Chapter 542 The Heartfelt Words of Gion!

"Ah..." In the village, Leia, holding Shanks, looked up at the two giant dragons in the sky, her mouth agape in astonishment.

"Arthur..."

Aside from Arthur, she couldn't think of anyone else here who could do such a thing.

The strange phenomenon lasted for several minutes before a gust of wind dispersed the dark clouds that had been covering the area.

As the sun shone down on the earth again, all the villagers hurriedly got up and began to discuss the matter, still shaken.

"A dragon! How could a legendary dragon descend upon this village?"

"Could it be related to the government officials from earlier?"

"God, please bless us!"

Listening to the villagers' prayers, Leia turned and went back home. After putting Shanks in the stroller, she sat down at the chair in front of the guest table.

"It must be a Devil Fruit... He mentioned that he would bring back a Devil Fruit from God Valley."

Shocked by this power, she felt a pang of envy.

Half an hour later——

Outside the window, on the street, Arthur, carrying Cooper by the foot, walked and fought his way toward the dock.

"You've gone too far! You can speak human language after eating the fruit, so you think you can turn the world upside down?"

"Damn it! Let me go!" The cry that came from Cooper's throat was no longer the original one, but human language.

Immediately, with its head down, it bent its body forcefully, aimed its mouth at Arthur, and spat out a powerful heat beam.

"!" Arthur quickly turned his head away, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he looked back at it.

"That's dragon's breath...you bastard!"

"Kukuku!" Cooper, seeing Arthur's surprised look, grinned mischievously and said...

"I'm really strong now, Arthur!"

Arthur did not refute it, but instead looked down on it.

"My feathers!" Cooper shouted, spreading his wings upside down. "They are indestructible, like dragon scales! My wings! They are storm wings that can destroy everything! Kukuku~!"

Hearing it speak human language continuously and smugly, Arthur felt even more uneasy.

The laughter was the same as before, so why could he speak?

The legendary Devil Fruit is truly a strange thing.

He was not used to Cooper speaking like a human being, but he had no choice but to accept the reality.

"My throat! It can spew forth a breath of heat that burns everything!"

"Shut up, or I'll throw you into the sea." Arthur interrupted it immediately when he saw how arrogant it was.

"No...no! Arthur! I'm just so happy because I suddenly gained power."

Upon hearing that he would be thrown into the sea, Cooper had no choice but to humble himself and beg for mercy.

Having known Arthur for several years, it knew that Arthur was truly skilled at throwing.

Its voice leans towards a youthful tone, lively and full.

Compared to the two's bickering, Gion was quite quiet.

She held her hand in the air, feeling the wind passing through her fingers.

She was amazed that she could easily catch and touch the wind, as if she could control it.

Such a rare Devil Fruit, and Arthur just gave it to her.

"Hmm..." Arthur suddenly stopped and looked towards Leia's window.

"Little servant, don't be lonely at home! I'll be back to take you away soon."

"Oh!" Inside the house, Leia, upon hearing Arthur's voice, rushed to the window, nodding frantically and waving her hand out in response to Arthur with a big smile, looking incredibly cute.

At that moment, the villagers all knew that the woman was having an affair with Arthur, and that the person behind the woman was not someone ordinary people could mess with.

A pirate who made headlines in just one year at sea!

Suddenly... it became an entity that even the navy and the government had to give way to.

Some clever people in life knew his identity, but seeing that a guy like him could live an ordinary life, eating, sleeping, and having fun normally, they didn't expose him.

Some people didn't know his identity and only regarded him as someone connected to the government, looking at him with envy, jealousy, fear, and awe.

Arthur, who had just stepped toward the dock, suddenly stopped and looked up at the end of the road ahead with a blank expression.

"No... after this trip... I won't be coming back." Arthur's gaze sharpened, and he thought to himself.

"I should bring everything I need. I don't want to be a fickle and indecisive person anymore."

As he thought about it, he turned back to look at the window, where Leia was still waving and smiling happily goodbye to him.

"Forget it!" Arthur raised his voice and shouted at her, "Hurry up and pack your things, and come with me."

Upon hearing this, Leia stood frozen behind the window for a long while before quickly taking steps and swinging her hands as she went inside to prepare.

"She likes you a lot. What's her past with you?" Even though she was only six years old, Gion could sense how much Leia depended on Arthur from Leia's actions and asked Arthur.

This question made Arthur a little embarrassed, so he chose to avoid the question and covered his chin as he said,

"Well... after her parents died, they discovered that I was more capable than ordinary people. She knelt in my yard for several days, half-dead, and then I took her in."

“No wonder.” Gion squinted after hearing this. “Any woman would have had special feelings for you.”

Arthur was taken aback by her words, and looked at her intently, staring into her eyes.

“…” Gion was stunned by the sudden serious gaze.

