Chapter 46

Seeing Koshiro finally lose his unruffled composure, Adrian could not help feeling amused.

Sorry, but with the panel helping me and my Intelligence stat through the roof, I really do learn this fast!

At that moment, the panel displayed new skill information.

[You have acquired the Armament Haki trait: Ryuo!]

[[Ryuo]: Armament Haki in motion. While strengthening the user's offense and defense, it allows them to release a damaging force with their bare fists, striking an opponent without direct contact.]

Reading the panel's description of Ryuo, Adrian frowned slightly.

"Ryuo only lets me use [Remote Strike]? That seems a little different from what I expected..."

Noticing his expression, Koshiro asked, "Does something feel wrong, Tao Ya?"

Adrian collected himself. "It's like this, Master Koshiro."

He picked up a spare cushion and tossed it into the air, then activated his newly acquired Ryuo.

His Haki-coated fist shot toward the gray cushion. Without touching it, he punched a huge hole through its center, leaving white cotton exposed along the ragged edges.

Koshiro's eye twitched as he looked at his cushion with a pang of regret.

Adrian withdrew his Haki. "Ryuo seems to be limited to [Remote Strike]?"

"Yes," Koshiro replied. "Did I not mention that detail earlier?"

Adrian hesitated. "I thought Ryuo would be more powerful... That it could do something like [Internal Destruction]..."

"[Ryuo] is simply another name for Armament Haki. The Shimotsuki Family follows the tradition of Wano Country, so that is what we have always called it," Koshiro explained. "As for the [Internal Destruction] you mentioned, Tao Ya, that is a more advanced form of Armament Haki. I cannot help you with that."

"Because... I cannot do it either."

Return to West Blue

Adrian's face darkened. Koshiro's "I cannot do it either" had nearly broken his composure.

He let out a long breath before asking, "Master Koshiro, do you know how to train the Armament Haki needed for [Internal Destruction]?"

Koshiro shook his head. "I do not. My father never told me anything about it, either."

Adrian was a little disappointed, but learning how to cultivate [Ryuo] from Koshiro had already been an unexpected boon. He had only asked on the off chance Koshiro knew.

After a little more conversation, Adrian formally took his leave of Koshiro.

He had originally planned to head straight for South Blue after harvesting player experience in East Blue, but the sudden advancement quest had disrupted his plans.

Before he knew it, Adrian had spent nearly two months in East Blue. That was far too long.

By his rough reckoning, it had been almost half a year since the open beta began!

He did not need to guess: the experience he could gain from players in South Blue would be lower than in the other three Blues. Much lower!

In that case, I'll head back to West Blue first! There's something I've been meaning to do there anyway!

As for standing up the South Blue players yet again...

I've already kept them waiting over a month. A little longer shouldn't matter, right?

Adrian thought this without a shred of shame.

Several days later, in West Blue.

Flower Country.

Setting foot in Flower Country for the third time left Adrian with a feeling he could not quite describe.

The first time, he had come to meet closed-beta players and accidentally killed the Second Treasure Navy's leader.

The second time, he had come to harvest open-beta players and, again by accident, killed the Second Treasure Navy's leader. He had also taken out a large number of its rank-and-file members while he was at it.

Now he was here for a third time...

Hopefully, no one from the Second Treasure Navy would show up again!

Adrian intended to slip in quietly and keep out of trouble.

Meanwhile.

Flower Country.

Phoenix Mountain.

Golden sunlight fell across towering peaks that pierced the clouds, setting their snowy cliffs aglow.

At the summit stood a strangely shaped boulder, like a golden phoenix giving its first cry. Below, the mist had lifted from a vast sea of trees at the mountain's foot. Amid the lush greenery stood a cluster of old-fashioned buildings with intricately carved eaves.

This was the Happo Navy's stronghold—Phoenix Mountain!

At Phoenix Mountain's summit, before the golden phoenix boulder, stood an enormous fortified hall.

