Chapter 209 IF Line Luo: Tattoo
"A tattoo shop?"
Luo's sudden stop caught Vera's attention. She followed Luo's gaze to the small shop hidden in a secluded spot on the street and tilted her head in confusion.
"Luo, do you want a tattoo?"
The main purpose of Violet and Law's trip was to go over the year's bills with Tezzolo and make some adjustments to next year's crop planting and freight routes based on this year's business.
Knowing Violet's habits and preferences, Tesoro converted the entire year's profits into gleaming gold nuggets in advance. These nuggets were already lying in the island lord's backpack, waiting for the island lord to return to R'lyeh and make them into various props and buildings.
Hearing Vera's question, Luo turned to look at Vera and said, "I'm kind of thinking about it. Want to come with me?"
"OK."
Vera nodded, and she and Luo walked into the tattoo shop one after the other.
The shop was dimly lit, and a guy with a slightly outlandish hairstyle, who I couldn't tell was either a shop assistant or the owner, was fast asleep at the counter.
After entering the room, Luo looked around at the equipment in the tattoo shop and tapped the front desk twice with his knuckles.
"Eh?! Hello, guest!"
The young man suddenly looked up and saw a handsome man with a cold expression, wearing a spotted hat, standing in front of him.
He exuded an aura that kept people at a distance, and his eyes seemed to say, "Stupid guy, stay away from me," which made the young man, who had taken over his mother's teaching job early because of his poor academic performance, instinctively shrink back.
Luo placed a stack of pele on the counter: "I'll rent your shop for a morning."
Judging from how deserted the shop was, the money Luo gave him was enough for him to earn for more than half a month.
The shop owner opened his mouth as if to say, "What if you steal my equipment and sell it?" But then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he realized why the man in front of him looked so familiar.
Isn't this Luo, the wanted criminal whose bounty was recently increased?
Wait a minute, according to "The Untold Stories of Maritime Power," Luo has appeared, so who is the person next to him...?
Violet: ?
Violet: "...Hi?"
Shichibukai Violet!
Although the World Government and the Navy have stated that the Seven Warlords of the Sea are powerful seafarers who have been incorporated into the government and controlled by the Navy, in the minds of most people, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are still synonymous with powerful and cruel pirates.
As expected of a Shichibukai, his aura is different from ordinary people... Hmm, if he were a Shichibukai, he probably wouldn't even look at the broken equipment in his tattoo shop.
The young man quickly stuffed the enough Baileys—enough to satisfy his mother and keep him happy for a long time—into his backpack, very proactively handed the store's main door key to the two of them, and generously declared that from now on, the store was theirs for the whole day!
Before leaving, the young man subconsciously glanced back, only to find that Luo, who had just been aloof and unapproachable in front of him, now showed obvious favoritism and tenderness towards the black-haired girl beside him.
"Luo?" Vera looked around the now empty tattoo shop, now only occupied by the two of them. "The shop owner is gone."
"Hmm." Luo nodded and went to check the condition of the tattoo tools and disinfection supplies. He was satisfied to find that the shop was probably not doing very well. All the tattoo tools were 90% new, and some were even still unopened. All the disinfection supplies and colors were also very complete.
Vera was a little dumbfounded as she watched Luo's skillful movements: "Luo, you can do tattoos? When did you learn that?"
How come she didn't know when her friend unlocked this skill?
“I’ve had this idea for a while, so I taught myself from books.” Luo looked at Vera’s surprised expression and curled his lips into a smile, his tone carrying a hint of pride that he probably didn’t even realize himself. “It’s very simple.”
Violet: "..."
Well, if Luo Lian can learn medicine by himself by reading books, then learning tattooing by himself is a piece of cake.
Vera sat down curiously in the chair, propping her chin up with one hand and looking at Luo: "Luo, what kind of tattoo are you planning to get?"
Luo, who was operating the tattoo gun, glanced at Vera upon hearing this, took out several neatly folded papyrus sheets from his pocket, unfolded them, and handed them to Vera.
Judging from the rough edges at the four corners of the papyrus, Luo had been designing this tattoo for quite some time.
The papyrus showed signs of repeated erasing, but Violet could still easily make out the finished designs.
Luo plans to get two tattoos, one on his left hand and one on his chest.
On the back of his left hand is the outline of R'lyeh, and the knuckles of his fingers bear the letters "DEATH".
The tattoo on his chest is an abstract, line-shaped heart that points towards his lower abdomen and then extends upwards, rotating inwards on both sides of his chest to enclose a round, smiling skull.
Several letters were also tattooed below the skull.
Veil: "V, E, I, L...veil, Veil..."
"Huh? Is that my name?"
Vera looked at Luo in surprise: "Luo, are you going to tattoo my name on your chest?"
"yes."
Vera walked over to Luo, who was mixing the potion, and subconsciously asked, "Why?"
"..."
With one hand holding the tattoo gun, Luo suddenly reached out with the other hand towards Violet's arm hanging by her side. His calloused fingers paused just before touching Violet's skin, and then, without hesitation, he grabbed Violet's wrist.
Luo took a step forward and stood in front of Violet. The distance between them was so close that Violet could clearly smell the unique scent of disinfectant mixed with herbs that belonged to Luo.
It was only then that Violet suddenly realized that Luo had unknowingly grown from a skinny little guy with soft thorns all over his body and a huge malice towards everything in the world into the tall, handsome, mature and steady man he is today.
The thought that this was all thanks to her made Violet feel a sense of pride.
Luo looked down into Vera's eyes.
