Chapter 54
"In fact, I came here for you," Adrian said, "Portgas D. Rouge."
Upon suddenly hearing her long-hidden [secret name] from a stranger, Rouge's fingers twitched slightly.
The next moment, she casually reached out and grasped the handle of the teacup, lowered her head and took a small sip of tea. After calming down, she said, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Rest assured, I am neither a lackey of the World Government nor a member of the Navy. I don't care how the Pirate King's widow will be treated, nor do I care whether the Pirate King's son can be born safely..."
Adrian's calm and understated words nearly shattered Rouge's entire psychological defenses.
"I came here simply to ask a few questions."
Rouge put down her teacup and said calmly, "Although I don't know why you would say such trivial things to me, I'm willing to answer your questions."
"Irrelevant? Do as you please..."
Adrian twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was neither warm nor sinister, making it seem as if he was simply making that gesture.
He paused for a moment, then asked quite seriously, "Rouge, what is your opinion of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King?"
Rouge fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "I... am just an ordinary person living on a small island. How could I possibly have the right to talk about Pirate King..."
"In that case, let's change our perspective, let's look at it from a more human perspective." Adrian's smile faded. "Do you think Roger should have been punished for starting the Great Pirate Era before his death?"
"I don't understand what you're saying!" Rouge's tone had become somewhat out of control at this moment.
"Don't get agitated, Mrs. Rouge. Such emotions won't do you any good, either for you or for the baby in your womb," Adrian said gently. "I just want to have a simple chat with Roger's wife, to understand what kind of person the Pirate King Roger really was, that's all."
Rouge took a deep breath, her previously tense body suddenly relaxing. She smiled wryly and said, "Lord White Ghost, why are you so sure it's me?"
Just then, a slightly strange breeze suddenly drifted into the living room.
A tall man draped in a dark green cloak suddenly appeared. He looked at Adrian with equal seriousness and said in a solemn tone, "I also want to know, why did White Ghost suddenly find his way here?"
"Dragon!"
Adrian stood up abruptly from his chair, looking at the suddenly appearing Dragon as if he Satori something. Several images flashed through his mind, connecting together through subtle clues.
"I see!"
"I was wondering why Garp, with his careless nature, was able to keep Portgas D. Rouge safe on Baterilla Island and evade the joint search by the World Government and the Marine Branch. Turns out, someone was helping to handle everything!"
"It seems that Garp was able to secretly bring Ace from the South Blue to the East Blue with Dragon's help, right?"
"Furthermore, the appearance of Dragon also confirms something else!"
The next moment, Adrian turned his head directly to Portgas D. Rouge, who was still sitting in the chair, his eyes filled with shock.
"There really were two! I thought my Observation Haki was wrong!"
Portgas D. Rouge!
Portgas D. Ace!
And -- Portgas D. Ann!
Before Roger left Baterilla Island to surrender to the Navy, he had already learned of Rouge's pregnancy and had given Rouge his final instructions.
If Rouge gives birth to a boy, then name him after the Pirate King's sword, [Twelve Supreme Grade Blades Ace]!
If Rouge gives birth to a daughter, then name her [Ann]!
Adrian initially thought Rouge had only given birth to Ace, but he never imagined that [An] also existed!
The distance between White Ghost and Rouge was too close; even with Dragon's skills and abilities, he dared not make a move at this moment.
"White Ghost, why did you come to Baterilla Island?" Dragon asked. "And where did you get your information about Rouge?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Adrian retorted, recovering from his shock. "Monkey D. Dragon, you and your father have really outsmarted the Marine Headquarters and the World Government!"
How is that possible?!
Dragon's pupils dilated, and his right fist subconsciously clenched into a "dragon claw" shape, with a slightly bluish whirlwind appearing between the claw's center.
Even though he left the Marine Headquarters years ago and was wanted by the authorities.
However, because Garp's reputation was so great, the name listed on any of Dragon's wanted posters was "[Dragon]", which had absolutely no connection to "[Monkey D. Dragon]"!
Logically speaking, this secret should only be known to a very small number of people!
