Chapter 53
In an instant, all the officials were lying down!
Ignoring the sounds of gratitude coming from below, Adrian quickly headed towards the next island.
In recent months, he has been constantly traveling back and forth in the South Blue, disrupting countless joint operations World Government and navies.
He encountered Sakazuki several times during this period, but he didn't gain much advantage from it.
The only battle in which they could barely be considered to have the upper hand took place on the vast ocean.
Limited by the marine environment, Sakazuki was unable to fully utilize the Calamity properties of his Magma Magma-Magma Fruit, and was directly destroyed by Adrian's "Sea Ghost: Raging Tides".
However, Sakazuki himself was not harmed. As a Monster Vice Admiral in the navy, he also possessed a very profound level of [Six Powers]. Before the fleet was destroyed, he used Geppo to fly into the sky.
This is why the battle was not recognized by the panel, and the half-task of 'defeating the Marine Vice Admiral's in [Supernovas] was not considered complete.
However, due to his intense activity during this period, Adrian's Bounty has been increased to 190,000,000 Beli in the latest wanted poster issued by the Marine Headquarters, exactly double the initial Bounty. The first half of the [Supernovas] mission can be considered complete!
Um...
The Navy's favorability rating has also been raised to the [Friendly] level...
This is absolutely outrageous! It's ridiculously absurd that someone would open the door for someone else!
As time goes by, the search efforts of the navy and World Government in the South Blue are gradually weakening.
After all, more than half a year had passed since Roger's execution. If he truly had a son still alive, he would have given birth to him long ago; and if not...
It's impossible for someone who's been dead for several months to suddenly get another woman pregnant, right?
In July of the 1499th year of the Sea Circle Calendar, exactly ten months had passed since Roger Execution in Loguetown.
The joint search operation by the World Government and the Navy finally came to a complete end. The diligent naval soldiers and government Agent not only gained nothing, but also earned a lot of bad reputation.
Adrian, after several months, finally completed his mission.
[Rank B Quest [Justice's Massacre], quest complete, you have gained 2 million experience points.]
[Task is being processed... Processing complete, performance rating: Excellent]
[You have received an excellent rating reward: an additional 50% experience points (1,000,000), and two random rewards]
[Random reward type being generated...]
The reward you received this time is of the type [Item] or [Specialty]
You have obtained the item [Brave's Dagger]!
[[Brave's Dagger] - Item: This is a magical 18cm long dagger that grants +5 to your masculine Charm. It also comes with a slight Hero's Aura, slightly increasing favorability with the Justice faction.]
You have acquired the Specialty [Reasoning]!
[[Reasoning] - Specialty (Passive): You excel at changing others' attitudes and can force them to accept your viewpoint during Negotiation. When attacking, you automatically receive a damage boost based on the target enemy's level of wickedness. Note: Feel the wrath of the common people!]
"The Brave's Dagger?"
Adrian raised his right hand, and a short knife appeared out of thin air in his palm.
The scabbard is yellowish-brown in color, and its spiraling shape is somewhat similar to the Tower of Babel in my memory.
The sword was drawn from its sheath, revealing a straight blade with fine, distinct gray forging patterns. The slightly raised ridge in the middle of the blade resembled feathers, spreading out to both sides like a celestial maiden's feather.
"The design and appearance are quite good... but why is it an item that increases Charm?"
Adrian was somewhat puzzled and twirled the dagger in his hand a few times.
"And it even specifically labels it as 'masculine Charm '? Something feels off... especially since it even specifies the exact length..."
The subsequent increase in favorability with the Justice faction was completely ignored.
Casually tucking the dagger into his waistband, Adrian turned his attention to his newly acquired passive Specialty.
[Reasoning] is the most vaguely described of all his Specialty.
The first half of the sentence is relatively easy to understand.
When it comes to speaking, whoever shouts the loudest isn't necessarily right, especially on this sea where strength reigns supreme. Fist is the fundamental reason to convince others to believe you!