"Then...would you?" Arthur questioned her. "I mean, after seeing me tumble and crawl, my body pierced by a knife, gritting my teeth, bleeding, my wounds constantly regenerating, my cells constantly regenerating, enduring immense pain to save you..."

Will you change your attitude and look at me in a more positive light?

I mean, after I told you everything, you never... never smiled at me like you did in G6 prison.

This questioning stemmed entirely from the fact that after Arthur had done all that for her in the Valley of the Gods, he found that Gion still treated him with indifference.

Upon hearing these words, Gion froze on the spot.

Because Arthur's words were not hypothetical, but a reality that had just occurred.

For some reason, and she didn't know why, the moment she learned that he was a pirate, a barrier formed in her heart that felt like an insurmountable chasm.

This kind of estrangement is like having an extreme aversion to someone; no matter what they do or what they give, you won't have much of an emotional reaction towards them.

“If you did that to me, I’d give you my body, Arthur,” Cooper interrupted him as the air seemed to freeze.

However, Arthur, desperately needing an answer, pointed to the object on his shoulder with his index finger and said coldly,

"Don't interrupt."

The voice was extremely cold, penetrating straight to its core.

This made Cooper realize that Arthur at this moment was not the usual joking person he was.

Cooper stopped joking, and his gaze became sharp and serious.

After waiting for a minute, Arthur and Gion stared at each other in bewilderment.

“Never mind…” Arthur’s disappointment broke the stalemate. “It’s what I should do. I’m going to the tavern for a drink. You go help Leia with the tidying up.”

Just as Arthur turned to leave, Gion, standing behind him, lowered her head and stammered,

"Yes... but you need to give me some time to get used to it."

Upon hearing this, Arthur was startled and turned around abruptly, staring at Gion's expression with disbelief.

Like a child who can't express their inner thoughts, they find it difficult to speak their true feelings.

Seeing Arthur's foot turn around, Gion raised her eyes slightly and saw his shocked face, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Damn it! Why are you staring at me like that all of a sudden!" Gion exclaimed, seeing Arthur's expression.

"Do you expect me to deny those realities?! After you risked your life to save me and helped me get revenge, you still want to... look at me with hostility!"

Upon hearing these words, Arthur simply stared at her silently.

"I..." Gion felt uneasy under his gaze and explained loudly again.

"What I said to you during G6 was just said in anger! I thought you were just like those scumbag pirates!"

I'm sorry... I shouldn't have yelled at you... I just suddenly lost everything.

She explained again, all her emotions welling up inside her.

Arthur remained silent, listening attentively.

"You...you...! Me!" Gion exclaimed excitedly, and began to ramble on again.

"Me! Are you even listening to me?!"

"..." Upon hearing these words, Arthur's shocked expression suddenly changed. He stared at her with a very cunning, unique, and cheeky look, a slight smile curving his lips.

"You!" Gion's pupils contracted sharply when she saw Arthur smile. She squatted on the ground, hugging her legs, almost burying her head in her stomach and sobbing.

"Don't bully me...don't bully me!!"

This wasn't a display of affection, but rather an emotional outburst after more than a year of suppressed feelings.

Perhaps it was because she felt she could rely on Arthur, and his earnest honesty gave her a sense of security.

Once a person has someone to rely on, their willpower weakens.

Those weaknesses that are not easily seen in normal times will be exposed to those who feel they can rely on.

Before her family was slaughtered, she was the apple of the eye of all her elders, parents, and grandparents, the eldest daughter and princess of the family!

After being massacred, she had to face the cruelty of the world with a different attitude and integrate into this society.

"Don't bully me! I just don't know how to face an enemy who's been good to me!" Gion's choked voice came from behind her.

"They say independent women are reserved and strong..." Arthur thought to himself, overjoyed. He walked towards her.

"But in the moment that strength was broken, she was no different from any other woman."

In Arthur's eyes, her behavior seemed more like a pouting act, which made him feel sorry for her and go to coax her.

"I've never seen you act so cute before..." Arthur squatted down in front of her, poked her with his finger, and laughed.

"In my memory, you were always very assertive and serious."

Upon hearing this, Gion suddenly looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and punched Arthur in the face, becoming completely unreasonable.

"Ouch!" Caught off guard, Arthur collapsed to the ground, covering his face.

"I didn't bully you! I was just listening to your answer! Why are you suddenly crying!"

"You bullied me! You deliberately made me look like this! You did it on purpose! You're so mean!"

Gion attacked Arthur again, feeling extremely resentful.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Arthur quickly dodged, yelling as he took off running.

"What does this have to do with me! Just answer me with 'yes,' that's enough! Did I ask you to pour out all your heart?! This is all your own fault!"

Gion was both embarrassed and agitated, chasing Arthur all over the village. Even though Arthur was the only person she knew here, she felt too ashamed to face anyone.

"Your unreasonable behavior is just like how you always try to win when we argue!"

……

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