"Um… since you're good people, please, we're begging you!"
"We really want to go home! Waaah!"
Same routine again.
Ronan rubbed his forehead in silence.
With face-changing speed like that, it was a waste not to go into opera.
At that moment, Luffy—who had been wringing water out of his clothes nearby—casually slung his soaked vest over his shoulder and grinned.
"Sure!"
"Get on the ship! You said Whisky Peak, right? Then let's go there!"
"—What?!"
Everyone was stunned.
"Are you serious, Luffy?!" Usopp yelled in disbelief.
"You're really taking these two suspicious people with us?! They were trying to kill Laboon!"
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded matter-of-factly.
"So what? Besides… no need to fuss over small stuff!"
Crocus watched Luffy, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes.
That broad, carefree generosity was exactly like that man.
"But listen, Straw Hat," Crocus reminded him.
"Once you choose Whisky Peak, that becomes the starting point of your route. Once decided, it can't be changed."
"If we don't like it, we can just go around again," Luffy laughed unconcernedly.
"Go around again… heh, I see." Crocus chuckled meaningfully.
"What an interesting answer."
With that, everything was settled.
"Looks like it's about time to go!"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and stood at the bow of the Going Merry, looking at his ready companions—and then at the now-calm giant whale.
"We made our promise with Laboon. Let's head out!"
Vivi and Mr. 9 obediently huddled in a corner of the deck. Watching Luffy at the bow, Vivi couldn't help asking:
"Hey… who exactly are you?"
Luffy turned back. Sunlight fell across his face, his smile brighter than the sun itself, his voice clear and unwavering:
"Me?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who's going to become the Pirate King!"
For a moment, even the sea breeze seemed to stop.
Ronan leaned against the mast, watching Luffy's profile, quietly amused.
That was Luffy's style.
No matter who stood before him, no matter where he was, that confidence never wavered.
The Going Merry slowly left Twin Cape.
Standing at the stern, Luffy waved toward the shore and shouted:
"We're leaving! Flower-faced weird old man! Thanks for the Log Pose!"
Crocus stood on the shore, his pink shirt fluttering in the wind. He waved back, saying nothing more than:
"Yeah… go on. Don't die."
Luffy then looked to the enormous whale.
"We're heading out, Laboon!! See you later!!"
"Don't forget our promise! Don't smash the mark, okay?!"
"BROOO—BROOO—!!!"
Laboon lifted his head and let out a loud, joyful cry.
A massive column of water shot into the sky, turning into a brilliant rainbow in the sunlight, sending off his new friends.
Guided by the Log Pose, the Going Merry cut through the waves, racing toward Whisky Peak.
On the shore, Crocus lowered his hand and continued to stand there, staring at the small ship until it vanished beyond the horizon.
His gaze grew deep, as if piercing time itself.
"Are they… the pirates we've been waiting for all this time?"
"What an unbelievable man… that spirit, those eyes."
"Isn't that right… Roger?"
The sea breeze swept across Twin Cape, the lighthouse light still shining.
The afterglow of the old era had yet to fade—
but the sun of a new age was already rising.
...
Grand Line, unknown waters.
The sky was a bleak lead-gray, thick clouds hanging low, almost within reach.
Snow fell in thick, goose-feather flurries, shrouding the once-blue sea in a vast white curtain.
The wind howled like blades, slicing across the water and carrying biting shards of ice.
And yet, on the deck of the Going Merry, a scene utterly defying nature was unfolding.
"Hah… hah…"
White steam rose from above Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, drifting upward and hissing softly as it met the falling snow.
They were bare-chested, their well-built bodies slick with sweat.
In subzero temperatures, not only were they unbothered by the cold—their bodies were flushed red, like steel just pulled from a furnace.
Off to one side of the deck stood a massive cylindrical iron cauldron, large enough to fit two adults, mounted over a specially reinforced fire pit. Orange flames licked greedily at its base, crackling loudly.
"Glug… glug…"
Inside was no clear water, but a thick, green, bubbling concoction, reeking of pungent medicinal bitterness mixed with a faintly sweet, bloody scent.
As bubbles burst, waves of heat rolled outward, instantly vaporizing the falling snow.
"W-what kind of people are these…?"
Inside the cabin, Vivi was wrapped tightly in thick blankets, curled into a ball. Through the frost-covered window, she stared at the scene outside in terror.
Her teeth chattered—not just from the cold, but from how horrifying the sight was.
"T-that's a pot for boiling people, right?! Mr. 9, did we get on a cannibal ship?!"
Mr. 9 looked just as pale, his crown askew.
"I-I don't know… who strips half-naked to boil soup in a snowstorm?! And that soup looks poisonous!"
Nami, bundled in a thick coat and holding a cup of hot cocoa, sighed helplessly.
Her eyes held equal parts exasperation—and faint, unspoken admiration.
"Relax. Don't make such a fuss," she said calmly, blowing on her drink.
"It's just their daily suicidal training."
On deck, Ronan let out a long breath, dense as an arrow, shooting forward a full meter before slowly dispersing.
He walked to the cauldron and stirred the viscous liquid with his black wooden staff.
This was a "Bone-Forging Marrow-Cleansing Decoction," brewed from rare medicinal herbs he'd bought in Loguetown, combined with marrow extracted from a recently hunted sea beast.
"The heat's right."
Ronan turned, sweeping his gaze across the three men, eyes bright.
"The second stage of the Thirteen Iron Guard Horizontal Training—Copper Skin, Iron Bones. We've been stuck at this bottleneck for days."
"Simple striking can't stimulate the marrow deeply anymore. We need something stronger."
He looked at the rolling cauldron.
"This pot is boiling medicinal soup."
His voice was cold in the howling wind.
"Who's first?"
The air froze.
That was truly boiling—
one hundred degrees.
An ordinary person jumping in would be scalded raw in an instant.
To Read 100+ advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146