99 Chapter 99

Chapter 99: But I Refuse

Adrian asked Tom for a baseball bat and knocked Miss Valentine unconscious with it, showing no mercy whatsoever.

This woman really has no sense at all, she's been incessantly chattering away.

"Now it's much quieter." Adrian lightly tapped his palm with the baseball bat and gave a friendly smile to Mr. 3. "Since you want to talk, let's have a nice chat. I ask, you answer. Is that okay?"

Is this a threat? It must be a threat.

"Com... completely fine!" He must be implying that he's not afraid of Baroque Works at all, and if he doesn't cooperate honestly, he'll get beaten or even killed. Mr. 3's survival instinct is quite strong.

"Alright, let's start with the first topic... Oh, by the way." Adrian took off his coat and handed it to Camie. "Use this to cover your tail for now."

"Sure, okay!" Camie obediently took the coat. She's only ten years old, and Adrian's coat is enough to cover her tail.

After all, this is an lawless area, not their home. If they're discovered, it could be troublesome. The explosions during the battle were quite loud, and now that things have quieted down, there's a chance someone might come to investigate.

Adrian thought it over and realized it's not safe here. He decided to move the conversation to the abandoned house nearby.

"So, for the first topic, where are you from, where are you heading, and what was your purpose in coming here?" Adrian began with three philosophical questions.

Mr. 3 was momentarily taken aback by the questions but then understood that Adrian was asking him to explain the cause and course of events.

"Well, here's what happened. About twenty days ago, someone contacted us and left the address of your tavern. They wanted us to capture a cat. Initially, we weren't interested in such a boring task, and we actually wanted to teach that guy a lesson. But the reward was so immense that it could have easily bought all of us senior agents, so..."

Adrian showed understanding. If the reward is that big, why not, right? "So, when I went to act alone with Tom, why didn't you seize the opportunity then?"

"That's because shortly after we arrived here, we noticed your connection with the mermaid, and we thought it would be a good chance to earn some extra money," Mr. 3 explained their series of plans without holding back.

Following his train of thought, Adrian thought it over and realized that apart from underestimating the tavern's strength in terms of power, there didn't seem to be much of an issue.

So, he detests opponents who use their brains.

"And who's the person who assigned you this task?" Adrian wanted to confirm his suspicion.

Mr. 3 didn't bother with keeping the client's identity confidential: "A merchant named Mr. Bizzness."

"That can't be right. Someone as cautious as him wouldn't personally negotiate with a criminal organization, would he? How did you find out about him?"

"Indeed, he had his underlings contact us, but with the Unlucky Duo around, it was easy to track him down."

"You've done your investigation, but why didn't you just eliminate him given his wealth?," Adrian expressed his disappointment, "You're even worse than I thought. You can't even play dirty against your own kind."

"Ha, haha..." Mr. 3 chuckled awkwardly, thinking to himself that this guy seems even more like a criminal than I am. He then went on to explain the rules they follow: "Investigating him was because of the huge amount involved. In case he couldn't pay, we needed some security. Usually, we wouldn't harm our clients..."

"You just said you won't harm your clients." Adrian scornfully looked at him, "He's your client, right?"

"He indeed sent his men to contact us, but because the Unluckies were there, we easily found out about him."

"But even after investigating, why didn't you simply kill him? He's so wealthy. You don't need to hold back." Adrian was inclined to believe that Baroque Works wouldn't spare Mr. Bizzness either. After all, it's because of him that they lost three of their top agents.

"It's true, he assigned his men to contact us. But with the Unlucky Duo here, it was easy to uncover his involvement."

Mr. 3 thought this was the best approach. Even if Adrian let them go today, he'd still face the consequences of a failed mission. However, if they placed the blame solely on Mr. Bizzness, and eliminated him and got back their rightful payment, considering the minimal loss, the punishment shouldn't be too severe.

But Adrian crushed his expectations, "I refuse."

"Ah? Why?" Mr. 3 thought it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement, "You don't have to worry about me keeping my word. In the current situation, even for my sake, I'd thoroughly take care of him!"

"Because you're criminals. Releasing you would mean potentially harming many people. I'd rather take you in for the bounty," Adrian felt it wasn't right. Mr. Bizzness could probably be dealt with, and there's no need to let these guys go on doing evil. They might even come back for revenge.

Even if he doesn't release them, Baroque Works wouldn't let Mr. Bizzness off the hook. After all, they lost three high-ranking agents because of him.

Better hand these guys over to the Marines. If the Marines get the word from Baroque Works and cooperate slightly with Alabasta, maybe they can make Crocodile's life a bit more difficult.

"Please think about it!" Mr. 3 wanted to persuade further, but Adrian was already having Tom dismantle a building to make a cart.

Seeing the cart rapidly taking shape, Mr. 3 was resigned, "Then, at least grant my final small request!"

"Tell me what it is?" Adrian was curious about what he'd ask for.

Could it be that he wants to use his ability to create a wax figure in the end, fulfilling some artistic pursuit of his? He is an artist, after all.

Mr. 3 pleaded pitifully, "Could you please extinguish the flames on my head? It's a wax-hair mixture I created using my ability. Since I can't use my power to replenish it now, my hair will be burnt off if this continues."

Adrian: "..."

I misread you, Mr. Artist.

Camie hopped over with her fish tail, looking at Adrian expectantly, "Huh? Is that a candle? Can you make a wish when blowing out the candle?"

I'm not a cake! Mr. 3 really wanted to yell this out, but instead, he managed to force a smile, "No problem, go ahead and make a wish on my candle. It might come true."

"Awesome, thank you, Mr. 3!" Camie closed her eyes, folded her hands, and earnestly started making a wish.

Tom temporarily halted his work and joined in, curious.

Seeing the two adorable creatures taking it so seriously, Adrian shook his head with a wry smile. Should I make a wish too? Like making my dear roommate wear a silly costume?