Chapter 56: Straw Hat Boy!?
"So, how about now?"
"I can't give you an accurate answer with my head full of you."
"I don't mind being the object of a younger man's fantasies."
Although Gion quickly gave a response full of big sister charm, if you look closely, you will find that her ears are gradually turning a crystal pink.
Well, I thought Gion was really that kind of mature, elegant, and MILF/nee-san type , but I didn't expect her to have a kind of innocent girlish feeling in her heart...
And once you accept this setting...
Adrian was more excited!
Just as he was about to step up, Gion quickly changed the topic and casually found a topic.
"Little brother Momoya, I've heard rumors about you recently~"
"Rumors?"
"What you did on Otefi Island… destroyed the Capone Gang, which had dominated the underground world of the West Blue for many years, and uprooted its power."
Gion's speech became more fluent, slowly regaining the true style of the Marine Headquarters, 'Momousagi'.
"[Scarface]Capone Bell, [Evil Bandit]Capone Bege, and counting on the pillars of the Nipposai of the Flower Kingdom, you have already eliminated several major pirates, Little Brother Momoya."
"It's nothing great, is it?" Adrian said nonchalantly. "They're just a few local gang leaders who were causing trouble in the West Blue."
"I really want to say this to the local Marine in the West Blue!" Gion's eyes became more and more appreciative.
"Marine? Miss Momochi…"
Adrian was a little surprised. Didn't she intend to keep playing this role-playing game? He hasn't had enough fun yet.
"Let me introduce myself again, Lord 'White Ghost'," said Gion with a smile, extending her tender hand, her skin as smooth as cream. "I am Captain Gion of the Marine Headquarters."
Adrian raised his right hand, then looked at Gion, and shook his head slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Gion was a little embarrassed. She sneaked a peek at her own palm, but she didn't find anything dirty, nor did she experience any unexpected sweating/moistening.
Adrian sighed and said, "I feel a sense of regret for some reason."
"Regret what?"
"The progress is just too fast."
"?"
"I never thought that my first time holding hands with Miss Momochi would be for such a strange reason... But please take away my first time, even though I have no experience holding hands with a girl!"
Adrian quoted the classic saying of "Master Azusa", and then gently held Gion's hands.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Gion. I'm Adrian."
"… I didn't give you permission to hold it for so long."
"I want to hold it."
"…"
Gion raised her eyes shyly, but then immediately suppressed this childish demeanor.
"Adrian, can I call you that?"
"Of course, Gion." Adrian took the opportunity to improve their relationship by calling each other by their first names.
"Do you… have any plans to join the Marine?"
Hmm?
Adrian didn't expect that in such a tender moment, Gion, who had always shown a high level of emotional intelligence, would actually say something so mood-killing.
He released his hand, at the same time restraining the gentle smile on his face. With a cold expression, he said, "I'm sorry, Gion. I seemed to have just seen two somewhat familiar figures. Please allow me to leave for a moment."
As he spoke, Adrian's figure suddenly disappeared in front of Gion, his speed so fast that people couldn't react in time.
The Gion left behind stared blankly, lowering her head to look at her right hand, then lifting her gaze to the empty front. Her eyes became vacant and lost.
Did she, perhaps, get taken advantage of by this dog of a man first and then get abandoned just like that?
...
Adrian really didn't mean to brush Gion off!
Really!
He could swear on the finely crafted long knife he just sold to Boss Ipponmatsu!
The reason for doing so was simple.
Adrian really saw two very familiar figures, especially the one on the right, the small, thin, flip-flop-wearing, open-collared shirt wearing 'Straw Hat Kid'!
The 'destined protagonist' of the next ten years—
Monkey D.—
Sorry, I made a mistake, let me start over.
The 'destined protagonist' of the next ten years, who inherited the true will of the Pirate King Gol D Roger, gathered elite partners from all four seas and the Grand Line, and aspired to become the most free pirate on the sea. And through a series of challenges to strong enemies, successfully reached the top of the sea emperor—
Red Hair Shanks!
The real one!
The second generation!
'Straw Hat Kid!'
To be honest, Adrian truly believed that in the coming decades, at least in the next sixteen years, Shanks was undeniably the unquestionable "protagonist of the world"!
As a member of the Roger Pirates, with a mysterious and heavily debated background, (allegedly) the world's second greatest swordsman, the fourth Emperor of the Sea, defeated by the Mountains bandit(crossed out), and the user of the Face-Face Fruit…
So many unbelievable things happened around Shanks that were enough to astonish the entire world.
Among them, the most surprising was undoubtedly that, with the body of an ordinary person, he became the [Fourth Emperor of the New World]!
Take a look at what kind of monsters the other Four Emperors are!
[Remnant of the Old Era], [The Strongest in the World], [User of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit] Whitebeard Edward Newgate;
[Undead monster], [The Strongest Creature], [User of the Azure Dragon Fruit] Kaido of the Beasts Pirate
[Natural destroyer], [ Queen of Totto Land], [The User of the Soul-Soul Fruit] Big Mom Charlotte Linlin.
But what is the most powerful thing about "Red-Hair"?
[Haoshoku Haki], and [Swordsmanship].
The former is rare, but it is not unheard of. In the words of a certain unrevealed 12th head of Happo Navy, the number of people who have Haoshoku Haki in the New World is like "a fish crossing the river".
And the latter is even more common, as almost every pirate who goes to sea has a few good sword skills, the difference is only in the degree of strength.
But Red-Hair Shanks managed to become the fourth, and also the [Youngest], [Fruitless], and [One-Armed] Emperor of the Sea with these two not-so-special abilities!
What does this mean?
It means that...
It means that he must have a lot of specialties!
And most of them are definitely top-notch specialties that are not inferior to [Three Thousand Flows]!
Chatting up a beautiful woman with no Haki, whose sole focus is to recruit him into the Marine—how can that compare to being the happy lapdog of a future legend, the Emperor of the New World Pirates?!
As the saying goes, 'Seek wealth and favor!'
As for that person next to him, [whose name spelled backward is taboo], [Conqueror's Haki user], [Swordsman Slayer], [World-Class Broadcaster], [Strength entirely based on imagination], [Thousand Transformations], [King of the Real Economy], [Leader of Common Prosperity]…
Mother's tongue! Buggy's title is actually higher than Shanks'?!
Caught off guard and lost in thought, Adrian lost track of both Shanks and Buggy. When he snapped out of it, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
"Should I go back and flirt with Gion? Or maybe not, I might get chopped... Oh, wait, look who I've just stumbled upon again?"