Vera felt that Law had changed drastically since their first meeting, while Law felt that Vera was exactly the same as when he first met her. Her growth spurt and physical development often made Ms. Ginny, who was responsible for preparing clothes for Vera, remark that the island lord had grown up, but every time Law looked into Vera's eyes, he would be transported back to that rainy night.
At that time, he had nothing. His family and friends had died of lead poisoning, and the only person who was kind to him, Mr. Rosinante, had also died at the hands of Doflamingo because of him.
But perhaps fate always takes a turn for the better after hitting rock bottom. The ship that was supposed to carry a soul burning with despair and anger to hell drifted to R'lyeh.
To this day, Luo can still clearly remember the scene when he first met Violet. On the then desolate R'lyeh, he opened his eyes with a persistent high fever and fell into a dazzling night sky.
It's strange, the island lord clearly has a pair of dark eyes, but every time Luo subconsciously searches for and catches Violet's gaze, it's as if he's grasping warm sunlight.
"Why didn't you ask..." Luo realized his voice was unusually hoarse, "...why didn't you ask me what color I chose?"
This time, even someone as oblivious as Violet noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
She was a little nervous, which caused her to stammer as she spoke: "W-what color?"
Luo, who was also nervous, suddenly smiled when he saw Vera's evasive gaze.
"Yes, black."
Violet: "..."
Is this a confession, or... or is she just being presumptuous, and Luo's feelings are merely out of respect for the island lord?
Violet cautiously observed Luo, who, despite dropping such a bombshell that made the island lord's heart race, sat down in a chair with a relaxed expression, as if he had put down a heavy burden, and began to tattoo his hand.
The buzzing sound made Vera's teeth ache.
Luo's practiced movements showed absolutely no sign that he was a theoretical type who had learned from books.
Violet stood behind Luo, looking at him with displeasure.
So what exactly is going on? Does reaching a certain level of affection with a special NPC unlock a romantic storyline? Can she also marry an NPC? What items are needed for marriage? Will their attributes change after marriage? Will she unlock new characters? And...?
Uh, how many people can she marry at the same time?
The thought that this might be some kind of reward or achievement that could be earned quickly brought Vera back to her senses, and she began to think about the numbers.
"Island Master," Luo called out to Vera, who was clearly lost in thought, and showed her the completed tattoo on his hand, "How is it?"
very beautiful.
Luo's hands were the kind that fit the stereotype of doctors and swordsmen: long, strong, with thin calluses and faint scars, and his nails were trimmed round and close to the nail bed, making them look very clean and flexible.
In front of Violet, Luo opened and closed his palms to show her the new tattoos.
"Next is the chest area..."
Luo took off his long black trench coat, and then naturally pulled down the hem to remove the black and yellow shirt underneath, revealing his upper body covered by well-defined muscles and honey-colored skin.
He picked up the small bottle of alcohol from the table and handed it to Vera: "Can you help me out?"
Vera: "Huh?"
"It's very inconvenient to bend down and disinfect yourself," Luo said seriously. "After all, the area to be tattooed is quite large. If it can't be thoroughly disinfected, it could lead to infection and fever, which would be troublesome."
Yes, that makes sense!
Vera was persuaded by Luo. She walked to Luo's side, looked at Luo who was half-lying on the control panel with his chest casually exposed, nervously opened and closed her hands, but still took the bottle of alcohol.
Using tweezers to hold a white cotton ball, dipped in alcohol and iodine, Vera bent down, her gaze falling on Luo's chest, which rose and fell gently with his breath.
Luo raised his hand and gently ran it across his chest and abdomen: "Disinfect within this area."
He paused, then added, "Be careful, island lord, you can't fool bacteria and viruses."
"...Getting sick is just a matter of eating a bowl of Polish dumplings."
Luo looked down at the whorl of hair on Vera's head: "But being sick is very uncomfortable, Island Lord... I don't want to be sick again."
This simple sentence reminded Vera of how pitiful Ro had looked when he first arrived in R'lyeh, and her heart skipped a beat, feeling a little guilty.
"Ahem! I... I was just kidding."
“I know.” Luo looked at Vera’s slightly reddened ears. “The island lord cares about us very much.”
"..."
Wait, wait a minute! Luo is acting so strange today, he's really acting so strange!
Could this tattoo shop be some kind of place that triggers special events? Luo has completely gone out of character today!
After a very long time for Violet and a bit too fast for Law, Law finally let go of the poor island lord and continued to tattoo his chest.
Normally, when someone is drawing on their own body with their head down, the angle can cause some distortion, let alone the fact that Luo is now doing a tattoo that requires even more precise work.
Furthermore, Luo is still a complete novice. Even with the precedent of successful hand tattoos, Vera is still worried that Luo will end up with an abstract painting on her chest.
The result... was actually not bad?
Vera looked at the smooth black tattoo on Luo's chest and gave him a thumbs up. If you didn't know, who would guess that this was a novice's work?
Luo: "Want to touch it?"
Violet: "..."
Luo isn't worried about bacteria and viruses this time, right?
"Island Master, didn't you ask me why I got your tattoo on my chest?" Luo sat up, holding his coat, but instead of putting it on, he casually draped it over his arm.
He looked up, his gaze fixed on Vera, not wanting to miss a single subtle expression on her face.
"Do I really have to say it, Island Lord?" Luo smiled helplessly, took Vera's hand, and let her fingertips lightly touch the tattoo on his chest.
When Violet's fingertips touched that slightly swollen and hot skin, she instinctively pulled back as if she had been licked by a tongue of fire, but was suddenly gripped by Luo's tightening hand.
"Can you feel it?" Luo said softly, "Behind your name is my heartbeat."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com