Chapter 55
"I underestimated you!"
Adrian used Demon Swordsman to quickly create distance between the two.
The next second, he swung his Yubashiri, unleashing a massive, snow-white slash.
Dragon stomped his feet on the ground in quick succession, using the Six Powers: Shave to dodge.
Behind him, a small mountain was cleaved in two by the strike. The upper half of the mountain crashed to the ground with the force of gravity, causing a violent earthquake and stirring up a cloud of dust.
Seeing that Adrian's slash could produce such a terrifying effect, Dragon's pupils contracted slightly.
He had just used his ability to create a Sudden Shower environment in an attempt to see if he could use it to limit White Ghost's special Devil Fruit ability, but he didn't expect White Ghost's Swordplay to be so powerful!
Mimic Ghost: Imitation Game!
With a thought, Adrian created dozens more Mimic Ghost identical to himself, and simultaneously entered Ghostification state, blending into the group of Mimic Ghost, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
Dragon stopped his attack, held his breath, and felt a strong sense of crisis coming from all directions, which stimulated his nerves like needles.
His eyes were wide open, and he used his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, but he still couldn't distinguish which of the Mimic Ghost was the real Adrian and which was the fake Adrian.
With the help of the Demon Swordsman, Adrian can instantly swap positions with any Ghost.
In other words, any Mimic Ghost on the Battlefield at this moment could be "Adrian"!
And each "Adrian" can instantly switch between [reality] and [illusion] at will!
"Dragon, it's over!"
Adrian's voice suddenly came from behind Dragon.
Are they planning to attack from the rear?
Dragon remained calm and did not make any rash moves. He preferred to trust his Observation Haki more than his hearing!
Ugh--
It's the sound of a blade cutting through the air!
Dragon suddenly shifted his body to the side, unleashing a powerful Dragon Claw Fist to the right!
Clang!
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!...
Apart from blocking the sword on the right, Dragon was hit by all the other "Adrian" in an instant!
Although the power that Adrian attached to Yubashiri wasn't too strong in order to achieve a similar effect to "a thousand strikes in an instant," he was already a Swordmaster had mastered the Breath of All Things, so his attack power was not weak to begin with, not to mention the terrifying boost from the Three Thousand Styles!
In the blink of an eye, Dragon's dark green cloak was tattered, and deep, bone-revealing sword wounds were visible all over his body. Blood gushed from the wounds, and he was instantly stained with blood!
Although he looked extremely terrifying, Adrian did not attack Dragon's vital points; he did not intend to kill Dragon right there!
Even so, Dragon's originally extremely powerful aura suddenly weakened. Although it was still much stronger than at the beginning, it had already retreated from its peak.
Clearly, Dragon was nearing the end of his "burst mode".
But the battle is not over yet!
Dragon desperately activated Life Return, attempting to control the blood loss.
"Still not willing to give up?"
Adrian charged at Dragon again, Yubashiri in his hand high into the air.
Dragon used his Observation Haki to anticipate Adrian's attack on his abdomen, so he raised his right leg, imbued it with Armament Haki, and tried to block the attack.
His prediction of the timing was correct.
However, the number of Mimic Ghost was underestimated!
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!...
Several extremely sharp blades struck Dragon's right leg directly, quickly breaking through the protection of Armament Haki, leaving his right leg a bloody mess.
With his right leg, which was supporting his body, severely injured, Dragon's main torso momentarily lost its balance.
In that instant, Adrian seized the opportunity with remarkable acumen.
He rubbed his five fingers together slightly, and the Yubashiri Blade spun several times in the air. The back of the blade replaced the edge and slashed out with a dazzling flash of light.
A loud bang was heard.
Like a ball that has been hit, Dragon was sent flying backward in an instant. The remaining force of the blade impacted his body, causing him to involuntarily spit out a mouthful of blood, dark red blood droplets splattering in the air.
Bang!
Dragon slammed hard onto the muddy ground, creating a crater several meters in diameter, looking utterly disheveled.
