One Piece: I Loaded the Game Panel

BANG!

Doflamingo's right leg, coated in Armament Haki, collided head-on with Adrian's steel-hard fist. The impact boomed like a cannon blast and sent a violent shock wave through the air.

The next instant, Adrian burst into delighted laughter, a flush rising to his fair face.

"Hahahaha! So that's it! [Armament Haki] is just a [medium]!"

He hadn't lost the contest of strength. On the contrary, his fist was still pushing against Doflamingo's right leg!

Against the max-level [Ghost Body], Armament Haki hadn't shown the special effectiveness it was supposed to have. Instead, it was being consumed like a medium!

That was it!

Doflamingo was expending Armament Haki as a medium to let his real body touch Adrian's body beneath [Ghost Body]. That was what was truly happening in their clash!

In other words, Armament Haki dealt no extra damage whatsoever to Ghost Body!

What could actually inflict damage was still the force released by the enemy's own body.

For example.

Suppose an enemy had a base Strength of 200. With the boost from Armament Haki, his Strength rose to 300, and he gained its other benefits as well.

But when fighting Adrian, that enemy would still have only 200 points of real Strength. Armament Haki could provide only the basic effect of [touching the body]. None of its other bonuses applied!

That was Armament Haki's true effect here: a [medium for contact]!

Armament Haki could [touch] a ghost, but touching was all it could do. It offered no additional effects.

Adrian used Demon Swordsman again, swapping places with a Mini Hollow to leave Doflamingo's side.

"Fufufufu... I know who you are now. You're the [White Ghost] from the West Blue, aren't you?"

"That's right, Mr. Doflamingo. But don't you think it's a little late to recognize me?" Adrian raised one hand high. A ghost swelled larger and larger with the motion. "Ready to face your final defeat, Mr. Doflamingo?"

Giant Ghost: Glorious Moment!

Under Doflamingo's cold-sweat-soaked gaze, an enormous white ghost slowly appeared. It blotted out the sky and seemed to cover everything around them.

With what I can do now, there's no way I can stop that!

Doflamingo looked up and roared in despair, "If you want to destroy the Donquixote Family, I at least deserve to know why!"

Pop—

A soft burst sounded.

The giant ghost popped like a balloon. A gale swept across the ground, but caused no harm.

"Just a joke, Mr. Doflamingo." Adrian smiled, clearly in good spirits. "I'm actually here to do business."

Dual-Haki Scrolls

What kind of business negotiation was that?!

Doflamingo twitched a finger, barely suppressing the urge to attack again. He released Sky Walk and dropped back to the ground, then waved all his family officers away.

"Fufufufu... White Ghost, what business would you like to do with the Donquixote Family?"

He was still deeply puzzled by how the [White Ghost] from the West Blue knew he was a Celestial Dragon. But after weighing their relative strength, Doflamingo regained his composure and decided to bury the question.

As long as he isn't an agent sent by the World Government to kill me!

And given that the man had called them "trash who do nothing but eat and wait to die," Doflamingo was fairly sure the legendary White Ghost of the West Blue was no World Government lapdog.

That was enough!

When Doflamingo said nothing about the destroyed auction house or the defeated Donquixote Family members, Adrian immediately understood that he intended to let the matter drop.

He really was an unusual pirate—one who knew when to bend and when to stand firm.

Whether he was the [Heavenly Yaksha] of decades to come or the [sea thug] of today, he had a strong streak of businessman in him.

Adrian smiled casually and landed on the ground as well. He looked at Doflamingo, his gentle voice carrying a note that brooked no argument.

"First, I need to confirm one thing. As the winner, I'm entitled to claim [spoils] from the loser. Correct?"

Doflamingo fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Of course."

Adrian smiled faintly and stated his aim. "Then I want two things: the methods for training Armament Haki and Observation Haki."

"No problem!"

Doflamingo agreed without a moment's hesitation. He even seemed relieved.

He had expected the White Ghost to make an outrageous demand and tear a huge chunk out of the Donquixote Family. Instead, all he wanted were the training methods for two types of Haki.

Training methods for Armament Haki and Observation Haki were rare only in the four outer seas. On the Grand Line, especially in the New World beyond its midpoint, practically everyone had Armament Haki.

Even small-fry pirates scraping by at sea might have a decent command of Haki.

If Doflamingo could settle this incident with nothing more than the training methods for two types of Haki, he couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

"Good. That's my only demand." Adrian beckoned. "Tommy will handle the rest."

Tommy Shelby, who had been watching from a safe distance, finally stepped forward. He stopped before Doflamingo, straightened his clothes and hat, and politely offered his right hand. "Hello, Mr. Doflamingo. I'm Tommy Shelby of the Razor Gang, from the West Blue."

The Razor Gang? Tommy Shelby?

He'd never heard of either.

Doflamingo frowned slightly, but for the White Ghost's sake, he forced himself to shake Tommy's hand.

A little later, Doflamingo entrusted a Donquixote Family officer with hosting Tommy, then extended an invitation to Adrian.

"You must have arrived in the North Blue only recently, White Ghost. You probably haven't tried its local cuisine yet. Would you care to join us for a North Blue banquet?"

This incident was a disaster, but it was also an opportunity.

If Doflamingo could use it to bring a powerful lone operator like the White Ghost into the Donquixote Family, it would be an incredible stroke of luck!

Even if he couldn't, it was well worth establishing a good relationship with the White Ghost now.

That night, in the central tower on Stride Island.

A long table occupied much of the vast banquet hall, laden with every kind of North Blue delicacy. Cellared wines from islands across the North Blue were carried in and out in a steady stream.

