Jaya Island
Research Facility — Estate Grounds
Faced with Whitebeard’s repeated invitation, Ron Felt a slight headache.
The old man’s habit of adopting talented youngsters as sons truly hadn’t changed at all.
Still...
Ron simply wasn’t accustomed to it.
Compared to calling him "Pops," addressing him as "Captain" felt far more natural.
"Captain, I don’t mind joining the Whitebeard Pirates, but I’d rather keep calling you Captain."
"Gurararara! What a strange kid."
Whitebeard burst into laughter.
"It’s just a title. Call me whatever makes you comfortable."
As he spoke, he continued moving his body, familiarizing himself with his newly restored condition.
The sensation of regaining youthful vitality was indescribably wonderful.
The division commanders soon gathered around him, each offering congratulations.
Not long afterward, Ace approached Ron.
His expression carried obvious guilt.
"Ron, I owe you an apology for how I acted earlier."
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
Ron waved dismissively.
"I already forgot about it."
A look of gratitude appeared on Ace’s face.
"Thank you, Ron."
"If you hadn’t stopped me back then, I probably would’ve caused an even greater disaster."
His voice was sincere.
The hatred he harbored toward Teach remained impossible to conceal.
"As for Teach..."
"I’ve thought carefully about what you said."
"Killing him immediately would be too easy."
"He deserves to spend the rest of his life living in fear."
Seeing Ace arrive at this conclusion, Ron finally relaxed.
Without Ace becoming the spark that ignited everything, perhaps the Summit War would never occur.
Of course, no one could know for certain.
But even if history somehow repeated itself, Ron wasn’t particularly worried.
Whitebeard now possessed the power of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix.
At this point, dying would be easier said than done.
His life force had become so overwhelming that it rivaled the days of his youth.
After all, the Whitebeard of his prime had never benefited from the enhancement granted by a Mythical Zoan.
Which meant the current Whitebeard was likely equal to—or perhaps even stronger than—his peak self.
A monster of that level...
Would undoubtedly become Sengoku’s worst nightmare if Marineford ever happened.
Ron watched from the side as Whitebeard lifted Murakumogiri and began practicing with the massive naginata.
Silver flashes danced through the air.
Each swing carved a dazzling arc.
Every strike contained astonishing force.
The broad, domineering movements radiated overwhelming power.
He resembled a king of beasts awakening from a long slumber, declaring his territory to the world.
The surrounding air seemed to tremble and split apart with every sweep of the blade.
One could easily imagine that if Whitebeard truly unleashed his strength, he might split an island—or even divide the sea itself.
Within the pirate world, Devil Fruits were important.
But physical strength and Haki were equally critical.
The true monsters stood at the pinnacle of all three.
Unfortunately, Ron possessed none of them.
As things stood, his greatest survival strategy was either relying on powerful individuals—
Or becoming someone powerful individuals needed.
Currently, his physical condition was average at best.
He knew no swordsmanship.
No martial arts.
The only shortcut available was consuming a Devil Fruit.
However, Ron had no plans to do so yet.
Firstly, there was no urgency.
The Whitebeard Pirates already provided more than enough protection, making the weakness of seawater an unnecessary burden.
Secondly, he was waiting.
Waiting for something better.
The world of One Piece contained countless possibilities.
Who could say whether an even stronger Devil Fruit wouldn’t appear later?
Nothing was set in stone.
More importantly...
Ron wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that obtaining a powerful Devil Fruit would instantly make him invincible.
Strength required time.
Every step needed to be taken steadily.
One step at a time.
Just as Ron was lost in thought, a familiar electronic notification suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host. First Enchantment Successfully Completed.]
[Reward Acquired: Automatic Training.]
[Current Mission Progress: Perform 10 Enchantments (1/10)]
[Complete the mission to unlock new technology.]
"Automatic Training?"
Ron’s eyes immediately brightened.
He quickly opened the description.
After reading it, he instantly understood.
The effect was remarkably simple.
