Chapter 100

Chapter 100 - Zealous Citizen Adrian 

Tom and Camie made pious wishes and then extinguished the small flames on Mr.3's head. 

When Adrian asked them what wishes they made, Camie confidently said, "Wishes I can remove their powers with just a words." 

Tom exaggeratedly covered his mouth and shook his head. 

Adrian grew more curious about what kind of wish Tom could make while loafing around all day. 

"If you don't want to say, forget it. Let's go to the naval base," Adrian signaled the others to load the three barrels onto the cart and leave the abandoned yard. 

Adrian was responsible for pulling the cart, which was the second time he pulled this makeshift Tom-made cart. He quite nostalgically remembered the feeling of earning his first fortune. 

Artoria and Rui Mengmeng walked on both sides, acting as guards and watching out for the cart suddenly falling apart, as it looked quite rudimentary. 

Camie and Tom sat in the cart. Camie couldn't walk easily, while Tom was simply being lazy. 

The group walked somewhat conspicuously, but with weapons on them and people in the cart, most people considered them to be bounty hunters and didn't rashly provoke them. 

Of course, if Camie didn't conceal her tail, it would probably take an all-out brawl to leave this place. 

Thanks to Mr.3's cooperativeness, Adrian let Tom knock him out, which was effective and had no side effects. The bump on his head would quickly heal. 

Yes, even cooperative people need to be knocked out. After all, he was still an antagonist, and one couldn't be too lax. 

When they were leaving the lawless zone, Adrian stopped and said, "Artoria, take Camie back to the tavern first." 

Artoria asked, "Would the Navy go after Camie too?" 

Adrian replied, "They won't directly intervene, but I can't guarantee that all Navy members are good people. It's better to be cautious." 

Artoria nodded, "I understand. Camie, how about going back to the tavern with me? You can have a look around." 

"Okay." Camie agreed, then blamed herself, "I'm sorry, it's my fault for running around and causing trouble." 

Artoria hugged Camie and patted her head, "We're friends, you just came to hang out with us. What's wrong with that?" 

"You're right, Camie. Don't overthink it. Let's go to the tavern first, we'll be back in a little while," Adrian reassured, "Let me tell you a secret, Tom has hidden a lot of snacks behind the liquor cabinet. You can go find them and eat them." 

Camie looked curious, and Artoria's eyes sparkled. 

"Meow?" Tom's small head displayed a big question mark. Why is it always me who gets hurt? 

Tom jumped around, vigorously denying the notion, demonstrating what it meant to be innocent. 

Adrian nodded, pretending to suddenly realize, "Oh, it wasn't Tom who hid them. In that case, it's fine if you eat them all." 

Tom showed a shocked expression, then grabbed Adrian's clothes and shook his head pleadingly. 

"Haha..." 

Amidst laughter and joy, the group split into two paths. 

Adrian remembered Lieutenant Kuro's instructions. If they wanted to exchange the bounty, they could call him first to make preparations and save time when following the procedure. 

"Blurp blurp blurp... Kacha." 

A lazy voice came from the Den Den Mushi, "Hello, this is Reward Redemption Office 66GR at the Navy Base. I'm Lieutenant Kuro." 

"Hello, Lieutenant Kuro. This is Adrian." 

"Oh, it's Adrian, little brother. What can I do for you?" Lieutenant Kuro asked. 

Adrian explained, "I've captured three bounty fugitives and want to redeem the bounties." 

Lieutenant Kuro paused for a moment, "What's the total bounty amount?" 

Adrian said, "I forgot to ask before knocking them out, but it's probably several tens of millions." 

Squeak~ Crunch~ The sound of a chair leg scraping against the floor came from the other end of the phone. 

Adrian seriously suspected that this person had their legs propped up on the table, drinking tea and reading the newspaper during work hours, leisurely slacking off. 

"What's the matter?" 

"No, nothing. You can come now. Find my adjutant when you arrive. You've met him before." Lieutenant Kuro quickly replied and hung up the phone. 

