49 Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Special News

Tom got hit by a fish, smacked a few times by the tail of the fish he had just caught.

No one expected to witness a scene where a cat was hit by a fish in their lifetime. The 60-70 cm fish smacked him in the face, and it looked painful even to watch.

So, they grilled that fish, and Tom immediately became fired up.

The elderly folks found it amusing and took fish out of their own buckets to give to Tom.

As they watched Tom grilling the fish, they chatted casually.

A well-off old man asked, "Did you guys just mention Bizzness?"

Bob picked up the conversation, "Do you know him?"

"Saw him before, used to come to my restaurant often."

"You run a restaurant? Then why..." Adrian was about to ask why someone would leave their business and come to fish here early in the morning.

"What's so strange about it? Those guys, one runs a grocery store, another a seafood restaurant, there's a milk station, and even a clothing store. They all come here to play."

The revelation surprised Adrian. He hadn't realized that the shops owned by those people were where he bought things like cups and towels. The milk delivery girl, Mika, was the granddaughter of one of those old men.

"These folks mostly leave their businesses to their children and come out to have fun." Bob explained and then urged, "If you know that person, spill it."

The restaurant owner didn't keep them in suspense, "I only know he's quite a successful merchant. He's polite in dealings, and I've heard he's going to acquire another merchant ship soon. There's also some rumor that he's done quite a few shady things behind the scenes."

The suspicions were growing. Adrian asked, "So where is he now? At the civilian port of 44GR?"

"He usually docks around there, but they set sail yesterday."

Adrian was speechless. Wasn't this confirming it? He must have realized something was off during the call and immediately left.

But come on, he was a big boss of a merchant guild. Was he really going to be so cautious? Why not bring a hundred or so henchmen and directly confront the situation?

The restaurant owner kindly warned, "If you're planning to do business with him, be extremely careful. This guy is probably a hundred times more cunning than Old Bob."

"Pah! Who are you calling cunning? Isn't your restaurant overcharging people?"

"You know nothing, my restaurant is upscale. We sell ambiance, atmosphere, and service, got it?"

Two old men bickered while the other four watched the show. When the grilled fish was served to them, both Bob and the restaurant owner stopped arguing. The fish was indeed delicious, so they focused on eating first.

A few minutes later, the owner of the clothing store licked his fingers and said with lingering delight, "Kid, bring your cat here to play in the future. You can pick any clothes from my shop."

"Oh, my store too." Several other shop owners chimed in.

"We'll be happy to have you around." Adrian courteously replied, "We need to go now since we have some matters to attend to."

Joking aside, the clothing store was one thing, but several food-related shops inviting them to eat freely? That would be a suicidal endeavor.

These people seemed decent. Adrian thought it would be better not to deceive them.

Leaving 58GR, Adrian planned to head to the port of 44GR to gather more information. Along the way, he would also visit 57GR and have a heart-to-heart with the Scott brothers, who had caused a ruckus in the tavern.

Only once he had obtained the information he needed would he return.

"Those three brothers are actually employed by them too." Adrian felt a little troubled. What kind of enemies had he encountered? It seemed like things had taken a turn for the worse.

"And Bizzness' merchant ship set sail around the same time as the call." Artoria felt this person's style would be suitable for an assassin – if the first strike didn't hit, they would retreat thousands of miles away. Dealing with such an enemy wasn't about defeating them, but about finding them.

"What should we do then?" Adrian was at a loss. The people who had already set sail couldn't be found.

"Since there's nothing we can do, let's just not do anything." Artoria suggested, "If he gives up now, it's fine to find him slowly in the future. If he doesn't give up, we won't let him escape next time."

"Even hiring human traffickers, he probably won't give up easily. The next time he comes, he might even be an assassin." Adrian recalled a phrase inexplicably: "For how much profit, merchants dare to do whatever...?" Perhaps it applied to this world as well.

"Or... Tom, can you try making an enemy detector or something, to track him worldwide?" Adrian came up with an idea out of the blue.

A question mark appeared above Tom's head. Do you have a misunderstanding about me?

"...Can't do that? Okay then, let's buy some groceries and head home."

...

On the way back, Adrian held onto bubble-wrapped parcels of various sizes like hydrogen balloons. Almost all of them were groceries, including the sea king meat that Artoria had been eagerly anticipating.

Suddenly, a burst of bird cries echoed, and a flurry of papers rained down from the sky – delivery seagulls.

Amidst the surprised exclamations of people around, Adrian understood that this phenomenon was called an "extra edition."

It was a newspaper temporarily printed to rapidly report significant events to the public. In this world, extra editions were distributed by having the delivery seagulls drop them on people without charge.

The president of the World Economic News Agency, known as the "Great News" Morgans, was an ambitious media figure. While he sometimes published news with questionable stances due to monetary gains, he would also confront the World Government for the sake of significant news.

This was probably a period of expansion for their newspaper, which explained why they occasionally printed free extra editions.

Like everyone else, Adrian caught a copy of the newspaper:

"Former Rear Admiral Borsalino, codename 'Yellow Monkey,' promoted to Admiral!"

With the former admiral Zephyr focusing on training new recruits, the Navy finally had a new Admiral.

The article briefly introduced Yellow Monkey's resume and achievements and included a picture of him when he became an Admiral. The current Yellow Monkey didn't look as creepy as he would later, although he still wasn't very handsome.

The article daringly speculated that, not long from now, Kuzan and Sakazuki, also known as the "Monster Admirals," would become Admirals as well. This would usher in an unprecedented era of Navy strength.

Is that all? Adrian wondered if something big had happened. Was it really worth an extra edition for an Admiral's appointment?

However, hearing the cheers of the people around him, he realized that for ordinary folks, a stronger Navy meant greater security. The presence of an additional Admiral could strike fear into many pirates and even discourage many would-be pirates from setting sail.

Today, many might come to the tavern to celebrate this news. Looks like it's going to be a busy day.