Chapter 50

Chapter 50: The Drunken Rear Admiral

To ensure there was enough alcohol, Adrian specifically contacted Guragas to deliver a batch of drinks.

Today, the tavern's business was indeed booming, and it wasn't just his establishment. Bars and restaurants across the Sabaody Archipelago were experiencing a good day.

Many people who didn't know each other before were clinking glasses and laughing loudly, all due to the same news from the extra edition.

For them, the appearance of a new Admiral meant a little more security for their families. So, as long as you were happy about this matter, you were a brother.

Of course, real brothers still settled their accounts. You've got to pay your own bill~

Emotions are contagious. The joyful atmosphere of the patrons lifted Adrian's mood a bit, not because he was making more money.

Even Tom couldn't resist playing a bit of piano and then performing a quirky dance – the one where Jerry turned white, got sold, and was bought back by the owner. Tom concluded the dance by turning himself white as well.

Tom, energetically swinging his arms, exuded a sense of joy from head to toe. That's just how this cat is. Not to mention he almost got kidnapped, or even dying yesterday, today he can still play so happily.

Tom's performance naturally garnered cheers and applause. Subsequently, everyone imitated the dance, but the style was a bit eye-watering.

Seeing a bunch of burly men flailing their arms and legs, Adrian couldn't help but shake his head. If these people hadn't paid, he'd kick each and every one of them out.

Artoria quietly watched the crowd's rowdy behavior. The happier they were, the more despicable these world's pirates seemed, right?

The excitement lasted for two or three days before gradually subsiding. Life returned to normal, and this calm period continued until the end of June.

Since Bizzness left, unbelievably, no one came to stir up trouble these days. Of course, this might also be related to the recent increased activity of the island's Marines.

The news of the new Admiral's appointment was a morale boost for them. Lately, the Marine patrols extended beyond the jurisdiction of GR 60 to 69, even reaching the lawless territories.

Rumor has it that even those lawless areas had been relatively quiet for a while.

What pleased Adrian was that there hadn't been any dine-and-dash incidents at the tavern these days.

His strength had also improved a bit. Although his magical power was growing slowly, it was more natural to use now. Before, if he threw a full-force punch at a wall, his hand would hurt. But now, he could punch through the wall with ease.

Adrian personally tested its effectiveness, but the consequence of doing so was him spending half the day fixing the wall with a hammer and wooden boards. Tom stood behind him, hands on his hips, supervising and occasionally offering technical guidance.

Tom's expression showed annoyance; Adrian hadn't expected this self-proclaimed demolition expert to disdain others for demolishing things.

On the evening of June 30th, an unusual guest arrived at the tavern – a Marine officer who wasn't causing trouble, just sitting in a corner drinking alone.

This Marine had light yellow hair, a beard like jagged teeth on his chin, a deep blue suit, and a light blue shirt. Perhaps because he was here as a private individual, he wasn't wearing the Marine cloak.

Adrian knew he was a Marine because he had seen his photo in the newspaper – Rear Admiral Kadar, stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Openly, he was the most formidable force on this island.

Until today, Adrian had always thought that what Goodman and Bob said about Marines or World Government officials coming here to drink was just boasting.

After all, the Marines had their own mess hall, and even the fish pies, Sanji's favorite, had "Marine Special" printed on the packaging. They shouldn't be lacking alcohol, and they probably weren't allowed to drink on a regular basis.

Maybe only someone like the Silver Rayleigh, who was as famous as Iron Fist Garp, would go to an outside restaurant with his girl and order the high-end "Cases Base Brunello."

As closing time approached, the customers left one by one. However, this Marine gentleman not only didn't look like he was leaving, but he also waved at Adrian. "Boss, another bottle!"

Adrian grabbed a bottle of alcohol and put it down, looking at the ten empty bottles on the table. He reminded him in a low voice, "Rear Admiral Kadar, have you had a bit too much to drink?"

This guy downed ten bottles of alcohol in less than two hours, and he hadn't even had any food to go with it. Didn't he need to use the bathroom?

Holding the bottle, Kadar took a few sips and had a slightly intoxicated expression. "Don't call me a Rear Admiral... *hic*... I'm not fit to be a Rear Admiral, and I won't be one for much longer!"

"Why do you say that? I've read about your achievements in the newspaper – you've suppressed many pirates. Moreover, you were originally Vice Admiral Yellow Monkey's subordinate. You should have been promoted and given important assignments, right?"

For the highest-ranking local Marine officer, Adrian naturally had researched him thoroughly. Yellow Monkey probably wouldn't forget his old subordinates. Even if he wanted to take it easy, he still had people working under him; otherwise, how could he slack off?

"Hehe..." Kadar laughed self-deprecatingly and asked, "Do you know why I was transferred to Sabaody?"

Adrian shook his head. He really didn't know, and from the way he was talking, it seemed that being stationed at Sabaody wasn't a good job.

Kadar took another couple of sips and then slumped onto the table, his voice choked with tears. "Because I killed ninety-seven of my subordinates!"

Half-drunk people tend to talk a lot. Normally, as a Vice Admiral, he needed to maintain his dignity at the base and couldn't show weakness in front of his subordinates. Today, he was using the alcohol as an excuse to vent his emotions while there were few people at the tavern.

"A few months ago, while patrolling the sea on my warship, I received orders that the Sun Pirates' ships were nearby. I was instructed to monitor them, seize the opportunity to recapture slaves, or await reinforcements to annihilate the Sun Pirates in one fell swoop."

The Sun Pirates were the Fish-Man Pirate crew formed by Fisher Tiger to rescue slaves. Adrian calculated that a few months ago, they were probably still on their way to bring the slaves home. However, with Fisher Tiger and Jinbe's combat abilities, if they were sending just one Vice Admiral to lead the mission, it was probably to deliver food.

Kadar continued, "You know about slaves, right? I also know it's not a good thing, but as a Marine, I have to obey orders. Attacking pirates is justifiable, right? And then... then the battle broke out, my warship sank, and ninety-seven of my subordinates perished at sea. Only I survived in disgrace! If... if I had been more careful... if I had been stronger..."

This incident wasn't reported in the news; it only mentioned that the Marines had cleverly set up an ambush, severely injuring Fisher Tiger, and subsequently, Admiral Yellow Monkey arrested Arlong and learned about Fisher Tiger's death.

Perhaps because such a major loss without any results could easily boost the pirates' morale and undermine the Marines and World Government's prestige, the incident wasn't widely publicized.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this major defeat that he was transferred from G2 Branch. Unlike Yellow Monkey's other old subordinates, who were promoted by a level almost across the board, he was sent to Sabaody.

But since the World Government chose to conceal this incident, they probably wouldn't strip him of his position. Then why did he say he wouldn't be a Vice Admiral for much longer?

Kadar isn't an original character. After he was let go by Fisher Tiger, he wasn't mentioned again. Sending him to be stationed at Sabaody was inspired by how Smoker was reassigned to the entrance of the Grand Line after confronting superiors in the Marine Headquarters. It should be reasonable.

P@treon.com/NewComer714.

Sorry for the late updates, I overslept.