112 Chapter 112: Ghostly Energy
The Marines aboard the warship watched in panic as the once-calm waves suddenly surged, causing the vessel to sway dangerously. Looking up, they saw towering waves twisting into giant sea snakes, their forms undulating like serpents under supernatural influence.
Under the sunlight, the sea snakes' pale scales flickered like grinning white monster faces. These were the vengeful souls of those who had perished in this section of the Grand Line over thousands of years.
Under the powerful spiritual manipulation of the full-level Ghost Domination, these terrifying vengeful souls, which are normally invisible to ordinary people, are recklessly launching bloody revenge on all living things with breath!
In an instant, the shaking of the Marine warship intensified!
Dense and fragmented sounds came from the direction of the warship's hold. The hard steel hull that was enough to ensure that the Marines could cross the sea was making a crunching sound that made people's scalps tingle, and it was transmitted to the ears and hearts of everyone on the deck of the warship.
"The lower compartment is leaking!"
"Repeat! The lower compartment is leaking!"
The cries from below, like the sound of death, further destroyed the psychological defenses of the Marines soldiers on the deck of the warship. Many people even lost control and began to cry out loud.
"Calm down! Everyone!"
Vice Admiral Comil stepped forward without hesitation and shouted at the soldiers on the warship.
"Put on your life jackets! Deploy the lifeboats! Grab anything that floats on the sea's surface!"
Comil's orders were left unfinished when the stern of the warship abruptly sank.
The influx of seawater disrupted the warship's center of gravity, causing the bow to rise high into the air. The entire vessel resembled a slanted arrow thrust into the sea.
The violent shifts in the ship's structure sent the Marine soldiers on deck tumbling into a disarray. The formation they had just established crumbled at that moment!
Anxious, Comil took to the air with Moonwalk, diligently implementing the rescue plan.
However, before long, the surging and tumultuous Ghost Whirlpool swallowed the steel warship's hull, causing it to sink entirely beneath the waves.
Thousands of naval personnel floated on the sea, with only a fortunate few managing to board lifeboats.
"White Ghost!" Vice Admiral Comil's gaze pierced the chaotic waters below as he turned to look at Adrian in the sky, his eyes ablaze with fury.
"Vice Admiral Comil, restrain your anger, lest you make wrong judgment," Adrian's cold voice echoed through the sky.
"These warships are my little gift to you! Oh, there are seven more—I trust you'll deliver the results of this incident to headquarters!"
With that, Adrian vanished from the sky in an instant.
He used his Devil Fruit ability in the same way, using the venomous vortex to sink the remaining seven Marines warships into the sea one by one.
For a while, the countless Marine soldiers resembled sardines struggling for survival on the open sea—a truly spectacular sight!
September of the 1498th year in the Sea Calendar.
The naval fleet, led by Vice Admiral Comil from Marine Headquarters, encountered the White Ghost in the waters around Drum Island.
In the end, all eight naval warships met complete destruction, with no survivors. The Marine fleet suffered a resounding defeat!
The news reverberated across the globe!
Within the Marines, Headquarters Vice Admirals are second only to Admirals. In fact, in some special Marines and World Government high-level meetings, many Vice Admirals are also qualified to participate.
Vice Admiral Comil stood as one of the seasoned vice admirals within the Marine ranks. His formidable power was evident, complemented by a pair of Haki abilities that were anything but weak. Moreover, he held the esteemed role of commanding the G2 branch!
Yet, despite his leadership, Vice Admiral Comil's personal command of the Marine fleet culminated in a devastating defeat.
Eight Marine vessels—gone!
This colossal loss sent shock waves through the very heart of Marine headquarters!
From seasoned officers to fresh recruits, all were acutely aware of the terror that the White Ghost embodied.
The World Government and the Marine headquarters tried their best to eliminate the impact, but they were always unable to suppress it completely.
A few days later, news of the "White Ghost" reached every corner of the world, carried by swift-winged news birds.
Simultaneously, the government unveiled Adrian's new bounty.
[White Ghost]
!Image
Bounty: 381 million berries!
Bounty Level: ONLY ALIVE!
...
At the same time.
Meanwhile, Adrian, still en route to Alabasta, received his updated bounty notice from the newspaper-bearing avian messenger.
"I wonder which photographer captured this artistically intriguing image of me?" Adrian mused aloud.
"But the bounty has doubled, so I suppose the folks in Marineford should be suitably impressed this time!"
"Despite the bounty level remaining [ONLY ALIVE], it appears my earlier speculation was off the mark. The Marine Headquarters likely intends to ship me off to Impel Down for a lengthy stay… How malicious!"
"And there goes my imaginary backer."
Just then, the panel flashed a message:
[You have completed the job promotion task "Supernova"!]
[You have obtained the new job: "Supernova." Your spirit value has significantly improved, with +5 strength, +5 endurance, 5 free attribute points, and 1 skill point!]
"Although completing the job promotion task is commendable, the experience penalty is downright daunting," Adrian muttered.
Adrian looked at the experience of the "Supernova", speechless.
The "Supernova" stands as the fourth-level job in the pirate series, akin to the "Swordsman" in the swordsman series. Its original upgrade experience requirement is substantial.
Furthermore, the "Supernova" marks Adrian's seventh sub-job, and the cumulative experience penalty has become dire!
Adrian glanced at the remaining experience points on the panel, deciding against further upgrading the supernova.
In addition to the supernova task, another sub-job upgrade had recently been completed:
[You have completed the job promotion task "Rescue"!]
[You have gained a new profession: [Physician]. Your stamina has slightly increased, intelligence +2, charisma +2, 3 free attribute points, and 1 skill point!]
[You have obtained a new skill: Common Disease Treatment!]
The secondary profession of a doctor is exempt from experience penalties. Adrian promptly invested experience points, maxing out the physician level. This granted him +20 intelligence, +20 charisma, 30 free attribute points, and 10 skill points.
He then invested the acquired free attribute points into the intelligence attribute. With the powerful boost from the expertise in the Ghost Fruit, Adrian's intelligence attribute directly surpassed the thousand-point mark!
[Detected that intelligence attribute exceeds 1,000 points!]
[Detected that you have eaten the superhuman Devil Fruit: Ghost Fruit!]
[You have mastered the skill Ghost Energy!]
[Ghost Energy (No Level): It is a unique energy derived from ghosts.]
