14 Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Finally, Swort Sword Makes an Appearance

In the following days, life went on as usual. Adrian would do morning exercises, teach Bayer after meals, go out for workouts, recharge energy, and save various magical items that ranged from remarkable to seemingly useless.

Adrian explored the nearby streets thoroughly. Due to caution, he rarely left the vicinity of House No. 59. The residents around the area noticed the handsome young man who seemed to be jogging almost all day long.

People who enjoyed gossip quickly found out that this young man had survived a shipwreck and was staying with the Goodmans.

Mr. Goodman was, after all, one of the finest shipwrights on Island No. 59, and he had some connections in the community. Adrian started getting acquainted with people as a result.

Sometimes, Bayer would bring a few friends over to listen to Adrian's stories. From then on, in addition to Roger and the Sea Warrior Sora, there was also a monkey that seemed to have jumped out of a rock who became an object of admiration for the children in the neighborhood.

No child could resist the charm of this monkey—no child in this world!

Adrian wasn't averse to his current life. Over these days, the so-called "One Piece" world had transformed from a fictional realm into a reality for him. The people here were not mere illustrations on paper anymore.

The way people treated him varied. Some were indifferent, while others were friendly. Some blamed Adrian for influencing their children to act like Monkey King with sticks, while others admired him for his intriguing stories.

These were the ordinary people living on this island, no longer just a few simple lines on a comic book page.

"Tom, do you think I've become a bit more solid after exercising for these twenty days?" Adrian lifted his shirt, revealing his slightly visible abs.

Though his main exercise was running, he also did push-ups and sit-ups. Adrian was no fitness expert, but these simple exercises were the extent of his knowledge. Surprisingly, the results seemed better than expected.

Tom thought for a moment, then nodded. There had been some changes, but for Tom, it was nothing special. He could achieve these results in just a day or two if he wanted. However, once he stopped exercising, it would take at most a day to return to his original state.

Back when he was trying to win the big cousin's approval in a fight against Jerry, Tom had also put effort into fitness. Yet, he found that being a lazy cat was much more comfortable. And so, he had stuck with it ever since.

When Adrian suggested Tom exercise, the cat had explained these things through gestures. Adrian didn't force him after that; protecting his cat seemed to be something a pet owner should do, right?

After tidying up a bit, Adrian was ready to go out for his workout. However, he was stopped by Mr. Goodman.

"Adrian, unless it's something important, I suggest you don't go out today."

Adrian was puzzled, "Why? Is something special happening today?"

"Today is June 1st."

What's the big deal about June 1st? Did they celebrate Children's Day here too? Adrian couldn't quite grasp it.

Mr. Goodman continued, "Every 1st of the month, the Career Stabilization Center opens. There's a high likelihood that World Nobles might visit Sabaody Archipelago. While it's unlikely they would come to our part of the island, we can't really predict the intentions of those high-profile individuals. So, it's better to stay indoors today."

The mention of World Nobles made Adrian realize. The so-called Career Stabilization Center was likely a euphemism for the human auction house. There might be Celestial Dragons coming to purchase slaves.

"I see, then I won't go out today." Adrian didn't want any trouble. He could simply do some indoor exercises instead.

However, there were still some things he couldn't understand. He remembered that the auction house was backed by Doflamingo, but a few days ago he had seen news that Doflamingo was being chased all over the world by Vice Admiral Onigumo. This indicated that Doflamingo wasn't a Warlord of the Sea anymore. So, did he still have the capacity to run an auction house?

"Mr. Goodman, do you know who the owner of the Career Stabilization Center is?"

Mr. Goodman was taken aback, "I haven't heard about that, but one thing's for sure—it must have powerful backers."

"I see..."

"This matter doesn't concern us. Just avoid the area, and you'll be fine," Mr. Goodman said. Then he lowered his voice and asked, "Adrian, about that Amazon Lily queen..."

"Hmm?" Adrian didn't catch the second part of Mr. Goodman's sentence.

At that moment, Mrs. Molly walked by the living room, and Mr. Goodman cleared his throat before changing the topic, "I meant, could you tell Bayer that I'm asking how Sun Wukong is doing after being stung by the Scorpion Spirit..."

What you really want to ask isn't this!

Adrian kindly didn't expose him and called Bayer out to continue the story.

After finishing a segment of the story, Adrian did push-ups. Curious, Bayer attempted to mimic the exercise but soon found it too difficult, ending up squatting nearby to count for Adrian.

After push-ups came sit-ups. Although they felt more tiring than usual, the energy accumulation rate was slower than usual. Adrian lamented internally, cursing the vile Celestial Dragons!

The Goodman family had long grown accustomed to Adrian's perpetual exercise routine. They had asked about the reason before, and Adrian had simply mentioned his weak physical condition and lack of security.

They assumed he must have experienced some terrifying incidents at sea. As a result, Mrs. Molly started adding more meat to the meals, and Adrian never complained, despite his increasing appetite.

As for Tom, he would rather not go out. All he wanted to do was lounge on the couch all day. The only things that could motivate him to move were food and sunlight.

After enduring this day, the next morning, Adrian resumed his normal routine. Once his energy was replenished, he eagerly found a secluded alley to summon some items:

- Congratulations! You have received 10 matches and 1 mousetrap.

- Items have been stored in your inventory.

- Matches: Matches that can ignite almost anywhere with friction.

- Mousetrap: Sturdy and sensitive, this trap is favored by Tom. Though it often injures him, its quality is reliable.

Adrian was already used to the mousetrap. He had acquired a total of 6 of them over these twenty days, clearly Tom's favorite type of trap.

However, these matches were new to him. It seemed that these early matches could ignite with a simple friction anywhere. Though not very safe due to the risk of spontaneous combustion if stored improperly, the matches were highly convenient for Adrian, especially with the inventory feature in place.

Without hesitation, Adrian organized the matches and firecrackers in adjacent slots in his inventory.

Just then, Tom tugged at Adrian's clothes to draw his attention to their surroundings—they were surrounded.

Four burly men, each carrying a machete, clearly had malicious intent.

Adrian couldn't help but think about the matchsticks

Tom used when he was a kid...

(End of this chapter)