How did this "White Ghost," who appeared out of nowhere, obtain so much classified information?
[Chapter 98. Adrian vs. Dragon]
Adrian's blunt revelation caused Rouge to glance at him repeatedly.
Although she had met the legendary Hero of the Marines Monkey D. Garp before, she had never associated the carefree Garp with the meticulous and cautious Dragon, and never expected that Garp would actually be Mr. Dragon's father!
Dragon was still quite young, and he couldn't contain himself any longer, shouting, "White Ghost, who exactly are you?"
"Me?" Adrian smiled indifferently. "I'm just a rookie Pirates with Bounty on my head for stopping the atrocities committed by the Navy and the World Government."
Dragon was speechless; that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear at all!
"Actually, I also have a question for you, Mr. Dragon," Adrian pressed. "As the son of Hero of the Marines, and also a criminal with Bounty of over 100 million like me, what is your role in appearing beside Rouge? As far as I know, the Hero of the Marines is the mortal enemy of the Pirate King Roger!"
Dragon was speechless again. He couldn't very well say it was because it was a task Garp had forced him to undertake, could he?
Seeing that Dragon remained silent again, Adrian couldn't help but sneer, "You see, Mr. Dragon, I'm not the only one with secrets that I don't want to tell."
Dragon raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, his ring and little fingers together, instantly transforming his five fingers into a strangely shaped "dragon claw." He said quite seriously, "Although I have heard of the great name of 'Mr. Ghost' before, I will not allow you to leak Rouge's information from this island!"
Adrian glanced at Dragon's strange "dragon claw" and said bluntly, "Then let's stop talking nonsense and go outside for a fight! I happen to really dislike that Marine Vice Admiral who's been given the title of 'Hero'! You're perfect for that!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Adrian immediately entered Ghostification form, transforming into a phantom that was almost invisible to the naked eye, and instantly left the living room.
Dragon glanced at Rouge, nodded slightly, and then used his Devil Fruit ability to transform into a gentle breeze and disappear into the distance.
Both are rare individuals with the ability to fly, possessing maneuverability and speed far beyond that of ordinary people.
Almost instantly, Adrian and Dragon left Baterilla Island one after the other and landed on a desolate and remote uninhabited island in the nearby Sea Area.
After waiting for Dragon to arrive, Adrian didn't waste any words and immediately went into battle mode, unleashing his Ghost ability without hesitation!
Mini Hollow - Nova Fire!
A vast horde of Ghost leaped out of the void, like brilliant shooting stars streaking across the sky, and crashed directly into the location where Dragon was standing.
Boom!
Atmospheric tremors, fireworks bursting forth!
Before the shockwave from the splash had completely dissipated, a dark green figure rushed out.
Adrian reacted with lightning speed, his right hand sliding down to grasp the hilt of the Yubashiri, drawing it out with Iai motion, the Skillful Grade tracing a perfect arc in the air.
The blade clashed with the figure.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere, and the sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out.
Obsidian- Black Hand gripped the blade perfectly, the two forces clashing and trembling. The sharp blade and the hard Armament Haki rubbed against each other, producing a teeth-grinding sound.
Adrian looked closely and saw that Dragon had not suffered any damage, proving that the Ghost Bomb he had just received had no effect, further increasing the possibility that Dragon was Logia Devil Fruit User.
Just then, the air around him moved rapidly, and the light wind element was separated and transformed into extremely sharp air blades, which attacked Adrian like a tornado.
Adrian remained motionless, letting the air storm pass through him.
With its physical immunity, the [Ghost Body] is practically the nemesis of all Logia users, except for the Dark-Dark Fruit, which can counter Devil Fruit abilities!
"!"
Dragon was stunned. Aside from Logia Devil Fruit, this was the first time he had encountered a Devil Fruit user who was immune to their own storm attacks. Wasn't it rumored that White Ghost was Ghost Devil Fruit User whose true form was a fatal weakness? How could his ability have been developed to this extent?
But in battle, there is no room for even the slightest lapse in concentration.
