One Piece Gunslinger

"So I'm not an old man, okay."

Faced with Luffy's inquisitive nature, Li Ang said helplessly, "There's nothing interesting at sea. All you see is an endless ocean, and the scenery is the same everywhere you go. If you go to sea, you'll get bored very quickly."

What Li Ang said was the absolute truth. Over the years, Li Ang had gone out to sea quite a few times, and he was already tired of seeing the same scenery.

"You lied to me. Shanks told me the sea is wonderful."

Just then, Makino walked in carrying a bowl of porridge. Hearing their conversation, she surprisingly sided with Leon: "Luffy, the sea is really boring. I don't know where Shanks finds all these stories. He can tell you fresh stories every time he comes."

"Impossible, Shanks would never lie to me."

Watching Luffy making a ruckus, Li Ang also thought of the tranquility of the ocean and the brilliance of the starry sky when he accidentally entered the Calm Belt.

He explained, "Perhaps Shanks wasn't lying to you, and I wasn't lying to you either. It's just that different people have different experiences, and they have different feelings when faced with the same scenery. If you want to know the true charm of the sea, you have to go out to sea yourself, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears to experience your own unique emotions."

Chapter 135 Uncle

For the next two days, in order to repay Maginot's "life-saving" kindness, Li Ang volunteered to go back to his old job and work as a chef in Maginot's tavern.

Just as Li Ang finished preparing a plate of beef and was about to serve it, he saw a long hand reach in through the window and grab the plate of beef and potatoes.

Li Ang has seen this scene quite a few times in the past two days. At first, he didn't pay attention, and Luffy, that big glutton, actually managed to steal from him a few times in various ways. It has to be said that this glutton is quite clever in this regard, always finding opportunities to reach in from various places.

But later Li Ang became more discerning. He could not tolerate this guy who did nothing all day, idled away his time, just waiting to steal the fruits of his labor.

So just as the arm was about to touch the plate, Li Ang quickly removed the plate of potatoes and beef and replaced it with another plate containing a large amount of chili sauce.

After Luffy grabbed the plate, he quickly pulled his hand back from the window. Two seconds later, Li Ang heard a heart-wrenching cry coming from outside the window.

"Water! Where is the water?!"

I knew this idiot wouldn't bother to look closely at what he grabbed; he just grabbed the plate, opened his mouth wide, and dumped it in.

After punishing Luffy, Li Ang smiled and walked out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand.

After delivering the food, Luffy, his face flushed, burst through the tavern door and grabbed Li Ang, demanding, "You bastard, what did you feed me?"

"Oh?" Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "So you were the one sneaking food in the kitchen these past few days."

Makino, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and questioned, "Luffy, did you use your powers to steal food again?"

Faced with the questioning of the two people opposite him, even though Luffy had a thick skin, he couldn't continue to lash out. He could only chuckle awkwardly and run out of the tavern.

Li Ang looked puzzled again, and asked knowingly, "I saw that Luffy could stretch his arms really long, could he be a Devil Fruit user?"

Makino sighed and said, "This child accidentally ate a Devil Fruit when he was young, which allows him to stretch his body like rubber. He has used this ability to cause a lot of trouble."

Li Ang thought to himself, "How could they not be mischievous? None of the three brothers can stay still. If it weren't for Kella protecting me, I would have been driven crazy by Sabo in the past few years."

"But I didn't expect it to be him. I gave him a whole plate of chili sauce before, and he's probably holding a grudge against me now," Li Ang said helplessly, spreading his hands.

"Hehe." Makino recalled Luffy's appearance earlier and chuckled softly, "But this kid isn't bad by nature, he's just a bit mischievous. He'll naturally calm down after a while."

“That’s true. I’ll cook him a couple of dishes and send them over later. He’ll probably forgive me then,” Li Ang chimed in.

Later, Leon, carrying a box of food, easily found the sulking Luffy on the beach.

"Come on, Luffy," Li Ang called out, "I brought you some food."

One second Luffy was sulking at the sea, but as soon as he heard there was food, his attitude immediately did a 180-degree turn, and he excitedly shouted, "I knew it, uncle, you're a good person."

After saying that, he swiftly took the box containing the food from Li Ang and began to wolf it down.

"I've said it so many times, call me Uncle if you don't want to. I'm still young, not even thirty yet." Li Ang didn't know how many times he had said this, but every time he said it, Luffy still called him Uncle.

