Feeling a wave of relief, Gion eagerly picked up her chopsticks, ready to indulge in a well-deserved feast. Her stomach had endured months of hardship, and now it was time to reward herself properly.
As she listened to Luffy's words, a faint sense of disappointment settled in her heart. She turned to look at Violet, and despite her reluctance, she knew Luffy had a valid point.
Yet, this matter wasn't just about practicality—it concerned her very appearance. More importantly, it was tied to the fact that her man was a bit of a pervert, and her family was full of beautiful women.
If obtaining pure gold had once been merely for her own sake, now, a significant part of her desire stemmed from wanting it for Luffy's sake as well.
As the saying goes, a woman's beauty is for the one she loves. For Gion, preserving her youthful appearance wasn't just about vanity; it was about staying by Luffy's side and remaining desirable to him.
After all these years, she had finally found a man she loved, experienced the sweetness of romance, and embraced a future beyond her lonely past.
She didn't want to grow old alone in an empty house, staring at her fading reflection.
Meanwhile, Alpha remained silent from beginning to end, completely engrossed in her food. She devoured dish after dish with astonishing speed, as if she had been starved for years.
Watching Gion hesitate for what felt like an eternity, Alpha finally sighed and muttered, "Come on, it's just five years at most. With my sister—who happens to be the most skilled beautician in the world—what are you so afraid of?"
Gion shot Alpha an exasperated look before shifting her gaze to Violet. With a playful smile, she said, "Alright, I'll leave everything to you from now on, dear princess~"
Violet chuckled, raising her glass in response. "I should be the one saying that. From now on, I'll be relying on you to protect me."
With the matter of pure gold settled, Gion felt as though a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
But just as she reached for a dish with her chopsticks, her expression froze. The plate was completely empty.
"Ah~ I'm stuffed! I haven't eaten this well in ages!"
Alpha leaned back in her chair, patting her now-round belly with sheer satisfaction.
Luffy, Gion, Violet, and Kujaku all stared at her in stunned silence.
"Hey, you—" Kujaku started, smacking her lips in disbelief.
Luffy set his chopsticks down helplessly, letting out a long sigh.
"Alpha, I know you've been training really hard lately," he said, rubbing his temples. "But I swear, your strength hasn't improved nearly as much as your appetite has. Just look at this—there was an entire table full of food, and I barely got to eat anything before you finished it all. At this rate, you're going to turn into a fat pig."
Luffy spoke with genuine concern, but Alpha remained completely unfazed.
"Hmph. I've had enough of those miserable days at CP," she declared, folding her arms. "Now that I'm finally living comfortably with you guys, why should I deny myself good food?"
She shrugged carefreely and continued, "Besides, so what if I get fat? My sister's here, anyway. Worst case scenario, I'll just have her help me burn off the extra weight."
Alpha had fully embraced her new life in Luffy's crew.
Though Luffy maintained discipline within the group, he was constantly training, patrolling Onigashima, or handling important matters, making his workload far from easy. But in return, the benefits of following him were simply unparalleled.
Whether it was food, clothing, shelter, or transportation, everything was far superior to what she had experienced before.
Even Khalifa, ever the perfectionist, made sure to provide top-notch body care services for all the girls from time to time.
Back when she was in CP, she may have been called a "small leader," but in reality, she was nothing special.
But now?
Now, her life was more extravagant than that of many noble ladies and celebrities.
Even if the Five Elders personally came to beg her to return to Mary Geoise, she wouldn't give up this comfort.
As she slouched in her chair, she let out an ungraceful burp before suddenly sitting upright.
"Speaking of which, Luffy," she said, her tone turning serious. "You always say that no one else can handle the job of being your secretary, and Olivia is already keeping an eye on Khalifa. But do you have any idea how many noblewomen I know envy my smooth skin?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow, wondering where this conversation was headed.
"If it were up to me, I'd have Khalifa open a high-end beauty salon just for the wealthy noblewomen," Alpha continued enthusiastically. "The money we'd make from that would probably rival what we earn from selling Seastone!"
Luffy stared at her blankly, his lips twitching.
"What the hell is this woman thinking? Has she forgotten she's supposed to be an agent? And since when did she start socializing with noble ladies? Did she meet them in an internet café?"
Unable to make sense of her logic, Luffy waved his hand dismissively.
"Go, go—get out and order more food if you're still hungry," he said impatiently. "And if you want to pitch this idea to Khalifa, go ahead. If she agrees, then fine. But you can forget about joining her. She can run the beauty salon by herself."
"Eh?!"
Alpha bolted upright, pointing at herself in disbelief.
"What do you mean, 'with or without me'?" she demanded. "I have connections! The most important thing for an upscale beauty salon is clientele. And besides, this was my idea! Shouldn't I at least get to be a manager? Or a deputy store manager, at the very least?"
Luffy shot her a flat look and responded with a single word.
"Scram."
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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