After blasting Dragon away, Adrian didn't linger for a moment and immediately used his Devil Fruit ability.
He knew all too well just how terrifying the physical Monster in this world could be, and given that he had deliberately held back just now, who knew if Dragon would still have the strength to continue fighting?
Melancholy Hollow - Sage Time.
The Melancholy Hollow, its exterior glowing with a faint blue light, flew at Dragon in the mud pit and pierced right through his body.
Dragon's ferocious expression instantly turned quiet and peaceful, even carrying a hint of regret.
However, a few seconds later...
Dragon's expression suddenly changed, his pupils solidified, and an extremely violent aura gathered around him, with terrifying fluctuations of will spreading outwards.
"As expected, it's Conqueror's Haki..."
Adrian shook his head, walked up to Dragon who remained motionless, and gently poked his chest with the scabbard of Yubashiri's sword.
Boom!
Dragon collapsed face-up into the mud pit behind him, his eyes rolled back, clearly exhausted and unconscious.
"But it was even more fun to fight!"
[Chapter 98 [Hero]]
Villas on the west coast of Baterilla Island.
In the simply styled living room, only Portgas D. Rouge remained; the old maid who had opened the door earlier had quietly left sometime earlier.
Step, step, step...
A series of steady, powerful footsteps came from outside.
A moment later, Adrian reappeared before Rouge's eyes.
Not seeing Mr. Dragon, Rouge felt a little strange and asked, "Lord White Ghost, where is Mr. Dragon?"
Adrian said, "The Hero's Son is currently 'resting,' and if no one disturbs him, he probably won't wake up for a while."
Rouge fell silent. As intelligent as she was, she naturally understood the meaning behind Adrian's words. Connecting this to what the two had said before leaving, there was no doubt that Mr. Dragon had been defeated!
Just then, a trace of a deliberately concealed aura finally leaked out.
Adrian feigned surprise and said, "So another guest came to visit while we were leaving! Mrs. Rouge, your place is certainly bustling with activity today!"
"Ghost Boy..."
As the voices came, a tall, broad-chested, muscular man walked out. He had short, neat black hair, but his temples were graying, and there was a long, narrow sutured scar on his left eyebrow.
"Isn't this Vice Admiral Garp, the [Navy Hero]? You've come at just the right time. This lady..." Adrian said, pointing to Rouge, "Portgas D. Rouge, Roger's wife, and the child in her womb is the [Pirate King's Posthumous Child] that the Navy and the World Government were searching for so hard the other day, they almost turned the South Blue upside down."
Garp frowned, staring at Adrian and saying coldly, "This is none of your business, Ghost Brat."
"Hahaha, none of my business?" Adrian laughed immediately. "[Hero], do you know why I'm wanted by the Navy?"
Upon hearing this, Garp frowned even more deeply.
Recently, although he ostensibly only requested leave from headquarters to return to his hometown in the East Blue, he has actually been secretly lingering in the South Blue area. Naturally, he is aware of the nickname "[Mr. Ghost]" that has been circulating among the general public!
The criminal title of "White Ghost" was added to him to stop the World Government and Marine Headquarters' brutal actions in the South Blue!
"I'll repeat myself, White Ghost, this has nothing to do with you!" Garp said. "Considering what you did in the South Blue, I don't want to take action against you!"
"Hahahaha!" Adrian was almost laughing to tears. "Hey, [Hero]... let me continue to call you that for now... putting aside whether this matter concerns me or not, I just want to ask, as Legendary Marine and the archenemy of the Pirate King Roger, how do you plan to treat Rouge and the child in her womb?"
Garp remained silent; he couldn't possibly reveal the matter Roger had entrusted to him to someone unimportant.
"Are you really going to let Rouge go like this?"
Adrian waved his arms, his emotions running high, his gestures exaggerated.
