The newspaper slipped from Luffy’s dusty face and was tumbled across the grass by the evening breeze.
Sabo was just about to pick it up when his peripheral vision caught the striking photo on the front page.
In that instant, he felt all his strength drain away.
His fingers froze in mid-air, trembling violently.
For him, the massive passenger ship in that photo wasn’t a symbol of luxury, but the beginning of a nightmare.
Ron lay on his side in a rattan chair, eyes half-closed, enjoying the rhythmic massage Uta’s small hands were giving his calves.
“A bit too much pressure, move a little to the left.”
Uta responded obediently.
Her fair fingertips kneaded gently against the calf of Ron’s leg, occasionally scratching mischievously with her nails, causing Ron to move his leg slightly.
Makino held a delicate porcelain plate, her fingers selecting a single translucent purple grape, its skin glistening under the light.
She brought it slowly to Ron’s lips, the soft pad of her fingertip brushing against them.
Ron parted his mouth to take it.
His teeth grazed the warm, silken skin of her fingertip—lingering just a second too long.
The faint, intimate contact sent a quiet shiver through her.
A soft flush bloomed across Makino’s cheeks.
She lowered her eyes, lashes casting delicate shadows, but she didn’t pull away.
Instead she leaned in closer, her body shifting until her shoulder pressed more fully against his, the heat of her skin seeping through the thin fabric between them.
Her fingertip remained at his lips a moment longer, as if reluctant to leave the warmth of his mouth.
“The East Blue is going to get lively,” Ron said, chewing the grape, his voice muffled.
He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
In his memory, the inspection by the Celestial Dragons was an inevitable plot point.
However, to him, the Celestial Dragons were just a bunch of giant parasites with arrogant gaits who wore glass bubbles on their heads.
As long as they didn’t disturb his hot spring soaking or orange juice drinking, he couldn’t be bothered to care about that bunch of trash.
A thought flickered in his mind.
A translucent panel, visible only to Ron, appeared in his field of vision.
He had really fleeced quite a lot.
[Host: Ron]
[Strength: 165 (Average adult male is 10)]
[Agility: 142 (Fast enough to leave afterimages; can instantly undo women’s bra clasps when advancing, and dodge the Fist of Love when retreating)]
[Physique: 198 (Astonishing defense, comes with self-healing bonus)]
[Spirit: 210 (Refreshed and energetic, no hair loss from staying up late)]
[Comprehension: Maxed out (Learns by looking once, understands by hearing it once)]
[Luck: 5 (Occasionally finds money when going out, never comes back empty-handed from fishing)]
[Basic Observation Haki (100-meter radius).
Top-tier Armament Haki (Extremely high hardness, comes with Ryou technique).
Conqueror’s aptitude +11 (Currently can only be used for intimidation via experience cards; own aura is awakening).]
[Skills and Items: Skills: Tai Chi Push Hands, Top-tier Culinary Skills, Vocal Resonance, Remnant of Supreme Sword Intent.
Items: Great Grade Sword Ryūun, 82-year-old Moutai * 3, Universal Antidote * 9, Luxury Hot Spring Blueprint, Various Modern Lace Clothing (Waiting to be tried on).]
Ron looked at the Physique column and calculated silently in his heart.
The last time he took a punch from old man Garp, although it made the old man’s hand hurt, he himself could feel the weight of that punch.
“This attribute is enough to walk sideways in the East Blue without any problems.” Ron muttered to himself.
“But it’s still a bit lacking compared to those real monsters.
I still need to keep working hard.
I have to find a way to trigger more critical hits from Uta and Makino.”
Just as he was planning when to design a more form-fitting work uniform for Makino, a burst of sobbing interrupted his train of thought.
“Wuu…
woooo…” Sabo finally broke down.
He dropped the hot-potato newspaper, knelt on the grass, covered his face tightly with both hands, and tears fell in large drops through his fingers.
Luffy and Ace were startled by the commotion, and their chewing of jerky came to a simultaneous halt.
“Sabo, why are you crying?” Luffy leaned over and patted Sabo’s shoulder with his greasy hand.
Sabo didn’t speak, just shook his head repeatedly.
His crying grew louder, filled with despair.
Ace frowned, picked up the newspaper to take a look, but still didn’t understand.
“Isn’t it just some noble wearing a helmet coming here?
At worst, we can just hide in the deep mountains and not go out.”
“We can’t hide…
we can’t hide…” Sabo raised his head, his eyes red and swollen from crying.
He looked at his two brothers, his voice hoarse.
“My name isn’t Sabo, my real name is Sabo Outlaw…
I am a noble from High Town.”
Luffy bit into a piece of jerky, tilting his head.
“Noble?
What is that, is it edible?”
Sabo ignored Luffy’s interruption.
He looked at Ace, his eyes filled with fear.
“To welcome the Celestial Dragons, the nobles of the kingdom, and my parents, they will burn down the entire trash heap.
They think those trash heaps and the people living there are unclean and will dirty the eyes of the Celestial Dragons.
They will set fires!
They will kill people!”
Sabo shouted in a breakdown.
“I don’t want to go back!
I don’t want to go back to that golden cage even if I die!
But if I don’t go back, they will find this place.
They will implicate Luffy, implicate Ace, and also implicate Big Brother Ron and everyone…”
Sabo wiped his tears, stood up, and stumbled toward the bottom of the mountain.
“I’m leaving now…
I’ll go steal a small boat to go to sea tonight.
As long as I leave, you guys will be safe.”
Ace grabbed Sabo’s arm and roared loudly.
“What kind of stupid things are you saying!
Didn’t we just drink sake?
Are you trying to welch on the deal?”
Luffy also ran over, hugged Sabo’s waist tightly, with a mournful face.
“Sabo is not allowed to leave!
I won’t let you leave!”
The three of them wrestled into a ball on the grass by the hot spring pool.
Sabo struggled.
Ron had a headache from the noise.
He was originally enjoying Makino’s warm reliance, but now it was all ruined by the crying and fussing of these three unlucky kids.
Ron picked up a grape seed he hadn’t spat out yet.
His fingertips curled slightly, and he flicked it gently.
‘Swish.’
The grape seed hit the back of Sabo’s head with precision.
“Ouch!”
Sabo only felt the back of his head get hit by a heavy object.
His center of gravity unstable, he tumbled directly into the grass and fell.
The crying stopped abruptly.
“So noisy.”
Sabo rubbed his red and swollen back of the head, lying in the grass, completely stunned by the hit.
That inconspicuous grape seed had its force calculated with extreme precision.
It didn’t hurt the bone, but it was so painful it drilled right into his brain.
With tears still hanging on his face and snot threatening to fall, he turned his head blankly and looked at Ron, who was lying on the rattan chair.
The chaos in his brain was all knocked away by this single projectile.
“Are you holding a funeral?
It’s hurting my ears.” Ron dug at his ear.
He adjusted to a more comfortable position and leaned his head against Makino.
“What a big deal.”
Ron’s tone was extremely dismissive, without even the slightest fluctuation.
“It’s just a few trash Celestial Dragons wearing fishbowl helmets, is it worth scaring yourself into this state?
Pathetic.”