"Use."
Adrian murmured, and the token dissolved beneath his fingers.
Ding! S-rank Random Item Ticket used successfully.
Ding! Congratulations, Host — obtained: One-time Random Past-Time Pocket Watch!
The system's voice chimed in his head. Adrian put on a face like this was the thousandth mundane thing it had handed him. A one-time pocket watch that manipulated past time — an S-tier item, of all things. He already had one of these from an earlier compensation. Now he had two.
"Tasteless to keep, painful to discard," he muttered. "Whatever — into system space for now."
For the moment, the real prize from the Shimotsuki job was the 100,000 reputation points.
Adrian checked his panel. Ten thousand reputation wasn't nothing. With 110,000 total, he could push certain attributes where he wanted.
"System, spend reputation to upgrade: Physique to Nation-Destroying, and Steel Skin to Siege-Shattering."
Ding! Consumed 10,000 Reputation. Attribute [Physique] upgraded to: Nation-Destroying!
Ding! Consumed 10000 Reputation. Ability [Steel Skin] upgraded to: Siege-Shattering!
Energy rippled through him — a prickling, electrified sensation that faded after a moment. The upgrade took. Steel Skin now sat at Siege-Shattering: ordinary attacks would barely graze him. Even Zoro's three-sword strikes wouldn't leave much more than a frustrated squeal on his armor. And if anything did break through, his Super-Rapid Regeneration would laugh it back into place in the blink of an eye.
His Physique had leapt to Nation-Destroying. Another level up. Adrian hummed with satisfaction. Power increased; options multiplied. He'd need time to adapt, but that was a problem for later.
Back on deck, he pulled the Haki and sword manuals from system space and handed them to Lucci and Jikoku Gennai.
"Lucci — teach our men Haki from that manual. Gennai — take the sword manual. You've got talent; fuse the style with your foundations. Train hard."
"Understood, Boss," both answered in unison.
Lucci's rapid rise from CP9 to CP0 spoke for itself — the Haki manual would accelerate him further. Gennai's sword potential meant the manual could produce a new freakishly strong swordsman over time. Adrian smiled inwardly. Investment.
"Set sail. Next target: the Baratie." He announced. "We're going to catch Hawk-Eye."
The Baratie — the floating restaurant famous in East Blue — now became his objective not for the cuisine, but for the man who'd shown up: Dracule Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman. A single target like Mihawk promised at least an S-rank hit. If Mihawk stuck around East Blue, an opportunity to rob a legend was one Adrian couldn't pass up.
A few days later, the three bandit ships approached the Baratie. From a distance, the scene looked chaotic: a battered ship had just been cut in half and its crew scattered. Mihawk had appeared and dispatched the aggressors without mercy.
From where Adrian watched, Mihawk stood aboard a small coffin-like sloop, blade at his side. The wounded and the stunned littered the water. Adrian's ships drew closer and he grinned.
"Announcement," he said, letting a wave of Conqueror's Haki wash outward — Siege-Shattering level. The blast hit Baratie and the surrounding wreckage like a bell. Many of the pirates and weak-willed bystanders fell unconscious, collapsing where they stood or tumbling into the sea. Only three remained standing: Mihawk, Sanji, and Zeff. Sanji and Zeff held their ground by sheer force of will; Mihawk, as expected, remained entirely unaffected.
"Huh — Conqueror Haki?" Mihawk's eyes flicked in Adrian's direction, mild curiosity arching his mouth. For someone from the East Blue to wield such a thing was… unusual.
Adrian stood on his deck and bowed theatrically. "Dracule Mihawk. The title suits you — especially the eyes. They match the name."
Mihawk's eyes were cool as steel. He scanned the trio of bandit ships with a single sweep. "Come for me, then. Speak your purpose."
"And the purpose is simple," Adrian declared aloud, voice carrying. "Robbery."
He spread his arms as if advertising a carnival heist. "You are now my target, Hawk-Eye. Hand over anything valuable on your person and this will be a smooth transaction. Resist, and we'll make it messy. Your choice."
The people on Baratie gasped. Sanji sputtered in disbelief. Zeff clutched at the counter. Someone muttered, "Is he insane? Rob Mihawk?!"
Smoker — still shackled on the prize ship, still without his cigar — glared at Adrian and wanted to scream. From the Navy's perspective, antagonizing a Shichibukai and the world's greatest swordsman was reckless. From the bandit perspective, it was audacious and delicious.
Mihawk's expression changed — not to anger but to something like interest. "You're going to steal from me?" he said, low.
"Yep." Adrian nodded. "Now, you cooperate or you don't. Which is it?"
Mihawk's hand slid behind him slowly and gripped the haft of his black blade — Night. The same blade that had just cleaved a massive pirate ship in two with a single effortless stroke.
Adrian's fingers twitched. The Time Sphere hung ready in his repertoire. Before the world's greatest swordsman could act, Adrian flicked his wrist and sent a Time Sphere rolling between himself and Mihawk. Inside that shimmering globe, Mihawk's last slash froze in perfect stillness — the air inside was a painting of motion held mid-cut.
"Disappear," Adrian said softly.
Inside the bubble, Mihawk's blade began to shrink, its arc diminishing until the movement collapsed into nothing. The Time Sphere trembled and vanished, taking with it the recorded slice. The crowd watched in stunned silence: a Mihawk strike, captured and erased by a small godlike trick of time.
Mihawk's eyebrow twitched. "Interesting."
To everyone else, Adrian's stunt was insane audacity. To Adrian, it was proof of the system's gifts; the Time Sphere was not just a toy — it was a battlefield lever. He pocketed a little victory and let the world swallow its surprise.
Across the water, the ripples of that boldness spread: word of a bandit who dared rob Mihawk would ripple fast. Adrian grinned. The ledger had just gained another profitable line.
"Which is it, Hawk-Eye?" he asked again, cheerfully baring his teeth. "Cooperate, or give me something interesting to take?"
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