A dark-skinned man in rough cloth clothes hurried across its broad central square, his face tense.

Moments later, he reached an old-fashioned Mansion and went inside. At the door to the main room, he called, "Report! I have urgent news for Lord Bean!"

One of the many guards stationed nearby stepped forward, looked him over, and went inside to report. Before long, the guard returned and ushered him in.

A plump man was eating in the hall. Without looking up, he asked, "What is it?"

"Lord Bean, it's White Ghost!" the dark-skinned man said. "Some of our men spotted him at the docks again!"

The plump man looked up at once, revealing his face. It was broad and round, with narrow eyes that became mere slits when he smiled. His cheeks were so full that he looked like a kindly Maitreya Buddha.

But this "Maitreya Buddha" was not smiling now. His brows were drawn together.

"Are you sure it was White Ghost? Why has that walking disaster come back to Flower Country? Is he here to make trouble for those fools in the Second Treasure Navy again?" As the Happo Navy's acting leader, Tsai Dou could not ignore this news.

"That... I don't know, sir."

Then Tsai Dou's expression shifted, and he grinned. "If they do fight, it'll be worth watching! If another Second Treasure leader gets killed, they might even lose their designation!"

The dark-skinned man gave an obliging smile. "Lord Bean, should we tell the Huo Family?"

"Why tell them? Can't we just enjoy the show? Those ugly bastards in the Huo Family fool around despite faces only a mother could love. Both their leaders just had to build themselves harems! Now they've finally run into someone they can't handle. I've been sick of them for ages."

The dark-skinned man did not dare say a word.

After muttering to himself for a while, Tsai Dou asked, "By the way, do you know why White Ghost clashed with Hog in the first place?"

"I asked a tavern owner about that once, sir," the dark-skinned man said quickly. "It started when a Second Treasure Navy captain got drunk and harassed White Ghost's female companion. White Ghost put him down on the spot. Hog happened to pass by and saw it, and then... well, that was that..."

"Hah!" Tsai Dou laughed, shaking his head. "I knew it. All because he couldn't keep it in his pants!"

The dark-skinned man's expression flickered, but he did not respond.

There were things the leader could say that he could not. He could not even agree with them.

Tsai Dou rose and paced around the room.

After some thought, he said, "Pass the word to our men starting today. Whatever that walking disaster White Ghost wants to do, the Happo Navy saw nothing. Even if he kills another Second Treasure leader, we pretend nothing happened.

"Old Chinjao's reputation should still carry some weight. White Ghost probably won't provoke the Happo Navy for no reason. If he does... go straight to the Jade Treasure Ice Bed and drag that broken-spirited old ghost out!"

The dark-skinned man wanted to speak, but did not dare.

Not one member of the Happo Navy failed to respect Chinjao. He had been defeated, yes, but that depended on who had beaten him.

The man who defeated Chinjao was the Hero of the Marines, Garp!

The lifelong rival of Pirate King Roger!

So even now, Chinjao's standing within the Happo Navy remained remarkably high.

But when a son insulted his father...

The dark-skinned man dared not interfere.

"I have a feeling that walking disaster White Ghost is up to no good this time," Tsai Dou muttered. "Last time, he suddenly went looking for those drifters. What was that about? Why would someone as strong as him pay any attention to people who can't even lift a sword? Why can't I shake this uneasy feeling..."

By then, Tsai Dou had reached the rear courtyard. Seeing the dark-skinned man still following him, he stared. "Why are you still here? Want to sleep with me? Get lost!"

Exhausted by the ordeal, the dark-skinned man felt as though he had been pardoned and turned to leave.

Just then, another member of the Happo Navy entered to report.

"Lord Bean! There's a stranger outside asking for you! He says he's—White Ghost!"

Tsai Dou, who had been about to go inside, exchanged a look with the dark-skinned man as he turned back. Speak of the devil.

The Happo Navy

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Steady footsteps echoed across the empty square, carrying far through the stillness.

