Chapter 304: Your Grandpa is Pretty Nice, He's Going to Help Me Now!

Hearing the White Ghost's honest words, Moon Isaac Jr also prepared to reveal his true intentions.

"Not sure if—"

"No way!"

Before the scientist could clarify his point, Adrian raised his hand to interrupt him.

As expected.

This straightforward scientist was likely about to talk about "freedom," "pirates," and "ideals," to convince Adrian to let Shanks go.

Unfortunately for him, Adrian wasn't interested in taking the bait.

Some things are better left unsaid. Even if both sides understand each other, pretending nothing happened is always an option. But once everything is out in the open, there's no turning back!

Moreover.

When Crocus, the ship doctor, tried to pull a favor, Adrian flatly refused. How could he agree to the request of this stranger, Moon Isaac, who he'd known for less than a day?

"But—"

"No buts!"

Seeing the White Ghost's firm stance with no sign of wavering, Moon Isaac sighed.

Shanks, this is as far as I can go…

"Mr. Moon, aside from this matter, is there anything else you need?" Adrian's tone softened slightly. Although he ruthlessly rejected the scientist's request, it didn't mean he would immediately let this old scientist leave.

It's important to know that the first old man in the "Shanks Rescue Plan," Golden Lion, still had his soul contributing even after his death with his four skills!

And this third old scientist, Moon Isaac, naturally caught Adrian's attention, especially his surname and name, whose origins remained unclear.

After all, the name Moon (Moon) inevitably reminds one of the moon in the sky; or the WN of WG

And the surname Isaac (Isaac) immediately brings to mind the top scientist Sir Newton.

It's essential to know that the moon hides many, many secrets on this sea!

Some of which even Adrian, who had read the original work, wasn't fully aware of.

Blame it on Sir Oda's storytelling

Besides.

As the former scientist of Roger's pirate crew, Moon Isaac must have reached the final island, Raftel, and "learned the truth of the world."

Even though Adrian could reach Raftel directly through Rumi, this still held some appeal to him.

Lastly, this scientist grandpa had come from the "Future Kingdom" to the Town of the Spring Queen!

Don't forget.

Adrian still had the [Scholar] profession upgrade task on his panel.

One of the task requirements was to pass the Future Kingdom's standard difficulty PhD exam in oceanography!

Previously, Adrian had no contact with the Future Kingdom and had no clue how to complete this task, so he had set it aside for now.

But now, standing before him, Moon Isaac was the perfect bridge to connect with the Future Kingdom!

"In fact, from our previous conversation, you must have guessed my primary reason for coming to the Town of the Spring Queen, right?"

Moon Isaac said, subconsciously stroking his long, thin beard with his left hand.

"Now that I've seen Shanks in good spirits and health, I realize I must have misunderstood you, White Ghost."

With that, Moon Isaac's gaze towards Adrian held a hint of apology.

Adrian cleared his throat subtly.

Actually, if you had come a few days earlier, you might have seen a very different Shanks…

"As for now…"

Moon Isaac pondered.

"I don't have any other plans, just wanted to see the beautiful scenery of the Town of the Spring Queen—"

Adrian looked up at the big moon in the sky and then at the little moon (Moon) in front of him.

Moon Isaac coughed awkwardly.

"Ahem! I didn't realize it was already so late. What I meant was to appreciate the cultural atmosphere of the Town of the Spring Queen."

Adrian didn't plan to expose this seemingly serious but actually kindred-spirited scientist.

"Well, Mr. Moon…"

Adrian got straight to the point. When dealing with such a straightforward scientist, it was best to be direct.

"I might want to study oceanography in the Future Kingdom sometime soon. Could you provide any assistance? If you can, I will certainly repay you handsomely!"

As soon as Adrian finished speaking, Moon Isaac was stunned, nearly yanking out his precious beard. He looked at Adrian in disbelief, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.

A notorious pirate with a bounty of 1.68 billion berries seriously telling me he wants to study?

Is this the latest big joke of the year?

Seeing the look of disbelief on Moon Isaac's face, Adrian quickly understood his confusion.

Not wanting to explain too much, Adrian extended his hand, and with a ripple in the air, a golden badge symbolizing the Ohara historian's identity emerged from a secure vault.

"This is the identification of an Ohara historian," Adrian said, holding up the golden badge for Moon Isaac to see. "Given your knowledge and expertise, it shouldn't be hard for you to verify its authenticity, right?"

Moon Isaac examined the badge thoroughly, confirming its authenticity, but still harbored doubts.

"Additionally, Mr. Moon, you should be aware of why the World Government and Marine Headquarters placed such a high bounty on me, right?"

Of course, that's exactly why I'm suspicious!

Moon Isaac's beard-twirling speed visibly increased. It felt like the Archaeologist of Ohara had given him this badge as a reward for his significant role during the Buster Call incident...

After a moment of hesitation, Moon suddenly realized something. He looked up at Adrian in disbelief and asked, "So Ohara and its Archaeologist weren't completely eradicated by the Buster Call?"

The date engraved on the golden badge was clearly after the Buster Call incident!

Given Moon Isaac's history as a member of the Roger Pirates, Adrian didn't hide much and simply stated, "Yes, I saved Dr. Clover and the others and relocated them."

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Moon Isaac's shoulders shook as he burst into hearty laughter. His joyous and loud laughter broke the quiet of the night, startling a few birds into flight.

"So Ohara wasn't completely destroyed!"

Moon Isaac looked at Adrian with immense excitement.

"Does that mean the knowledge of the Tree of Omniscience hasn't been completely lost either?"

"Exactly." Adrian nodded, then added, "But I hope you can keep this matter confidential."

"Of course!"

Moon Isaac nodded vehemently.

The Ohara Buster Call incident was a massive blow to scholars worldwide. For someone like Moon Isaac, who knew many of the ocean's secrets, it was even more so.

But now, a pirate who had been present at the event and had thwarted the Buster Call told him that Ohara hadn't been utterly destroyed, and the Archaeologist hadn't been massacred.

How could Moon Isaac not feel excited and elated?

"Wait a minute!"

Moon Isaac suddenly had another realization. He looked at Adrian in astonishment and asked, "So this golden badge is really genuine?"

"Of course it's genuine!" Adrian replied, exasperated.

"Never mind whether it's real or not! The good news I've learned today is enough to make my blood pump through all five limbs!"

Moon Isaac didn't care about the authenticity anymore. He patted his chest vigorously.

"If you ever go to the Future Kingdom, for whatever reason, just come to me directly!"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Moon." Adrian smiled and nodded in gratitude.

Though he had clearly leveraged the status of the Ohara Archaeologist, seeing the task nearing completion was rewarding.

The two chatted for a while longer before Moon Isaac excused himself, claiming he had drunk too much, and left.

Adrian also decided it was late and went to his room to rest.

About half an hour later, in the town of the Spring Queen, the brightly lit and bustling St. Poplar...

Two men who had previously bid each other goodnight and declared they were going to sleep happened to run into each other.

"Ahaha, Mr. Moon, what a coincidence!"

"Yes, what a coincidence."

"..."

"Care to join me?"