Pirate: I Loaded the Game Panel

Back then, players from other regions had even joined in to mock the South Blue players for being abandoned by Big Fatal.

But who would have thought Big Fatal would actually come to the South Blue?

Some players felt Big Fatal had toyed with them and wounded their pride. They declared they would never learn skills from him again.

Plenty of low-level newbies still waited eagerly for his arrival, though. Who cared about pride when learning a useful skill mattered more?

Amid these mixed reactions, Adrian set off at a brisk pace to harvest experience from the South Blue's beginner islands.

Things went much as he had expected. Most South Blue players had already changed classes, so although they had accumulated plenty of experience, their enthusiasm for spending it had waned. His total haul was only about half what he had earned in the East Blue.

Still, he had finally finished visiting every beginner village in the outer seas. Adrian felt no small sense of accomplishment.

Justice's Massacre

South Blue.

Dorea Island.

It was a peaceful, predominantly rural island, crisscrossed by mountains and rising from west to east. The World Government Member State of Saint Dorea ruled it.

After leaving the South Blue's last beginner island, Adrian quietly landed on an uninhabited stretch of Dorea Island's coast.

He wore a gray-white Balmacaan coat, left open to reveal a matching cashmere vest, a white shirt, and a gray spotted tie. A black fedora sat lightly on his head, giving him an easygoing, sunny air.

Gazing at the peaceful town in the distance, Adrian stretched at length.

"The South Blue is pretty much done. Next comes the trip to the Grand Line. I wonder if changing maps will trigger any new missions. I'm looking forward to it..."

Adrian followed the coastal path toward town alone. A warm sea breeze brushed his face, and tall reeds swayed in the wind.

But as he drew closer, Observation Haki suddenly picked up wave after wave of panicked "voices."

"Pirates again?" Adrian frowned. "Pirates have been showing up far too often lately. Is this what I should expect from the Great Pirate Era?"

With that thought, he quickened his pace toward town.

To his surprise, the troublemakers were not pirates. They were Marines in white uniforms!

On the town's main avenue, squad after squad of Marines carrying long muskets hurried through the crowd under the orders of a senior officer wearing a Justice Coat.

The townspeople's expressions made it clear how much they hated this search!

"Excuse me, what happened?"

Adrian tapped a spectator on the shoulder and asked.

"It's because of the Pirate King..."

The man had barely turned around and spoken half a sentence when he saw Adrian's clothes. His face changed instantly, and he fled without looking back.

"Was that really necessary? At least finish your sentence before you run!"

Left with no choice, Adrian activated Observation Haki and quietly listened for information among the crowd.

"The Pirate King," "Gol D. Roger," "pregnant women..."

Before long, Adrian had pieced together what was happening.

It's... the Orphaned Child Incident!

Some time earlier.

After Roger's execution, the World Government and the Marines had thought they could finally breathe easy. Then they received intelligence from Cipher Pol.

According to the report, Pirate King Roger might have left a child who was still alive.

After a thorough investigation, Cipher Pol had determined that the child was likely in the South Blue, where the Pirate King had spent the final part of his life.

Orders came down at once from the Five Elders, the highest authority. The Marines were to assist Cipher Pol in searching the entire South Blue. They had to find Roger's child and extinguish that wicked bloodline before it could take root!

If they could not identify the child for certain, then...

Kill every suspicious pregnant woman!

After fiercely protesting to no avail, Fleet Admiral Kong had no choice but to send Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Sakazuki, Marine Headquarters Colonel Doberman, and others to the South Blue to support Cipher Pol's operation.

What was happening on Dorea Island was just one glimpse of the chaos engulfing the South Blue.

"Roger's era is over. We must root out his bloodline!" On the town's main avenue, Colonel Doberman, his black hair tousled and a toothpick in his mouth, barked orders at the Marines around him. "From this moment on, investigate every baby born within ten months of his imprisonment, and every pregnant woman!"

"Kill any suspicious preg—"

Thud!

A vicious kick sent Colonel Doberman flying. He smashed through several houses before hitting the ground and vomiting a mouthful of blood. A deep hollow marked the chest of his dark suit where the kick had landed. He was clearly badly wounded.

"Who did you say you were going to kill, you Marine scum?"

Adrian stood on the main avenue, his face grim. He watched Colonel Doberman continue to cough up blood and slowly lowered his right foot.

"Can you still call yourself 'Justice' after saying that? Or do you think slaughtering unarmed pregnant civilians is the Marines' justice? Is it yours?"

Even across eight hundred years of World Government and Marine atrocities, the Orphaned Child Incident unfolding in the South Blue would rank among the worst!

Adrian would not regret stepping in, even if it meant being branded a pirate!

There were lines a person simply could not cross!

"Cough—" Colonel Doberman spat another mouthful of blood. He forced himself up from the rubble despite his injuries and looked at Adrian with wary fear. "Who are you? Why are you interfering with the Marines and the World Government?"

Adrian glanced around. Marines who met his eyes gripped their muskets tighter, their legs trembling. The townspeople, panicked moments ago, now looked hopeful, as though they had found a savior.

"Me?" Adrian's expression eased, and he gave a quiet laugh. "Until today, I was just a Pirate Hunter who liked fighting evil with evil. What I become after today is for you 'just' Marines to decide."

At that moment, a notification appeared on his panel.

[You have triggered the B-rank random mission Justice's Massacre!]

