Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Tom, Don't Litter Random Trash

Adrian could basically ignore this person's combat ability. He just needed to catch up and knock him out with a punch, being careful not to hit his face, so as not to make him unrecognizable.

"Don't mind me, just apprehending a wanted criminal," Adrian explained casually to the person he recognized, then grabbed him and left.

Adrian handed the person over to Rui Mengmeng, saying, "Mengmeng, why don't you pay a visit to the Marine base? We'll head back to the store first; time is running short."

"Sure thing." Rui Mengmeng carried the person with ease; she was familiar with the route to the Marine base.

Adrian reminded her, "Oh, by the way, remember to buy a few boxes of toothpaste when you come back, one of each kind."

"I got it."

...

For the next few days, their training sessions were held by the seaside. Their previous talk of hunting Sea Kings wasn't a joke.

Although they were on the Grand Line, Sea Kings weren't actually that common. They had been searching for several days, and the most they had encountered were large fish and sea creatures.

During this time, Sharkler continuously recognized a few wanted criminals. Some passed by on the streets, while others pretended to be patrons in the tavern, sipping drinks and watching cats.

Such occurrences weren't all that rare. In reality, there were also instances of wanted criminals being caught while attending concerts.

Thanks to them, they managed to earn an extra twenty to thirty million berries over these few days.

Adrian didn't dare let Sharkler go to the Marine base, fearing that he might pique the interest of Marine researchers and end up dissected.

Although rumors of robots on the island had spread, rumors and personal sightings were two different things. Simple robots couldn't be considered remarkable.

On the other hand, a certain irresponsible Marine lieutenant had started avoiding the tavern's patrons. He couldn't escape from them and privately complained that their activities were becoming too frequent.

However, Rear Admiral T Bone had a favorable impression of the tavern's group. Each time he met them, he extended an invitation to join the Marines.

Unfortunately, each time, he was met with polite refusals.

Once, Rear Admiral T Bone took advantage of his free time to challenge Artoria to a sword fight. He used all the sword techniques he was skilled in, but Artoria easily deflected them, leaving Rear Admiral T Bone quite impressed.

"Would you also like to spar with me, Rear Admiral T Bone?" Adrian also wanted to test his current strength.

"Of course." Rear Admiral T Bone was straightforward in everything he did. If a request didn't put him in a difficult situation, he readily agreed.

The two stood armed and ready. Rear Admiral T Bone raised his longsword and launched an attack, saying, "I already mentioned earlier that I dislike curved sword techniques. Right Angle Slash!"

He was wielding an actual double-edged sword, and it was said he had been a knight of a certain kingdom.

His subsequent Flying Bird Strike was indeed as its name implied. While others used curved motions, his strike consisted of perfect right angles.

Facing the attack felt like someone was genuinely standing in front of you, swinging a sword. Either use skill to deflect the sword, or use strength to break it or push it away.

The corresponding effects were either deflecting the strike away or canceling it out.

Of course, you could choose to dodge, but compared to facing it directly, dodging might reveal vulnerabilities more easily.

Adrian had accumulated quite a bit of experience in facing Artoria's strikes. He swung his sword to meet the attack, altering its direction with force to embed it into the ground.

Then, he quickly closed the distance. However, Rear Admiral T Bone wasn't idle, immediately using his next move:
"Right Angle Soaring Bird - Penn's Eagle!" (Don't laugh, though it sounds pathetic, that's the name.)

A bird-like strike in the shape of a flying bird executed in a way Adrian couldn't currently comprehend. It made several right-angle turns in the air, each turn being a perfect right angle, and finally attacked Adrian from the upper left.

This time, Adrian chose to face it head-on, imbuing his sword with a bit of magic and bringing it down on the bird's head.

The clang of the strike resonated, and the two finally engaged in close combat.

After dozens of rounds, Rear Admiral T Bone and Adrian locked swords once again. Taking the opportunity, Rear Admiral T Bone leapt backward and said, "Let's call it quits here. It's no wonder you've received instruction from Miss Artoria; I'm afraid I would have to stake my life to have a chance at winning."

"You're being too modest. Thank you for your guidance." In truth, Adrian wasn't done yet. Meeting an opponent who matched his strength was rare, and though he couldn't break through the technique, it was still satisfying to gradually incorporate what he had learned.

"Don't mention it. I should be thanking Miss Artoria for her guidance." Rear Admiral T Bone nodded respectfully towards Artoria, then added, "Well, I'll take my leave now."

...

"Let's set off. It's been a week already, and we haven't even seen the shadow of a Sea King. I refuse to believe our luck is this bad!" Adrian commanded, and the group set off once more.

Sharkler dove underwater to search for prey, serving as the primary underwater reconnaissance.

Tom and Artoria boarded a raft together. Tom was lazy, and Artoria didn't really want to go into the water.

Adrian and Rui Mengmeng pushed a raft while swimming. They were also exercising along the way.

【Tom's Raft: The raft Tom used while drifting at sea, tested against strong winds and waves, incredibly resilient.】

This was the reason they used a raft instead of a small boat. Considering the possibility of encountering Sea Kings or sea creatures that could stir up waves, Tom's raft was more trustworthy.

Now, their search range had expanded quite a bit. They ensured the Sabaody Islands were within their sight and centered their activities around them.

Thunk! An apple core hit Adrian's head. "Tom, don't litter random trash!" he shouted.

Tom was in the process of taking a banana out of the basket. Hearing Adrian's words, he nodded absentmindedly. However, after finishing the banana, he forgot about it and casually tossed the banana peel aside.

In truth, with Adrian's current strength, even if someone on the opposite side were to shoot at him with a gun, he had the confidence to dodge. However, the things Tom threw around didn't follow any logic, and if he wasn't careful, he'd be hit.

"Tom~" a voice filled with resentment rang out.

Tom turned around and saw Adrian removing the banana peel from his face. Tom blinked, then shot out of the water like a rocket.

"Stop right there! See how I'll deal with you today!"

Tom was swimming ahead, and Adrian followed closely behind.

Tom swam in a circle, and Adrian followed suit. Tom drew a wave-like line in the water, and Adrian replicated the same wave-like line.

Sharkler resurfaced next to the raft. "What's going on?"

Artoria replied calmly, "Just everyday playfulness."



Rui Mengmeng was puzzled. "I feel like the boss's swimming speed seems a bit off. He's not usually this fast, is he?"

"It's possible that this is Tom's special ability. He seems to be able to unconsciously influence others." After a moment of thought, Artoria continued, "In Adrian's words, it's like pulling the enemy into the same... artistic style and then defeating them with ample experience. He used to say to me that Tom's artistic style is off."

He used to say implies that he doesn't say it anymore, because Adrian had become accustomed to it.