The most striking example is the legendary [Face Devil Fruit User!
Compared to the first half, the second half of the description of "[Reasoning]" is more obscure.
"The target's level of wickedness?" Adrian tentatively asked the panel. "How is this determined?"
Unsurprisingly, no reply was received.
Adrian could understand, after all, the panel had always been so aloof.
"Looks like I'll have to find some time to test out the effects of this new Specialty... Hopefully it won't disappoint me..."
Aside from the rewards for completing the mission, Adrian's recent activity has also brought a new Legend Points.
[Legend Points the South Blue: Mr. Ghost - Never be easily misled by newspapers and words, because they can sometimes mislead and sometimes lie. And this gentleman, objectively speaking, is a good person! At least, better than Justice!]
Overall, considering the time and effort spent completing the task, these rewards are not particularly generous.
But in reality, even without a mission, Adrian would still actively prevent the World Government and Navy from operating in the South Blue; that's a basic human decency.
The [Justice's Massacre] mission is complete, and Adrian has nothing else to do in the South Blue.
But before leaving, he still wanted to see the Pirate King's wife.
[95. I was driven to the brink of madness by someone with cerebral palsy]
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[Chapter 94: Baterilla Island]
South Blue, Baterilla Island.
This is a small, little-known island with no noteworthy local customs or specialties, no unique natural scenery, and even News Coo from the World Economy News Paper rarely pass by. It is the kind of ordinary island on the high seas that is almost completely isolated from the outside world.
A few months ago, a large-scale joint search operation by the World Government and the Marine Headquarters also passed through this seemingly ordinary island, but found no soldiers or Agent. After causing quite a stir, they quickly left.
At the westernmost point of Baterilla Island stands a steep cliff, on which rises a detached luxury villa that stands out from the rest of the island's architecture.
This villa was completed several years ago, which caused quite a stir on Baterilla Island at the time.
After all, on such a small island in the South Blue, even the slightest breeze is enough to attract everyone's attention, let alone such a luxurious and magnificent villa.
Strangely, most of the other residents on the island did not know when the owner of the villa moved in, and they had basically never seen what the male owner of the villa looked like. The servants also took care of their daily purchases of supplies.
Only occasionally do the island's residents catch glimpses of the villa's beautiful blonde owner going out shopping. Her demeanor and the aura she exudes are always exceptional and unforgettable.
Some time ago, when the Navy and government Agent conducted a search, the villa's owner reappeared before everyone, still possessing the same unchanging beauty and gentleness.
At this very moment.
Portgas D. Rouge, the "beautiful villa mistress" in the eyes of the island's residents, was sitting on a cork chair in the open-air courtyard behind the villa. Her head was lowered, her bright blonde hair was draped over her back, her right hand was on her slightly protruding belly, and her eyes were natural and gentle. The occasional flashes of apology and pain made her look particularly pitiful.
"Mrs. Rouge, please forgive my intrusion." A magnetic young voice rang out behind her.
Let's turn back the clock a little.
Following the nautical chart, Adrian, disguised, quietly landed on the eastern coast of Baterilla Island.
As he sensed the ordinary town ahead, Adrian's expression became somewhat complicated.
This is the true epicenter of the [Orphaned Child Incident], but its existence has been so well concealed that almost no one knows that this is where Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, spent the last period of his life, and where his Roger was born.
Adrian had considered whether to directly expose this supposedly secret information about the sea in order to minimize the harm done to innocent civilians in the [Orphaned Child Incident].
But after careful consideration, he abandoned this seemingly tempting but ultimately useless idea.
Leaving aside the question of how credible Adrian's words and intelligence are in the eyes of the World Government and the Navy...
I'll just say one thing.
Protecting Portgas D. Rouge at this moment is the Hero of the Marines Monkey D. Garp!
Adrian didn't believe that Garp's true character was as comical and unreliable as portrayed in the original story. If that were the case, how could Roger have entrusted his wife to him?
At the very least, Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard who prioritized family, was also Roger's lifelong rival, wasn't he?
