Chapter 65

Chapter 65 - What Are You Trying to Do? I'm Going to Call for Help!

Adrian is the only one who knows about merchant ships, and the only one he knows of is Bizzness, which he hasn't seen in person.

Even though he doesn't know, Bob explained, "Merchant ships are usually like this. Some fly their own guild's flag, with the guild's name on the sails, while others don't display anything."

"But aren't merchant ships supposed to come from the west? We're in the far east, so why is it coming from this direction? Could it be traders from Fishman Island?" Red Line is to the east of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Bob shook his head, "It's hard to say. The Sabaody Archipelago isn't exactly a group of islands; it's the aerial roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove trees. It doesn't have its own magnetic field. To get here, you need a pointer pointing towards Fishman Island or someone's Life Card from the island."

Adrian nodded, aware of this knowledge. In the Grand Line, the magnetic field is chaotic, compasses malfunction, and even brilliant navigators like Nami rely on Log Poses, Eternal Poses, or Life Cards to navigate.

"And how does that relate to this situation?"

Bob explained, "The pointer points to Fishman Island, which is directly below the Red Line. There's a slight deviation from the position of the Sabaody Archipelago. So, some ships might miss the archipelago and sail near the Red Line first, then follow the markers to find the Sabaody Archipelago. That's why it's not strange for ships to approach from any direction."

Adrian thought it made sense. He raised the binoculars to observe the approaching ship more closely. "There's something off about it."

The ship looked a bit worn, which was normal given the damages ships incur in the Grand Line.

There seemed to be a large cannon at the bow, which was reasonable since even merchant ships needed some means of self-defense.

The issue was with the writing on the sails – it looked messy, as if the paint had dripped before drying.

And then there was the figure at the bow – big belly, thin legs, disheveled appearance, suit barely buttoned up, a pistol hanging from the belt. He looked like he was wearing someone else's clothes and had nothing of a merchant's appearance.

Adrian shared his observations, making Bob and the others hesitant. "Could this be pirates disguising themselves as merchants?"

"Though uncommon, it's not impossible. They could get close to the island disguised as merchants and then launch an attack... How about we leave this place for now?" Bob suggested. He had just started his retirement, and he didn't want it to end so quickly.

The other elderly men agreed.

However, Adrian didn't want to leave. Pirates who played such tricks probably weren't that strong. For instance, someone like Creek from the East Blue: "You guys go ahead. We'll stay and see what these people are up to. Maybe we can earn a bounty."

Bob tried to advise against it, "Young man, don't be impulsive. Dealing with real pirates isn't as simple as you think. It's better to call the Marines."

"No worries, we can handle it. Bob, don't forget how I got the money to buy the bar. You all go ahead, just don't get caught in the crossfire." Adrian urged, thinking about letting Artoria fire a blast of light to test its power, if not for the uncertainty of their identity.

"Kid, if you're in trouble, remember to call me. Once the Den Den Mushi rings, I'll call the Marines right away." Bob didn't offer to come and rescue them, he knew his limits and the relationship hadn't reached that point yet. A few words of advice were enough.

The six elderly men left without much ado. They didn't bother collecting their fishing gear. Fishing equipment could always be repurchased, and life was more important than these things. It was better to take valuable items home and keep them safe.

After they left, Rui Mengmeng asked uneasily, "Boss, are we going to fight?"

Adrian responded, "If they're pirates, then yes. Are you scared?"

Shaking her head, Rui Mengmeng rolled up her sleeves and flexed her arm, "I'm becoming the Super Seminary King's man... uh, woman. I won't be scared of such things!"

Artoria, of course, wasn't afraid either. She just asked, "How can we be sure they're pirates?"

Adrian thought for a moment, then took out a rice cooker from his inventory. Opening it, he revealed stacks of bills – it looked like a lot, but it was actually just over 20 million Berries.

Since customers at the bar didn't always pay with 10,000 Berries notes, Adrian hadn't bothered to exchange them, so there were a lot of 1,000 and 5,000 Berries notes. This 20 million Berries was now displaying the aura of 200 million.

He piled the money into a small heap and smiled, "We'll play 'Fishing Law Enforcement,' pretend to divide the money. If they're traders, they might try to sell us something. Pirates probably won't be able to resist this temptation."

Tom rubbed his chin and took out a stack of green bills from his pocket, adding to the pile, contributing to Adrian's fishing venture. Then he stood back with folded arms, waiting for praise.

These were the private funds he took when he ran away from home. They were probably worthless in this world, so he might as well use them as props.

"Haha, Tom, you're quite creative." Adrian found Tom's action amusing and patted his head. "Does this count as using counterfeit money?"

Tom rubbed his head against Adrian's hand and sat on the ground, building a pyramid out of the bills. Unfortunately, the money was too little for him to fully display his artistic talent.

After Tom finished, Adrian and the two girls began their performance of dividing the money, one stack at a time. Once finished, they dismantled the pyramid and divided the money again, the most luxurious game Adrian had ever played in his life.

After a while, the ship gradually approached, anchoring at a distance due to the shallow water. About thirty people came ashore on a few small boats.

Captain Black intended to approach and get acquainted with Adrian, asking for information and guidance. But one of his men stopped him.

"Captain, what's that over there?"

Black looked and his gaze became fixated – so much money!

A man and two women, plus a small cat, were dividing money here? Wasn't this a golden opportunity that had fallen from the sky?

"Surround them!"

His subordinates shared his thoughts. This was like money raining down from the heavens – they eagerly approached.

Adrian pretended to be "frightened," looking at the menacing group, "What are you trying to do? I'll call for help!"

"In this place, even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come to save you!" Black pulled out the pistol from his belt, "I am Captain Black, a notorious pirate with a bounty of 76 million

! If you know what's good for you, put down the money, and I might spare your lives!"

"76 million bounty!" Adrian couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"That's fantastic!"