Chapter 17 Gion

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In fact, Larson regretted it the moment the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was activated.

He had been so focused on defeating Sengoku that he completely overlooked the fact that there were many civilians on this island. One could only imagine how many innocent lives would be lost in the wake of the impending earthquake.

"Larson, what should we do next?"

Amid the chaos, Marco flew to Larson with the box in his arms.

With the island shaking beneath them, he had to maintain his altitude to avoid falling.

Larson's body shrank back to its original size. "Where is the female navy?"

Marco pointed to Gion, who lay unconscious not far away. "There! She's too heavy; I can't hold her."

Larson glanced down at the town below the palace, seeing civilians wailing amidst the chaos.

He fell silent for a long time. "Let's go."

"Okay."

As Marco prepared to leave with Larson, he suddenly halted him.

"Wait a moment."

He walked over to Gion and bent down to pick her up.

Marco asked in confusion, "What are you doing with her?"

Larson replied calmly, "She can be useful to us."

As he said this, he grabbed Marco's ankle with one hand, and Marco flapped his wings to take off.

"Stop!"

In the distance, Sengoku in his giant Buddha form angrily halted Larson.

Ten minutes had passed, and the effects of the deprivation on Sengoku had worn off.

At this moment, the future Fleet Admiral of the navy, now Vice Admiral Sengoku, was completely enraged.

The sense of oppression Sengoku projected as the giant Buddha was immense; he looked down at Larson like a true deity. "Pirate, do you think you can come and go as you please?!"

Larson smiled. "Are you sure you want to continue to struggle with me? If you don't save those people, they will die."

"Keep that marine!"

Sengoku gritted his teeth, summoning his fists. His anger grew as he saw Larson cradling Gion in his arms. She was the sister of his old acquaintance. She didn't need the heavenly gold; at most, he would be promoted to general later, but he had to make sure Gion remained alive.

Larson looked at the unconscious Gion in his arms. "I'm sorry, but I can't return her to you for the time being."

As soon as he finished speaking, Marco flapped his wings and lifted Larson into the sky.

The enraged Sengoku unleashed shockwaves into the sky, but Marco dodged them nimbly. Sengoku could only watch Larson's figure gradually retreat.

A navy soldier ran up to Sengoku. "Vice Admiral Sengoku, should we pursue him?"

Sengoku released the Buddha form and sighed with dejection. "First, it's important to save the civilians. Hurry up and lead the team to rescue them."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately commenced their rescue mission.

Within moments, the area was cleared of people, and the injured king was taken for medical treatment.

Sengoku stood there pondering for a long time before pulling out a Den Den Mushi.

"Tsuru."

Sengoku waited for a few seconds, and those seconds felt agonizingly lengthy.

"Hey?"

Finally, a woman's voice responded from the other end.

"Sengoku? Was the mission successful?"

Hearing this voice, Sengoku fell silent.

"Hello? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

The voice belonged to Tsuru. When she received a call from Sengoku, she sensed something was amiss. Upon connecting, she noticed he wasn't speaking, prompting her to realize the gravity of the situation.

"Did something unexpected happen regarding Gion?" she asked calmly.

Tsuru understood well that Sengoku wouldn't contact her unless something significant had occurred.

"Yes."

Sengoku closed his eyes and spoke somberly. "I'm sorry; I didn't protect her well."

This time, silence fell on the other end of the line.

Thinking of the scene he witnessed as Larson departed, Sengoku continued, "Gion was captured by pirates, but she's probably still alive."

"What? Captured by a pirate? I'm heading over immediately to provide support; we must rescue Gion!"

Sengoku's words ignited a flicker of hope in Tsuru. She stood up as she spoke into the phone.

"Which pirate took her?"

"It's Larson from the Whitebeard Pirates."

"Is he the one we discussed in the meeting before?"

Tsuru recalled the name immediately.

"Yes, it's him."

"What does he intend to achieve by taking Gion away?"

"Not only has he taken Gion..."

Sengoku clenched his teeth, saying, "He also stole the heavenly gold."

"Is he insane?"

Tsuru felt a twinge of disbelief.

Observing the ongoing devastation surrounding him, Sengoku growled, "Indeed, he is a madman. Not only did he steal the heavenly gold and Gion, but he also used the powers of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to induce a seismic event. The entire island is currently experiencing massive destruction because of him."

"I will report this immediately. You maintain your position for now; I will lead a team to support you without delay."

"Understood."

As Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi, he smashed his fist against the rocks beside him.

He glared towards the direction where Larson had escaped, his expression darkening further. "Larson, I will catch you with my own hands one day!"

As the instigator of this incident, Larson had already returned to the ship alongside Marco.

"What happened?"

Whitebeard, or Pops, noticed the box Marco was clutching and the woman in Larson's arms, looking puzzled. "Why did you bring back a woman?"

Suppressing a smile, Marco replied, "Pops, this is the woman Larson snatched back."

Whitebeard paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Really? I didn't expect you, Larson, to be that kind of person."

Larson quickly interjected, "Don't listen to Marco's nonsense. I captured her because she is useful."

Marco whispered under his breath, "Isn't it useful to capture her as a wife?"

Although his voice was low, everyone present heard it loud and clear. Even Plank, who had been trying hard to stifle his laughter, couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Needless to say, Pops joined in too.

Larson frowned and punched Marco on the head.

He hit with only a fraction of his strength, but Marco's head visibly bulged from the impact.

Larson glared at him. "How dare you slander me!"

Marco clutched his head, pouting and turning towards Pops. "Pops, Larson is bullying me!"

Whitebeard chuckled, "Don't worry, Larson. Don't feel embarrassed; I can understand. We're all men here, right, Plank?"

"Pops is right. Larson, don't be embarrassed."

Plank had even begun to refer to Whitebeard as "Pops" now.

"Forget it; think whatever you want."

Larson found it increasingly difficult to explain himself and wisely decided to stop trying.

Of course, Marco was just jesting about the wife thing. He said it to get back at Larson, as he believed Larson laid a trap for him by sending him to observe the navy, only to secretly follow and watch him.

Larson had captured Gion with knowledge of her relationship with Tsuru. Although Tsuru held the rank of Vice Admiral, her status was nearly equivalent to that of a general.

And Gion was turus sister. By capturing Gion, Larson completely offended Tsuru, but it also opened a window for him to negotiate with her.

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