As the system's voice fell, it was as if a warm current had been injected into Ron's mind.
A completely new set of memories slowly unfolded. It was not the kind of knowledge infusion that felt like reading a book, but rather an instinctive imprint, as if he had practiced them thousands of times.
Then, before Ron, a translucent blue virtual panel slowly popped up.
Host: Ron
Basic abilities: Observation Haki [Intermediate (454/500)], Armament Haki [Intermediate (347/500)], Conqueror's Haki [Intermediate (180/500)], Taijutsu [? (?/?)], Swordsmanship [Intermediate (368/500)]
Physique: Sage Body [Unlocked], Sage Eyes [Locked]
Taijutsu: Eight Gates [Unlocked]
Special abilities: Four-Tails [Unlocked], Nine-Tails [Unlocked], Ice Release [Unlocked]
Triggered abilities: Lava Release [Source: Four-Tails], Nine-Tails Mode [Source: Nine-Tails]
Mystery Wheel >>> [Unlock condition: one Devil Fruit]
Ron looked at his attribute panel, and the curve of his mouth slowly widened. His smile became harder to suppress than an AK on full auto.
Ice Release had an extremely high development ceiling, while the Eight Gates possessed extremely high damage.
In Naruto canon, the man who used the Eight Gates had nearly kicked the story into its finale. The only tiny flaw was that it was a bit hard on the user.
However, Ron had the Sage Body. The burden of using the Eight Gates should be reduced to a very low level.
Of course, logic was logic. Whether it actually worked still had to be tested personally.
Ron closed the attribute panel, glanced around Ochoku's room, and muttered softly, "No matter what, Ochoku, you at least died with some value. Don't worry. I'll carry the power you invested and make a proper name for myself in this world."
After saying that, he turned and left the room.
He did not return to the auxiliary ship. Instead, he planned to head back to the battlefield and test the two newly acquired abilities.
But when he arrived at the battlefield, the situation seemed a little off.
The other members of the Rocks Pirates had arrived at some unknown point.
Both sides seemed to have reached some kind of temporary consensus and were currently in a ceasefire state.
"Ron?"
Silver Axe and Marlon's eyes widened the instant they saw Ron.
Ron did not notice their strange expressions. His first thought was: why did they stop? Why would they stop? If the fighting has stopped, didn't I make this trip for nothing?
"Ron, why did you come back?"
Kaido's voice suddenly came from the side. Immediately after, he rushed over, threw an arm around Ron's shoulders, forcibly turned him around, and dragged him to the side.
"What are you doing?" Ron stumbled from being dragged, his face full of confusion. "No, if you have something to say, say it properly. Where are you taking me?"
"Ron? Aren't you dead?" Marlon's voice came from behind again.
Ron looked back in confusion at Marlon's face, which was written all over with "How is this possible?" He tilted his head slightly. "Who? Me? Dead...? Why don't I know about that?"
"Hey, ignore them!" Kaido forcibly straightened Ron's head, looking somewhat guilty, as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
Boom!
Suddenly, a large foot kicked over from behind at an angle, precisely landing on Kaido's backside.
Kaido shot forward like a launched cannonball, staggering several steps before tripping and falling face-first to the ground with a slap.
Rocks calmly withdrew his foot and said with a smile, "Kaido spread the word that Rayleigh killed you."
Yes. When the Rocks Pirates arrived, they had still been asking Whitebeard and Kaido why they were fighting the Roger Pirates.
And Kaido did not even bother acting. He opened his mouth and said Rayleigh had killed Ron.
When Rocks heard that, how could he let it slide? He did not care whether it was true or false and charged in immediately.
Once the others saw Rocks move, they thought about it and concluded that, at the very least, the person supposedly killed belonged to their side. If they did not put down the Roger Pirates' arrogance, it would seem unreasonable.
Then... a group fight was born.
Ron looked down at Kaido playing dead on the ground, then looked up at Rocks' smiling face. No wonder this brat had been acting weird. So he had gone around spreading rumors that Ron was dead.
"Hey, Roger, Rayleigh." Rocks smiled at the two across from him. "Really sorry. We didn't understand the truth."
He said sorry, but what he showed was an attitude of complete indifference.
In short: if they hit you by mistake, consider it your bad luck.