Dressed in a casual black suit, Adrian walked upright and unhurried behind a Happo Navy guard. Now and then, he glanced around at the fortified buildings with interest, his bearing as calm as a windless lake.

After crossing the square, they arrived at the Mansion. The tall, sturdy guard gestured toward its entrance. "Lord Bean is waiting inside."

"Thank you."

Adrian gave the guard a slight nod and said no more.

He climbed the stone steps and entered. At last, he met the man he had heard so much about: the "acting leader of the Happo Navy" and "Chinjao's son"—Tsai Dou.

At first glance, his appearance suited his name.

Both his body and his head were round and comfortably well-fed. He looked shrewd and worldly, without a trace of the bluster one might expect from a Pirates leader.

Adrian smiled politely at Tsai Dou. "Good morning, acting leader of the Happo Navy."

Tsai Dou invited Adrian to sit, then summoned an attendant to bring tea and refreshments for them both.

"What brings you back to Flower Country, White Ghost? There are many people here who would like to teach you a lesson you won't forget. Especially the Second Treasure Navy."

Adrian answered Tsai Dou's question with a faint smile.

"Other than the Happo Navy, I've never taken any of Flower Country's navies seriously, least of all the Second Treasure Navy after I've beaten them. They've changed leaders twice in a row. I wonder if they still have the nerve to come after me. If they do, I won't mind making them appoint another one."

White Ghost's casual words sharpened Tsai Dou's gaze. He lowered his head and took a sip of tea, hiding the change in his expression.

So he really has come looking for trouble...

I knew this man was a walking disaster...

Adrian came straight to the point. "I came to Flower Country for one reason: to request an audience with your navy's twelfth leader, Chinjao the Drill!"

"You want to see that rotten old— ahem, my father?"

Tsai Dou froze and nearly choked on his tea before correcting himself.

"Yes," Adrian said.

Tsai Dou nodded slightly, but did not give him an answer yet.

"May I ask why you wish to see my father? Since Monkey D. Garp of the Marines defeated him, he has lived in seclusion at the Jade Treasure Ice Bed in Flower Country's far north. He has taken no interest in outside affairs, and aside from members of the Happo Navy, he hasn't seen a visitor in years."

Adrian's eyes brightened. "As it happens, that is precisely why I'm here."

When Adrian first came to Flower Country, he had considered the Armament Haki wielded here, especially by the Happo Navy.

But he had been much weaker then, and the Hollow-Hollow Fruit—the only power he could rely on—was nowhere near as developed as it was now. Approaching the Happo Navy rashly would have been a terrible idea!

Things were different now.

He had become a Swordmaster and mastered Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and even the more advanced Ryuo. He also possessed two top-tier fruit abilities...

With that strength, he might not match the sea's true elite, but he could at least put up a fight against Chinjao the Drill, who had lost his fighting spirit!

Besides, Adrian had no intention of forcing the issue.

"I heard stories about the Jade Treasure Ice Bed of Flower Country while traveling the seas," Adrian said, launching into his prepared remarks. "They say it holds countless treasures of gold and silver..."

The Jade Treasure Ice Bed was one of Flower Country's distinctive sights.

Because of the year-round cold, a natural frozen continent had formed in the country's far north. Its ice was far harder than ordinary steel.

Neither fire, axes and hammers, nor even cannon fire could break so much as a tiny notch in it.

To shatter it, one had to focus all one's strength on a single point and drive an immense force into the frozen continent. Only then might it open.

Thanks to Chinjao's uniquely shaped Drillhead and his mastery of Armament Haki, which could nearly rival the experts of the New World, that once-useless expanse of ice had become the [Jade Treasure Ice Bed], where the Happo Navy stored centuries of accumulated treasure!

For decades, only Chinjao's Drillhead had been able to pierce the thick ice and open it.

But ever since Garp flattened his head with a punch, the "Dragon Without a Drill" had been unable to retrieve the treasure beneath the Jade Treasure Ice Bed.