Ronan watched the scene without speaking, his gaze shifting instead to the boy standing off to the side, head lowered beneath the brim of his straw hat, silent.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the captain's decision.
But before that, he had to put the stakes on the table—make the choice heavier, clearer, more real.
"Hey, Luffy."
Ronan spoke, his voice calm and rational, devoid of emotion.
"What do you think?"
He pointed at the dying Dragon King, a hint of temptation in his tone.
"The best dragon bone is right in front of us. This thing lived for over a thousand years—its marrow is pure life essence."
"Bones from creatures with spiritual intelligence aren't something you just stumble across."
"If we miss this chance, even if we run into massive Sea Kings later, their bones won't come close to this level."
"With it, our Thirteen Guardians Iron Body training would undergo a qualitative leap."
"As long as we kill it, we'll become stronger. On this dangerous sea, strength… is survival."
Ronan's words were like a scalpel, slicing open the warm, emotional surface to expose the blood-soaked core"conflict of interest."
Apis heard this, despair filling her eyes.
She looked at the terrifying men before her and knew she couldn't stop them.
"W–waa…" Apis bit her lip and made her final concession.
Pointing toward a distant mountain peak, she cried out:
"If… if you want dragon bones… I can take you to the 'Dragon Lair'!"
"There are many bones of dead Thousand-Year Dragons there! Please take those! Don't hurt the living ones anymore!"
"Dragon lair bones?"
Ronan shook his head, once again playing the cold villain.
He looked at Apis indifferently.
"Little girl, you probably don't understand."
"Bones from dead dragons have long lost their essence. They're nothing but rotten wood—almost useless."
He stepped forward, a faint pressure from his Armament Haki spreading outward.
"Only bones taken from a living—or freshly killed—dragon, marrow extracted while it's still warm… those are the true priceless treasures."
"You—!!" Apis trembled with rage, yet had no words to refute him.
The atmosphere froze solid.
Zoro tightened his grip on his sword. Sanji crushed out his cigarette. Ronan gathered his momentum.
All the pressure converged on the straw-hatted boy.
Kill for power—or give it up for a stranger's tears?
The sea wind howled, snapping Luffy's red vest in the air.
He kept his head lowered, the shadow of his hat hiding his face.
Silence.
Suffocating silence.
Until the dying Dragon King let out a faint sigh, as if resigning itself, its eyes slowly closing.
"That's enough."
A calm, unquestionable voice rang out.
Luffy slowly raised his head.
In his black eyes, there was no greed, no hesitation—only a deep, ocean-like clarity.
He looked at Ronan, his gaze firm as bedrock.
"That's enough, Ronan."
Those four simple words shattered all killing intent in the field.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, his hand leaving the sword hilt. As if he'd expected this, a helpless yet relieved smile tugged at his lips.
"Tch. Knew it."
Sanji shrugged, lit another cigarette, and turned his back on the Dragon King.
"Well, if the captain's decided, nothing we can do. What a shame—could've been one hell of a soup."
Ronan looked into Luffy's unwavering eyes, and his last trace of probing vanished.
The Armament Haki around him faded, his clenched fist loosening.
"If it's the captain's order…"
A gentle smile appeared on Ronan's face, the cold aura of a demon dispersing completely, as if the man who had just cornered a little girl had never existed.
"Then I obey unconditionally."
In truth, Ronan had known from the start what Luffy would choose.
But he had to ask. He had to force Luffy to make that decision.
Because this was the "way" of the Straw Hat Pirates.
They pursued power—but would never become slaves to it.
They were pirates—but with a bottom line purer than the navy's.
"Let's go!"
Luffy turned around, hands clasped behind his head, and strode toward where the Merry was docked, his back carefree to an absurd degree.
As if the priceless treasure they'd nearly gained was nothing more than an ordinary stone.
"Huh?"
Apis froze.
She stared blankly at the men who had been so terrifying just moments ago, now simply walking away, her mind completely blank.
"You… you're not going to hurt the dragons anymore?" she asked in disbelief.
Luffy stopped, turned back to look at her, and flashed his signature carefree grin.
"Because you don't want it to die!"
"And besides…"
He pointed at the Dragon King lowering its head to him, laughing.
"That guy doesn't look very tasty anyway! All hard scales—would definitely chip my teeth!"
"Let's go! I'm hungry! Sanji, I want meat!!"
"Yeah, yeah, quit rushing me," Sanji complained as he followed.
"Hey, Ronan," Zoro asked quietly as he walked beside him, "is that dragon bone really that amazing?"
There was still a hint of regret in his voice, but no killing intent.
Ronan glanced back at the surviving Dragon King and the little girl kneeling in tears of relief.
"Maybe," he said softly. "But…"
He patted Zoro's shoulder meaningfully.
"There are things more important than dragon bones. Like… a strong heart that won't be clouded by greed."
"As long as the heart is strong, even without dragon bones, we can still stand at the top of the world."
Zoro paused, then grinned, his eyes shining brighter.
"Yeah. You're right."
In the sunset, the four men's shadows stretched long.
Behind them, hundreds—thousands—of Thousand-Year Dragons let out resounding roars.
No longer cries of rage, but calls of gratitude and farewell.
The dragon song echoed through the sky, as if offering the most ancient blessing to these uniquely gentle strong men.
Ronan walked at the back, listening to the roars, feeling the still-surging Armament Haki within him, his mind clear.
Though one medicinal ingredient was lost, this journey… had already yielded more than enough.
The seed of Conqueror's Haki had been planted.
"Next stop… Loguetown."
Ronan looked out over the distant sea and clenched his fist.
"The real adventure has only just begun."
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146