"Damn it. Lying bastard. You really cannot trust a man's words!"
Early in the morning, Maffy pushed open the cabin door and walked out with dark circles under her eyes.
Then she saw Sommers laughing loudly not far away. He held out his hand and said, "Garling, pay up!"
Garling's cheek twitched twice. He took a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to Sommers. Then he looked at Maffy and said, "You disappoint me, Maffy!"
Maffy froze. "What?"
"They bet on you. They were betting whether Valthior went to your room last night," Gunko said, appearing behind Maffy at some point.
"Huh? You two bastards!" Maffy cursed angrily at Sommers and Garling.
Gunko, however, looked toward the harbor not far away, where the members of the Valthior Pirates were boarding their ship.
Valthior was saying something to Olvia, who was holding Robin.
Gunko could not see clearly, but there was a strange feeling in her heart. Yesterday, Saint Saturn had personally granted Olvia the status of "Lady Olvia," and that made Gunko feel a little uncomfortable.
If Olvia had not been granted that status, Gunko would not really have cared.
Male Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise often had many women.
But very few people married two Celestial Dragons.
Before, Olvia could not be compared with her.
But now, it was hard to say.
Clearly, Gunko did not particularly care about that engagement in her heart, yet she still felt somewhat unhappy.
Just then, Gunko watched Robin crying in Olvia's arms while calling for her father. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through her head.
Some fragmented memories abruptly appeared in her mind.
A little girl who seemed to be her younger self was crying and calling for her father…
"Ugh…" Gunko cried out in pain. Her feet staggered, and she suddenly raised a hand to cover her head.
Maffy froze, then quickly supported Gunko.
"Hey? What is wrong? Are you all right?"
"I…" Gunko's lips moved beneath the bandages, and her eyes looked dazed. She seemed about to say something, but then she appeared to realize something and waved her hand. "I am fine…"
"My son is leaving. I am going to say goodbye," Garling said as he looked at Shanks. After saying that, he headed toward the harbor.
Gunko fell silent for a moment, then followed.
Sommers leaned against the railing without moving. He looked at Maffy and teased, "What? Not going to send Valthior off?"
"Send him off, my ass!" Maffy cursed. "I waited for him until dawn, and he never came into my bed. Damn liar!"
Soon after, Valthior reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of Robin's eyes. Then he rubbed Olvia's head.
"Remember what I told you. In Mary Geoise, aside from the old man, do not trust anyone…"
"I know…" Olvia nodded reluctantly.
"Do not let my precious daughter be influenced too much by that place…" Valthior said, then suddenly froze.
Wait.
In the original story, because of everything Robin experienced as a child, she eventually became a beauty with a somewhat twisted sense of taste and a deeply dark, mischievous personality.
Now Robin was going to live in Mary Geoise. With Olvia watching over her, she probably would not fall into some terrible state.
But maybe she would still develop in a direction similar to the original story.
Was this fate?
However, before Valthior could think deeply about it, he suddenly seemed to sense a surge of power. He abruptly turned his head and looked toward the dock, where Shanks was saying goodbye to Garling.
"Father, I will definitely go to Mary Geoise to find you! Wait for me!" Shanks shouted.
The moment his voice fell, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body.
That surging force swept across the entire area at once.
The Marines and CP agents who were maintaining order at the harbor were caught completely unprepared. They were struck hard by the power and collapsed to the ground in disorder.
Valthior also released his Conqueror's Haki immediately, shielding Olvia and Robin behind him.
"Conqueror's Haki…" A sharp light flashed in Valthior's eyes. Looking at Shanks, the corner of his mouth could not help rising slightly. "What a touching bond between father and son…"
Valthior was not surprised that Shanks could awaken Conqueror's Haki.
After all, Shanks truly had that talent, and it was absurdly strong.
But Valthior had always wondered when Shanks would awaken that power.
Until today, he had finally witnessed that moment.
At this time, Garling was resisting the Conqueror's Haki bursting out from Shanks. At the same time, his eyes shone with surprise and delight, and he laughed loudly.
"Good, good, good! As expected of my child! The power of Conqueror's Haki!"
He had lived for so many years and still had not awakened Conqueror's Haki himself.