Although Roger and Rayleigh were not seriously injured, the addition of Rocks and the others had clearly caused them plenty of suffering.
"Like hell anyone believes you, Rocks," Roger grumbled irritably. "You obviously wanted to stick your foot in!"
At the beginning, Roger and Rayleigh had seriously explained things, but Rocks had not listened at all.
No matter how one looked at it, this guy had done it on purpose.
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks laughed loudly, paying no attention to Roger and Rayleigh's emotional fluctuations. "How could that be? You know us best. We basically don't do anything without benefit."
Roger and Rayleigh said nothing, merely wearing expressions that said, "Do you think I believe you?"
Rocks did not care. He turned his gaze to Ron. "Right, Ron, Roger seems to have something to say to you."
Ron raised his brows and followed Rocks' gaze toward Roger.
At that moment, Roger spoke as well. "Hey, Ron. About what happened earlier, I'm sorry. I was rash. I believed that bastard Ochoku's nonsense too easily."
For Roger, admitting fault was not something he considered shameful.
Ron's expression did not change. Compared with receiving an apology, he would rather Roger act as stubborn and aggressive as before so he could test his new abilities.
"Heh-heh..." Ron laughed softly, then looked toward Roger and said slowly, "There's no need, Roger. We're just enemies. We don't need 'apologies.'"
"Uh?"
Roger's face showed clear shock for an instant. He had obviously not expected Ron to say that. After standing there for several seconds, the corner of his mouth pulled into a somewhat complicated curve. "You really are hard to like."
"Hey, Roger," Rayleigh quietly reminded him from the side. "Don't forget our real business."
Roger nodded lightly, restrained the extra expression on his face, and spoke to Ron again. "Ron, you went to rescue Annika earlier, right? You should know that the Kuja Pirates cooperated with you originally to rescue Annika. Now that she's in your hands, I hope you can let her come with me."
"Hey, Roger," Whitebeard cut in. "That's not the right attitude for asking a favor, is it?"
Whitebeard knew Ron wanted to exchange Annika with Shakky for payment, so he naturally would not let Ron suffer a loss for nothing.
Even if Ron did not say it himself, Whitebeard would point it out for him.
Rayleigh responded unhurriedly, "Of course we won't take her away for free. Ron can name some reasonable conditions."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's gaze gathered on Ron.
"Two Devil Fruits. You can take her away. Of course, there is one premise: Annika herself has to be willing."
"Deal!"
Before Ron could specify what kind of Devil Fruits, Roger immediately agreed. Even if Ron wanted them right now, Roger could give them immediately, because there were three on his ship.
And since no one on the ship wanted to eat them, they were merely gathering dust. Exchanging them for Annika was a very worthwhile deal.
'He agreed that quickly? Feels like I asked for too little,' Ron grumbled inwardly.
But he did not dwell on it. He turned and prepared to leave.
What had to be done was done. The rest was Annika's own choice.
Rocks came close, smiling as he slung an arm around Ron's shoulder and lowered his voice. "Hey, Ron, how about we rob them again after the trade is done?"
Ron turned in surprise and met Rocks' gaze. That was indeed a "road to riches."
Still, Ron did not intend to do it.
Annika was too obedient. If she wanted freedom, Ron would not stop her.
Ahead, Kaido, who had been playing dead, suddenly sprang up and walked shoulder to shoulder with Ron.
"Hey, Ron, I heard that just now. Two Devil Fruits!"
"I remember. Once they're in hand, you can choose one, provided you're sure you want to eat it."
"If it's suitable for me, of course I won't hesitate..."
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks released Ron's shoulder and laughed. "Ron, I haven't seen you for a while, and your relationship with Kaido has become pretty good."
"It's all right," Ron replied. Then Kaido took his turn throwing an arm around his shoulders and whispered, "You weren't there earlier, right? You didn't see how Roger and Rayleigh got beaten. It was hilarious."
Ron smiled knowingly. This brat Kaido had a decent head on his shoulders after all. He had even learned how to use a little scheme.
Behind them, Silver Axe and Marlon stood frozen, looking at each other. The two old hands who had been on the sea for many years exchanged complicated glances. So they had put in effort for nothing and been tricked by a brat like Kaido.
A long while later, in the hall of the auxiliary ship, the atmosphere was quiet and somewhat stifling.
