Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Bob's Tavern

"What's this? You all know about Swort Sword's matter," Adrian exclaimed.

Goodman looked somewhat disappointed as he poured himself a drink, then brought the glass to his lips. "So, you've all heard about the big explosion as well?"

"Explosion?" Molly and Bayer perked up. They hadn't heard about any explosion.

Adrian relaxed a bit. Uncle Goodman's shipyard was closest to the scene. The rumors probably weren't too far-fetched.

Goodman suddenly got enthusiastic. He drank the contents of the glass in one gulp and continued, "Let me tell you, I was working on reinforcing a mast on a ship back then. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. If it were gunpowder, the force was at least this much."

However, Mrs. Molly wasn't interested in the amount of gunpowder. She urged, "What happened next?"

"All the shipyard workers in the dock panicked and covered their heads, as if wanting to dig a hole and hide. Only I calmly finished my work. Who am I? I'm Goodman. Thinking back to when I was young…"

Mrs. Molly slapped his back, "Get to the point!"

"...Later, I heard that explosives were pre-planted. That brave and clever person deliberately led Swort Sword and his henchmen, around... three hundred people, there, and then detonated it, blowing all three hundred of them sky-high!"

Mrs. Molly covered her mouth, while young Bayer's eyes sparkled.

Tom was also showing signs of being captivated.

Adrian quickly explained to them, "Actually, they hurt themselves... and then I brought them to the Marine base for the bounty exchange. On the way, there was a little accident that triggered the explosion..."

He didn't mention that he caused that final explosion himself; there was no way to explain its origin.

As for the Marine's investigation, they probably wouldn't dig too deep into it. Just a mere 8 million Berries bounty criminal wasn't worth the effort.

After listening, the Goodman family's excited expressions cooled down.

Mrs. Molly tilted her head, "Quite ordinary."

Bayer tilted his head, "Pretty lame."

Goodman tilted his head, "Pretty boring."

Tom followed suit, "Meow?"

Adrian grabbed Tom and playfully squeezed and patted him, "Tom, don't join in the nonsense! I've tolerated you for a long time!"

"Meow meow meow..." Tom waved his paws, pleading for mercy.

"In short, there's no hero, no thirty or three hundred henchmen. I was just lucky to receive a bounty. By the way, these are for you." Adrian handed over the prepared items.

"Oh, what a cool apron!"

"This hat is so stylish!"

"Isn't this the latest Sumo Panda sunglasses!" Goodman happily tried them on. He had wanted to buy a pair for a while, but that part of the budget was allocated as Adrian's salary. He was planning to wait until next month.

Mrs. Molly also noticed that both the apron she received and Bayer's hat were from the Sumo Panda brand. She worriedly said, "Wouldn't this be too extravagant? Adrian, even if you've earned a good amount of money, it's better to be more frugal."

"It's alright, you both like them, and consider it a thank you gift for the care Uncle Goodman and Aunt Molly have shown me during this time."

"Don't be so polite. Also, that sounds like you're saying goodbye."

"Huh? Is Adrian leaving?" Bayer stopped fiddling with his new hat, clearly reluctant.

"Yeah, I'm planning to move out. I want to buy or rent a shop nearby. I've caused you all a lot of trouble during these days."

Adrian felt that the conditions Goodman initially set - an hour of work per day for a monthly salary of 100,000 Berries - were too generous. While it was work, it felt more like they were looking after him.

Molly was the same. Whether it was food, clothes, or various household items, she had prepared everything meticulously. Many times, it felt like an older sister looking after her younger brother.

Though they weren't related, these people had been so kind to Adrian, it made him feel guilty.

In the past, it was understandable, but now that he had some capital, it wasn't right to keep relying on them.

Molly wanted to persuade him to stay, but Goodman stopped her, "Enough, Molly, don't underestimate a man's determination to live independently!"

"But..."

Goodman waved his big hand, "No 'buts,' a man should act decisively. That's what I told Adrian when we first started, and it still applies now. Since he's decided, he should go ahead and do it!"

Bayer looked at Goodman with a fiery gaze.

"What's wrong, Bayer? Do you disagree?" Goodman asked.

"No, I just think Dad was so cool just now!"

"Hahaha!" Goodman's charismatic moment lasted only a second, "What's cool about that? Thinking back to when I was young... I was a hundred times cooler than I am now!"

"Alright, stop boasting." Molly brought up a serious topic, "Adrian, do you have any specific plans?"

Adrian replied, "I haven't decided yet. I need to look around for suitable storefronts and figure out what I can do with the money I have."

8.1 million Berries sounded like a lot, but he really didn't have a clear idea of how much it could accomplish.

Goodman pondered, "In that case, maybe you can consider taking a look at Bob's Tavern."

"A tavern?"

Goodman nodded, "Exactly, the one Bayer often goes to. Old Bob is almost seventy and wants to sell the tavern to retire."

"But a tavern... Can I run it well?" Adrian was mostly concerned about safety. Were taverns more prone to pirate trouble?

"Old Bob has managed it this long, and he's not as capable as you, little brother!" Goodman assured, "Most of the patrons there are shipyard workers like us, and occasionally, Marines and World Government officials drop by. There won't be any troublemakers."

Adrian was getting interested. He knew that tavern, it was located slightly west of Island 59. There weren't many competitors like restaurants and bars nearby, and many shipyard workers liked to have a drink and chat there after work.

He had been in this place for almost a month, and he hadn't heard of any trouble happening there. It did seem like a good place.

"What would it cost

to buy it?"

"At most, 10 million Berries?" Goodman said a price that Adrian couldn't believe.

"So little? I heard that sailboats can cost over a billion Berries."

Goodman looked at him strangely, "Ships and houses are different. Every ship is the result of our shipyard workers' hard work, with no room for mistakes. On the other hand, for something like Bob's Tavern, a few apprentices from our shipyard could build it."

"Um..." Adrian was at a loss for words. Were properties in this world really this inexpensive?

Goodman added, "Of course, it's a different story for places like where nobles live or fortresses like Marine bases."