Sure enough, Luffy said while eating, "Uncle's cooking is so delicious, it's the best food I've ever eaten."

"What the hell? Do I really look that old?" Seeing Luffy still insisting on calling him "uncle," Li Ang couldn't help but have some doubts about life.

"By the way, Uncle, could you tell me more about that island full of apples you mentioned last time? I definitely want to go see it sometime; it must be really interesting," Luffy asked while eating.

You're eating what's in your bowl while eyeing what's in the pot. You're still a million miles away from Apple Island, and you're already thinking about going there to feast. What do you mean by "it must be very interesting" and "it must be very delicious"?

And you, aren't you a meat lover? You'd eat all apples? Of course, Li Ang has also eaten the apples produced there, and they are indeed quite plump and delicious.

But now even the locals don't eat those apples much anymore; they sell them outside. Who could stand eating apples every day, at every meal?

Over the past two days, Li Ang still couldn't resist Luffy's persistent pleading and eventually recounted some of Li Ang's experiences and observations over the past four years. Apple Island was among the things Li Ang told Luffy.

In Li Ang's opinion, Apple Island was actually quite uninteresting; its only unique feature was its apples. Apples were practically everywhere, big and small, red and green, sweet and sour, crisp and soft. There were all sorts of apples.

Before the revolutionary army liberated and developed the area, the locals ate apples every day, and they couldn't even finish them all. As the apple trees grew, most of them rotted on the ground.

Later, after the revolutionary army took over the area, they mobilized and optimized resources, allowing the locals, who were already tired of eating apples, to eat other foods, and also allowing people from other places to buy apples and taste these fresh and juicy specialty apples.

Apple Island is now an important source of food and economic resources for the revolutionary army, supporting at least five thousand elite revolutionary soldiers on this single island.

However, in Li Ang's eyes, these were merely work requirements. He viewed everything on Apple Island from the perspective of resource utilization and management, unlike Luffy, who viewed it with a desire to personally experience and witness the unknown and vibrant world.

So if Luffy asked Li Ang to talk about the annual apple production, sales, and profits, Li Ang could probably answer some of those questions. But Luffy probably wouldn't care about that; he'd just ask things like:

"With so many apples, can everyone on the island make clothes from apples?"

"Make clothes from apples? Forget about it. Even if you could make clothes from apples, they would rot after a few days."

"Since everyone on Apple Island eats apples, does that mean they all taste like apples?"

"Why do people taste like apples if they eat too many apples? And I've never eaten a person, how would I know the answer to that?"

……

After several exchanges, Luffy looked at Li Ang with disdain and said, "An old man is an old man, not romantic at all."

Chapter 136 Gift

Li Ang was truly dumbfounded with anger. So that's why I've always been called "uncle"! Damn it, you unlucky kid, you're such a crazy person with such a vivid mind, and your idiotic antics bring you so much joy!

Li Ang was helpless. The world is vast, but the Party is the greatest. No matter how hard you try, you can't beat the Party. Li Ang could only admit defeat.

However, it's also a good thing that Luffy maintains this personality. Being like a silly child every day allows him to retain his unwavering curiosity and his fighting spirit that fears no difficulty or power, enabling him to dedicate everything to his dream.

However, it's perfectly fine for Luffy to call Leon "uncle," or rather, he should indeed call him "uncle." After all, Leon and Dragon were once close friends who went through thick and thin together, and later worked together for several years towards the same great goal. Together, they gradually transformed an insignificant small organization into the behemoth it is today.

The deep friendship the two have built over the years is practically brotherly. Aside from not having formally sworn brotherhood, they're essentially like brothers. Therefore, Luffy's way of addressing them is perfectly reasonable in that respect.

"That's probably why I imagine he'll eventually become the Pirate King," he thought to himself while answering Luffy's strange questions.

After Luffy had eaten his fill and finished the entire large box of food that Li Ang had brought, he lay on the ground with his big belly. Even Li Ang couldn't help but admire that the Gum-Gum Fruit was truly the greatest benefit for a glutton.

You can eat whatever you want, without worrying about not being able to eat enough or bursting your stomach. You can even eat until you're a giant ball. Most importantly, you don't have to worry about gaining weight. You use your abilities frequently, and your energy burns quickly, allowing you to digest any amount of food. You can eat hundreds of pounds without gaining weight, making countless food-loving legends incredibly envious.

