74 Chapter 74

Chapter 74: It's Best to Visit Friends and Relatives, Not to Stir Up Trouble

It's known that Doflamingo is on the island, and these days, the lawless areas aren't peaceful. We can conclude that Doflamingo is causing trouble lately, so it's better not to stir up things at the tavern.

On July 6, 1510, in the Sea Circle calendar, it's sunny and suitable for visiting friends and relatives, but not for causing trouble.

So, Adrian and his companions honestly ran their shop, exercised, and enjoyed food without getting involved in unnecessary matters.

These two days, they did come across two items of some value: [Rui Mengmeng's Breastplate, Broken Sword from the Kamran Battlefield].

As for the breastplate, let's not dwell on it. Adrian handed the broken sword to Rui Mengmeng, asking her to see if it can be reforged.

The broken sword was relatively wide, and though it was broken, its quality was much better than an ordinary sword. Rui Mengmeng took a while to study it and dryly asked, "Boss, have I upset you recently?"

"No, not at all."

"Then why are you testing me?" Rui Mengmeng remembered that her previous boss, when trying to test someone, would give them a difficult task and see how they managed it.

Adrian stumbled, "Don't think too much. I was just trying to see if you have such a special ability. If not, never mind, the sword is yours."

"Oh." Rui Mengmeng didn't know what use the broken sword had. She casually waved it a few times and unexpectedly felt comfortable using it.

"Getting ready to go out. I have plans to visit Mr. Goodman today." Adrian greeted and went inside to change his clothes. In the morning, he wore sportswear for exercise; now, he changed into casual attire.

Tom had already combed his hair, parting it in the center, and then smoothed it back to its original state. Adrian wondered about the significance of Tom combing his hair.

Artoria and Rui Mengmeng also changed into their usual clothes and hairstyles since it wasn't a formal occasion.

They didn't ride bikes this time, as they were in the same town, not far away.

Seeing Adrian carrying the wine he bought a couple of days ago, Rui Mengmeng asked, "Is Mr. Goodman the one we saw at the dock?"

Artoria nodded, "Yes, Adrian said the Goodman family took care of him and Tom quite a bit."

Although she had only met them twice, she didn't know much about them.

"Mr. Goodman is a kind and warm-hearted man. He occasionally likes to boast, but his wife, Mrs. Molly, is gentle and skilled at homemaking. Their son, Bayer, is lively and loves cool things."

Adrian briefly introduced and continued, "Tom and I stayed at their house for a month. They not only took care of us but also considered my self-esteem. They offered me a job, which was really kind."

"You're lucky, boss."

"Haha, yes, I'm quite fortunate." Adrian looked around and said, "Why not buy some fruit?"

When it came to buying food, Tom and Artoria were proactive. They selected a big bag full of things they liked to eat.

But wait, didn't you forget this is for gift-giving, not for you to eat?

...

Thump, thump, thump.

Adrian carried things in his hands, and Tom knocked on the door from his shoulder.

"Oh my, it's young Adrian and Tom." Mrs. Molly opened the door, "And who are these two?"

"Sorry for the intrusion. They're Artoria and Rui Mengmeng." Adrian's group was let inside by Mrs. Molly.

Artoria and Rui Mengmeng politely greeted, while Tom waved his hand gently like a beckoning cat to show courtesy.

Adrian timely handed over the gifts.

"Don't be so formal." Mrs. Molly gladly accepted them and shouted inside, "Darling, young Adrian is here!"

Mr. Goodman, with Bayer beside him, came out. He seemed to be narrating his glorious deeds from his youth to Bayer.

After some chatting, Mrs. Molly served tea and a fruit platter, then she spoke with Artoria and Rui Mengmeng.

Bayer and Tom went to play together—after apprenticing for a while, he wanted to show Tom the toys he made from wood.

Tom was too lazy to move but cooperated with him, playing with those small things. Otherwise, Tom would teach him a lesson about overestimating his abilities.

Mr. Goodman noticed the gifts Adrian brought, "This kind of wine isn't common."

Adrian smiled, "As long as you like it. I specially asked Mr. Guragas to prepare it."

"Mr. Guragas, huh? Have you been buying from him all along?" Mr. Goodman asked.

"Yes, I got his contact from Mr. Bob." Adrian curiously asked, "Is there something wrong with him?"

"Not really, I've just heard some rumors about him." Mr. Goodman recalled and said, "They say he was impulsive and reckless when he was young, often causing trouble after drinking. He even had a fight with a major pirate once. I don't know the details, but not long after that, he became a wine merchant, and his temperament became much milder."

"A major pirate? Who was it?" Even if you've read the manga, it's hard to remember every pirate, like Silver Axe or King Roger , and what abilities they had or what they did.

Mr. Goodman shook his head, "I'm not sure, but in any case, doing business with him is probably fine. Just don't provoke him."

"I understand." Adrian nodded and laughed, "I'm in the business too. There's no reason to offend a supplier."

"Haha, that's true."

Adrian and his group didn't stay for long, just briefly chatted about recent events before saying their goodbyes.

On their way back, Adrian asked curiously, "Artoria, did you feel that Guragas guy was strong?"

"I didn't feel anything in particular. Some people are good at hiding their aura, so I might not be able to detect it unless they attack." Artoria asked, "Do you want me to test it?"

"No need, we're not part of World Government. We don't need to concern ourselves with other people's special abilities."

"Oh, by the way, what did you and Mrs. Molly talk about?" Rui Mengmeng didn't want to say, but Artoria straightforwardly said, "We talked about our backgrounds and preferences, and she spent most of the time praising you."

Adrian: "..." That conversation style is a bit delicate.

Adrian didn't delve further into the specifics; he felt that, compared to this topic, they were more interested in discussing what they would have for lunch.

And so, they chatted simply as they walked, while Adrian caught Tom, who was following the scent of food into a shop.

A rhythmic sound of footsteps caught their attention.

In this town, the disciplined footsteps were most likely from the Navy; was there some action happening?

Adrian turned around, only to be surprised by

what he saw:

A squad of female soldiers. The entire Navy team was composed of female soldiers, a sight rarely seen in the Navy.

Sure enough, the leader was a silver-haired, kind looking old woman—veteran of the same era as Garp and Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru.