Although the flames of anger had been temporarily suppressed, they still burned fiercely deep within Big Mom's heart, waiting for a chance to erupt.
After taking a deep breath, Big Mom slowly turned toward Ron, her face already replaced by an exaggerated smile.
Only, no matter how one looked at it, that smile seemed somewhat forced, like a withered flower in winter struggling to maintain its last trace of beauty.
"Mamamama… Ron, kid."
She deliberately softened her voice, trying to conceal the urgency and unwillingness in her heart with a gentle tone.
"Look… although this blood of mine isn't much, it should still be enough to develop one Devil Fruit, right?"
She carefully shook the glass bottle in her hand.
The dark red liquid inside gleamed strangely under the sunlight.
"Even if… even if it's only one."
Big Mom's voice carried a rare hint of pleading, trembling slightly.
Those greedy eyes stared fixedly at Ron, afraid of missing even the slightest change in his expression—whether hesitation, disdain, or anything else.
Ron frowned slightly.
His gaze slowly moved away from Big Mom.
He looked at the pitiful few milliliters of blood in her hand, then glanced at the half-filled bucket of samples Whitebeard had given him beside his feet.
The huge metal bucket stood there quietly, giving off a calm yet powerful presence.
It formed a stark contrast with the small glass bottle in Big Mom's hand.
The corner of Ron's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Well…"
Ron deliberately drew out his tone, frowning slightly and showing a troubled expression.
He gently rubbed his chin, his thoughtful gaze falling on the glass bottle in Big Mom's hand.
The hesitation and contemplation in his eyes instantly made Big Mom's heart leap into her throat.
Her eyes locked onto Ron, and she unconsciously held her breath.
Just as Ron had opened his mouth and was about to speak his thoughts aloud, Big Mom seemed to have had a fuse of urgency lit inside her.
She suddenly waved her hand, directly cutting off the words Ron had been about to say.
"Wait!"
Big Mom's voice rang out abruptly, carrying an urgency she could not hide.
She raised her head slightly, her gaze locking tightly onto Ron, as though afraid he would refuse immediately.
Then she continued, "If this blood isn't enough, I still have samples from other powerful figures!"
"Other powerful figures? What abilities do they have?"
Ron frowned slightly, a trace of doubt appearing in his eyes as he asked softly.
His gaze flickered with curiosity.
Clearly, he was very interested in the samples of other powerful figures Big Mom had mentioned.
"The blood of the World Destroyer—Byrnndi World. How about that?"
Big Mom raised her head proudly.
She crossed her arms over her chest and puffed herself up slightly.
"That guy's destructive power isn't much weaker than the Five Elders'! And there's also Ivankov from the Revolutionary Army…"
At this point, she paused slightly, then slowly licked her lips.
The gesture seemed casual, but it revealed a chilling madness.
Her eyes shone with a fanatical and crazed light, as if those powerful figures were nothing more than chess pieces she could control at will.
"These are all rare goods. I originally planned to cooperate with the Eternal Divine Kingdom anyway. But if you can help me create the Five Elders' fruit, not only will I hand over the blood… I'll even give you the people themselves!"
Ron's pupils shrank slightly.
A flash of surprise instantly passed through his previously calm eyes.
Clearly, he had not expected Big Mom to have so many precious samples hidden away, nor had he expected the terms of cooperation to be so tempting.
Ripples rose in his heart. His initial difficulty gradually turned into surprise, and in the end, even a trace of excitement.
He worked hard to control his expression, preventing Big Mom from seeing the fluctuations in his heart.
"Oh?"
Ron raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth curving into a meaningful smile.
That smile contained both surprise at Big Mom's offer and a faint, almost imperceptible interest.
"You even have Byrnndi World's blood?"
Seeing that Ron's attitude seemed to be softening, a flash of delight immediately appeared in Big Mom's eyes.
She instantly struck while the iron was hot, taking a slight step forward. Her voice was full of temptation.
"Of course! As long as you agree to help me, you can do whatever you want with them!"
Ron stared at her for a few seconds, as though weighing the pros and cons.
Those few seconds felt endlessly long. A tense and subtle atmosphere filled the air.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
The laughter broke the tension, yet carried a meaning that was hard to grasp.
"Easy, easy!"
Ron waved his hand, his movement appearing especially relaxed, as if they were discussing something completely insignificant.
"It's just one Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, isn't it? Totally doable!"
Hearing this, Big Mom's face instantly bloomed with wild joy.
The flames of ambition flickered in her eyes.
She waved both hands excitedly and shouted, "Mamamama! Good! Ron, you'd better not disappoint me!"
Ron smiled faintly.
His smile carried a calm confidence.
"Don't worry. I always… keep my word."
Just as the deal between Ron and Big Mom was about to be finalized at that critical moment, a cold snort filled with disdain suddenly came from the side like an icy arrow.
In truth, Ron had long been wary of Kaido, who had remained silent the entire time.
This governor-general of the Beasts Pirates, though heavily injured to the point that he seemed as if he might collapse at any moment, had miraculously recovered some ability to move thanks to his monstrous physique.
At this moment, Kaido was slowly leaning against a broken boulder.
Behind him, that massive rock looked so small it seemed it might be crushed at any moment by the aura he gave off.
The blue dragon-scale tattoos on his body glimmered with a chilling light under the sunlight. At the corner of his mouth, traces of blood that had not yet dried remained.
That smear of crimson looked especially glaring in the tense atmosphere.
"Hmph…"
Kaido raised his head slightly and narrowed his blood-red eyes.
His gaze was like two sharp blades, sweeping mercilessly back and forth between Ron and Big Mom.
His eyes were filled with contempt for this transaction, which, in his view, had no dignity at all.
That gaze revealed arrogance and disdain.
He forced himself to stand.
Every movement of his muscles twitched slightly from pain, as if countless steel needles were piercing through his body.
However, the majesty belonging to an Emperor of the Sea had not diminished in the slightest.
Pain was merely a small trial on his path toward becoming even stronger.
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