Ron sat on the sofa. Roger and Rayleigh sat on the seats opposite him, while Annika stood near the cabin door with her hands clasped in front of her.
As soon as Roger entered, he stated his identity frankly and said he had come to take her back to Shakky.
But Annika did not look as happy as he had imagined. Instead, her expression became even more tense. Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, and her gaze frequently drifted toward Ron, who sat on the sofa without saying anything.
If it had been before, Annika would definitely have been happy to hear this news.
But now, she could not feel happy.
Instead, she was afraid.
Shakky would not agree to let her become a member of the Kuja Pirates. And as someone who should have become a Celestial Dragon's slave, she could not return home either. She... had nowhere to go.
"Don't worry," Rayleigh noticed Annika's unease and comforted her gently. "Ron agreed. He won't make things difficult for you."
"I..." Annika opened her mouth, but her voice got stuck in her throat. She looked at Ron again, as if searching for an answer, or as if confirming something.
Ron leaned casually against the sofa. Seeing Annika's hesitant appearance, he thought she still had concerns and said, "Don't worry about me. The kidnapping is over. You're free. You can do whatever you want."
"Of course, if you're afraid these two aren't good people, you can wait for Shakky to personally come get you. I already told them before. As long as you aren't willing, I won't let them take you away."
"Annika, don't worry," Rayleigh said. "I can contact Shakky and let her tell you that we can be trusted."
Annika did not respond.
She lowered her head and remained quiet for a while.
After a long time, she raised her head.
This time, her gaze no longer wandered. It landed firmly on Ron.
Her eyes were slightly red, and her lips trembled gently, but her voice was clearer and more serious than ever before.
"Ron-sama, I want to stay... The dishes you taught me to make, I've already mastered them! I can make whatever you want to eat at any time! I won't cause trouble for you. I can do any kind of work."
As she spoke, her voice began to tremble. She was afraid Ron would not want such a burden, afraid of being rejected, afraid of having nowhere to go again.
Ron looked at her and felt somewhat surprised. He had originally thought Annika was only unable to decide because she worried she would be "kidnapped" by a new person. Now it seemed that was not the case.
Ron was silent for two seconds, then said calmly, "You can."
Two words. No more, no less.
The heart Annika had been holding up finally settled the instant she heard those two words.
Her shoulders slumped slightly. Then she reached up, messily wiped the tears from her face, and cried while smiling.
"Th-Thank you, Ron-sama."
Beside them, Roger's expression changed.
"Why?" Roger's body unconsciously leaned forward. He continued, "Annika, we came to save you!"
"Calm down, Roger," Rayleigh's voice sounded from the side.
Annika turned and bowed deeply to Roger, speaking with sincere gratitude. "Thank you very much. Truly."
She straightened and continued, "Please bring a message to Shakky for me. I'm not leaving. Please tell her thank you. Thank you for everything she did for me."
Roger still could not understand. He frowned and asked, "Annika, why? If you want to leave, Ron agreed. He won't stop you."
Annika shook her head. Her eyes were still wet from crying, but now they carried a strange calm. "This place is good. I... like it here."
Roger opened his mouth, still wanting to say something, but Rayleigh pressed a hand on his shoulder.
"All right," Rayleigh said gently. "We'll pass the message to Shakky."
Then he turned to Roger. "Roger, let's go back."
Roger said, "But..."
"I believe," Rayleigh interrupted, "that even Shakky will respect her decision."
Roger was silent for a long while. Then he nodded and got up to leave.
"Until we meet again, Ron, Annika," Rayleigh said, then followed Roger at an unhurried pace.
After Roger and Rayleigh disappeared from the ship's hall, Annika stood in place, sniffed, then wiped her face hard with her sleeve and forced out a smile.
"Ron-sama..."
Ron glanced at her. "Pull yourself together."
"Okay."
At the same time, outside the ship, Roger and Rayleigh had just left the auxiliary ship when they saw treasure chests floating quietly in midair, as if pulled by invisible threads, following behind someone as they slowly moved.
Shiki?
Roger and Rayleigh muttered inwardly at the same time.
Golden Lion also noticed Roger and Rayleigh. His face clearly showed surprise. "Roger? Rayleigh? Why the hell are you two bastards here?!"
Rayleigh did not answer immediately. His gaze fell on the floating treasure chests, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Those boxes... look like they belong to our ship."