Suppressing his shock, Dragon continued his battle with Adrian.
"Dragon Claw!"
The jet-black claws twirled in the air, their extremely powerful claw force tearing through the air as if to shatter space itself.
Faced with Dragon's powerful attack, Adrian remained calm and composed, covering his own Yubashiri with Armament Haki and responding to Dragon's unique physical techniques with a sharp blade!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The loud crashing sounds continued.
Adrian and Dragon both unleashed their breathtaking speed, exchanging blows repeatedly.
The blades and claws, barely visible to the naked eye, were blurred into patches of color. Any rocks on the Deserted Island that got too close were pulverized into fine dust by the aftershocks of the battle!
"Dragon's Breath!"
Steel Tempest!
BOOM--!!
The two incredibly powerful forces collided, and the instant they made contact, an extremely powerful and intense shockwave erupted, radiating outwards from Adrian and Dragon for hundreds of meters, leaving the surrounding area in a state of utter devastation.
"Mr. Dragon, your Armament Haki and physical prowess are truly terrifying! However, this is not enough!"
As soon as Adrian finished speaking, he transformed into a blur and vanished before Dragon's eyes.
"From the sky!"
A red light flashed in Dragon's eyes, Observation Haki instantly locked onto White Ghost's location.
The instant he looked up, thousands of White Hollow swooped down from the sky, and among these harmless Ghost were dozens of Emotion Ghosts whose presence was completely undetectable!
Dragon frowned slightly, instinctively sensing something amiss. He unleashed his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, transforming into a swift gust of wind as he weaved through the overwhelming horde of Ghost, dodging attacks from one Ghost after another.
Suddenly, a White Hollow located to the right of Dragon vanished, replaced by Adrian, who was holding a long sword.
Surging Stream Slash!
The Yubashiri Blade, imbued with terrifying power, suddenly slashed towards Dragon's body.
The power of Swordmaster's sword covered in Armament Haki is undeniable; if it were to hit directly, even Dragon would be severely injured with a single strike.
At this critical moment, Dragon roared and suddenly increased his speed by a level, managing to dodge out of the range covered by Adrian's Sword Momentum ahead of time.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "This is... a power surge?"
[Chapter 97: A brutal beating of Luffy's dad! (Bonus chapter for 27,000 followers)]
Having narrowly escaped Adrian's sudden attack, Dragon, still shaken, couldn't help but break out in a light sweat.
The next moment, his eyes narrowed, and he turned around, maintaining the same speed as before, and unleashed another powerful Dragon Claw Fist towards Adrian.
That claw strike was incredibly powerful!
When Adrian received the Dragon Claw Fist, he could clearly feel the force that Dragon had added to his fist, which was slightly stronger than before!
Why can the protagonist unleash his full power, but his father can too?
Adrian looked displeased, and just as Dragon was about to launch his next attack, he once again switched positions with a White Hollow using the Demon Swordsman.
Seeing that White Ghost had moved away from him again, Dragon clenched his fists and instantly used his ability.
The next second, the weather changed drastically, and the world lost its color.
On the desolate island, a sudden, fierce wind arose, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and several tree-branch-shaped bolts of Inazuma streaked across the thick clouds, followed by a torrential downpour.
"Is this kind of ability... really something that a simple wind-type Logia fruit can possess?"
Large raindrops pelted his body, and Adrian frowned slightly.
Swish!
A dark green figure cut through the rain, sweeping in from afar and closing in on you in the blink of an eye.
Adrian gripped the hilt of the Yubashiri with both hands, assuming a blocking stance.
Clang!
This time, he felt a slight tingling sensation in his arm.
Dragon's strength has increased once again, and his speed is getting faster and faster!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dragon continued to use his unique Dragon Claw Fist, grabbing at Adrian's limbs and torso with unrestrained and fluid movements, seemingly impenetrable.
Adrian also parried with his sword, but his close-combat experience was ultimately no match for that of Dragon, who had been immersed in this art for many years. He was gradually suppressed by Dorrag's offensive in the battle.