Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Trying to Steal the Limelight Again

In the morning, they were still talking about the possibility of someone coming to search or interrogate them, and by noon, a naval officer had arrived.

Moreover, the visitor was a beautiful female swordsman who immediately caught the attention of almost all the patrons. She was incredibly beautiful, and even though her expression was blank, she still appeared enchanting.

The woman headed straight to the bar upon entering and asked, "Are you Mr. Adrian?"

Adrian nodded, "Yes, that's me."

"Nice to meet you. I am Rear Admiral Gion from the Marine Headquarters, sent by Vice Admiral Tsuru. I've been tasked with consulting you about something. Is now a convenient time?" Rear Admiral Gion inquired.

"Of course, I will share all I know," Adrian recognized her as Gion, and since she was sent by Vice Admiral Crane, it must be about the Den Den Mushi incident.

At that moment, Artoria, who was practicing swordsmanship in the yard, perhaps sensed the presence of a formidable individual and walked in. The two of them locked eyes immediately.

Two striking women confronted each other, exuding the aura of swordsmen, giving off an icy and heroic vibe. The guests didn't know which one to focus on, as they were both mesmerizing.

While Artoria was often seen by others, they usually thought of her as adorable. After all, most of the time she was just sitting there eating. Those who had seen her in action knew she had a valiant side, but today, this intense aura was new to them.

Rear Admiral Gion didn't lag behind in terms of appearance. She had a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth, a tattoo on her thigh, and an alluring figure. Every move she made was tantalizing. However, her eyes shifted slightly, making her seem dangerous yet even more captivating. (According to Gion's character description, it's mentioned that she is skilled in table games and a seductive exceptional swordsman capable of luring pirates.)

"Is this Artoria-chan?" A few seconds later, Rear Admiral Gion broke the silence and reintroduced herself. She continued, "I heard about what happened earlier. As you can see, I'm a swordsman too. I hope we'll have the chance to spar."

She was accustomed to adding "-chan" to the names of those she was close to. For instance, she often called Kapu "Kapu-chan." It came naturally for her to address Artoria like that.

Artoria didn't mind the form of address. She was more interested in the idea of sparring with another swordsman. She nodded, saying, "I'd be delighted."

Adrian proposed, "Let's talk in the yard. We can discuss both the information and the sparring."

"Sounds good," Rear Admiral Gion agreed.

"Mengmeng, I'm leaving this to you. If anyone eavesdrops, you have permission to wallop them!" Adrian instructed before leading Rear Admiral Gion to the backyard.

"Sure thing, boss," Rui Mengmeng obediently replied.

Tom was lazily resting on the bar counter, uninterested in beautiful women unless they had fish for him.

"Hey, boss, you're really being too reserved!"

"Yeah, let us just watch from a distance. We won't eavesdrop, promise!"

A group of daring gentlemen complained, wanting to catch more glimpses of the beautiful Rear Admiral Gion.

Adrian didn't pay them any attention. He noticed that Rear Admiral Gion was almost a head taller than him, implying she was around two meters in height.

When he was with Rui Mengmeng and Artoria, he didn't feel much pressure. But walking alongside Goodman, Hawkeye, and now Rear Admiral Gion was truly overwhelming.

In the yard, there was a small tea table where they usually had afternoon tea.

Adrian and Artoria sat down casually, while Rear Admiral Gion had to sit at an angle due to her long legs.

"I wonder what Rear Admiral Gion wants to ask?" Adrian began.

Artoria poured tea, seemingly able to conjure hot tea at any time. Adrian suspected she had a special technique to heat water with magic.

Rear Admiral Gion requested, "I'd like to inquire about some specific details. If possible, I'd like you to explain the situation to me again."

"Sure," Adrian detailed the events, and then continued, "Originally, I had a somewhat malicious intention. I wanted to use the opportunity of their contest to perhaps take down a criminal organization. Later, I could blame it on Hawkeye. In fact, that's exactly what I did. Unexpectedly, I discovered that they had connections to Doflamingo."

Rear Admiral Gion chuckled, "If that's considered malicious, then I wish there were more people like you."

Adrian shook his head, "I still hope that you Marines will do your best to eliminate individuals like Doflamingo, so people like me, ordinary bar owners, can avoid meddling."

"That's our responsibility. We will work hard to apprehend Doflamingo," she couldn't evade the issue as a Marine. Then she looked at Artoria and said, "However, you can hardly be considered an ordinary owner."

Artoria put down her teacup, "Do you want to spar?"

"Unfortunately, I'm short on time today. I need to return quickly," Rear Admiral Gion apologized.

"That's a pity," Artoria lamented.

"Hey, Artoria-chan, how about joining the Marines? Someone like you is too wasted in a small bar." Rear Admiral Gion propped her chin on her hand, speaking with a sweet tone, "You can join Vice Admiral Crane's ranks, and we can spar often."

Adrian protested, "Hey, hey, isn't it a bit inappropriate to steal someone away right in front of me?"

"Adrian-chan, how about you come to the Marines too? Like you," she blinked, making even serious words sound a bit off.

"Absolutely not. I'm a weakling. I'd be toast if I encountered a big pirate. I'll just pay taxes and rely on the Marines for protection," Adrian wouldn't make rash decisions. His main focus was on improving his strength and making money. He would occasionally exercise his "justice" when he had the time.

"In that case, what about Artoria-chan?" Rear Admiral Gion looked at Artoria expectantly. She was really hoping to recruit her.

Artoria responded seriously, "I don't want to hastily join any faction now. I'd like to observe the world a bit more before deciding what I want to do."

...

With regrets, Rear Admiral Gion left. She mentioned that she would come often to spar with Artoria in the future. However, Adrian felt her intentions were not entirely pure. She was surely trying to get close to Artoria in order to recruit her into the Marines.

Adrian didn't say anything about it. It wouldn't hurt to establish a good relationship with a Rear Admiral. He was curious about "Sea Prism Stone Handcuffs" and wanted to learn more about Haki training. He also wanted to master the "Six Styles" Moonwalk technique.

But that was a topic for another day. He had other matters to attend to.

"Artoria, how about we do something tonight? With Doflamingo's people out of the way, let's raid a few slave trade shops."

"What if he still has other people?"

"Well... we'll deal with that too. Let's just keep a low profile, as usual." Adrian said, "Before we leave this place, I've already taken care of the human traffickers and even cleared out the entire unlawful area. But... well, we'll see how far we can go."