Chapter 273: Reward Draw and Uninvited Guest

Can completing cumulative defeats also trigger missions?

A peculiar expression flickered across Adrian's face. But this mission's level is too low. A mere C-rank. Considering that he had faced Moria, who had a B-level quest, this seemed almost trivial.

However, when he thought about Shanks' unique skills and Expertise, especially the coveted Advanced Luck Aura, Adrian didn't mind at all. After all, a chance to draw rewards was still a chance!

And everyone knew that miracles could happen with single draws!

However, looking at Shanks, who was still bleeding profusely, Adrian decided to suppress the idea of completing the mission immediately.

"After all, I'm not a demon. Let's wait until this golden leek recovers a bit before trimming it again."

By then, he might have access to better reward options.

"Besides, fighting a guy who's bleeding from his back..."

Adrian feared he might accidentally use "Dragon of Destruction" and obliterate Shanks right here. That would be a terrible waste!

"Rumi, take Shanks below for treatment!" Adrian gently called out to the ship spirit, who had been observing the fight. Then he turned to the little fox. "Love, come clean the deck!"

"Got it!" Rumi floated over lightly, leading Shanks, who was limping, towards the cabin he rested in last night.

The little fox hopped over, looking conflicted.

"Adrian-sama, but I'm just a cook!"

"Hmm... you make a good point!"

Adrian nodded in agreement, patting Love's head, finding her fur increasingly pleasant to touch. Then, he called out to Rumi and Shanks, who hadn't gone far.

"Shanks! After you finish bandaging, remember to clean the deck!"

Shanks paused, hands still clutching his rear end. He turned his face, managing an awkward smile. "I got it."

As the young red-haired lay in the cabin, licking his wounds, Adrian instructed Rumi to steer Abyss towards the southeast.

He had returned from the first half of the Grand Line to the West Blue because of an urgent plea from the Razor Gang. Although he swiftly dealt with the invading gangs, he then encountered Borsalino, Garp, and Shanks in succession. There were still some loose ends to tie up.

Last night, Adrian had already communicated with Tommy via Den Den Mushi, learning the current location of the Razor Gang.

Half a day later, Abyss docked at a port on an ordinary small island. Razor Gang members, uniformly dressed, lined up at the pier, loudly welcoming the uncrowned godfather of the West Blue.

After giving a few impromptu, lukewarm remarks, Adrian called Tommy over to inquire about the situation.

"How's the Razor Gang holding up?"

"Although we lost quite a few members, the other gangs suffered even more!" Tommy's tone was briefly sorrowful, then turned somewhat excited.

"If all goes well, in three—no, two years, the Razor Gang will dominate the West Blue's underground society!"

Adrian nodded before asking, "Won't the Marine interfere with the Razor Gang's operations?"

"The Marine only captures pirates—cough, cough!" Tommy started to say something but remembered Adrian's identity and coughed awkwardly.

Adrian gestured for him to continue, "It's okay, go on."

Tommy joked, "There are countless gangs allied with pirate factions. If the Marine dealt with all of them, they'd need more legs to keep up."

Seeing Tommy's confident demeanor, Adrian didn't press further. At that moment, Tommy mentioned something.

"Sir, Dr. Moy wants to see you."

"Moy?" Adrian raised his eyebrows and said, "Bring him over."

Soon after, Dr. Moy, still dressed in black robes and wrapped in bandages, hurried over to Adrian with his head lowered.

Bang!

Adrian created a small ghost, which exploded in front of Dr. Moy with a soft pop, causing him to lift his head involuntarily to avoid colliding with someone or falling into the sea.

Dr. Moy, somewhat excited, exclaimed, "S-Sir!"

It had been a while since they last met, and it seemed Dr. Moy had not been harmed in the recent gang attack.

Though he still struggled to speak coherently.

Adrian waved his hand, "You better continue writing—use your bandage ability to communicate."

Several thin, white bandages emerged from Dr. Moy, twisting in mid-air for a few seconds but failing to form complete sentences.

"Let me explain, sir," Tommy stepped forward and spoke softly, "I believe Dr. Moy, with his nature, is not suited for life in the Razor Gang."

Adrian glanced at Tommy, then at Dr. Moy.

"Is that so?"

Dr. Moy shook his head, then nodded.

Tommy continued earnestly, "In the next three years, the Razor Gang will inevitably face continuous conflicts with other gangs. Although Dr. Moy is a capable doctor, as a Devil Fruit user, he can't contribute in crucial battles. The gang members have complained more than once—"

Adrian raised his hand, interrupting Tommy.

"Alright, I get it."

He turned to Dr. Moy again.

"Dr. Moy, you're planning to leave the Razor Gang, aren't you?"

"I still wish to follow you, sir, but…"

"But I don't need a weak doctor on my ship."

Adrian shrugged.

"Fine, come with me for now. I happen to have a patient on my ship who needs your help."

From their attitudes, the real reason for the request was clear.

