A few more days passed.
Foosha Village harbor.
The sea breeze blew by, carrying a salty, fishy scent.
The Red Hair Pirates’ red force was docked at the pier, its sails already half-lowered.
After experiencing the farce with Higuma, Shanks had thoroughly figured out Ron’s true capabilities.
The kid was lazy, sure, but if he really started fighting, I’m afraid no one in the East Blue could stop him.
On deck, the pirates were busy making preparations for departure.
Shanks stood on the shore with his pack on his back.
His expression was rarely so serious.
He looked at Ron standing in front of him with a slouch, then looked at Uta, who was clutching the corner of Ron’s shirt tightly.
He felt a wave of sourness in his heart.
“I’m heading back to the Grand Line.
There’s a mess over there, so I can’t take Uta back.” Shanks patted Ron’s shoulder, using a lot of strength.
“Foosha Village and Uta, I’m counting on you.”
His tone was grave, carrying the weight of an old father entrusting his child to someone.
Ron swatted his hand away and brushed off his shoulder with disgust, “Alright, enough with the melodrama.
Of course I’ll take good care of your daughter; otherwise, who would knead my legs and feed me grapes?”
Veins throbbed on Shanks’ forehead.
He gritted his teeth, swallowing all the nice things he had intended to say.
“If you bastard dare to bully her, I’ll carve my way through the Red Line from the New World just to come back and cut you down!”
Ron picked his ear, “Got it, got it.”
The red force weighed anchor and set sail.
Uta stood on the reef, her eyes red.
The sea breeze messed up her long, red and white hair.
“Waaah, goodbye Dad!
Goodbye, uncles!” The little girl wiped away tears while waving vigorously.
At the bow, Shanks leaned over the railing, tears streaming wildly in the wind, “My good daughter!
Wait for Dad to come back and pick you up!”
Yasopp and Lucky Roux were also blowing their noses nearby.
This scene of father-daughter love moved everyone on the ship.
Until the horizon swallowed the last shadow of the sails.
Uta immediately stopped waving her arms.
She looked down and brushed the sand off her skirt.
The tears were still on her face a second ago, but she turned around with a bright smile.
She turned and dove straight into Ron’s arms, “Brother Ron, they’re finally gone!
Lift me up!”
She wrapped her arms around Ron’s neck and kicked her legs up, wrapping them around his waist.
The speed of her mood swing left Makino, who was standing nearby to see them off, stunned in place.
Ron supported her bottom and bounced her up twice.
“Let’s go, let’s go to the hot springs behind the mountain.”
Mt.
Colubo, deep forest cabin.
The sun was setting to the west.
The Dadan family had gone to the back mountain for manual labor and hadn’t returned yet.
In the courtyard, three little brats were gathered around a large wooden stump.
On top were four broken porcelain bowls and a bottle of stolen sake.
“It’s decided, once Ron gets here, we’ll drink this bowl of sake together, and we’ll be brothers.” Sabo pulled his hat down.
Luffy swallowed his saliva, “Can we eat barbecue after we swear brotherhood?”
Ace grabbed Luffy’s fidgety rubber hand and pulled the cork out.
A sour, fermented smell of alcohol drifted out.
Ron just happened to be walking up the mountain path with Uta and Makino.
From a dozen meters away, he heard their conversation.
“Using this to swear brotherhood is really tacky.
If word gets out, you might not be ashamed, but I’d be embarrassed.”
The voice reached the courtyard.
The three brothers looked up and saw Ron strolling in.
Ron walked to the wooden stump, snatched the bottle, and threw it into the bushes.
He then pulled a white porcelain bottle tied with a red ribbon from his pocket.
An ’82 vintage top-tier Moutai.
System inventory that had dropped a few days ago.
He unscrewed the cap.
A rich, savory aroma exploded outward; the mellow, domineering scent of the liquor completely washed away the sour smell in the courtyard.
The three little ones had never seen such good stuff, and their eyes lit up.
Ron picked up the bottle and poured the clear, bright liquid into the four broken bowls.
“Drink this bowl, and in the future, if you get beaten up, stand your ground.
Don’t tarnish my reputation.”
Ron picked up his bowl and downed it in one gulp.