Even if things don't go well, Rayleigh and Gaban are still good brothers and partners who have spent decades together!
But Roger still resolutely entrusted the responsibility of caring for his wife to his true enemy— Garp!
If Garp were to rashly expose Rouge's true identity and location, he could absolutely manage to move her silently before the soldiers and Agent could discover her, and then find a safer, more secluded place to hide Rouge and her child.
Even if we take a step back and say...
Adrian unabashedly exposed the secret, leading to Portgas D. Rouge's arrest by the Navy and CP Agent. Garp was also discovered by the World Government and Navy leadership to have been protecting Roger's son's "scandal"...
So, guess what? They'll be dealt with at this point.
Could it be [Navy Hero] Garp?
Or is it the unknown "White Ghost"?
Moreover, thanks to the [God Valley Incident], Adrian strongly suspects that even if Garp is found to have protected Roger's son, he will get away scot-free and may not even be punished!
For details, refer to the Paramount War. After Ace's identity was exposed and he was successfully executed, Garp only stepped down from the front lines to a secondary position. He did offer to resign from his position Marine Vice Admiral, but his offer was rejected by Kong, the then Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Commander-in-Chief of All Forces.
You're saying there weren't any instructions from higher levels of the World Government?
Nobody would believe that!
Let's get back to the main topic.
Mini Hollow - Astral Cruise.
Adrian released countless Mini Hollow, sending them flying over Baterilla Island to observe the island's situation through their eyes.
It didn't take much effort for Adrian to successfully find the detached villa that was completely different from the island's style.
"This must be where Roger and Portgas D. Rouge lived in the end, right?" Adrian thought to himself.
Instead of going directly to their homes, he continued to observe the island's inhabitants' every move.
After searching the entire Baterilla Island several times, Adrian asked with some confusion, "Huh? Isn't Garp here? Logically speaking, Garp should be with Portgas D. Rouge at this time, right? Did he leave the island for some other reason?"
Adrian patiently observed for a while longer, using his Observation Haki as a supplement, but he still couldn't sense the aura of the person he had met once before in Loguetown.
"Forget about that 'Hero'!"
Adrian continued to let the Mini Hollow freely scout the situation over Baterilla Island, tidied his clothes and appearance, and then headed towards the detached villa on the west side of the island.
Not long after.
Ding-dong--
The doorbell rang.
The person who opened the door was an elderly man in his seventies. Although his face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were exceptionally bright, and his white hair was neatly combed, making him look remarkably energetic.
The elderly man looked at the guest outside the door with some surprise. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Excuse me," Adrian said with a gentle, calm smile, "I'd like to ask, Portgas D. Rouge, do you live here?"
[Chapter 97. Unexpected Characters]
In the open courtyard.
Portgas D. Rouge slowly rose from the cork chair, her calm demeanor subtly revealing a hint of confusion.
"May I ask who you are?"
Adrian looked at the woman before him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Her wavy blonde hair, with perfectly smooth curls, exuded an elegant aura. The brightly colored red flower adorning her forehead did not detract from this elegance; instead, it added a touch of effortless, fresh charm.
A fitted light blue dress accentuated her slender waist, while the cuffs, just covering her shoulders, were decorated with wavy white lace trim, showcasing a clean and gentle temperament.
Judging from her appearance alone, no one would guess that she is a mother who is at least ten months pregnant.
"I apologize again for my unauthorized visit, Rouge," Adrian said softly. "I am the White Ghost from the West Blue, and I have recently gained some minor fame in the South Blue."
It's [Mr. Ghost]!
Rouge's light brown pupils contracted slightly, surprised as to why this recently famous "benevolent knight" would suddenly come to visit.
While secretly trying to figure out Mr. Ghost's intentions, she led him into the living room and smoothly prepared two cups of fragrant and sweet mango black tea.
Rouge handed the teacup to him and casually asked, "I wonder what business you have with Baterilla Island, Lord White Ghost?"