Chapter 91

Chapter 91 - Who's the Bait and Who's the Fish

Adrian unknowingly fired at Doflamingo from a distance, and he might have to do it frequently in the future.

Even if he knew about it, he'd just be more discreet. Although he might be cowardly, he wasn't to the point of avoiding Doflamingo's name.

In the lawless zone, countless people were involved in human trafficking-related industries connected to Doflamingo. Adrian was aware of this, but as long as he didn't make too big of a move, Doflamingo probably wouldn't bring his entire pirate crew to fight over it.

And if Doflamingo only sent one or two high-ranking members, then Adrian could happily prepare to claim the rewards.

Over the next few days, Adrian maintained a routine life of running his shop, exercising, drawing lotteries, and going out for purchases.

Compared to continuing to cause trouble outside, he actually preferred waiting for the person trying to assassinate him to show up at his doorstep.

..."

For the purpose of giving them opportunities, Adrian chose running routes through secluded areas for the past few days, but unfortunately, no one came to ambush.

"Should I go out alone next time to give them a chance?" Adrian thought that maybe because they had been moving as a group, the other side might not dare to act since they thought they couldn't win.

"Isn't that very dangerous? Even if you lure them out, wouldn't it be more troublesome if the boss gets captured?" Rui Mengmeng worried.

"I feel like you're implying that I'm not strong enough in combat." Adrian retorted, "I know there's a risk. How about this, I go out for procurement, and Artoria follows in stealth?"

Artoria nodded, "We can give it a try."

So, Adrian took the shopping list provided by Tom, hopped onto the Bubble Car, and left the tavern.

He went through various stalls, picking and choosing items from the list, just like a normal shopping trip.

However, while passing by a shop selling snacks and treats, Adrian occasionally felt his clothes being lightly tugged.

Adrian quickly understood and pointed at the goods in front of the stall, saying, "This one, this one, this one, and this one…"

Seeing this, the shop owner laughed, recognizing him as a regular customer, "Oh, it's little brother Adrian. I get it, I get it. Skip these few items, and you want ten kilograms of everything else, right?"

Adrian remained silent for a moment, feeling like he was being taken advantage of.

While weighing the items, the shop owner struck up a conversation, "Why are you out shopping by yourself today?"

Adrian casually replied, "The others had other things to do, so they couldn't make it."

The shop owner sounded a bit disappointed, "Ah? I understand if they're busy, but why not bring Tom along?"

"Do you like Tom that much?" Adrian asked, half in jest.

"Who wouldn't like such an intelligent little kitty? I even prepared some fish treats for him." The shop owner gestured towards a bag under the counter.

"Oh," Adrian responded calmly, "Just give me the fish treats, I can bring them to him."

"Ha..." The shop owner chuckled, "You? You'll have to pay for them."

Adrian: "..."

Adrian retorted, "Fine, bring them, I'll pay for them!"

After strolling through the 59GR market area, Adrian naturally rode towards 58GR.

He had to pass through a desolate and secluded area. Hopefully, they would take the bait.

"Did I just fall into a trap?" Riding on the bike, Adrian stared at the bag of fish treats in the front basket, gritting his teeth, "Scheming merchant!"

Even until he finished shopping and returned to the tavern, nobody confronted him. There were plenty of suitable hiding spots along the road.

"Why didn't they take the bait? Was I too obvious?" Adrian was frustrated. Nobody should be able to guess he had a cheating tool like invisible ink.

Artoria suggested, "Maybe their goal is only Tom, not you."

"But that doesn't make sense. If their target is Tom, they should have attacked the tavern while I was away, right?"

Rui Mengmeng reminded him, "In their eyes, boss, you left, but Artoria and I were still here."

"Right, in their eyes, I might not be considered a combat force." Adrian thanked them for the reminder, "But that doesn't make sense either. If I'm so weak, shouldn't they have kidnapped me to force you to give up Tom?"

For a while, the group couldn't come up with a logical explanation. They could only assume that today the attackers didn't notice Adrian was acting alone.

...

The "Unlucky Duo" were actually perched on the top of a certain red tree, diligently carrying out their task — "Monitor the tavern's activities and report when the mermaid shows up."

Since they hadn't seen the mermaid, they continued monitoring. They would switch trees every now and then to maintain their surveillance. They were professionals.

It was only in the evening that they went back, ate, and handed over a few sketches. The sketches depicted Adrian going out alone for shopping.

After seeing a few sketches, Mr.5's mouthful of red tea sprayed onto Mr.13, who was a seal.

This guy could make even nose excretion explode. Who knew if the water he sprayed from his mouth could explode.

The little seal didn't care about that. He silently took out two shells, each with four sharp blades, and glared at Mr.5 menacingly.

"Why didn't you immediately notify us when the boss went out alone?" Of course, Mr.5 wouldn't back down. He slammed the table, questioning, "If we capture him, we can directly force him to give up the cat and the mermaid!"

The little seal lowered his head and withdrew his weapons, as if he realized he hadn't done well.

His good buddy, the vulture, comforted him with a nuzzle, even though she was one of the ones who made a mistake too.

"Hahaha, the 'Unlucky Duo' responsible for punishing others made a mistake. I wonder how they'll punish themselves!" Miss Valentine found the situation amusing. She wasn't bothered by the mess.

These two intelligent little animals weren't really popular within the organization. After all, they were responsible for punishing others.

"Don't get so worked up, Mr.5." Mr.3 remained calm. "The reason we're waiting here is for the mermaid. Capturing him and interrogating him is a last resort. You know, in this world, some people are willing to give up their lives for their friends. The best approach is to make the mermaid appear on his own."

"But if we get another opportunity like this, what should we do? Waste it?" Mr.5 asked. "You said we should minimize unnecessary battles. It would be best to strike when he's alone, right?"

"You might think it's the best opportunity, but maybe the other side is fishing. They just used the wrong bait." Mr.3 sipped his tea, a confident smile on his face. "Hmhmhm... Besides, if you want to fish, you need the strength for it. Otherwise, if you catch a Sea King, you're done for."

...

"Let's have Sea King tonight!"

Adrian dug out a large piece of meat from the pile of goods he bought. "It's rare to have it in stock at the tavern. I almost missed out."

When plans fail, enjoying good food can ease frustration. So, Adrian's suggestion gained unanimous approval from the tavern members.

Sea King, so delicious!

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