[Mission description: The World Government has ruled the world for nearly eight hundred years. Having learned that Gol D. Roger left a child behind, it will not allow another great king of the seas to rise and challenge its position! The order has come from the highest authority: the Pirate King's wicked bloodline must not survive!

Better to kill ten thousand by mistake than let one escape!]

[Mission hint: Justice? What a fine-sounding word!]

[Mission requirements: Unknown]

[Mission reward: Unknown]

Colonel Doberman roared, "Eliminating the Pirate King's wicked bloodline is the Marines' Absolute Justice! Pirate Hunter, do you really intend to defy orders from the Marines and the World Government?"

Adrian gave a cold laugh and did not bother answering.

He raised his right hand high and activated his power.

White Ghost: Mist Theater!

Layers of white ghosts surged from the void, covering the entire town like a thick fog. From afar, it looked as though a vast white circular theater had been lowered over the island.

Through the ghosts' eyes, Adrian carefully identified everyone within the Mist Theater. He singled out every Marine and World Government Agent, then activated another ability.

Dream Ghost: Sleeping Curse!

Adrian vs. Sakazuki

Thud, thud...

Under the Dream Ghosts' influence, Marines and World Government Agents fell one after another like wheat before a scythe. Every one of them lay with their eyes shut, deeply unconscious.

Colonel Doberman, whom Adrian had deliberately spared, watched his fellow Marines collapse. His expression shifted. "Pirate Hunter, you dare slaughter—"

"Relax! I'm not some inhuman executioner!" Adrian cut him off coldly. "They're all fine!"

Dream Ghost: Sleeping Curse was one of Adrian's newly developed ghost abilities. As its name suggested, these ghosts sent people into a deep sleep.

After all, the tragedy on Dorea Island had not happened yet. Adrian could not bring himself to kill every Marine and World Government Agent there before they had committed those atrocities.

If he did, how would he be any different from them?

"Who is interfering with the Marines and the World Government?"

A furious shout rang out like a great bell. An intensely hot presence erupted from the south of town, and thick smoke billowed skyward alongside a spray of magma.

"Sakazuki!"

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"

Adrian and Colonel Doberman reacted at once. Adrian's brow tightened; Doberman looked overjoyed.

If Adrian fought Akainu inside this town, everything he had just done would be for nothing.

The townspeople, the unconscious Marines, and the Government Agents would all be reduced to ash by the searing magma!

With that thought, Adrian made his decision. He dismissed the Mist Theater, left the badly wounded Colonel Doberman behind, and raced toward the source of the magma.

Sakazuki sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching rapidly through Observation Haki. He waited where he stood and soon saw Adrian arrive.

"So you're the one interfering with the Marines?"

As the words left his mouth, a cold glint flashed in Sakazuki's eyes. He leaped up, his right arm transforming into a massive magma fist, and brought it down on Adrian with terrifying heat and force.

Great Eruption!

Adrian's gaze remained cool, his expression unchanged. Facing that monstrous fist of magma, he simply raised his right hand.

White Ghost: Fair-Weather Doll!

Hundreds of white ghosts sprang from the void and swarmed Sakazuki like insects answering an absolute command.

Demon Swordsman!

In the next instant, Adrian used his ability to switch places with a white ghost.

At the same time, he drew Yubashiri and coated it with the Ryuo and Black Jade properties of Armament Haki!

Boom!

The magma fist crashed down, striking empty air.

Slash!

A fierce sword strike erupted toward Sakazuki's body.

"Armament Haki!"

Sakazuki's eyes darkened as he sensed the danger coming from Yubashiri's blade.

With a low shout, he coated his body in Armament Haki and used the explosive movement of Soru to leap clear of the sword's path.

But the white ghosts Adrian had summoned were not just for show!

Demon Swordsman!

Adrian used his ability again, switching places with the white ghost closest to Sakazuki.

Yubashiri, coated in black Armament Haki, swept toward Sakazuki once more with unstoppable force.

Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. Demon Swordsman had caught him off guard the first time, but now he was ready. He coated his right fist in Armament Haki and met Yubashiri's edge head-on.

Clang!

The two powerful forces collided in midair with an explosive report, like thunder meeting fire.

A violent shock wave spread outward, kicking up clouds of dust. When the dust settled, a huge ring-shaped crater marked where the two men had stood.

Just then, Sakazuki's eyes turned cold. His free left hand rapidly transformed into magma and shot forward, stretching toward Adrian with blinding speed.

Hell Hound!

Pfft!

The searing magma punched straight through an innocent-looking white ghost. It waved its translucent arms, emerging from the attack unharmed.

Magma could not hurt a ghost immune to physical attacks!

Mini Hollow: Nova Fire!

At Adrian's thought, countless white lights appeared around him and became hundreds of spherical Mini Hollows. They launched a saturation bombardment at his enemy.

Boom, boom, boom!

The dense barrage struck Sakazuki's magma body, blowing out only a few insignificant gaps that quickly closed. Flecks of magma splashed onto the ground nearby, scorching it and sending up thin curls of black smoke.

Ghost bombs could not stop a Logia Devil Fruit user either!

They had exchanged several attacks in mere seconds. Every move in that brief clash had carried deadly danger.

Sakazuki shook out his hand and let its magma form recede. He looked up, his gaze icy. "So it's you—the White Ghost from the West Blue!"