Leon Ford kept provoking Alvida again and again, and in response she unleashed ferocious blows with her massive spiked club.
But each time the weapon crashed down, Leon's expression didn't change at all…
as if she were hitting a stone statue.
"Impossible… He took so many hits and he's perfectly fine?"
Alvida frowned, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
"I get it… you ate the Cowherd Fruit."
"That must be it! You definitely ate the Cowherd Fruit!"
"You fat pig… looks like you're not completely brainless."
"That's right," Leon grinned. "I ate the Hitch-Hitch Fruit. My ability is taking hits. Cool, right? Jealous?"
He even leaned his head forward provocatively.
Grinding her teeth, Alvida lifted her club and slammed it down with almost all her strength.
"YES!"
Leon felt a wave of satisfaction—
his Damage Absorption ability had just been upgraded to Level 2.
His limit increased from one ton to five tons.
A massive leap.
In contrast to Leon's happy grin, Alvida was panting heavily.
Her nonstop attacks drained her stamina.
She could barely lift the club anymore.
Her grip faltered—
and the spiked club slipped from her hands, crashing to the ground.
Leon bent down and picked it up.
He had to admit—this thing was heavy, easily thirty pounds.
"You hit me so many times earlier…"
"Now it's my turn. That's fair, right?"
Before Alvida could react, Leon swung the club.
BANG!
Alvida dropped to the ground instantly.
Her vision went black, white foam bubbling at her mouth.
"Oh no! Big Sis Alvida's been taken down!"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
The henchmen panicked and fled from the Host Carriage.
Leon didn't bother chasing them.
His interest was only in the carriage.
"Stop."
Suddenly, a small figure caught his eye.
He grabbed the person instantly.
"Why can they run but I can't?"
The voice was low, annoyed—definitely not one of the bandits.
"You're different from them… right, thief?"
Leon snatched the hat off the figure's head.
Sure enough—
a gorgeous woman stood before him.
It was Nami, a professional thief with an incredible body and beauty.
"You took something you shouldn't have taken."
Before she could react, Leon ripped the bag off Nami's shoulder.
"Give it back!"
Nami glared and jumped forward, trying to snatch the bag.
"You little fox! You steal from my Host Carriage and still dare yell at me?"
"I declare that from this moment on—you belong to me."
Before Nami processed the words, Leon leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"There. Marked. You're mine now. If anyone bullies you, tell them my name."
"Leon Ford—future King of Hosts!"
"You freak!! Why did you kiss me!?"
Nami furiously wiped the spot on her cheek.
"Here."
Leon casually threw the bag back to her. He didn't care about its contents.
In this world, money wasn't everything.
Strength was everything.
With strength, everything else could be acquired.
At worst, you could just dine-and-dash.
If caught, you'd only get listed on the wanted board.
"This bag was mine to begin with!"
Nami pouted, clearly annoyed.
"Sure, the bag is yours. But you are mine."
"Follow me, I'll show you the world."
"If you like stealing, I'll take you to bigger, richer places."
"All I know is stealing. What do you want me to do, steal for you?"
Nami blinked.
Leon didn't mind at all.
Even if she was just eye candy, he didn't care—
he just wanted someone to talk to.
And if their relationship deepened? Even better.
"You don't need to steal outside anymore. From now on, you can steal my money anytime."
"I'm going to be the King of Hosts! Be my steward—how cool is that?"
Nami thought for a moment and nodded.
"Fine. I'll follow you.
But I have one condition: I won't do anything immoral!"
Even though Nami was a thief, she was still a righteous thief.
"Flirting, partying, dancing—that's fine. And if nothing else, we can fight."
"I'm a host, not a murderer."
Satisfied, Leon started working on the Host Carriage with Nami.
After buying some supplies, the two set off on their new journey.
"Stop! Don't go that way!"
At a fork in the road, Nami pointed right.
"To the left is a battle maniac named Zoro."
"Zoro?"
Leon's eyes lit up instantly.
"A master swordsman!?"
"Swordsman?"
Nami frowned.
Her face said everything—
Leon was absolutely wrong.
"When was Zoro ever a swordsman?"
"He's never touched a sword in his life!"
"Then… what weapon does he use?" Leon asked curiously.
"A stick. And a baseball bat!"
"Zoro—the biker gang madman. Haven't you heard of him?"
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T/N:
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