On the stage before the table, a group of scantily clad women wore silver-threaded high heels and vivid dancers' skirts. Their waists swayed like snakes, and their rippling curves were mesmerizing.

There was no denying it: Doflamingo knew how to enjoy himself better than anyone else in the world of pirates!

At least when it came to women!

Adrian kept his composure and politely enjoyed the North Blue dishes before him, occasionally lifting his eyes to admire the graceful dancing close at hand.

"Fufufufu... Tastes good, doesn't it, Adrian? Won't you have some wine?"

Doflamingo approached with a wineglass in one hand and an alluring, lightly dressed beauty tucked under his other arm. He greeted Adrian as the host of the banquet.

"I don't smoke, and I only drink a little."

Adrian raised a hand in refusal.

"Besides, I'd rather get the training methods for the two types of Haki as soon as possible than satisfy my appetite."

"Fufufufu... They've been ready for a while." Doflamingo took a brand-new black notebook from inside his coat and handed it to Adrian. "These are my insights and experiences training Armament Haki and Observation Haki. They also include plenty of notes from Trebol and the others."

Truth be told, Doflamingo still found it hard to believe that the White Ghost didn't know Haki. He had been defeated by someone who couldn't use it.

Adrian pulled out a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth. Then he accepted the notebook and flipped through a few pages.

The ink on the clean white pages still looked fresh. This "Haki Training Manual" had only just been written.

At the same time, a notification appeared on his panel.

[Skill scrolls [Armament Haki] and [Observation Haki] obtained. Learn them now?]

[Note: Learning them directly costs 4 Skill Points. Studying them independently can reduce the corresponding Skill Point cost.]

Skill scrolls I can learn by spending Skill Points?

That was a first.

It looked like Doflamingo hadn't tried any tricks. He'd put real effort into making the notes thorough...

Adrian suppressed the urge to learn both types of Haki immediately and gave Doflamingo a slight nod.

"I'll be staying in the North Blue for a while. I hope the Razor Gang and the Donquixote Family can work well together."

"Fufufufu... Here's to a fruitful partnership!"

Doflamingo laughed freely, raised his wineglass, and drained it in one gulp.

With the training methods for both types of Haki in hand, learning them was only a matter of time. Adrian had largely accomplished what he had come to the North Blue to do.

While Tommy devoted himself to negotiating an arms-trade agreement with the Donquixote Family officers, Adrian carefully studied the Haki notes in a training room prepared for him.

Several days passed in a flash.

The Razor Gang and the Donquixote Family had largely settled the terms of their cooperation, and Tommy had purchased a substantial supply of firearms. Adrian said goodbye to Stride Island and the Donquixote Family, then formally began his tour of the North Blue to harvest experience.

The enthusiasm of the North Blue players nearly overwhelmed Adrian. They had thought the Big Bad was a perk reserved for West Blue players. Who would have guessed he would come to the North Blue too?

Before long, the North Blue players' accumulated experience and Beli flowed into Adrian's pockets like water.

After visiting every starter island in the North Blue, Adrian headed for the East Blue as planned and continued harvesting experience.

The East Blue

Sea Circle Calendar, year 1499.

The East Blue.

Mirapar Island was a prosperous island of moderate size, known for its glassware and trendy clothing. It also had a DOSKOI PANDA flagship store that was famous throughout the East Blue.

Recently, however, a large number of strangely behaved drifters had appeared on Mirapar Island out of nowhere, causing considerable trouble for public order.

The island's longtime residents soon discovered that although these drifters were a little weak, a little short, and a little ugly...

They were good-hearted, at least. They were especially eager to help, practically competing to take care of every problem in town, big or small.

Those "drifters" in the residents' eyes were, of course, players!

Mirapar Island was one of the starter islands in the East Blue.

At that very moment, East Blue and South Blue players were arguing fiercely on the official game forum.

The debate had begun to simmer as soon as Adrian appeared in the North Blue. Once he finished visiting its last starter island, though, the argument between East Blue and South Blue players reached a fever pitch.

Since the Big Bad's appearance in the North Blue, the players had become certain of one thing: he didn't belong exclusively to any one outer sea. He might well visit all four.

Which sea would the Big Bad visit first after leaving the North Blue? That had become the players' favorite argument lately.

Some gamblers had even started betting pools on the forum over which sea he would appear in next.

The forum moderators quickly locked those threads, but the players' enthusiasm didn't fade in the slightest.

Just then, a flood of new posts appeared in the forum's East Blue section. Their varied contents could be summed up in one sentence:

"The Big Bad is in the East Blue!"

A short while earlier.

Adrian had arrived from the North Blue and descended slowly onto an empty stretch of coast on Mirapar Island.

Compared with the chilly North Blue, the East Blue was pleasantly warm. A gentle breeze blew in from the azure ocean, carrying a little of the sun's warmth and the sea's dampness. It was enough to make anyone feel pleasantly lazy.

Adrian opened the East Blue section of the game forum and skimmed it. "The East Blue has quite a few starter islands, too. It's been almost three months since the open beta began. Plenty of players have learned skills, and many have successfully chosen their main class. Looks like I'll have to pick up the pace."

Then he glanced at the total experience on his panel, and his mood brightened further.

After advancing to [Sword Master], Adrian had reached level 41. He had completed quite a few quests and encountered plenty of events since then, but he had held off on leveling up.

At low levels, holding back levels to farm experience made little difference. Leveling up didn't require that much experience anyway.

But after reaching level 41, Adrian had figured out the trick of holding his level back to farm experience without anyone teaching him.

Between the battle at Loguetown, killing Gecko Moria, defeating Doflamingo, and the experience he had harvested from players, Adrian estimated that his trip through the East Blue would give him enough experience to reach level 60.

All in all, players were still his biggest source of experience!