"Hey, hey, hey, she's the Pirate King's wife! She's carrying the Pirate King's child! Vice Admiral Garp, don't tell me this 'Rookie Pirate' is planning to do nothing, you 'Hero of the Marines'!"
"Kid, your words are really getting more and more infuriating!" Garp clenched his fists, making a series of cracking sounds. "But no matter what, Rouge and the child in her womb are innocent!"
"Yes! I completely agree! No matter how impressive Roger's reputation and titles were before, none of it has anything to do with Mrs. Rouge and the child in her womb! Moreover, I have always had Beli Respect for Mrs. Rouge's actions; from any perspective, she is a truly great mother!"
The next second, Adrian's expression turned icy. "But 'innocent'? Is that something you should be saying? [Navy] [Hero]?!"
Garp's expression changed instantly.
Adrian continued, "Without a doubt, there are [Position] in this world!"
"And that's why, even though I did something truly Justice, I'm Bounty by the Navy, who pursue Justice! Ultimately, it's because my actions offended the World Government's authority and seriously conflicted with the Navy's Position of maintaining its rule!"
"Then can you tell me, as a [Hero], what is Vice Admiral Garp's Position in this incident?"
Garp was speechless.
"You actually knew, didn't you?" Adrian's tone was filled with undisguised contempt and sarcasm, "The joint operation between the World Government and the Marine Headquarters in the South Blue!"
Those two Four Blues Iron Fist clenched tightly at this moment, and even trembled slightly!
How could Garp be unaware of the recent turmoil in the South Blue!
But this is like a zero-sum game; choosing one side inevitably means a loss for the other.
Between the ordinary mother and child and the Rouge and her child, the Hero ultimately chose the latter!
"So, can the navy really represent [Justice]?" Adrian tilted his head. "Actually, I had a vague feeling about this recently: sometimes, [Justice] is more dangerous to the innocent than to the truly guilty."
After a long silence, Garp suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, "Rouge and her child! They are innocent!"
Adrian was taken aback. "Is this what [the Hero] really thinks?"
"Yes! That's my thought!" Garp said firmly. "Although it's regrettable that I didn't proactively report Rouge and her child's situation to the World Government, and... I also failed to provide... the necessary... protection for the others who were harmed, I don't believe my actions were wrong!"
"Oh!"
Adrian's tone was ambiguous.
"Monkey D. Garp, I despise you! Why do you have such a firm mind and conviction, yet take no action whatsoever?"
"But I must say, Monkey D. Garp, I have some respect for you! As a Marine, you dared to defy the World Government's orders to protect the Pirate King's Widow and Orphan!"
After saying that, Adrian simply turned and left.
"White Ghost!" Garp shouted.
"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Garp, I won't reveal anything about Rouge!" Adrian turned around, expressionless. "But I'm curious about one thing: when this 'Pirate King's Son' one day shoulders his father's will and sets sail to become Pirates, how will you handle it?"
When this "Pirate King's Son" is discovered by the world and publicly executed by the Navy like his father, how will you face the wronged souls who died unjustly in the South Blue?
"[Hero]? Ha!"
[101. Adrian's current personal stats (before heading to the Grand Line)]
--Will be moved to the relevant volume this Friday
Name: Adrian
Race: Human
Template: NPC
Level: 61
Main Classes: [Apprentice Swordsman] LV20 (MAX), [Professional Swordsman] LV20 (MAX), [Sword Master] LV20 (MAX), [Swordmaster] LV1 (0/100 million)
Secondary Profession: [Navigator] LV10 (MAX), [Navigator] LV10 (MAX)
[Agent] LV10 (MAX), [Cook] LV10 (MAX)
[Shipwright] LV10 (MAX), [Doctor] LV10 (MAX), [Bounty Hunter] LV10 (MAX)
[Apprentice Pirate] LV10 (MAX), [Pirates] LV10 (MAX), [Great Pirate] LV10 (MAX)
Personal Attributes: Strength 298, Agility 157, Stamina 205, Intelligence 944, Charm 50 (Item +5), Luck 1