Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Unexpectedly Able to Fool Doflamingo

Whitebeard's 2nd division captain, Portgas D. Ace, likes to eat free meals. When Admiral Aokiji visited Water 7 to see Robin, he took a skewer without paying. Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro had a meal of dango for only 11 Berry, not 110,000.

These events occurred in a timeline where Adrian was absent, indicating that even the powerful individuals had some issues.

Just like in the present time, the world's greatest swordsman drinks without paying, and it's hard to say if anyone would believe it.

Ultimately, the shrewd tavern owner Adrian felt he had incurred a loss today.

Fortunately, Tom found several hundred thousand Berry on the people brought down by Mihawk. This method is known as "looting the corpse" in online games, but unfortunately, it usually yields no great equipment drops, only from low-level enemies.

One day, when everyone becomes stronger, they might form a team to take down a Yonko, or perhaps they'll go after the so-called Im-sama, and venture into the Mary Geoise dungeon.

Adrian was currently leading the effort to search through the ruins of the house that had been chopped up by Mihawk. He wanted to see if there were any survivors left, not for rescue, but for a final blow. Individuals like these villains deserved a good thrashing.

But in the end, he didn't find anyone. He wondered whether these people were just too lucky or the house wasn't heavy enough. The fact that nobody was crushed when it collapsed was amazing. He once again felt sorry for the trouble.

In the end, Adrian gained more than a million Berry and a Den Den Mushi.

The Berry was insignificant, but the Den Den Mushi was something else. It had a smiling face logo with a simple drawing and a slash through the middle.

Adrian recognized it immediately – it was the emblem of the Donquixote Family, the crew of Donquixote Doflamingo.

"What a coincidence. I randomly picked the lair of a bunch of scum, and it turns out to be the subordinates of Doflamingo. Is this lucky or unlucky?"

Artoria still remembered the name. "Is it the Doflamingo who was pursued by Rear Admiral Kadar last time? Is he strong?"

"That's him. His strength should be on par with Hawk-Eye's. If they were to fight, Hawk-Eye would probably have the advantage."

Rui Mengmeng asked, "So, what should we do with this Den Den Mushi?"

"Of course, we hand it over to the Marines. This thing is like a hot potato in our hands. It's a pity to throw it away, and maybe the Marines can use it to trace their whereabouts."

Adrian didn't expect to be able to trick Doflamingo so easily. However, it was likely that he would become one of the Seven Warlords soon, so maybe this clue would cause him some trouble in the future. "Rear Admiral Kadar is in his sixties, right? It wouldn't hurt to let the old man stretch his bones a bit."

On the way back to the tavern, Adrian asked, "By the way, Artoria, do you feel that you or Hawk-Eye is stronger?"

Artoria replied, "In terms of swordsmanship alone, he is slightly stronger now. In a life-or-death battle, it's hard to say."

Rui Mengmeng raised her hand, asking, "But didn't the last move end in a draw?"

Artoria explained, "Strictly speaking, my last move wasn't really a sword technique. It was a combination of swordplay and releasing magic power explosively. It's completely different from his Flying Slash."

Rui Mengmeng nodded, then looked puzzled. "I see, but how is the Flying Slash achieved? Even if I swing my sword with all my might, the wind produced is just enough to move small twigs."

Adrian said, "It's probably not about brute force but technique. It requires a certain understanding of swordsmanship, something quite mysterious."

Artoria thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps soon I will be able to do it too. Today's match started with the most basic things. Watching Mihawk's demonstration gave me a lot of insight into swordsmanship here."

"Really? When the time comes, you must teach me how to use the Flying Slash!"

"Boss, can you release magic power like Artoria? Why are you so excited about the Flying Slash?"

"That's different. Didn't you ever have dreams of becoming a martial hero when you were a child? Standing with a sword, fluttering clothes, a flick of the longsword, and sword aura dancing in the air." Adrian showed a look of longing, imagining himself as a legendary figure who could cut heads off ten miles away with a wooden stick.

"It does sound quite cool." Rui Mengmeng was successfully led astray by Adrian. She had always been like a tomboy, often fantasizing about things boys liked.

"Speaking of which, Tom, you also had a match with Hawk-Eye. Did you gain anything?" Adrian pinched Tom's nape and lifted him up to eye level.

Tom pointed to his hat, indicating his gains were there.

"I mean, did you gain anything in terms of swordsmanship or presence?" Adrian knew that Tom learned things quickly, hoping he could bring about some miracles.

Tom spread his hands, looking at him with big innocent eyes. Originally, he wanted to win against that person and pry off the gems on his hilt, but he ended up getting beaten up so badly. There was hardly any gain to speak of.

"Alright, I thought too much." Adrian put Tom back on his shoulder.

Just as they were about to reach the tavern, they saw someone pacing anxiously in front of the entrance, looking uneasy.

"Uncle Goodman?" Adrian approached him. "Why are you here? Is something urgent?"

"Ah, Adrian-kun, you're back!" Goodman grabbed his arm and asked urgently, "I heard that a Shichibukai came looking for trouble here. Is that true?"

Adrian explained, "A Shichibukai did come, but he didn't cause any trouble. He came to have a sword duel."

"It really was a Shichibukai! How did you end up getting involved with such characters? So, how did it go? Are you alright?" Goodman scrutinized Adrian, checking if he was missing any limbs.