It wasn't because Tommy thought Dr. Moy was unfit for the Razor Gang.

It was because Dr. Moy felt the Razor Gang, with its constant battles, was unfit for him.

This explained why Dr. Moy first nodded and then shook his head.

It was indeed a bit much to expect a socially anxious person to stay among a group of battle-hardened men.

After a few more words with Tommy, Adrian led Dr. Moy aboard the Abyss and slowly sailed away from the island.

"There's a kid with a nasty injury below deck. Dr. Moy, go check on him."

Dr. Moy nodded and left.

Watching the bandaged doctor's retreating figure, Adrian fell into thought. "Looks like there will be another permanent resident on the small sky island."

"But having a doctor is good; it fills a professional gap in Weatheria."

...

Two days later.

In the West Blue, on a deserted island three days' journey from Reverse Mountain.

Thanks to Dr. Moy's superb medical skills, Shanks had fully recovered.

He still held the sailor's cutlass with numerous small notches, looking solemnly at his opponent several meters away.

"This is the fiftieth challenge, Shanks."

Adrian stood empty-handed, looking calmly at the young redhead.

"Still not ready to give up?"

"Even if I fail a hundred or a thousand times, I won't become someone else's crew member!" Shanks raised his cutlass, shouting.

"I'm going to be the captain of my own pirate crew!"

"Is that so?" Adrian chuckled.

"Then this time, I'll give you a bigger punishment."

The next moment.

Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly, and waves of pale spiritual pressure surged from him, shooting into the sky, bathing it in white light.

The pale energy roared and crashed like a raging sea, slamming into Shanks.

A mountain-like pressure suddenly bore down on his shoulders.

Creak—

Shanks felt his teeth tremble slightly, and his bones creaked under the seemingly endless pressure, even losing the ability to move.

"Is this Adrian's true power? This overwhelming force like the ocean!"

His innate Conqueror's Haki surged from his body, creating a violent gust of wind around him, helping to resist the spiritual pressure.

"Conqueror's Haki, huh?"

Adrian's eyes lit up with interest. The more abilities Shanks displayed, the more excited Adrian became. A hint of interest rose in Adrian's eyes.

Because it meant that the range of abilities he could extract would be even wider!

Time passed slowly. Shanks felt his Conqueror's Haki depleting rapidly. He knew very well the gap between their powers.

Shanks understood clearly. If Adrian continued to unleash this strange, overwhelming pressure, Shanks might faint from overusing his Haki before he even had the strength to fight back.

Gritting his teeth, Shanks stomped the ground hard and dashed towards Adrian with his sailor's cutlass, swift as lightning.

"Divine Departure!"

Using the legendary move inherited from Captain Roger, the cutlass, imbued with Armament Haki, whistled through the air and slashed towards Adrian.

But faster than Shanks' attack was Adrian's spirit pressure lightsaber!

One-Sword Style – Great Quake

Clang—

The lightsaber collided with the cutlass mid-air, emitting a metallic clash.

But moments later—

Crack—

The ordinary material of the cutlass, even with Shanks' Armament Haki, couldn't withstand the lightsaber's power. It broke into several pieces in mid-air, the flying fragments scattering like scattered flowers.

With nothing to block it, in an instant, the lightsaber slashed across Shanks' chest!

Shanks stared in disbelief, his eyes wide, bright beads of blood spilling from his mouth. He only felt Adrian's figure blur before him, and then the sound of howling wind reached his ears, and everything around him retreated rapidly.

Like an electromagnetic cannonball accelerating out of the barrel.

Shanks arched his back, like a shrimp cooked in hot oil, flying backward like a meteor, crashing through several trees the thickness of a person's embrace, and finally smashing a deep hole with a diameter of several meters directly into a towering cliff wall on the deserted island!

Cough—Ugh!

Shanks coughed violently several times, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, his vision blurred.

But the next moment, searing pain radiated from the cut across his chest, a dual agony of soul and body.

He looked closely, a huge wound slanting from left shoulder to right waist, almost cutting Shanks diagonally in half. Through the wound, he could even faintly see the internal organs of the body moving continuously!

Surging blood gushed out from Shanks' wound, quickly staining the surrounding ground red.

"What a helpless defeat…"

His vision blurred as this thought flashed through Shanks' mind.

Facing the quadruple threats of spirit pressure, the tremor slash, severe injuries, and Haki depletion, Shanks gritted his teeth, trying to crawl out of the crater and continue fighting. His intense movements caused more blood to pour from his wound.

"Impressive determination, I admire that."

Adrian dismissed his spiritual pressure, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

"But a heavily injured warrior should rest."

Adrian stretched out his finger, a transparent ghost slowly emerged from the tip of his index finger, flew towards Shanks' position at high speed, and penetrated Shanks' chest without a trace.

Dream Ghost: Sleeping Spell.

With the burst of Conqueror's Haki, Shanks did not fall asleep immediately.

