Adrian and asked, "Hey, still interested in finding somewhere else to spar?"
But Adrian had sunk into a strange gloom, murmuring something too quietly for anyone to make out.
"My eyes... My eyes... I admit defeat... Jealousy is making me split apart at the cellular level... Kneel and ask my mother... I'm despairing. I'm despairing over this world that only looks at high-level specialties... My nose is aching. It feels so painful... I'm utterly grief-stricken... Having a specialty like this must be a [Forbidden Matter] even among transmigrators..."
The reason Adrian had shown such an expression was naturally that he had seen Mihawk's status panel—and that extraordinary specialty!
A swordsman at level 60+...
After all, Mihawk was already nineteen this year. In a world where everyone typically went to sea at seventeen, it was understandable for a nineteen-year-old to be a Swordmaster, especially when he was the future World's Greatest Swordsman.
But could someone tell him what the hell the [Born Swordsman] specialty was?
[[Born Swordsman]—Specialty: Born from the sword, dies by the sword. Reduces the experience required to level up the Swordsman Class by 20%.]
To hell with "Gion"!
To hell with "Red-Haired"!
I swear that, for the rest of my life, I'll only simp for Hawk-Eye Mihawk!
Having made up his mind, Adrian was just about to properly communicate and build a relationship with Mihawk when he looked up and discovered that Hawk-Eye—
No, his idol, had already vanished.
"Idol—bah! Where did that man I just crossed swords with go?"
"He left ages ago!" Bellemere looked extremely impatient.
"Could you tell me which direction he left in?" Adrian was equally anxious.
"Don't change the subject on me! Did you hear what I just said? If you cause trouble in public again during this period, I'll definitely throw you in prison!"
Adrian, who had completely ignored Bellemere's words, left directly. He was in a hurry to simp for Hawk-Eye's specialties!
Unfortunately, his idol had long since disappeared into the crowd...
Over the next several days, Adrian did not encounter Hawk-Eye Mihawk even once. He did not run into Shanks or Buggy again, either.
As for the other future big shots, Adrian did see quite a few.
For example, Donquixote Doflamingo, who wore dark sunglasses over his eyes, protective goggles tied around his forehead, and a pink feather coat, and walked with extraordinary arrogance;
For example, Crocodile, who had a retro slicked-back purple hairstyle, wore a black fur coat, and smoked a cigar, his face not yet bearing the horizontal scar that would divide it;
Adrian even happened to encounter a long-admired figure...
A famous movie star, part-time kindergarten principal, occasional singing-and-dancing performer, and author of works including "Kawaii," "Waiting for Rayleigh," "Structure and Footwork," and "Beckman on the Mast"...
That's right, Adrian was talking about (Monkey D.) Kizaru—Borsalino.
The two had run into each other in a shop at Loguetown's shopping center. Borsalino, dressed in a white suit and disguised as an ordinary tourist, enthusiastically recommended a pair of semitransparent yellow sunglasses to Adrian.
In fact, Adrian should have realized as soon as Gion appeared in Loguetown that there would definitely be quite a few Marines gathered there. But he had not expected so many big shots to arrive...
Loguetown Marine Base, top office.
"Tsuru, have you found any tasty snacks lately? I'm almost tired of nori-flavored senbei."
In full view of everyone, the legendary [Navy Hero], [Light of the East Blue], Monkey D. Garp bit into the senbei in his hand, sending crumbs flying everywhere, and spoke somewhat indistinctly.
"Garp, can't you pay a little more attention to your image in front of the branch Marines?"
The fifty-two-year-old Marine Vice Admiral and Headquarters staff officer, "Tsuru," rubbed her forehead helplessly.