After Luffy finished eating, Li Ang put away the utensils and said to Luffy, "There are so many delicious foods in this world. If you want to eat all the delicious food in the world, then you should travel all over the world. That way you can taste all the food in the world."

Lying on the ground, Luffy still said with great vigor, "Of course, I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

However, after saying that, Luffy said dejectedly, "It's a pity that I still have two years before I can set sail. Damn it, Ace has already set sail."

"Ace?"

“Ace is my older brother. Although he’s stronger than me now, I’m definitely the one who will become the Pirate King,” Luffy exclaimed. “It’s a pity that Ace set sail a few days before you arrived, so you didn’t get to eat such delicious food.”

"Fine, so in your heart I'm just someone who can cook delicious food, huh?" Li Ang looked at Luffy speechlessly for a long time before finally saying, "Luffy, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Luffy instantly lost his composure. Ignoring his large belly, he straightened up, sat on the ground, and said, "What?! The uncle who can cook delicious food is leaving tomorrow?"

Well, it turns out he's not just good at cooking, he's a middle-aged man who's good at cooking.

"Yes, so this is the last meal I'm making for you."

"No way! What will I do if you leave? I'll only be able to eat Makino's cooking again!" Luffy hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Li Ang.

"So that's why you didn't want to eat my cooking, Luffy!" Makino, looking furious, appeared behind Luffy without him noticing.

As the saying goes, every creature has its nemesis. Faced with an angry Makino, Luffy could only shake his head repeatedly and try to explain. However, with Luffy's idiotic way of speaking, it would be a miracle if he could explain it clearly; he could only make things worse.

Li Ang couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile: "Little brat, let me teach you a lesson: your uncle will always be your uncle. I can govern more than forty islands, big and small, under the Revolutionary Army's rule. I even managed to subdue your second brother, Sabo. How could I not subdue you?"

On the other side, Leon, being directly facing Luffy, was essentially facing Makino. He naturally saw Makino walking this way from a great distance, which led to the scene just now; everything was part of the plan.

However, Makino understood that Luffy meant no harm; it was just his natural personality. She forgave him not long afterward.

But he still turned back to Li Ang and asked, "Are you really going to walk every day?"

Makino had, of course, heard Li Ang say earlier that he was leaving.

However, although Li Ang successfully brought Luffy to his due punishment with this sentence, Li Ang was not lying; he was indeed leaving tomorrow.

"Yes, I had important business to attend to, but I took the wrong turn and ended up here. Thank you both for taking care of me these past two days."

It wasn't as simple as taking the wrong path or going in the wrong direction; the direction was completely off. Li Ang, using a small wooden boat, managed to row all the way out of the Grand Line, across the Calm Belt, all the way to the East Blue. Now, to reach his destination, Li Ang has to row back into the Grand Line.

Even if you told anyone about this journey, no one would believe that you could cross the Calm Belt in a small, dilapidated boat. Li Ang now felt incredibly awesome.

"Not at all. It's not like I'm taking care of you. I should thank you for looking after Luffy these past two days."

"I'm not a child anymore, okay?"

Ignoring Luffy's protest, Makino continued, "Also, the tavern has been much busier these past few days. Everyone says your cooking is incredibly delicious. I should be thanking you."

Taking this opportunity, Li Ang pressed his advantage, saying, "Not at all, and I think Luffy is quite adorable. Being with such an energetic kid makes me feel younger."

“I’ve already told you I’m not a child anymore, uncle.”

Ignoring Luffy's protests, Makino laughed, "You're really joking. But is your little boat alright? Can it even cross this ocean?"

"It's alright, I'm all prepared this time, everything will be perfect. Before I leave, I'll give Luffy a gift too."

Come on, hurt each other.

Makino stood aside, completely unable to understand why Li Ang always emphasized the word "child" when he spoke. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Li Ang, she returned to the tavern.

However, the gift that Li Ang mentioned at the end actually did exist.

"Come on, Luffy. Give me your hand. I don't have much to give you, so I'll just give you this."

Confused, Luffy accepted the gift from Li Ang, then collapsed to the ground, sticking out his tongue and saying, "Why am I suddenly so weak?"

"Because I gave you seastone, silly child."

That's right, Li Ang actually gave a Devil Fruit user Seastone, well done.

Chapter 137 The Tourism King