Adrian looked at the dormant Den Den Mushi, "Something doesn't feel right. Could it be that when we go there, a hundred or so swordsmen will pop out and chop Tom into pieces?" 

Tom felt a bit scared, and Rui Mengmeng asked on his behalf, "Why is it Tom-sensei?" 

"Because only he can be chopped into pieces. We won't survive long enough to be chopped," Adrian laughed, and Rui Mengmeng fell silent for a few seconds, "Boss, your jokes are really cold." 

Tom decided to add a spoonful of salt to his owner's bowl during dinner. 

... 

Returning to the familiar Navy base, the Navy soldier at the gate saw the three people on the cart and asked what was going on. 

Adrian explained, "They're three dangerous Devil Fruit users. We have to keep them submerged for now." 

"I see." The soldier saluted respectfully. To capture Devil Fruit users, they must be quite powerful. "Please follow me." 

Adrian led the cart with him to the familiar bounty redemption office, but the familiar person wasn't there. 

"Sorry, Mr. Adrian, Lieutenant Kuro is temporarily occupied. I'll handle the bounty redemption this time." The adjutant who Adrian had met a few times before spoke somewhat awkwardly. 

Adrian didn't understand why there was any need to apologize, "Oh, that's fine. Anyone will do." 

Actually, from the time he called until now, it hadn't been that long. It felt suspicious that something came up so suddenly. Could it be that he's avoiding me? 

Actually, whether Kuro was there or not didn't matter. The actual work was done by others. The adjutant soon found the bounties for the three: 

"Galdiño the Black Gold, from the South Blue, a bounty of 24 million Berries. Gem from the border, a bounty of 10 million Berries. Smuggler Mikita, from the West Blue, a bounty of 7.5 million Berries." 

Adrian found it quite strange. He only knew these three were members of the Baroque Works. He had never heard of their pre-organization activities. Even their names were unfamiliar. 

From the sound of it, Mr.3 was a loan shark, Mr.5 was a mercenary at the border, and Miss Valentine's Day was a smuggler? 

Not to mention Mr.5's explosive abilities matching his aura, he indeed seemed suited to be a mercenary or even a terrorist. Mr.3 as a loan shark was passable, but that woman's carefree appearance hardly made her seem like a smuggler. 

Ignoring Mr.5's demeanor and explosive ability, which indeed suited the role of a mercenary or even a terrorist, Mr.3 as a loan shark was somewhat believable 

, but the woman with the rough demeanor hardly looked like a smuggler. 

The adjutant did some calculations and said with shock, "The total amount is 41.5 million Berries, and all three are Devil Fruit users!" 

"Wow... that's impressive!" The soldier who had guided them was also amazed. 

They had seen higher bounties on pirates, but sending three Devil Fruit users all at once was indeed rare. 

They might not have realized it themselves, but when they looked at the three pirates in barrels, they couldn't help but feel a bit disdainful. Even as Devil Fruit users, their bounties were surprisingly low, which was quite a waste. 

"They aren't ordinary bounties. As far as I know, they joined a secret criminal organization called Baroque Works, using code names for their actions. This means there might be many illicit activities done under these code names that the Navy hasn't documented." 

Adrian's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "So, if their crimes are verified, could there be additional bounties for us?" 

Rui Mengmeng was astonished; the boss was actually bargaining! 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Adrian. I'll report the information and your request accurately, but compensatory bounties... there's no precedent for that." 

"In that case, forget it. Please make sure to report about Baroque Works. I hope the Navy can eliminate them. Such criminal organizations make law-abiding citizens uneasy. If you need cooperation in the investigation, I won't refuse!" Adrian straightened his chest, a picture of a zealous citizen. 

The adjutant, the guide soldier, and even the soldier who had brought the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs were touched beyond measure. "Allowing such criminal organizations to threaten civilians is a dereliction of our duty. Thank you for supporting the Navy's work!" 

"I'm just doing what I should!" Adrian stood tall and looked at the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs in the hands of the soldiers, "I'm not sure if those special handcuffs could be bought for personal protection?"