The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"John, is this all you came to see me for?"

Alice was very unhappy. She had just thought John had come specifically to find her, his "fleeing companion," but now it seemed...

This guy is after Kureha!

Chapter 33 I'm Going to Give You a Big Surprise

"Alice, what you're saying really hurts me. I came here specifically to see you and Teach."

John shrugged, looking aggrieved, his face showing a sorrowful expression as if he were about to cry.

Seeing this, Alice not only remained unmoved, but also curled her lip in disdain.

"I'd be a fool to believe you!"

You see, John fooled the whole world, making everyone think he was dead.

You can't even trust the punctuation marks on this kind of guy's words!

John didn't care whether Alice believed him or not, and continued to indulge in his own self-admiration:

“Lox entrusted you and your son to me, so I will provide you with some support to a certain extent, since I value friendship the most.”

"Godfather, will you stay and live with us?"

Teach took these words to heart, grabbing John's sleeve with anticipation in her eyes.

If the Godfather stays here, he won't need to go looking for those bullies.

John looked down at the small hand clutching the hem of his clothes, and moved away in disgust, letting the hem slip from his grasp.

The ugly brat's hands were stained with rum, and the rum he drank was distilled from molasses and had lemon added for extra vitamin C.

Sweet and sticky!

I'm a germaphobe, so I'll have to change out of this outfit later.

John muttered to himself, but forced a smile and said:

"No, Teach, I'm here to say goodbye formally. I'll be keeping a low profile for a long time."

"Not staying..."

Teach lowered her head in disappointment, tears welling up in her eyes.

John looked at Teach and inexplicably felt that the kid was kind of ugly-cute.

It's ugly in a way that's kind of cute.

In fact, if he had experienced what Teach went through as a child, he would probably have developed severe self-destructive tendencies.

We'll drag the whole world down with us!

So in a sense, Teach was somewhat despicable as an adult, but compared to him, he was still too kind.

Thinking of this, John's tone softened.

"However, I can stay here with you for a while."

Well, let's also take this opportunity to investigate what your body is actually made of.

"Really? That's great!"

Teach's mood brightened, and she danced with joy.

……

For the next period of time, John stayed on Drum Island, and to avoid suspicion, he even rented a house close to Alice's house.

We didn't sleep under the same roof!

However, this attempt to avoid suspicion did not stop the rumors; instead, they spread even more rampantly.

The continuous sunshine has melted the snow, revealing the vibrant life that has been buried in the ground all year round, adding a touch of green to Cigu Island, a place that is perpetually in winter.

John sat inside, looking out through the clear glass of the shop window at the group of boys playing in the open space.

In the crowd, a curly-haired child, blindfolded and pretending to be a "ghost," stumbled and grabbed at a "person" in a daze.

But the "people" were not afraid of the "ghosts." Instead, they deliberately made noises to attract the "ghosts," and then the other "people" stretched their legs into the path the "ghosts" were walking on.

Trip up the "ghost"!

Or perhaps, the "human" will stand behind the "ghost" and knock the "ghost" to the ground.

When the "ghost" falls down, a chorus of harsh laughter will rise and fall.

The laughter could be coming from adults watching from a distance.

Amidst the ear-piercing laughter, the "ghost" simply grinned foolishly with its thick lips.

That smile was so heartbreaking!

"From this perspective, an outbreak is inevitable."

John shook his head, lit a cigarette, and squinted as he watched the rising smoke.

The abnormal climate on Drum Island was caused by him secretly altering the magnetic field. He also took advantage of the sunny weather to take Teach to the hot springs in the mountains to thoroughly check on the kid's condition.

He was so young yet had so much body hair; he looked like a chimpanzee.

Apart from that, he was no different from an ordinary person.

"Either I didn't detect it, or something else happened afterward that caused the mutation."

John took a deep drag, and the cigarette butt suddenly lit up.

He didn't want to linger here any longer.

It doesn't matter anyway, it's just out of curiosity, and I didn't plan to eat a second Devil Fruit in the first place.

John stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, picked up his black trench coat from the hanger, put it on, opened the door, and went out.

"Ugh."

An obese, bald, middle-aged man happened to brush past John and, quite carelessly, bumped into him hard, while simultaneously letting out a provocative shout.

Then, the bald man stopped and turned around, trying to see the scene of John being bumped into by him.

“Mr. Cowherd, why do you walk so slowly… uh.”

The word "heart" stuck in his throat, simply because he saw the other person standing straight in place, completely unaffected.

John turned around and looked at the bald man with a big smile.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Village Chief, I accidentally bumped into you. As an apology, I have a big surprise for you tonight."

"What do you mean?!"

"Stay tuned, you'll find out then."

John gave the other person a meaningful raise of his eyebrows, then strode away without giving him a chance to ask further questions.

"Cowherd" is a nickname given to him by the village chief during this period. As the name suggests, it implies that he is a man who has made enough money in places like the entertainment district and then returned to a simple life.

Correspondingly, Alice was also labeled a "hostess" and retired from the entertainment district.

Furthermore, the village chief even fabricated a vivid story about the "cowherd" and the "hostess".

The two were said to be in cahoots, having embezzled money from customers in the entertainment district before fleeing to Drum Island to live in seclusion.

As for the reason why the village chief did this...

She was jealous of John; jealous of his height, handsome appearance, and popularity with women.

As for Alice, she tried to take advantage of him but ended up getting beaten up instead, and she held a grudge.

Another point to consider is that both of them were very close to Kureha, that witch/sorceress...

Inside the cozy little cabin, Alice sat on a small stool by the fireplace, carefully studying a medical book.

The iron pot on the stove was steaming, filling the room with a strong herbal aroma.

To support herself and Teach, Alice learned medicine from Kureha and can now brew medicine on her own.

The door creaked open, and Alice looked up to see John swaggering in.

She glanced at it briefly before looking away and continuing to study the medical book.

To her, this man's behavior was even more incomprehensible than that of Lox, so she simply stopped caring.

"I'm leaving."

John took out a Den Den Mushi and placed it on the small round dining table in the room.

"Don't call me if there's something wrong, and definitely don't call if there's nothing wrong. Of course, if there's something you really can't solve, you can still call me."

"If I come, then all will be well. If I don't come, then good luck to you."

Chapter 34 There are three of me in the world

Upon hearing this, Alice placed the medical book on her lap, rested her chin on her hand, and tilted her head to look at John.

"Why say something so hurtful when you're just trying to show concern? That kind of tsundere attitude isn't fashionable anymore."

As she spoke, a gentle smile appeared on Alice's lips.

“John, you have a kind heart, but it is wrapped in thorns to protect you from the injustice and malice of this world.”

"Become like a cute hedgehog, and if you touch it, you will arm yourself tightly with armor, and be wary and distrustful of everything."

"But the world is beautiful, and I hope you can be happy. Take care!"

"Alice, you are such a good woman..."

John gave Alice a long look, his gaze incredibly complex.

His gaze lingered for only a moment before he quickly looked away, turned, and left the cabin.

If we interpret John's life using the world's perspective, it can be divided into three stages.

first time.

He is a pirate who yearns for freedom, innocent and romantic, with courage and faith, wanting to go on adventures everywhere and see the wonders of the world.