A blonde boy wearing goggles and a black top hat poked half his head out.
Sabo gripped a rusty pipe tightly in both hands.
His gaze vigilantly scanned the tragic scene in the yard over the haystack.
The Dadan family lay scattered across the ground.
Even that usually fierce old hag was rolling her eyes back.
Finally, Sabo’s gaze locked firmly onto the campfire.
The sizzling pork belly ribs were coated in a layer of tempting, golden grease.
The spicy fragrance of cumin and chili powder drilled straight into his nostrils.
The sound of him swallowing was exceptionally loud in the quiet forest.
Ron also noticed his movement and flicked his wrist.
A skewer of crispy roasted meat flew through the air and landed precisely in the dirt right by Sabo’s feet, its tail end still trembling.
“Eat, then get to work.”
Sabo wanted to refuse stubbornly, calculating the chances of a sneak attack in his head.
However, his stomach betrayed his will, growling loud enough to shake the sky.
He swallowed hard, ultimately unable to resist the delicacy, and pulled the meat skewer out to tear into it greedily.
The spices mixed with meat juices exploded in his mouth.
It was so delicious he almost swallowed his tongue along with it.
Near the haystack not far away, Luffy was using both hands, eating until his face was covered in grease.
Ace also completely abandoned his pride, diving headfirst into the pile of roasted meat to snatch the last pork chop.
The three brothers, once famous on Mt.
Colubo, met for the first time in the true sense of the word.
There was no profound intersection of fate as in the original work, nor any grand oaths of brotherhood.
The three of them squatted by a broken rock, baring their teeth over the last scrap of roasted meat.
The tone completely deviated from the grim and bitter narrative, revealing a sense of comical compromise.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, Ron wiped the grease off his fingers with a leaf and looked around in disgust.
The Dadan family’s shack had drafty walls, and the yard reeked of moldy wood and spoiled swill.
“This environment is unlivable.”
Ron extracted a blueprint that had dropped long ago from the system space.
[Luxury Open-Air Hot Spring Construction Blueprint].
He strode over to a hollow in the back mountain with excellent terrain.
Natural geothermal white steam rose here, making it an excellent spot for renovation.
“From today on, we are improving our living conditions.”
Ron turned his head and kicked Dadan, who had just woken up from her faint, in her broad back.
“Luffy, Ace, Sabo, and you lot.
Go dig holes and move rocks.
If you don’t finish before dark, no one gets any roasted meat!”
The bandits scrambled to their feet.
They had experienced the tyranny of Conqueror’s Haki and didn’t dare to utter a single complaint.
Grabbing shovels and wooden buckets, they rushed to the back mountain.
The three brats wanted to sneak off after eating, and had just taken two steps with oil on their soles.
Ron used a Tai Chi push followed by a flick to each of their foreheads.
With red bumps on their heads, the three aggrieved boys hoisted two-hundred-pound bluestone slabs, becoming heartless brick-moving machines.
By dusk, the back mountain had undergone a complete transformation.
The original mud pit had been expanded into a spacious bathing pool of over a hundred square meters.
The bottom was paved with smooth, polished pebbles without sharp edges, and the perimeter was built with neat bluestone bricks.
The diverted natural mountain spring water was heated by underground rock veins, steaming with white heat.
Ron, shirtless, leaned comfortably against the bluestone steps by the hot spring pool.
The warm spring water submerged his chest and abdomen, washing away all his weariness.
“Big Brother, iced orange juice!”
Luffy, with a white towel on his head, held a wooden tray in both hands and carefully approached, stepping through the splashing water.
“Big Brother, is the water temperature on the left okay?
I’ll go add some firewood!”
Ace held a fire poker in his hand, responsible for controlling the geothermal water gate on the shore, looking exactly like a boiler-tending servant.
Sabo stood behind Ron with a bitter face, using his thin fingers to diligently massage Ron’s shoulders.
The three future great pirates who would stir up the Grand Line, and the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command, were now forcibly trained into bathhouse attendants serving tea and water.
Ron swallowed a mouthful of iced fruit juice and stretched his arms comfortably.
“The rules need to change.” He half-closed his eyes and spoke unhurriedly.
“Doing manual labor won’t improve your skills.
Starting tomorrow, you three go hunting in the very center of the forest.”
Ron tapped his fingers against the bluestone brick wall.
“If you don’t catch an overlord-level beast every day, none of you are allowed to eat.”
Ace’s hand shook, and the fire poker almost hit his foot.
“The center of the forest?
There are giant bears and Tyrant Crocodiles dozens of meters tall there!
Someone might die!”
“If you die, it just means your skills are lacking.” Ron didn’t even open his eyes.
“I’ll be responsible for roasting whatever game you bring back.”
Hearing the word ‘roast’, the three stopped complaining simultaneously.
Their Adam’s apples bobbed violently, and their eyes shone with a green light.
The hellish special training of jungle battle royale thus began in an absurd way.
Over the next few days, Ron completely enjoyed the happy daily life of an exploiter.
Every day he soaked in the hot spring, resting his eyes and enjoying the premium game brought back by the battered three brothers.
Until noon on the fourth day.
On the mountain path leading to the shack, a sound of light, chaotic footsteps could be heard.
Uta climbed the last steep slope, panting for breath.
The little girl, taking advantage of Shanks being dead drunk and fast asleep, shook off the other pirates’ supervision and snuck into the deep mountains and forests alone.
The weather was hot.
She was wearing only a thin white spaghetti-strap dress today.
Her long red and white hair was stuck to her pale, rosy cheeks due to sweating.
While fanning herself with her hand, she looked around, searching for Ron.
Rounding the broken wooden wall of the backyard, her view suddenly opened up.
The hot spring pool, misted with water vapor, caught her eyes.
Uta’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Foosha Village only had simple wooden tub baths.
This kind of luxury open-air hot spring, which she had only seen in noble picture books, held an extremely strong temptation for the young girl.
“Brother Ron!”
Her voice was crisp and sweet as she ran happily toward the pool.
Hearing the movement, Ron turned his head and looked over through the water mist.
Uta ran to the edge of the pool and stood still, looking down at the crystal-clear spring water.
A tingling desire itched at the soles of her feet.
She couldn’t wait to kick off her small leather shoes and peel off her white socks along with them.
A pair of small, crystal-clear jade feet stepped directly onto the bluestone slabs.
Her toes were round and cute, glowing with a lustrous sheen against the backdrop of the water vapor.
“Be careful, it’s slippery.”
Seeing her eager look, Ron extended his broad palm.
“The water temperature is on the high side.
Test the stone slab at the bottom first.”
Uta nodded obediently and placed her slender, fair hand into Ron’s palm.
Borrowing the strength from Ron’s hand, she extended her toes to test the temperature of the water flow.
The edge of the bluestone slab, steamed by water vapor all year round, was covered in a layer of slippery moss.
The moment Uta’s sole stepped on it, she slipped violently.
Her center of gravity was completely lost, and she plunged straight into the pool.
“Ah—”
Accompanied by a cry of surprise, Ron’s arm suddenly exerted force.
His fingers closed, and he pulled her sharply into his arms.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere, and ripples surged.
Uta did not fall to the bottom of the pool but instead plunged without any buffer into a broad, sturdy chest.
The buoyancy of the water and Ron’s arms steadily supported the young girl.
The two held each other tightly in the warm spring water.
In the midst of the shock, the two were pressed tightly together.
Through their clothing, even the sound of each other’s rapidly beating hearts was clearly audible in this space.
Water vapor swirled and rose.
Uta’s eyes trembled violently as she looked up to meet Ron’s gaze, which was inches away.