Chapter 36: Otefi Island

The MAX level "Ghost Form" provided Adrian with a tremendous advantage. His ease in defeating the leader of the Happo Navy's Second Fleet before was largely due to his immunity to physical attacks.

Even more so,

The passive and cost-free Ghost Form turned the rare ability of "flight" into one of Adrian's daily means of transportation.

Upon entering the ghostly state, Adrian soared into the sky, gradually increasing his maximum flight speed.

How fast is the flight speed of a "Ghost"?

Adrian was not aware of it before, but as he continued to accelerate without reaching a limit, he realized that he had unintentionally discovered a terrifying ability!

The property of ignoring physical barriers meant that there was no resistance during the flight.

Feeling the scenery around him moving rapidly backward, Adrian inexplicably received a piece of information in his mind.

The flight speed of the ghost depends solely on his thinking speed!

Of course, this does not mean that Adrian can approach the speed of light or even surpass it.

Human thinking speed has its limits, and the highest flight speed Adrian can control is approximately 500 kilometers per hour. (Note)

At such a high-speed rush, Adrian spent hardly any time and, following Dr. Clover's instructions on the sea chart, arrived at the famous island of the underworld—the Otefi Island.

This is a town-like island with hills stretching nearly a hundred meters in the north and east, densely populated along the sea in the south, with various buildings intermingled.

Standing in the sky, Adrian looked down at the picturesque island, his eyes inexplicably filled with emotion.

The next moment, tiny ghostly glows appeared, and a myriad of mini-ghosts waved their arms, continuously gathering around Adrian.

"Cuties, go check the situation on the island for me..."

Mini Ghost · Starry Patrol!

A vast and overwhelming ghostly torrent instantly surged toward the Otefi Island below, without a hint of fireworks. It dispersed abruptly, hovering several dozen meters above the ground, evenly spreading across every street, every corner, and every place where people were present on the island.

Starry Patrol is a detective skill developed by Adrian using the Ghost Fruit. The small and nimble mini ghosts serve excellently as scouts, aiding in discreetly gathering intelligence.

For ordinary people, the mini white ghosts in the sky during the day are inconspicuous. At night, they are merely seen as unusually shaped shining stars, not attracting much attention.

Adrian closed his eyes, communicating with the mini ghosts below. Using their eyes, he carefully observed every corner of Otefi Island, clandestinely investigating intelligence.

Soon, he gathered surprisingly astonishing information.

"Such vivid and bright pink hair... Why is Lady Penelope here?"

Adrian suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze showing a hint of confusion.

"Let's go check it out!"

As soon as he spoke, the ghostly form of Adrian abruptly shrank in size, transforming his body into a size similar to that of a mini ghost, and then flew downward.

Near the center of Otefi Island, a solitary two-story building. Lady Penelope, who was currently imprisoned here, gazed out of the window with a heart full of sorrow.

She didn't think she had done anything wrong, whether it was persuading her husband to trade the Ghost Fruit or writing to Ohara for help.

But why had she fallen to this state?

With no word from her husband for almost a month and considering the inhumane rumors about the Capone Gang before, even if Lady Penelope's nature was optimistic, she couldn't believe that her husband was being treated as an honored guest by the Capone Gang.

The only thing she hoped for now was that her husband was alive.

"Lady Penelope, Lady Penelope..."

A faint voice suddenly brought Lady Penelope's mind back. She looked around the room in confusion and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Did excessive worry finally lead to hallucinations? If I had known, I wouldn't have written to Ohara..." Lady Penelope sighed to herself, gazing at the empty room.

"Sorry, I just forgot to shift my form..."

A voice, both unfamiliar and tinged with familiarity, echoed, and Adrian's figure appeared out of thin air in the room.

"Yes—" Lady Penelope widened her eyes, scanned the surroundings quickly, and lowered her voice, "It's you, Adrian!"

"Yes, it's me, madam." Adrian's expression showed regret, and he spoke in a low voice, "Lady Penelope, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you."

"It's useless to talk about it now..." Lady Penelope showed a sad expression. "Mr. Adrian, how did you come here?"

Adrian didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Madam, I happen to have a question for you too. If I remember correctly, you said in your letter that you were still with the Shimizu Trade Association…"

"That's right." Lady Penelope smiled bitterly and explained, "But as soon as the letter was sent by the messenger, the Capone Family's people detected it. They probably deliberately let me leak information, so you, Mr. Adrian, would fall into their trap willingly!"

Lady Penelope continued, "Since the letter was sent, the Capone Family's people directly captured me on Water 7 and completely cut off my contact with the outside world."

"Your family…"

"I currently have no information about Krivat," Mrs. Penelope said, her eyes turning red and her voice choking. "I'm afraid... the Capone Mafia hasn't gone mad enough to harm the child yet. Little Perona is still with me, sleeping in the bedroom at the moment... If it weren't for Perona, I reckon I would have..."

Adrian remained silent for a moment.

Mrs. Penelope wiped her eyes and said, "Mr. Adrian, I appreciate you rushing to the island of Otefi, but with just you alone, it's impossible to stand against the Capone Mafia. They're not like the third-rate pirates on the sea. You'd better..."

Adrian interrupted Mrs. Penelope and said with a firm tone, "Madam, you don't need to worry about the Capone Mafia. I will handle it on my own. For the current situation, I have two temporary solutions."

"Please tell me."

"The first one is to take you and Perona to Ohara Island. Once we arrive there, you and your daughter will be safe."

"And the second one?"

"You stay on Otefi Island—of course, I will find a sufficiently safe place to settle you and your daughter. Then, wait for me to deal with the Capone Mafia."

Mrs. Penelope stated decisively, "I choose the second option."

"Why?" Adrian was a bit puzzled. "The first option is actually safer."

Mrs. Penelope firmly declared, "Until I receive accurate information about Krivat, I won't leave for anything!"

"I see..." Adrian murmured softly. "Then come with me. The ghosts have already found a sufficiently hidden place where no one will discover us."

"And then, all you need to do is wait quietly."