Chapter 21

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Is there really such a coincidence in the world?

Larson stood on the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant sea, lost in thought.

Why does the person in that photo look so similar to me?

First of all, he was certain that the person in the photo was definitely not him. The man in the picture appeared to be about [-] years old. At that time, Larson was still engaged in his defensive battle on the island. How could he have a daughter at that age?

Could it be his father?

Impossible. The age difference was too significant.

Judging by her age, Gion in the photo looked to be only five or six years old, so the man must be around the same age as Larson.

And so many more possibilities!

Larson suddenly raised his eyebrows. Could the man in the photo actually be his brother or a younger sibling?

...

Entering the dungeon again, Larson felt a swirl of complicated emotions.

The "goods" he had planned to trade with the Navy turned out to be his niece?

Gion heard footsteps above her and slowly raised her head. When she saw Larson coming down, her eyes lit up momentarily, but remembering what she had just experienced, she bit her lower lip and said nothing.

Larson approached her. This time, instead of sitting on the stool like before, he untied Gion's bindings.

The ropes fell away, but Gion did not move. She simply stared at Larson, as if he might vanish before her eyes at any moment.

The more she looked at him like that, the more self-conscious Larson grew.

"Uh…"

Larson rubbed his hands together. There appeared to be no paternity testing technology in this world, so he didn't truly know if Gion was his niece.

He had never heard anyone mention any brothers, but just because he hadn't heard anyone say it doesn't mean it wasn't true. What if he is his father's illegitimate son?

Squatting down to Gion's level, he tried to maintain a gentle tone: "Can you tell me where your father went the last time he left?"

Gion pursed her thin lips and lowered her head slightly: "I heard someone say that he was killed by pirates when he went to sea. I refuse to believe this outcome. I joined the Navy primarily to find you and secondarily to avenge you…"

Killed…

Larson automatically dismissed the second half of Gion's statement. He felt a mixture of emotions, because if the man in the photo was truly deceased, it meant that his connection to Gion could not be verified, and he would never know if this was all just a coincidence.

He sighed. "I will send you to the nearest island, and then you can leave."

Given that Gion was most likely the child of his brother, he had already been duped into using her as "goods" to trade with the Navy.

Gion looked at Larson. Rather than respond to his words, she asked, "What about you?"

As soon as he heard this, Larson understood that Gion still regarded him as her father.

He felt compelled to explain to her that he and her father were not the same person, suggesting that he might be her uncle.

But to his surprise, after hearing his words, Gion glanced at him expressionlessly: "You once told me that you don't have any brothers. Do you want to abandon me again and leave all alone?"

Larson suddenly had a headache. "How many times do I have to tell you that I am genuinely not your father, and I am not abandoning you? I just want to send you back to the Navy because your father might be my brother."

Gion looked despondent: "I joined the Navy to find you. Now that I have found you, and you no longer want me, what is the point of continuing as a Navy member?"

Larson felt numb. What did this mean? Did she still want to cling to him?

He exited the cabin and rushed to the deck, as if he were trying to escape.

Whitebeard was drinking. He indulged in alcohol whenever he had free time. He noticed Larson running out of the cabin and put down his barrel to ask, "How's it going?"

Larson shook his head: "We need to find an island quickly and send her there."

Whitebeard rested his head on his hands and smiled: "Isn't it nice to have more daughters?"

Clearly, he had already convinced himself that Gion had nothing to do with Larson.

Larson stared at him in disbelief: "I don't even have a wife, so having multiple daughters means nothing."

Whitebeard chuckled, "I don't have a wife either."

It was odd; this marked the first time Larson witnessed someone finding happiness in not having a wife.

"I'm different from you," Larson shook his head and stated.

However, who would have thought that Whitebeard would actually begin to fantasize: "I have a son, Larson, and you have a daughter. This is like one big family!"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Seeing Whitebeard starting to arrange matters for him, Larson quickly interrupted.

Ignoring Whitebeard, he turned to Plank: "Did you hear what I just said?"

Plank replied, "I heard it!"

He began to pull out a map in search of the nearest island.

Nevertheless, no one noticed that Marco had quietly entered the cabin, seemingly unsure of what to do.

After more than ten minutes, he walked out, but there was still someone following him.

Larson observed this scene without saying anything.

In terms of strength, Gion posed no threat. If she decided to jump off the ship and escape, that would actually save him a lot of trouble.

He stopped paying much attention to them and continued to drink with Whitebeard.

One must admit that the wine in the pirate world was rather subpar. Larson drank it as if it were water, likely due to his now robust physique.

After finishing a glass, he reached out to pour himself another. Suddenly, a pair of white, delicate hands appeared from the side. The wine poured out, and the glass gradually filled again.

Larson frowned. "What are you doing?"

Gion hugged the wine barrel and blinked her beautiful eyelashes: "Pouring some wine for daddy!"

Larson replied, visibly discontented: "Who told you to do that? Also, if I hear you call me 'daddy' again, I will toss you into the sea to feed the Sea Kings."

Gion shivered in fright.

Whitebeard took a sip of his drink and said nothing.

However, when Marco saw Larson reprimanding Gion so harshly, he immediately grew unhappy and rushed over, placing himself between Gion and Larson.

"Larson, Sister Gion is kind-hearted! How can you speak to her like that?"

It was apparent that Marco had spoken with Gion during his earlier visit, as he now referred to her as "sister."

Larson's expression remained impassive: "You have no say in this matter."

His calm tone somehow made Marco tremble with unease. He clenched his teeth and insisted: "You always call me a brat, but I think you're the real brat!"

"What did you say?"

Larson's brows twitched, displaying faint signs of irritation.

Marco's body trembled in fear, yet he boldly stood his ground, much like when he had bravely confronted pirates on the island: "I'm talking about you! Sister Gion has been searching for you for so many years, and now that she has finally found you, you still want to drive her away? How could there possibly be a father like you in the world?"

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11