But his vision blurred again, and he finally couldn't hold on anymore, losing consciousness and sticking to the cliff-side pit like a painting, no longer struggling.

At this time.

The task completion prompt finally sounded on Adrian's panel.

[C-level Random Task 'Red Hair']

[You have received a reward: Randomly draw one of Shanks' skills or Expertise]

[Random selection in progress... Selection complete]

[Please choose one of the following five abilities as your reward:]

[1: 'Give Me Some Face' - Skill: When you ask someone 'Can you give me some face, XX?', the target will willingly accept your suggestion. The success rate of this skill is influenced by psychological state, level suppression, intelligence attributes, reputation, etc.]

[2: 'Master Swordsmanship Affinity' - Skill: Inherent skill of a swordsman, details omitted]

[3: 'Balanced Physique' - expertise: Strength +5%, Agility +5%, Endurance +5%, All Resistances +5%.]

[4: 'Sword Mastery' - expertise: Allows free manipulation of light and heavy bladed weapons, including but not limited to longswords, scimitars, great swords, broadswords, daggers, curved swords, rapiers, katanas, etc.]

[5: 'Negotiation' - Skill: Persuade others to agree with your views, solve immediate problems, and gather valuable rumors or information from the crowd. Under appropriate etiquette and manners, it can also be used to mediate disputes. Charisma +25.]

Adrian quickly scanned through the reward options but didn't find any luck-based skills.

"I knew it, a C-Rank random task, how could it possibly drop a high-level Lucky Halo!"

"Not even a fake halo!"

"And the long-awaited Conqueror's Haki didn't appear either!"

"Still, five rewards—three skills and two Expertise—given my luck attribute, this is already a jackpot..."

He immediately ruled out [Master Swordsmanship Affinity], which was a duplicate skill.

[Sword Mastery] seemed like a decent expertise, but it didn't enhance swordsmanship power, making it flashy but practically useless.

[Negotiation] was quite a normal skill, and a one-time increase of 25 charisma points was the most Adrian had ever seen.

Though he had only seen two…

One of which was the haunting [Innocent Childlike Face]...

However, occupations like diplomats will be able to maximize the effectiveness of this skill, and Adrian doesn't really need this ability.

[Give Me Some Face] felt like a mysterious enhanced version of [Negotiation].

And it seemed to be the legendary "Face Fruit."

But the problem was...

Adrian didn't even choose the once-offered [Be My Son], the ultimate "wild dad" skill.

How could he choose Shanks' Face Fruit?

Among the five abilities, [Balanced Physique] was undoubtedly the most suitable for Adrian, and the three main combat attributes' boosts weren't low, with additional resistance enhancement.

Although Adrian had never felt the effect of resistance, more was always better.

Just like the blade of [Hero's Dagger], 18 cm wasn't too long, but every extra centimeter counted.

Adrian directly chose [Balanced Physique], and a tingling sensation surged through his body.

[You have acquired the expertise 'Balanced Physique'!]

[Detected existing expertise [Robust Physique]!]

[Do you want to merge the two Expertise?]

Merge?

Adrian raised an eyebrow and checked the panel description.

Merging similar Expertise would absorb each other's strengths and likely create a more perfect, powerful expertise.

Adrian rubbed his chin.

"Having just defeated a fake protagonist, I should be in a lucky streak, right?"

"And the recent reward draw didn't yield anything great, which might have set the stage."

"Let's go for it!"

Confirm merge!

[You lost the expertise - [Robust Physique]!]

[You lost the expertise - [Balanced Physique]!]

[Merging...]

[You acquired the expertise - [Golden Physique]!]

['Golden Physique' - expertise: Strength +8%, Agility +8%, Endurance +8%, All Resistances +10%. For each level up, Strength, Agility, and Endurance attributes +2.]

Adrian had a satisfied smile on his face.

Compared to the previous two Expertise, the newly acquired [Golden Physique] was clearly more powerful, with a 3% boost for each main attribute, a 5% increase in resistance, and even the attribute enhancement effect of [Robust Build] was doubled!

"This is like turning a bicycle into a motorcycle!"

Adrian checked his updated personal attributes.

Originally, his strength attribute was 862 points; after losing [Robust Physique] but gaining [Golden Physique], his strength attribute increased by eighty points.

With an additional 8% boost, Adrian's strength attribute now reached 1017 points!

Breaking a thousand points for the first time! (Rounding to the nearest whole number)

Strength 1017, Agility 445, Endurance 642!

Shanks' expertise is really amazing!

Adrian contentedly closed the panel, ready to check on Shanks' condition on the distant mountain wall.

At that moment, the unnamed desolate island suddenly began to shake, the ground trembling as if it would shatter and rise into the sky at any second.

What's happening?

Adrian frowned, a red gleam flashing in his eyes as he activated his Observation Haki.

A wild, echoing laugh came from the sky.

"Jihahahaha!" (ジハハハハ)