But today, just as father and son were about to part, his own son had awakened the power found in only one among millions.
What a thing worth celebrating!
Although Garling did not possess Conqueror's Haki, he had studied the power very deeply.
He knew very clearly that while Conqueror's Haki was innate, awakening it required a powerful emotional surge.
Under normal circumstances, it often appeared on battlefields of life and death, especially when one's life was seriously threatened.
But Shanks had awakened that power right before parting with him.
What did that mean? It meant this child of his deeply respected and loved him as a father!
Just look at his declaration. He told Garling to wait for him and said he would go to Mary Geoise to find him.
What a filial child.
One look and Garling knew Valthior had raised him extremely well. Now he could truly rest assured.
Seeing the confusion and shock in Robin's eyes, Valthior reached out and gently touched her head.
"You must also have this power to shake people's hearts, my child… When you were born, the whole sea whispered your name. Robin, you are destined to become the noblest princess in this world. Your father is working hard for that. Sooner or later, one day, you will be proud of me."
Without lingering on too much father-daughter sentiment, Valthior quickly turned and left.
On the other side, Shanks also withdrew his uncontrolled Conqueror's Haki. He stared blankly at the delighted Garling. In the end, he only nodded at him, then boarded the Oro Jackson.
And just as Valthior stepped onto the gangway, Gunko suddenly came to his side and said, "Valthior, I want to go with you."
Valthior froze.
What did that mean?
"Do not misunderstand. I suddenly remembered some things, and I want to search for answers on the sea…" Gunko said as she looked at Valthior.
Valthior fell silent for a moment. Then he beckoned to her. "Come closer."
Gunko stepped forward and moved much closer to Valthior. Then Valthior bent down and leaned beside her ear.
That cold breath made Gunko shiver all over. Her skin tingled, and a blush once again appeared on her face.
Clearly, she was especially easy to embarrass.
"Everyone can find their own answers on the sea. Although I do not know what confuses you or what you want to learn, go to the Florian Triangle. Perhaps someone there can give you an answer," Valthior said softly.
Gunko, who had still been shy a moment earlier, became deeply puzzled after hearing this. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Someone can give me an answer? Who?"
"Brook," Valthior softly said that name.
Then Gunko froze completely in place. Her eyes became unfocused, as if a fierce storm was raging in her mind.
Valthior looked at her with a smile, reached out, and patted her shoulder. He said nothing more, turned around, and boarded the ship.
The Oro Jackson slowly left Ohara's harbor.
As for when the Marines would destroy this place, that was no longer something Valthior was interested in.
Looking at the ship sailing farther away, Garling walked to Gunko's side in confusion.
"Why are you still standing there in a daze? Did you really fall in love with that guy?"
Only then did Gunko come back to herself and glare fiercely at Garling.
"Let's go. We should return to Mary Geoise too," Garling said.
But Gunko shook her head. "I am not going back."
"Hm?" Garling asked in confusion. "What are you going to do?"
"I… want to go out to sea and clear my mind," Gunko said calmly.
Just then, Sommers walked over and grabbed Garling.
"Why are you so tactless? Can you not see she is in a bad mood? Let her go out to sea and relax…"
"No, wait…" Garling had just started to say something when Maffy added, "Olvia is going to Mary Geoise, but Gunko has an engagement with Valthior. Both of them are Celestial Dragons now. It is normal for Gunko to feel upset. Let her go clear her mind."
As she spoke, Maffy also asked Gunko, "Hey, Gunko, do you need me to go with you? We were both betrayed by the same man…"
Gunko shook her head at Maffy.
"No need. I want to be alone."
After saying that, she turned and walked toward a warship. Clearly, she planned to borrow a Marine ship first.
Watching Gunko leave, Garling frowned slightly.
"I keep feeling that something is not right…"
"Come on, let's go. It is time to return to Mary Geoise and show off to those people that your son has Conqueror's Haki!" Sommers said carelessly.
Those words immediately shifted Garling's attention. His face lit up with joy.
"That is right, that is right! Let's go! I never expected Shanks to be so attached to me, his father… Ah, right, I forgot to give him a gift. Hurry back to Mary Geoise. I need to have my butler send eighty billion Berries to Frost Island to improve my son's living conditions!"
--------
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]