The three brothers were intimidated by this aura and followed suit, each picking up a big bowl and taking a big gulp.
“Cough, cough, cough—” The three of them spat out a mouthful of liquor simultaneously and immediately rolled on the ground, burning from the spice.
After all, they were just ten-year-old brats; how could they handle such strong liquor?
Ace’s face turned red and purple, and he stuck his tongue out.
Luffy’s rubber neck swelled to a purplish-red, and he fanned himself frantically.
With the strong liquor down, the status of the four raising their cups was settled.
In the hearts of these three troublemakers who would eventually turn the Grand Line upside down, Ron had solidified his position as the absolute big brother.
By the hot spring, steam rose.
Ron leaned on a lounge chair.
Uta knelt obediently to the side, her soft little hands diligently kneading Ron’s calves.
The pressure was just right, dispelling the fatigue from climbing the mountain.
Makino wore a slim-fitting uniform, with the hem of her skirt slit up to the top of her thigh.
She held a plate of freshly washed fruit, used a toothpick to pick up a peeled purple grape, and held it to Ron’s lips.
Ron opened his mouth to bite it, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the back of Makino’s hand.
Makino’s cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, saying nothing.
This life was very comfortable.
The three brothers who had just drunk the strong liquor were now sprawled on the grass not far away, sobering up.
Ace rubbed his dizzy head and sat up.
He looked at Ron, who was enjoying the company on the lounge chair, and asked with a thick tongue, emboldened by the alcohol.
“Big Brother, you’re so strong, what’s your dream for the future?”
When Luffy heard the word “dream,” he jumped up from the ground and answered first.
“I’m going to be the Pirate King!”
Sabo also sat up straight.
In their simple understanding, since Big Brother didn’t even care about Shanks, he must have huge ambitions.
Like overthrowing the Four Emperors or dominating the Grand Line.
Ron swallowed the grape and glanced at the three.
“Be a pirate?” Ron scoffed lightly.
“Spending all day on the sea, exposed to wind and rain, eating moldy biscuits, and if you’re unlucky, getting scurvy.
Being chased all over the world by the Marine, wandering around like a homeless person.
You’d have to have water in your brain to want to be a pirate.”
Ace was stunned.
“If not a pirate, then what?”
Ron leaned back, his hand naturally resting on Makino’s slender waist.
Makino leaned obediently against his shoulder.
“I’m going to buy the biggest island on this sea and build the most luxurious villa.” Ron tapped the armrest of the rattan chair, saying every word clearly.
“Every day, I’ll hang out with the most beautiful women and eat the top-tier meat.
No need to work; I’ll make the World Government pay me a salary every month and make them work for me.”
The wind blew across the grass, bringing a moment of silence.
The three brothers looked at each other.
For them, who were always shouting about freedom and going out to sea, these remarks were completely beyond their comprehension.
But coming from Ron’s mouth, paired with that arrogant tone of looking down on everything.
It was very shocking.
Make the World Government work for him.
Sabo muttered the sentence, his eyes widening.
He was from a noble background and knew better than Luffy and Ace what terrifying power the World Government represented.
Big Brother actually treated the World Government like subordinates?
Ace clenched his fists tightly, his breathing becoming rapid, “As expected of Big Brother, his level is too high.
We think about being pirates every day; we’re just short-sighted!”
Luffy nodded while picking his nose, “Although I don’t understand, it sounds amazing!
I also want the World Government to send me meat!”
The three little ones’ eyes became fanatical.
To become men worthy of Big Brother, the road is still long.
As they were talking, a sharp bird call came from the sky above.
A News Coo wearing a postman’s hat circled once.
It dropped a newspaper, which hit Luffy squarely on the head.
“It hurts!” Luffy covered his head.
Ron waved his hand, and Ace quickly picked up the newspaper and handed it to him.
He unfolded the paper.
The front-page headline featured an extremely eye-catching photo.
It was a massive, gorgeous ship with an incredibly large figurehead.
Bold black headlines were printed above it.
World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, are about to tour the East Blue, with the first stop being the Goa Kingdom!
Ron scanned the content casually.
He folded the newspaper and tossed it aside.
He tapped his index finger twice on the armrest of the lounge chair.
The Celestial Dragons are coming.