The bear came back to his senses, hurriedly stepped forward, took Ivan off Ji Ge, and found a chair for Ivan to sit down.
The four of them sat around a dining table, tasting the fish cooked by the bear. This fish was their only dish tonight, but fortunately, it was quite big.
Ji Ge ate with gusto. This was the first time he had a hot meal since he time-traveled.
When they were in the Valley of the Gods, they didn't have the energy to catch fish, let alone light a fire to cook. They could only pick some wild fruits as rations.
However, the three Xiongs didn't move their chopsticks for a long time. They just watched Ji Ge wolfing down the fish in big mouthfuls.
After drinking a large bowl of thick fish soup, Ji Ge smacked his lips, looked up at them, and praised:"Why don't you eat? It tastes really good!"
Xiong asked tentatively,"Brother Ji Ge, do you still remember what happened during the day? There was an electric current in your body. Is that also your Devil Fruit ability?"
Ginny nodded vigorously, stretching out her hands and gesturing:"Yes, yes! Even your eyes turned red. It was so scary!"
Ivan didn't speak. His large copper-bell-like eyes were full of curiosity. Clearly, he also wanted to know what had happened to Ji Ge.
Ji Ge wasn't prepared to hide anything from them and whispered,"That's because I remembered something. You should have heard what the man said to me when we were about to leave."
At that time, the only other person conscious enough to understand was the bear. The bear said,"Right, that person said your surname was Fegalando. Does this surname have any significance?"
"Of course. That last name reminds me of many things…"
Ji Ge suddenly paused. He looked directly into the bear's eyes and asked slowly:"Bear, if I were a Celestial Dragon, would you hate me?"
"Nani!?" ×2
Ginny and Ivan jumped up from their chairs, staring at Ji Ge in disbelief.
Compared to them, Xiong was much calmer. He lowered his head and stayed silent, his thoughts unreadable.
Ji Ge didn't speak further, simply looking at the bear quietly.
The church hall was eerily quiet. Ginny finally couldn't bear it and forced a smile, laughing awkwardly:"Are you kidding? Brother Ji Ge, how could you be a Celestial Dragon? We just escaped from the Valley of the Gods together!"
Ginny was unwilling to accept this reality, but looking at Ji Ge's serious expression, she knew this was most likely true.
Ji Ge looked at Ginny and said softly:"How could I joke about something like that? I am indeed a Celestial Dragon. Otherwise, why would Garin, the leader of the Knights of God, rescue a slave from Charlotte Linlin?"
"This Garin is… yours?"
"He's my uncle."
Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes. She ran to Ji Ge and held his hands tightly, as if afraid of losing him.
She murmured, almost trying to deceive herself:"No, that's just a coincidence. If that's true, why would they allow you to live in the Valley of the Gods?"
Ji Ge raised his hand, gently stroking a strand of Ginny's pink hair. He began recounting his past in a calm tone.
Now that he had merged with the remaining soul of his original body, including all its memories, he was reliving its pain all over again.
He was born in Mariejois, the Holy Land, as St. Fegalando Gulando's son, the eldest in the Fegalando family.
Gulando's younger brother was Garin, who became the leader of the Knights of God—the ace force protecting the Celestial Dragons. This position had always been passed down within the Fegalando family.
The reason was simple: they weren't just "awakened" Celestial Dragons; they were extremely talented—on par with, or even surpassing, the world's strongest fighters.
This was evident from Garin's performance in the Valley of the Gods. He had fought Charlotte Linlin, Newgate, and finally Rocks without showing weakness.
This generation of the Fegalando family produced two brothers: Garin and Gulando.
Though Gulando was talented, he was always overshadowed by Garin, losing every competition and missing the position of Knights' leader. This became a permanent thorn in his heart.
However, Gulando's talent lay in intellect. He excelled in science, far outpacing Garin.
He became obsessed with genetic research, focusing on the fur tribe and Lunarians, aiming to merge their genes into himself.
But as an adult whose body was fully developed, he feared death and knew genetic modification would have limited effects.
When he was becoming discouraged, Ji Ge was born.
The Fegalando family placed great importance on their descendants' physical aptitude and had specialized equipment for testing. Ji Ge's results were astonishing—he even surpassed Garin's original stats.
This made Gulando ecstatic. In his madness, he set his eyes on his own son's body.
There were ways to exchange bodies in this world, such as through the Op-Op Fruit. As a Celestial Dragon, Gulando knew these secrets well.
Driven by greed, he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to combine genetic modification with Ji Ge's perfect body to create a "godlike" vessel.
Gulando partnered with Vegapunk and began inhumane experiments on young Ji Ge.
But despite Ji Ge's incredible physical potential, he was still a child. The long-term experiments caused his body to collapse, and the experiment ultimately failed.
Seeing Ji Ge's lifeless body on the table, Gulando felt no sorrow—only rage.
"Waste! Waste!!!"
Consumed by madness, Gulando hated Ji Ge for "destroying his dream."
He ordered his subordinates to dump Ji Ge's "body" onto a slave ship, which later transported him to the Valley of the Gods…