As long as he remained alive, his strength would continuously improve automatically—even without any training.
The growth rate would be equivalent to someone diligently training every single day.
[Note: In the pirate world, physical conditioning, combat techniques, martial arts, and similar methods are collectively classified as training.]
"This..."
"This is exactly what I needed."
Ron nearly laughed out loud.
A system that allowed him to grow stronger without doing anything was practically designed specifically for him.
Without a reward like this, who knew how many years it would take him to reach the level of the world’s strongest fighters?
"Captain! Captain!"
Marco suddenly hurried over.
"Stop fooling around for a minute."
"Your body’s only just recovered."
"We still need to conduct a full medical examination."
Whitebeard understood Marco’s personality very well.
There was no escaping once the ship’s doctor got serious.
"Fine, fine."
He reluctantly lowered Murakumogiri.
"Make it quick."
"I feel like I have endless energy right now."
"I have to admit, this Phoenix ability is absurdly useful."
"I know."
Marco smiled.
"Now hold out your arm."
Taking out his medical equipment, he began carefully examining Whitebeard’s condition.
"Marco, make sure you check everything properly."
Jozu couldn’t help reminding him.
"Relax."
Marco rolled his eyes.
"I’m the ship’s doctor."
"Do I really need someone else reminding me how to do my job?"
"Heh... that’s true."
Jozu scratched his head awkwardly.
The moment he looked toward Ron, embarrassment resurfaced.
After all, he had doubted him before.
A short while later, Marco finished the examination.
He put away the stethoscope and smiled broadly.
"Captain’s condition is excellent."
"All previous illnesses have disappeared."
"Every hidden injury is gone."
"Right now..."
"Captain is perfectly healthy!!!"
The announcement instantly detonated the atmosphere.
Cheers erupted everywhere.
"That’s incredible!"
"Captain finally recovered!"
"Hahaha! I knew he’d be fine!"
"Wrong!"
Another pirate immediately interrupted.
"That’s not the point!"
"The real reason is that Captain met Ron!"
"Ron is the one who cured him!"
"Ah! Right!"
"My mistake!"
The pirate immediately turned toward Ron and apologized with complete sincerity.
His exaggerated seriousness made everyone burst out laughing.
The surrounding pirates looked at Ron with undisguised admiration and gratitude.
Before he could react, dozens of hands lifted him into the air.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"RON!"
"RON!"
"RON!"
"RON!"
Whitebeard watched everything unfold with a smile.
A happiness he hadn’t felt in years filled his chest.
His vision gradually became blurry.
Everything that had happened today...
Was thanks to that kid.
Ron.
Eventually, the celebration settled down.
However, another issue quickly emerged.
There were still two remaining Enchanted Devil Fruits.
The question was—
Who should eat them?
Jozu was the first to decline.
"Not me."
He shook his head.
"I’m already tough enough."
"Besides, I have the powers of the Diamond-Diamond Fruit."
"My body is literally harder than diamond."
"I rarely get injured."
"And even if I do, healing isn’t much of a problem."
"Hahaha!"
Even Ron couldn’t help laughing.
He hadn’t expected Jozu to have such a surprisingly humorous side.
Vista was the next to refuse.
"Captain, you know my path."
"My swordsmanship relies on advancing without fear."
"If I eat this fruit simply because I’m afraid of injury, it won’t improve my swordsmanship."
"It might actually make me weaker."
Whitebeard remained silent for a moment.
"..."
Eventually, his gaze shifted toward Ace.
"Ace."
"You’ll take these two."
"And don’t argue."
Ace blinked in surprise.
"Me?"
"That’s right."
Whitebeard’s expression turned serious.
Having personally experienced the power of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix, he understood better than anyone how terrifyingly valuable it was.
As long as the user wasn’t completely annihilated in a single strike, recovery was possible.
That was Whitebeard’s honest assessment.
And because of that—
He wanted Ace to eat one of the fruits.
He wanted his son to possess an additional guarantee of survival.