"This village is quite nice~"
Standing at the entrance of Foosha Village, Ian spread his arms and took a deep breath of fresh air, saying contentedly, "It truly is where dreams begin!"
"Where dreams begin?" Gunko looked around, a bit bewildered. "Is Young Master referring to…"
Ian didn't explain.
For many fans of the sea, this indeed is where dreams begin, because Luffy set out from here, proclaiming, 'I'm the man who will become the Pirate King,' overcoming obstacles all the way, eventually becoming the New World's fifth Sea Emperor, and successfully awakening his Nika form, becoming a powerful force on the sea that cannot be ignored.
However, identity determines allegiance.
Having transmigrated to become a Celestial Dragon, and born after his mother Imu carried him for eighteen months, even though Ian retained memories from his previous life, he would not allow anyone to threaten his current identity and status.
Even if he couldn't eliminate Luffy, an enemy who would inevitably stand against his mother, during this trip to the East Blue, he would at least eradicate the crew members who would eventually become Luffy's companions and right-hand men.
Of course, if he could once and for all nip Luffy, this unawakened Nika, in the bud, then his journey would not have been in vain!
Setting aside allegiance and identity, Foosha Village truly is a picturesque and beautiful place.
White clouds floated in the sapphire-blue sky, and the sun shone down freely, making one feel incredibly comfortable.
Two purple windmills stood on a lush green hillside, their blades slowly turning. Black and white cows and piglets roamed leisurely in the pasture, and a winding dirt road stretched out from beside the windmills, with several small houses dotted throughout, full of pastoral charm.
Following the winding dirt road, Ian and Gunko walked for more than ten minutes. After rounding a lawn, the village built by the sea immediately came into their sight.
First to enter their view was the somewhat deserted Foosha Village pier, followed by a bar located by the beach.
The bar's sign read 'Party Bar' in large characters. Perhaps it had just opened, or perhaps it was still early in the day, but the front of the bar was deserted, and inside, it was so quiet that no human sounds could be heard.
Party Bar?
Ian narrowed his eyes again. Setting aside his identity in this world, purely as a transmigrator, among the female characters he relatively liked in the world of One Piece, Makino, the proprietress of this Party Bar, held a place.
It wasn't that Makino was stunningly beautiful, but rather her gentle, kind, and intellectual character.
Arriving at the bar's entrance, Ian turned his head to look at Gunko. The quiet Gunko was completely different from her image in battle. The pair of black and white eyes under her newsboy cap looked adorably silly, and coupled with the fact that she had always only worn underwear these past years, she now looked very much like a victim of robbery.
After sizing up Gunko, Ian suddenly grinned and said, "Gunko, let's try a different game today!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Although she didn't know what game Ian wanted to play, Gunko didn't ask, but obeyed with firm and blind loyalty.
After nodding in agreement, Gunko stepped forward, ready to push the door open.
But before she could touch the bar door, Ian suddenly stumbled and lunged forward, directly using his body to push open the bar door, and then let out a tragic cry for help towards the bar counter, "Help me—"
"Eh?"
Gunko's beautiful eyes widened. She stared blankly at Ian, who had crashed through the bar door and fallen to the ground with the door panel, momentarily unsure whether to go forward and help him up or to play along with Ian's act.
Standing behind the bar counter was Makino, the proprietress of the Party Bar.
Wearing a headscarf and a plaid shirt, Makino was also stunned by the sudden scene. Her large eyes stared blankly at Ian, who had fallen to the ground. After several seconds, she suddenly jolted awake, putting down the wine glass in her hand and quickly rushing out from behind the counter to Ian's side.
"Sir, are you… are you alright?"
Makino asked with concern, while reaching out to help Ian up.
But just as she pulled Ian up, Ian's legs suddenly gave way, and he leaned against her chest, uttering a weak sound, "Hungry… I… I'm so hungry…"
Hearing this, Makino, whose body had stiffened slightly from Ian suddenly collapsing into her arms, immediately let out a sigh of relief. She then showed a gentle smile and softly said, "So you're hungry. It's alright, please get up first, I'll get you some food!"
With that, Makino forcefully picked Ian up and helped him to sit on a stool in front of the bar counter.
Immediately after, she quickly ran into the bar, took out a piece of bread from behind the counter, handed it to Ian, and at the same time, poured him a glass of water.
"Thank you!"
Ian thanked her, took the bread, and devoured it, once again leaving Gunko, who was standing outside the door and had just come to her senses, dumbfounded.
This—
Was this still the Young Master she knew?
Not only did he not mind this lowly woman touching his noble body, but he also didn't even disdain that unappetizing-looking bread!
"Are you companions?"
Just as Gunko was falling into confusion, Makino also noticed her presence.
Seeing Gunko standing outside the door and not coming in, she tentatively asked, "Madam, are you… together?"
Gunko nodded mechanically.
"Then you must be starving too~"
Before Gunko could make any further move, Makino took out another piece of bread and a bottle of drink from the drawer, "Come in quickly, there's more here, and if it's not enough, I'll go buy some more!"
Seeing Gunko still standing outside the door and not coming in, Makino, thinking Gunko was shy, simply ran out from behind the counter, wanting to pull Gunko into the bar.
"Don't touch me, you low—"
The moment Makino enthusiastically grabbed Gunko's arm, Gunko reflexively shook Makino's hand off. Her eyes and demeanor suddenly underwent a drastic change, like a queen high above, scaring Makino into instinctively stepping back two paces.
"Gunko, don't be insolent!"
Ian promptly reprimanded Gunko, then put on a warm smile and looked at Makino, "I apologize. We just suffered a pirate raid, and she hasn't fully recovered from the fear."
Hearing that Ian and Gunko had suffered a pirate attack, Makino realized, "Oh, I see, what an unfortunate encounter. Madam, you can trust me. Please come to the bar and rest for a moment."
Gunko, at Ian's reprimand, had completely understood what game Ian had mentioned earlier. She retracted her sharp demeanor and silently walked quickly to the bar counter, sitting beside Ian.
"Madam, could you please prepare a pair of pants or a skirt for Miss Gunko?"
As soon as Gunko sat down, Ian immediately put on the expression of a victim who had just been robbed, "Those pirates are truly despicable. It's bad enough they stole our valuables, but they even stole my maid's pants."
"Ah?" Makino's eyes instantly widened. Although she had noticed Gunko's attire before, she hadn't paid much attention, even thinking Gunko was wearing hot pants. It wasn't until Ian mentioned it that she realized Gunko was only wearing underwear.
"Alright."
After a brief moment of surprise, Makino quickly composed herself and hurried to Gunko, saying enthusiastically, "Miss Gunko, please follow me."
—
To read more, please visit
patreon.com/Laktozlu