Valthior had no intention of staying in Mary Geoise.
Early the next morning, he prepared to return to the Sabaody Archipelago together with Gaban.
However, the moment he stepped out, he ran into Figarland, Sommers, and Gunko.
As for Maffy—whom he disliked—she wasn't there, which left Valthior slightly puzzled. That woman was probably not in Mary Geoise; otherwise, she definitely would've come to stir up trouble.
"Senior Figarland, Sommers, Gunko—long time no see," Valthior greeted them with a smile, not bothering to show any displeasure.
The three glanced at Gaban beside him, all momentarily stunned.
What kind of situation was this?
But since Valthior showed no intention of introducing him, they didn't bring it up.
"Long time no see, Valthior. I heard you were back, so I hurried over. I tried contacting you several times before—why couldn't I get through?" Figarland asked first.
Valthior thought to himself: Do you seriously have zero social awareness? The reason you couldn't get through is because I didn't want to pick up!
But considering that as a Celestial Dragon, Figarland might genuinely not realize such things, he didn't dwell on it.
Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud. Instead, he scratched his head and said in a puzzled tone, "You tried contacting me? I didn't receive anything. Maybe the signal was bad? You know, I've been wandering all over the lower world, going into all sorts of remote places…"
After all, Den Den Mushi didn't show missed calls—he could make up whatever he wanted.
Figarland, apparently not thinking much of it, nodded. "Forget it. I've got something important to ask. Back at God Valley, I lost a child. Did your crew pick up a baby? I had CP look into it—heard you were raising one…"
Originally, Valthior had planned to brush him off, but upon hearing that Figarland had already dug up some information, he thought for a moment before replying:
"There was a baby, yeah. It was Rayleigh and Shakky's."
Figarland's face twitched, then he forced a smile. "I see… well, I've got something to take care of, so I'll be off. Let's catch up next time—I'll call you then."
"Sure thing, Senior Figarland. Go ahead," Valthior replied with a bright smile.
Once Figarland had gone far enough, Sommers burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You're getting nastier, Valthior. You really know how to poke where it hurts!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Valthior said, feigning innocence as he scratched his head.
"Such bad intentions," Gunko added. Her expression remained blank, but her tone carried a hint of lightness.
"You're not seriously going back to play your pirate games, are you?" Sommers asked, glancing at Gaban.
"I'm bringing my talent to the New World. It's not some game. Mary Geoise is too boring—the sea is much more interesting," Valthior replied vaguely.
Sommers didn't press further. After saying they should keep in touch, he turned and left.
Only Gunko remained.
She stared straight at Gaban without saying a word. Gaban froze for a moment, then quickly caught on. "Ah—right, I'll go get some fresh air up ahead."
Once Gaban had walked off, Gunko shifted her gaze back to Valthior, her tone as unreadable as ever. "Did Lord Saturn mention it to you?"
Valthior sighed slightly. "Yeah. He brought it up yesterday. What do you think?"
Aside from their previous discussions, Saturn had also briefly mentioned Valthior's marriage—specifically, that he wanted Gunko to marry into the Jaygarcia family as Valthior's primary wife.
There was no coercion—just a suggestion for him to consider.
Valthior felt that this move was likely Saturn adding an extra layer of insurance.
Gunko held a unique position—she had once served Imu directly, someone who clearly held influence with Imu. This was evident from how Imu often used Gunko as a vessel for manifestation.
If Valthior and Gunko were to become a couple, then if anything happened in the future, Gunko's connection might offer some leverage.
Though Saturn didn't believe Imu would necessarily care about such things… who knew?
In any case, Valthior was of age. It made sense to consider it.
"No feelings. Don't know," Gunko replied calmly.
After a brief pause, she asked, "What about you? What do you think?"
"Same as you. No feelings. We're not exactly close, are we?" Valthior said, rubbing his chin.
Back when he was still in Mary Geoise, Gunko—though the legitimate daughter of the Manmayer family—had mostly stayed in the Room of Flowers, following Imu.
Later, when Valthior frequently descended to the lower world to capture Professor Clover, Gunko had only just left the Room of Flowers and joined the Holy Knights.
During the God Valley incident, she was still just a trainee in the Holy Knights, only beginning to appear on the public stage.
It wasn't that they had never met—just that they weren't familiar. By the time Gunko became active, Valthior had already left to roam the seas with the Roger Pirates.
"Then let's leave it at that for now," Gunko nodded and turned to leave.
Valthior had absolutely no idea what she meant by "leave it at that."
What kind of confusing way of speaking was that?
Watching her back, Valthior thought for a moment, then called out:
"Hey—at least let me see what you look like under that mask. I don't like ugly women."
Gunko paused slightly, then turned her head just enough to glance back. "I don't like the weak either. When you're strong enough, I'll let you see."
"Is that so?" Valthior rubbed his chin, then casually added, "Alright then—come find me at sea sometime."
Gunko didn't respond. She simply fixed him with her heterochromatic eyes for a moment before turning and leaving.
With that matter over, Valthior soon caught up with Gaban ahead.
"A romantic entanglement? Even with half her face covered, I can tell—she's definitely beautiful," Gaban said with a grin, clearly egging him on.
"Romantic entanglement my ass. It's just a political marriage. You country-bumpkin pirates wouldn't get it," Valthior scoffed.
As long as he retained this identity, such matters were unavoidable.
If he enjoyed the privileges of the Jaygarcia family, then he also had to bear its responsibilities—marriage being one of them.
Of course, Valthior didn't particularly care. At most, it was just a title.
Wasn't that how Celestial Dragons operated? A primary wife—and dozens upon dozens of concubines. Perfectly normal.
Still, he felt that Gunko was too deeply entangled with Imu—too controlled.
Until that issue could be resolved, he had no intention of following Saturn's arrangement.
Of course… if it was just for physical pleasure, it wasn't entirely off the table. Even Gaban, a top-tier pervert, had vouched for her looks—so she had to be at least somewhat attractive.
In any case, it wasn't something urgent. Valthior didn't dwell on it further.
Before long, he and Gaban left Mary Geoise.
They still traveled by Marine warship, but this time, Valthior explained the situation regarding the Marines.
From now on, it wouldn't be like before—he wouldn't be able to freely command them anymore.
Not only that, they would have to face the full force of the Marines head-on.
"That's how it should be," Gaban said, completely unconcerned—and even a bit excited. "Honestly, having you suppress the Marines with your status did make things convenient, saved us a lot of trouble. But without the Marines chasing after us, it always felt like something was missing. Everyone's been feeling a bit off."
What kind of pirate would you be if you didn't fight the Marines?
..
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin