"The Dark-Dark Fruit is really that abnormal?" Marco couldn’t stop himself from frowning.
Ron nodded.
"That’s not even the most frightening part."
"Because Teach possesses a unique body, he’ll eventually gain the ability to wield more than a single Devil Fruit power."
"If everything goes as expected, he’ll become the first person in history capable of controlling three Devil Fruits simultaneously."
The cabin instantly fell into silence.
Everyone froze.
Three Devil Fruits?
The idea sounded completely absurd.
Had Ron not revealed this information today, and Ace had charged off alone to hunt Teach...
The outcome might have been far worse than anyone imagined.
"So the Dark-Dark Fruit is really that terrifying..."
"No wonder Teach was willing to betray and kill for it."
"Then what’s our next move?"
"Why don’t we hunt him down together?"
"If the entire crew attacks at once, he won’t stand a chance!"
The surrounding pirates immediately began throwing out suggestions.
Ron had to admit it wasn’t a bad proposal.
At least it was far more sensible than sending Ace alone.
Soon enough, someone’s attention shifted toward Whitebeard.
"Pops, what’s your decision?"
"We’ll do whatever you say."
One by one, everyone’s eyes settled on Whitebeard.
Whitebeard remained silent for a moment.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was undoubtedly a dangerous ability.
If someone like Teach possessed it, trouble across the seas was inevitable.
However—
There was one thing that mattered more than anything else.
Teach had murdered a crewmate aboard his ship.
That alone was unforgivable.
Then Whitebeard’s gaze slowly landed on Ron.
This young man knew far more than he reasonably should.
More importantly, his words had prevented Ace from blindly throwing himself into danger.
In a way, Ron had just saved Ace’s life.
The sternness on Whitebeard’s face softened slightly.
"Ron."
"What do you think we should do?"
Ron blinked.
Whitebeard was asking for his opinion?
He wasn’t even part of the crew.
The only reason anyone tolerated his presence was because Thatch had rescued him.
Yet Whitebeard was genuinely taking his words into consideration.
That meant he had already gained some degree of trust.
"My answer is simple."
Ron smiled faintly.
Then he glanced around the room.
"There are countless ways to take revenge."
"And the lowest, most basic method is killing your enemy."
"Huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
The pirates stared at him in confusion.
Since when was killing your enemy considered the lowest form of revenge?
Wasn’t that how pirates settled most problems?
Ron paid no attention to their reactions.
Instead, he continued calmly.
"The greatest revenge is allowing your enemy to stay alive."
"Alive... but wishing they were dead."
A coldness entered his voice.
It was like icy wind drifting from the depths of the underworld.
"Make them live every day in fear."
"Make sleep impossible."
"Make them constantly suspect that death is waiting around the next corner."
"Make them spend every moment looking over their shoulder."
"Make them question every shadow they see."
"Make them wonder whether even a bird flying overhead has come to take their life."
"That is true revenge."
The room became eerily quiet.
Everyone looked at Ron with newfound horror.
Merely imagining such an existence sent chills down their spines.
Compared to that—
A quick death almost sounded merciful.
At that moment, many pirates arrived at the same conclusion.
They had always considered themselves pirates.
But compared to this guy...
They suddenly felt surprisingly kind.
Even Whitebeard looked somewhat surprised.
This young man possessed a ruthless side that wasn’t obvious at first glance.
"Hmph."
A dissatisfied snort shattered the silence.
Ace folded his arms.
"That’s easy to say."
"Teach isn’t some weak-willed fool who’s going to collapse from pressure."
"And what exactly do we possess that could make him afraid?"
"He dared kill someone aboard Pops’ ship."
"Do you really think he’ll suddenly become frightened now?"
"And if we keep delaying, he’ll eventually gain multiple Devil Fruit abilities."
"By then he’ll be even harder to stop."
Ace paused briefly.
Then his gaze shifted toward Whitebeard.
"And Pops’ health..."
He left the sentence unfinished.
There was no need to continue.
Everyone understood what he meant.
Whitebeard’s condition was worsening with each passing day.
The countless medical devices attached to his body made that fact impossible to ignore.
"My health is indeed declining."
Whitebeard’s voice remained calm.
"Teach has no reason to fear me."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Everyone knew the reality.
The Whitebeard Pirates still stood at the summit of the seas largely because Whitebeard’s name inspired fear across the world.
Countless enemies stayed in line because they feared him.
But when Whitebeard was gone—
What would Teach fear then?
Marco stepped forward and placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder.
"We understand your intentions."
"And we’re grateful."
"But Pops doesn’t have the luxury of waiting."
"Teach must answer for what he did."
"He has to die."
After speaking, Marco turned toward Whitebeard.
He was clearly preparing to volunteer in Ace’s place if necessary.
At that exact moment—
Ron stepped forward and blocked his path.
Then he lifted his head and looked directly at Whitebeard.
"Captain isn’t going to die."
The entire cabin froze.
Ron swept his gaze across everyone present.
"Not only will he survive..."
"He’ll live for at least another twenty years."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Every pirate stared at him as though he’d completely lost his mind.
"What?!"
"Kid, are you sick?"
"Did seawater fry your brain?"
"No disrespect to Pops, but we all know how serious his condition is!"
"That’s impossible!"
"You’ve got to be dreaming!"
Jozu crossed his arms and snorted.
"If you can actually restore Pops’ health, I’ll do whatever you ask."
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Watching Whitebeard rely on medicine and machines every day hurt all of them.
Even Whitebeard himself shook his head.
"I appreciate the concern, kid."
"But I understand my own condition."
"My time is running short."
"I won’t suddenly recover."
Ron coughed lightly.
Then he straightened his back and spoke with complete seriousness.
"To tell the truth..."
"I’m a scientist."
The room became even quieter.
"My specialty is Devil Fruit research."
"And recently, I’ve achieved a major breakthrough."
"I can transfer a Devil Fruit ability to another person."
"In some ways, it’s similar to what the Dark-Dark Fruit is capable of."
"But my method is far more advanced."
"And it doesn’t suffer from the severe drawbacks attached to Teach’s approach."
Everyone simply stared.
No one knew how to react.
Marco walked over and pressed a hand against Ron’s forehead.
"No fever."
He frowned.
"Then why are you talking nonsense?"
Ron slapped his hand away.
"I’m completely serious."
"Of course, the process isn’t cheap."
"A single successful enhancement requires roughly one billion Berries ."
Marco looked at him carefully.
Ron wasn’t laughing.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of a joke in his expression.
For the first time, Marco found himself considering the possibility that Ron might actually be telling the truth.
"If that’s real..."
His eyes widened.
"Then Pops could actually be saved."
"Of course it’s real."
Marco immediately turned toward Whitebeard.
Excitement filled his face.
"If this technology works, Pops can inherit my ability!"
"The healing power of my Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix!"
"The regenerative flames of the Phoenix could repair the damage accumulated throughout Pops’ body over the years!"
"They might even restore the vitality he’s lost!"
The more Marco spoke, the more excited he became.
"And maybe..."
"It could even return Pops to his prime!"
The cabin instantly exploded into noise.
Every pirate became excited.
If Whitebeard truly regained his peak strength...
The entire world would be shaken.
Especially those ambitious fools already waiting for Whitebeard to decline.
Their expressions would be priceless.
Naturally, not everyone was convinced.
Some still suspected Ron was fabricating everything.
Ron simply shrugged.
If they chose not to believe him, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
Eventually, all eyes turned toward Whitebeard.
Only his opinion mattered.
Whitebeard studied Ron silently for a long moment.
Then he finally spoke.
"I trust Ron."