Chapter 183: Codenamed Tea Pig, It Split Open on the Spot
Roy took the bag, but he did not open it right away.
He turned and walked to a quiet corner, then finally loosened the knot and peeked inside.
Gion stood across from him, arms folded. "Your body is ridiculously tough, but you still haven't truly mastered Armament Haki. You don't know all Six Powers either, and forget advanced Armament Haki, top tier Observation Haki, or proper swordsmanship."
Roy felt like she was mocking him.
At the same time, there was a strange warmth under those sharp words, like she was scolding him because she actually cared.
"The Golden Lion has only been dead a few days," Gion continued coolly. "This fruit does look disturbingly close to that legendary one. Whether you eat it or not is your choice."
Her gaze narrowed.
"You have a close relationship with Charlotte Linlin, so logically, the World Government should target you too."
Roy stared at her.
Gion's expression stiffened. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not worried about you. I just don't want you dying before you get to see my sister."
After that, she turned away and returned to her usual aloof posture, leaving Roy alone with the decision.
Over the past few days, Gion had gotten used to Roy's terrifying recovery.
The bones that had been cut by Shiki's blades had healed completely in no time at all.
Monster.
Gion honestly did not know what to say. That was not a scratch, it was a broken bone, and yet it was already back to normal like nothing had happened.
Roy's so called steel defense was not just about durability. It was his strength, stamina, and absurd ability to endure punishment, just like Linlin.
And during these days, with Gion grinding him down in sparring sessions, Roy had started to understand the principles of Armament Haki. After getting beaten often enough, he had become familiar with the feeling of it.
But against the Golden Lion, he only managed to use it once, purely by luck.
Awakened, but not fully awakened.
It was frustrating, like he had opened the door but still could not step through it properly.
After several days of sparring, Roy could feel it. He was close. Very close.
He just did not know what would happen once that Armament Haki progress finally hit one hundred percent.
Gion was telling the truth.
Roy needed a boost.
He glanced at Gion, then thought of Hancock, who had already returned to Amazon Lily to deal with her own mess.
Should he use this time to push things with Gion all the way, or should he head to Amazon Lily and warm things up with Hancock first?
Roy had already taken a good look at Gion last night.
There was no doubt about it. Momousagi, the woman destined to become an admiral candidate, was outstanding across the board.
Even in Armament Haki alone, she was an orange card.
"All right. That's it." Gion's expression was complicated as she watched him. "After I hand things over to the Headquarters troops, I'll take you to see my sister."
Then she turned and left.
Truthfully, even Gion did not understand what she felt when it came to her sister and Roy.
But logic told her one thing clearly.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was too old for that kind of relationship with Roy.
"Whew…"
Gion felt a little relieved.
She did not want to suffer a loss herself, but she also did not want her sister and Roy to have some twisted connection that would poison everything.
She did not want her relationship with her sister to crack.
[Favorability with Gion +15!]
While Gion's mind was busy imagining the best possible outcome, Roy received another notification.
To be honest, if he could actually catch her, he would already be eating good.
That steady climb in favorability was exactly why he dared to act so recklessly.
Favorability points were his low cost trial and error.
"This fruit…"
"What?" Gion turned back, frowning.
The instant she turned, Roy seized the opening, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her toward him.
...
A small scene happened. They talked for quite a while. The details are skipped.
...
Roy was in an excellent mood. He smacked his lips happily, savoring the lingering fragrance, then turned and bolted.
"Roy, you bastard!"
Behind him, Gion drew Konpira and slashed in rage.
In short, her throat felt dry. She needed something sweet to wash it down.
Gion was so furious she wanted to pin this shameless bastard to the ground, grab a knife, and see if he was made of steel all the way through.
Damn it, he skipped the steps and went straight for it.
That was outrageous.
She was livid.
...
Roy ran like his life depended on it. He had no choice. Momousagi had given him far too much favorability.
He could not handle this kind of reward without turning into a complete menace.
"You bastard, I'll kill you!"
"Don't be so fierce. Just now you were pretty…"
"Stop right there if you dare!"
Gion wiped her lips, tightened her grip on Konpira, and chased him like a storm.
After years of being elegant and untouchable, the goddess of Marineford had been forced to break down again and again, all because of one man.
When Gion sparred with Roy, her methods and timing always kept him from getting close.
But right now, Roy was not trying to fight. He was just running.
One of them used Shave to flee. The other used Shave to chase, sword flashing.
Unless Gion actually decided to cut him down for real, this was exactly the kind of chaos Sanji and the others would gladly watch every day.
...
Unfortunately, an accident arrived ahead of schedule.
Tokikake's warship reached the island earlier than expected, because Sakazuki ran into a pirate crew on the way and wiped them out.
Tokikake had been thinking that once the mission was done, he would buy flowers on an East Blue island and give them to Gion, just like the other times he had confessed.
His feelings were complicated.
Vice Admiral Tokikake, one of the admiral candidates, stood on the shore and rubbed his eyes as he watched the two of them playing around.
His heart sank, heavy and bitter, like he had just eaten a Devil Fruit.
How many times had he been rejected after confessing?
He could not even remember anymore.
He just wanted to slap himself and scream, I really am a pig.
The sea breeze blew Tokikake's hat away, and he did not even notice.
His mind was full of one thought.
It hurts.
His brows tightened. The cigarette in his mouth dropped to the sand.
He forced a grin that looked almost comedic, but it could not hide the heartbreak.
Like a tortured performer on a lonely stage.
If you really wanted to tell them apart, the performer had eyes you could see, while the tea pig's eyes were so narrowed they practically vanished unless you stared hard enough.
Yeah. That kind of pain where you cannot stop tearing up even while eating.
A cold north wind howled, and the admiral candidate with the pig codename stood frozen on the shore, stiff as stone.
"Um… are you alright?"
A vice admiral stepped off the ship and immediately noticed that something was very wrong with Chaton.
To describe Tokikake's state accurately, it was like someone had stuffed every sad unrequited love song in the world straight into his chest.
Roy and Gion had stopped long before Tokikake's ship landed.
Tokikake's eyes were small, but his eyesight was sharp.
It was just his romantic reaction time that was slow, like trying to play a fast paced game with terrible signal.
Roy even hummed a line to himself, translating it on the fly and turning it into a strange, awkward version that sounded completely wrong.
"Don't listen to slow songs when you're heartbroken."
Crack!
Even without Hancock's Love Love powers, Tokikake looked like he had been petrified, then kicked, and the tea pig split open on the spot.
Gion stared at Roy, helpless. "You're disgusting. Can't you be a decent human being for once?"
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