Ronan looked at the panel inside his mind.
"S-Rank Quest: Abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system — Completed. Reward: 500 Quest Points."
Holder: Ronan
Quest Points: 1200
Abilities:
Armament Haki (Perfect)
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Proficient — 1200 points to upgrade to Perfect)
Observation Haki (Skilled — 700 points to upgrade to Proficient)
Special Skill:
Lucky Roulette (1000 points per spin)
"I didn't expect the Reverie to trigger a quest like this!" Ronan stared at the increased points, his heart surging with excitement. This was a 500-point S-rank quest.
For the old him, completing something like this would've been basically impossible. After all, in the original flow of events, the World Government only abolished the Warlords system more than a decade later—after the Marines' scientific forces came online and they no longer needed the Warlords. But now, his proposal had accelerated the abolition.
Only at a moment like this—when he had the right status, at the right time—could such a proposal actually pass. And for Ronan, now was the time to cash in.
Looking at the full 1200 points, Ronan felt tempted. With his current total, he could upgrade his hand-to-hand combat to Perfect… or he could spin Lucky Roulette once.
The spins he'd gotten from earlier forced quests had summoned two terrifyingly strong existences. If he was being honest, Ronan wanted to gamble again.
"This time… it won't whiff again, right?" He hesitated. It was 1000 points. Ronan wasn't so lavish that he could shrug off a thousand points—at the end of the day, he simply didn't have that many points to burn.
"Screw it!" Ronan steeled himself. His current situation was far better than before. At the very least, over the next few years, he and the World Government should be in a honeymoon phase. No need to worry about danger.
And with Teresa and the others around…
Ronan wasn't worried in the slightest.
"Spin the roulette."
With that decision, the roulette wheel in his mind began to turn. As time passed, the light on the wheel gradually flared.
Seeing the glow, Ronan finally let out the breath he'd been holding. As long as there was light, it meant he was definitely landing on something good.
Lucky Roulette spin successful!
Reward obtained: Conqueror's Haki
The kingly quality found in one out of a million!
In the next instant, a power from the deepest part of his soul awakened with a roar, surging out of Ronan's body!
"This is…?!" Ronan's eyes flew open wide. He could feel his spirit and will being lifted to an entirely new level. An invisible aura exploded outward from him like a shockwave—pure pressure from the realm of the mind.
Outside in the corridor, several guards and civil officials who were about to enter on orders suddenly went blank. Their legs turned to jelly.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
They toppled one after another, collapsing unconscious on the spot.
Elsewhere in the palace, Teresa and the others all turned their eyes in Ronan's direction. They could feel that different kind of pressure.
"Conqueror's Haki," they immediately understood. That was Ronan's power erupting.
At the same time, the contents of Ronan's panel completely changed.
Holder: Ronan
Quest Points: 200
Abilities:
Armament Haki (Perfect)
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Proficient — 1200 points to upgrade to Perfect)
Observation Haki (Skilled — 700 points to upgrade to Proficient)
Conqueror's Haki (Beginner — 400 points to upgrade to Skilled)
Special Skill:
Lucky Roulette (1000 points per spin)
"So I've got the qualification of a one-in-a-million powerhouse now…" Ronan laughed. At least from here on out, in the New World, he'd have the right to stand on the same battlefield as the true monsters.
Because the monsters of the New World… their attacks were wrapped in Conqueror's Haki. Ordinary Armament Haki simply couldn't compare.
"Ronan-sama, the World Government just sent someone with this document."
Beth pushed the door open and stepped inside, interrupting Ronan's thoughts.
"The attendants and guards outside… they all seem to have passed out because of the Conqueror's Haki you leaked just now."
Ronan paused, then immediately understood—when he'd obtained Conqueror's Haki, it had spilled out unconsciously. As for Beth realizing he had awakened it, Ronan wasn't surprised at all. They all possessed Conqueror's Haki themselves; they were intimately familiar with it.
He nodded to show he understood, then took the document from Beth's hands.
But the moment Ronan's eyes swept over the contents, the upward curve of his mouth—still lingering from his breakthrough—froze solid. His gaze sharpened like a blade.
The document described, in detail, a vicious attack that had taken place in the Kingdom of Alabasta:
The former Warlord of the Sea, "Sir Crocodile," had openly attacked the Alabasta royal palace. A sandstorm had engulfed the capital, Alubarna. The palace guards suffered heavy losses, and many structures were damaged. King Cobra had only avoided disaster because he had just attended the Reverie and had not yet returned to Alabasta. But the nature of this attack was extremely vile—an outright provocation against a member nation's royal family, and a severe blow to the World Government's authority.
"Crocodile…" Ronan murmured the name. Of course he knew what that man's goal was. And he'd expected that once the Warlords system was abolished, those sea devils stripped of their legal cloak wouldn't sit still.
But he hadn't expected the first one to jump out… would be Crocodile.
And he hadn't expected him to move this fast.
What darkened Ronan's mood even more was the implication behind the document. The World Government didn't spell it out, but sending this to him right now was clearly a reminder:
"See? This is the chaos you bring by shattering the balance. Without the leash, these monsters immediately start stirring up trouble."
Alabasta was one of the most important member nations in the first half of the Grand Line. The impact of an attack like this was disastrous. If it wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't just embolden Crocodile—it would also show other pirates in the first half of the Grand Line an opportunity.
They'd think: even a former Warlord is openly attacking a major nation now, and the World Government—along with the Kingdom of Lulusia that just declared it would uphold order in the first half of the Grand Line—can't stop it!
That would severely undermine other member nations' confidence in the new order Ronan was trying to establish, and it would push more ambitious criminals into reckless action.
The entire first half of the Grand Line could rapidly deteriorate, collapsing into total chaos.
"This is slapping me in the face." Ronan set the document aside, his expression ugly.
He knew exactly why Crocodile would target the Alabasta royals.
But choosing this moment to do it—making a move like this now—was Crocodile making it crystal clear:
He didn't take Ronan seriously at all.
(End of Chapter)
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