Ron watched Shanks swimming with all his might and couldn’t help but roll his eyes in his mind.
“This redhead is my future father-in-law, after all.
I can’t just stand by and watch him offer his left arm as a snack to some loach,” Ron muttered.
If he really ended up disabled, who knows how much Uta would cry later?
That would be such a hassle to comfort.
He took a step forward.
He didn’t step onto the sand, but walked directly into the air.
Using the Naruto chakra that the system had dropped earlier.
Ron himself was puzzled as to why skills from other systems would drop, but this thing was undeniably useful.
His feet stepped steadily onto the undulating sea surface, as if walking on flat ground.
Only slight ripples spread out from under his feet.
His speed was extremely fast.
In just a few steps, he was already dozens of meters away.
He left Shanks, who was still struggling with a doggy paddle in the water, far behind.
Shanks choked on a mouthful of salty, bitter seawater.
As he lifted his head, preparing to swim harder, he saw a figure strolling across the water surface right above him.
The dignified successor to the Four Emperors was stunned on the spot.
Walking on water?
Aren’t Devil Fruit users afraid of seawater?
Even if he isn’t a user, what kind of hellish martial art is this?
Ahead, a fishy stench hit his face.
The massive Lord of the Coast had already leaped high, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs.
The stench was clearly detectable from over ten meters away.
It intended to swallow the boat and the people in one gulp.
On the fishing boat, Higuma slumped on the deck, his crotch soaked.
Ron stood on the sea surface less than ten meters from the fishing boat.
His eyes turned completely cold.
He had no intention of making a move.
Dealing with seafood of this level was beneath him.
With a slight shift of his intent, he used the last trump card in his system space: a Conqueror’s Haki experience card.
Ron knew that he hadn’t fully mastered the control of Haki yet, so he still had a long way to go.
The wind stopped.
For no apparent reason, a layer of thick, heavy dark clouds pressed down on the originally clear sky.
An extreme sense of oppression that made the soul tremble pushed out forcefully, with Ron as the center.
The sea within a hundred miles fell into dead silence in an instant.
The Lord of the Coast, bearing the brunt of it, saw its massive body suddenly stiffen.
Its red eyes, which had been incredibly ferocious just a moment ago, quickly rolled upwards, showing a large expanse of white.
It couldn’t even let out a whimper.
It foamed at the mouth as its massive body crashed straight into the sea.
It sank to the bottom without kicking up a single splash.
The fishing boat rocked violently due to the change in water level.
Higuma was shaken back to his senses.
He realized the monster fish was gone, and his courage grew again.
Looking around, he saw only Ron standing on the water.
He grabbed Luffy, pressed his blade tightly against Luffy’s slender neck, and roared with a fierce expression but a cowardly heart.
“Don’t come any closer!
Don’t think you can scare me with some sorcery!
If you take one more step, I’ll chop this brat’s head off!”
Ron looked at him with an expression like he was watching a fool.
Without saying a word, he moved forward quickly.
An invisible, massive force slapped out directly.
Higuma didn’t even have time to scream.
He was instantly slapped into a mist of blood.
Luffy was sprayed with blood foam all over his head and face, and he burst into loud tears, snot bubbling from his nose.
Ron stepped onto the deck, grabbed Luffy by the back of his collar with a look of disgust, and turned back to walk onto the sea.
He walked over to Shanks, who was still splashing in the water, and tossed him casually.
He threw the unlucky kid through the air, and Luffy slammed into Shanks’s face.
“Big Brother Ron!
You scared me to death!
I thought I was going to be eaten by the big fish!” Luffy held onto Shanks’s neck tightly, but his eyes were fixed on Ron.
His face filled with lingering fear mixed with blind admiration.
“Big Brother, walking on the water just now was so cool!
I want to learn that too!”
Shanks stood up, stepping on the sand in the shallows.
He wiped the water from his face and looked slightly disheveled, soaked to the bone.
He didn’t smile.
His usual devil-may-care, sloppy demeanor was completely gone.
He stared fixedly at Ron.
In the instant that aura exploded just now, even his heart had skipped a beat.
That sense of oppression, as if ruling the world and standing supreme…
“You bastard…” Shanks let out a breath.
His tone was complex and unreadable.
“Possessing such irrational kingly potential, even I feel inferior.
And yet you are willing to hide in such a small village in the East Blue, just being a bum waiting to die?”
Ron shook the water droplets off his hand, indifferent, “Being a pirate means exposure to the wind and sun.
It’s easy to lose an arm or a leg, and there aren’t many pretty girls around.
How is that more comfortable than lying around the village and living off a woman?”
Shanks was choked speechless for a long time.
“Big Brother Ron!” A delicate, tearful call interrupted the two men’s conversation.
Uta stumbled over from the end of the beach and threw herself into Ron’s arms.
The little girl had seen the whole process from the shore just now and was terrified by the Sea Kings and the mist of blood filling the sky.
She clutched Ron’s clothes tightly with both hands, crying until she was out of breath.
Her little face rubbed against Ron’s exposed, sturdy chest.
“It’s alright, just a few insignificant small fry,” Ron looked at the little girl in his arms.
His tone was gentle.
He naturally patted Uta’s round, pert little bottom twice, just to comfort her.
The feel was quite good.
Shanks, who had been immersed in the shock of Ron’s Haki, saw his eyes turn red on the spot.
Whatever aura, whatever demeanor of a powerhouse—it was all thrown to the dogs in an instant.
“Ron!
You beast!” Shanks’s finger pointing at Ron trembled, and he jumped up and down in a rage, cursing.
“Take your dirty hands off my daughter!
Do you believe I’ll hack you to pieces?!”
Ron turned a deaf ear and patted her again.
Shanks was so angry he drew his sword on the spot.
If it weren’t for Luffy still hanging around his neck, he would have likely rushed up to fight for his life.
[Ding!
Intimate physical interaction with Uta detected!
Drop reward: Beginner Observation Haki experience book!
Extreme emotional breakdown of Shanks detected!
Drop attribute: Conqueror’s Haki aptitude + 10!]
Double the happiness.
Ron was in a great mood.
At this moment, soft footsteps approached.
Makino walked over quickly, holding a dry white towel.
She had changed out of the uniform that had been splashed with alcohol and was wearing a simple floral dress.
Her hair was half-dry, cascading down her snow-white neck.
The blush that had remained on her face after the thrill of the moment had not yet faded, exuding a charming, mature allure.
She walked straight up to Ron and, holding the towel, gently helped him wipe the water droplets and the fine dust he had picked up earlier from his neck.
The distance was too close.
In Makino’s watery eyes, affection was about to overflow, with no intention of hiding it at all.
Her breath swept across Ron’s chin, tickling him.
Ron naturally wrapped his arm around her slender waist and sighed.
“Makino is still the most thoughtful.”
Holding the wailing Luffy, Shanks watched Ron, who was holding Uta in his left arm and wrapping his right arm around Makino, and felt completely bewildered in the wind.
In all his years at sea, this was the first time he felt like a useless extra just standing there.
“Alright, let’s go back to the tavern.” Ron pushed Uta’s head away from his chest and walked slowly towards the village.
“What a hassle, really not letting me have a moment of peace.
Makino, get me a glass of iced orange juice later.”