Chapter 103: First Stop - Drum Country!

Adrian was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the mission prompt on the game panel. After a moment of contemplation, he began to piece things together.

"Indeed…"

"When I triggered the Navigator upgrade mission on Ohara, I had speculated whether subsequent upgrade sub-professions would follow. Now it seems my speculation was correct!"

"This time, entering the Grand Line triggered the upgrade mission. Does that mean that after maxing out the new profession, subsequent upgrades will only occur in the latter half of the Grand Line? I wonder what names these future upgrade professions will carry…"

"This 'Wind Warden' is a fitting name. Let's explore the rewards for this profession upgrade mission."

[Mission Rewards: Navigator profession upgraded to Wind Wielder, speciality 'Sensitive Skin'!]

Adrian's excitement surged as he lightly tapped the panel to read about his new specialty.

[Sensitive Skin]- Specialty: Through extremely sensitive skin, sense the flow trend and humidity changes of the surrounding air, and predict the weather based on this.

"Although this specialty is undeniably impressive and practical for a navigator... why does it feel so familiar?"

Adrian furrowed his brow, racking his brain for any information regarding the original work.

"It seems... Nami, the Cat Burglar, had this talent, doesn't she? It should be a natural gift?"

"Tsk! The Straw Hat Pirates are amazing, there is not a single weak talent among them. Even Usopp, who seemed to be the most cowardly and unreliable at the beginning, has a super-excellent bloodline!"

"His father, Chaser, and he is also called a God! Words fail to capture my awe…"

After a brief rant, Adrian put his mind back on the new career upgrade quest he had just received.

It was still a B-rank quest.

Adrian sighed. He had previously completed the Navigator upgrade quest, which required him to complete a single voyage to the Four Seas.

At least four Paradise routes.

It's obvious that one would have to navigate back and forth several times in the first half of the Paradise; otherwise, it would be impossible to complete this task.

But Adrian was somewhat relieved. At the very least, the panel didn't require completing all the Paradise routes. That would have been too time-consuming!

Moreover, the task explicitly emphasized [Sailing].

Trying to expedite the task completion through flight was clearly a big no!

For an [Navigator]'s upgrade task, relying on flight to complete it—what kind of operation is that?!

Unexpectedly triggering the Wind Wielder's upgrade task, Adrian didn't feel too excited about it.

The upgrading task of "Wind Wielder" is no less demanding than that of "Supernova."

The requirements for "Supernova" tasks are simple and clear.

However, it is obvious that the upgrading task of the Wind Wielder, like the initial navigator, belongs to the kind that takes considerable time and effort, and there is no rushing it.

After calming his emotions, Adrian continued to follow the direction indicated by the Eternal Pose obtained from Crocus, heading towards the first stop on the Grand Line—Drum Country!

...

The Grand Line is one of the most magical and dangerous sea routes in the world, and it cannot be speculated with the usual logic of the Four BLues. The changes in weather and climate here are completely unpredictable.

One moment, the sky may be clear, with the sun shining brightly, and the next moment, several dazzling lightning bolts may suddenly split the sky;

Yesterday, the weather might have been mild, with a gentle spring breeze, and the next day, waking up to find a thin layer of snow covering the deck of the small boat;

Without the help of a Log Pose or Eternal Pose, even an old fisherman who has lived in this sea for decades may instantly lose his way.

In comparison to the well-known nickname 'Paradise,' the Grand Line's first half also has several more terrifying and ominous nicknames: 'Pirate Graveyard' and 'Monster's Domain'!

A few days later.

When his homemade boat was about to fall apart completely, Adrian finally saw the outline of the snow island.

Magnetic Drum Island is a very typical winter island, with snow falling all year round. It is named after the mountain peaks on the island, which resemble towering drums.

"Finally here!"

Looking at the snow-covered coast of Magnetic Drum Island not far away, Adrian felt exhausted.

If it wasn't for the progress of the Wind Wielder's mission, he would have wanted to fly to this island directly on the day he left Twin Cape!

In just a few short days, Adrian had experienced a series of terrifying weather phenomena, including deep-sea whirlpools, giant hailstones, and water with lightning. He had even encountered giant sea kings that were hundreds of times the size of his boat!

He deeply felt the warm welcome of the Grand Line for new pirates!

If it weren't for his own formidable strength and the assistance of [Advanced Navigation Techniques], his small ship would have capsized long ago!

"If there's a next time, I definitely need to build a big ship with a roof!!"

With a deep sense of resentment, Adrian casually docked the small boat at the edge of the coast. After quickly packing up the essential belongings, he walked through the accumulated snow, one step deep, one step shallow, heading towards the inside of Drum Island.

As a small island with a small population, Drum Country was surprisingly one of the World Government's allied nations and had participated in world meetings multiple times throughout history.

The reason for all this lay in the unique and advanced medical technology possessed by Drum Country.

At the current stage, Drum Country remained the 'Great Medical Nation' that valued talents and medical expertise.

In a few years, after the old king dies and the new king Wapol succeeds to the throne, Drum Country will become a mere shell of its former self.

Especially after the 'Isshi 20 Plan' is implemented.

The plan is to select 20 of the best and most loyal doctors in the Country, and then kill or exile any other self-proclaimed doctors.

Frankly, Wapol deserves to be beaten by Blackbeard a hundred times! Meh, even the small child born of Maki from Luffy's hometown deserves to beat him.

But now Wapol is just a few years old, not the crazy king he will become later.

Adrian is a little curious about the 'Munch-Munch Fruit' that Wapol will eat in the future. This is also a Devil Fruit with many mysteries, and it is suspected to be deeply related to Blackbeard Teach's special physique.

However, the history of the Munch-Munch Fruit is not mentioned in the original work, and Adrian does not know when this Devil Fruit was eaten by Wapol. He plans to keep it under observation for the time being.

Adrian's main purpose in coming to Drum Country is to see if he can trigger the upgrade quest for his [Doctor] side job here!