A strange sound suddenly appeared in the room, which none of the three had noticed before.
The newcomer was Vic, who was watching this strange scene with a grin.
Three men were surrounding a drunk man who was lying on the ground, and one of them even reached for the drunk man's chest.
If it were someone else, they would definitely imagine a spectacular drama unfolding in their mind.
"Did you bring this?" Adrian stared at Yves with a cold expression, gritting his teeth as he asked.
"Of course not. We agreed this would be the last time. What reason do I have to do this?"
Yves was also puzzled. He was really unlucky. He remembered how he had been caught red-handed in the same way.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Adrian asked Vic with a ferocious expression.
"My name is Vic, and I'm a bounty hunter. I was just about to take a leak when I happened to pass by and stumbled upon you, a wanted pirate. Isn't that a coincidence? It's like I'm about to strike it rich, hahaha!"
Vic laughed without restraint.
Vic has only appeared in the newspapers so far, and few people know his naval identity, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear that he's a bounty hunter.
"Kid, I'm afraid you don't have the ability. You might just be the one who fails here, hehe!"
Adrian stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked at Vic with disdain.
"Is that so? Then we'll have to see who's the real deal. Make your move, pirate!" Vic was completely unafraid.
Just then, Adrian swiftly swung his hand, which was behind his back, at Vic.
By this time, his hands had turned into a green, slimy substance, which was extremely disgusting.
Moreover, a clump of slime had already been flung onto Vic's chest, instantly transforming into a green ring that encircled Vic's neck.
"Damn it, I let my guard down!" Vic shouted!
Vic tugged hard at the green ring, but to no avail, and a look of panic crossed his face.
"Hahaha, kid, you think you can break free from my Beast-Taming Ring? You're dreaming! From now on, you're my slave! Hahaha!"
Adrian was pleased, as he had taken down his opponent with a surprise attack without causing much of a commotion.
At this moment, Yves removed the cloth from his neck and looked at Vic with a look of despair. There was also a green ring around his neck.
He thought he would be liberated today, but it turned out he only gained another companion.
Vic had figured it out; this was the guy's ability—the ability to control animals using the green ring.
No wonder scarves became popular on this island a year ago; Vic finally understood.
A year ago, Adrian's pirate crew arrived on this island and began using his Devil Fruit powers to control people and make them work for him.
To avoid arousing suspicion, the Beast-Taming Ring was disguised as a scarf.
Later, as more and more people were controlled, more and more people wore scarves, and eventually it became a fashion trend.
Vic thought to himself that he should have realized it sooner; Pet Pirates? Beast taming? It was already quite obvious.
"Boss, this guy was just drinking at our tavern. I know him. He was carrying a bag. I'll go get it and see if there's anything valuable inside!"
The servant asked Adrian for instructions, saying that since the man wasn't wearing Beast-Taming Ring, he must be one of Adrian's trusted subordinates.
"Alright, hurry back!" Adrian was very pleased with the servant's quick wit.
"Attention! Don't move!"
Adrian gave the order to Vic.
Vic's body stood rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.
Adrian walked over to Vic, looking him up and down; he was someone Vic didn't recognize.
He circled around Vic again, then drew the two knives from Vic's waist and examined them closely.
"Hmm, not bad, both are good knives. These two knives could sell for tens of millions of Beli. Looks like you've come to bring me wealth, not to take it away, hahaha!"
Adrian was delighted; he had more income.
"You're despicable, you have no sportsmanship, you actually resorted to a sneak attack! Do you have a sore throat? If you're so capable, take this thing and let's fight head-on!"
Vic spoke with great resentment.
"Hahaha, you call pirates despicable? You're such a newbie. You dare to set sail already? Even without me, you'd have fallen into someone else's trap sooner or later."
Judging by the knife you carry, you're quite skilled. I might not be able to beat you in a head-on fight, but brains are also important, and unfortunately, you don't have them!
Come with me and broaden your horizons! Hahaha!
Adrian was very pleased with himself. He had always relied on scheming to get ahead, and his strength was not that great. He did indeed do very well thanks to his Pet-Pet Fruit. It was easy to fall into his trap if you took him by surprise.
"We're rich! We're rich! Boss, there's so much gold!"
Then the servant's voice came from outside, and he followed into the house, carrying Vic's bag.
Adrian slapped the servant on the head, his face full of disappointment and frustration!
"How many times have I told you to be composed? Do you understand? You're making such a racket before you even get inside. Do you want everyone to know? You idiot!"
"I... I was just so happy, I forgot about it..."
The servant touched his head, looking very aggrieved, and his voice grew softer and softer.
Adrian didn't speak, but snatched the bag from the servant's hand, opened it, and saw that it was glittering gold, making his old face look golden and bright.
He immediately smiled; this gold was worth tens of millions of Beli, no problem.
His gaze then fell on a wooden crate. He put the bag on the ground and took out the crate from inside.
Upon opening the wooden crate, my eyes immediately lit up.
Inside was a Devil Fruit with spiral patterns. This was another big win; the starting bid at the auction was 100 million Beli.
"Don't touch my Devil Fruit! I just got it today, and I'm planning to eat it tonight! Let me go! Let it go! It's mine! Ah, ah..."
When Vic saw Adrian take out the Devil Fruit from the box, he immediately started shouting again.
"Haha, you're such a lucky charm! Don't worry, I'll treat you well from now on. You have to bring me this good fortune, haha!"
Adrian was truly delighted; today was a double celebration.
"Watch over those two. Don't leave here. You two stand here and don't move!"
Adrian gave instructions to the servant and then gave orders to the two men.
"Yes, boss!" the servant replied immediately.
Adrian walked over to the recorder, and a clump of green slime was flicked onto his chest, quickly transforming into a Beast-Taming Ring.
"You go stand there too!" Adrian commanded.
The recorder, who was intoxicated, immediately stood up and walked over to stand in line, but he was still in a daze.
This Devil Fruit possesses this ability, capable of unleashing the body's full fighting potential.
It's very much like a hypnotic ability, capable of bypassing the body's control system and directly controlling bodily actions, containing a significant hypnotic component.
It can not only hypnotize other people and animals, but also self-hypnotize to enhance its combat power.
Adrian checked and found nothing wrong, then left the courtyard with Vic's two knives and the bag.
The servant sat in his chair staring at the three of them, while Vic and his companions stood there like zombies.
"Hey, how did they manage to subdue you?"
Vic asked Yves if he could still speak normally even when controlled by the Beast-Taming Ring.
Yves was very embarrassed; he found it difficult to speak and remained silent.
"Haha, this guy? Our boss has taken control of his arch-enemy's daughter, letting that woman sneak into his bed at night, hahaha."
The taste of an old ox eating tender grass is quite nice, isn't it? Am I wrong, Minister of Logistics, Yves?
Seeing his boss leave, the servant trembled, looking at Yves with amusement!
Vic looked at Yves in surprise; this old geezer was quite the ladies' man.
Adrian left the courtyard and headed towards the outskirts of the capital with the items, intending to store them in his secret treasury.
That was a pig farm in a small town on the outskirts of the capital; he had kept all his treasures there.
He also controlled everyone at the pig farm. Hiding treasure in a place like this would be very difficult for ordinary people to find. The location was really bizarre, well, no, it was unexpected.
By the time Andrian arrived at the pig farm, it was already past midnight. Ignoring the others at the pig farm, he quickly found the basement where the treasure was stored.
He looked around but found nothing unusual, then took out the key from his pocket and unlocked the door.
With a "click," the lock was opened.
"Oh, so this is it? What a secluded place!"
Just then, a faint voice echoed in Adrian's ears.