Days passed by one by one.
The hot spring on the back side of Mt.
Colubo had become the top resort in the East Blue.
Ron’s daily routine was extremely regular.
He would wake up early and lie in the shade, enjoying Uta’s service of massaging his legs and back.
In the afternoon, he would soak in the warm spring water, tasting the iced drinks personally brought by Makino.
That form-fitting uniform had been improved several times.
It perfectly accentuated Makino’s proud figure.
With every smile and glance, the charm of a mature woman was impossible to hide.
The ones who suffered were those three growing boys.
Every day before dawn, Luffy, Ace, and Sabo were kicked by Ron into the deepest part of the primitive jungle.
If they didn’t bring back a beast of overlord level, they wouldn’t even get a bite of leftovers.
Repeatedly jumping back and forth on the edge of life and death, the three brothers’ resistance to blows and combat intuition skyrocketed.
Being bruised and swollen became the norm, but the way they looked at Ron was so fanatical they wished they could hand over their lives.
Half a month later.
Foosha Village, tavern.
The Red Hair Pirates’ ship was docked at the port, fully loaded with supplies.
They had stayed in Foosha Village long enough, and there was still a mess waiting to be dealt with on the Grand Line.
Today was the final carnival before setting sail.
The mellow aroma of inferior ale mixed with the greasy smell of roasted meat filled the hall.
The pirates, shirtless, stood on chairs playing finger-guessing games.
The sound of wooden mugs clinking was endless.
Shanks sat cross-legged in front of the bar, swallowing large mouthfuls of roasted meat.
Because he hadn’t managed to lure Uta onto the ship, the old father had been depressed these past few days.
He relied entirely on alcohol to numb his nerves.
The front door was kicked open from the outside.
The crisp sound of wooden planks breaking drowned out the noise in the hall.
The solid wood door frame, which had just been repaired a few days ago, met its end once again.
The person walked in, stepping over the wood shavings.
He wore a dark red coat and sported a goatee.
That face full of flabby, aggressive flesh exuded the bandit aura of someone who had spent years roaming the mountains.
He was an eight-million Berries bounty criminal, the Mountain Bandit King, Higuma.
Behind him followed a dozen or so mountain bandits gripping short knives.
They looked around the room with an arrogant air.
The pirates didn’t even turn their heads.
They continued to play games and drink, treating them as if a swarm of flies had flown in.
This disregard made the muscles on Higuma’s cheeks twitch twice.
Extremely displeased, he walked to the bar and slammed his hand on the wooden table.
“Buy wine.
Bring out all the best wine you have,” Higuma shouted in a rough voice.
Makino stood behind the bar, polishing a glass.
She looked apologetic.
“Sorry, the wine in the shop just sold out.
There’s only some juice left in the kitchen…”
Higuma narrowed his eyes and sneered.
He turned his head and locked onto the unopened wine bottle in Shanks’s hand.
Shanks was good-natured.
He scratched his red hair and handed the bottle over directly.
“If you don’t mind, this bottle hasn’t been opened yet.
Take it.”
Higuma didn’t even glance at the wine bottle.
He drew the long sword from his waist and flipped his wrist.
The blade smashed directly into the belly of the wine bottle.
The sound of shattering glass was piercing, and orange-yellow ale splashed everywhere.
Makino, who was closest, bore the brunt of it and couldn’t dodge in time.
More than half a bottle of wine splashed over her head and face, pouring all over her black and white uniform.
The thin fabric was soaked, clinging tightly to her full breasts and inviting wild thoughts.
Makino screamed.
She instinctively hugged her chest with both hands and retreated.
Her face turned pale.
Shanks stood frozen in place.
Just as he was about to crouch down to pick up the glass shards and offer a smiling apology, a gust of wind swept over from the booths at the back of the tavern.
Ron’s tall figure appeared in front of the bar.
His movements were extremely fast.
He ripped off the dark black coat he was wearing and unfurled it against the wind.
With one powerful sweep of his arm, he wrapped Makino from head to toe, shielding her soaked, body-hugging uniform and that alluring, blood-pumping sight from any prying eyes.
He took the opportunity to pull her soft, trembling body tightly into his arms.
Ron’s large palm rested on her thin, damp back, slowly rubbing soothing circles along her shoulder blades and the curve of her spine.
His fingers pressed just firmly enough to feel the heat of her skin through the wet fabric.
“Go to the kitchen and change your clothes,” he murmured huskily against her ear, his breath hot.
“Don’t catch a cold.”
Makino leaned helplessly against his broad, solid chest, her full breasts pressing softly into him through the layers.
Her wildly beating heart gradually calmed, but her legs were still so weak she could only melt deeper into his embrace.
A soft, muffled whimper escaped her lips — “Mmm…” — as his warm hand slid lower, almost possessively tracing the dip of her waist.
She nodded obediently, her flushed cheek rubbing against his chest.
Pulling his coat tighter around her shivering body, she turned to hurry into the backyard.
Yet even as she left his arms, Ron’s intense gaze followed the sway of her hips, the memory of her sweat-glistened curves and soft, yielding body still burning in his mind.
[Ding!
Detected protection interaction with plot character Makino completed!
Heartbeat critical hit triggered!
Congratulations to the host, dropped item: Four bottles of 1982 Moutai (Maotai) liquor!]
Ron turned his head.
Higuma sat arrogantly on the round stool at the edge of the bar.
He pointed at Shanks and mocked him.
“I’ve killed fifty-six trash like you who think too highly of themselves.
You’re lucky today.”
Shanks held a broom, still wearing a grinning face.
Ron sighed and leisurely rolled up his shirt sleeves a couple of turns.
“Big Demon King, this temper of yours only works in the East Blue.
If you were in the New World, your face would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish long ago.”
Ron walked past Shanks and went straight to Higuma.
Higuma glanced down at Ron, twirled the long sword in his hand, and pointed the tip at Ron’s nose.
“Pretty boy, stop meddling here.
Believe it or not, I’ll take you out along with…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Ron raised his right hand.
Without any flashy wind-up, he backhanded a slap across that arrogant face.
Slap!
Higuma flew out instantly.
A few blood-stained teeth sprayed from his mouth, crossing the bar and embedding directly into the wooden wall.
His body spun three hundred and sixty degrees like a spinning top in mid-air, smashed heavily through the half-broken wooden door that had just been ruined, and rolled onto the dirt road outside the tavern, dragging a long streak of blood.
Those dozen or so bandit subordinates were all stunned.
They stood in place gripping their knives, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
Higuma lay in the mud.
Half his face swollen high, his vision blurred.
Years of experience in the underworld told him that he had kicked a real iron plate today.
He struggled to climb up, fumbled in a panic to pull a homemade smoke bomb from his belt, and threw it to the ground.
Yellow-white, pungent smoke shot up into the sky, obscuring their vision.
“Just you wait!” Higuma scrambled away, rolling and crawling.
Just then, Luffy, holding a piece of roasted meat bigger than himself, was crouching by a wooden barrel not far outside the door, watching the excitement.
Higuma grabbed Luffy by the scruff of his neck, held him as a hostage, and sprinted toward the port without looking back.
When the smoke cleared, Shanks brushed the dust off his straw hat and saw the scene outside the door.
The usual sloppy look was gone, and a tangible killing intent erupted.
“Luffy has been taken,” Benn Beckman bit on his cigar.
The embers glowed and faded.
“Pursue.”
Shanks grabbed Gryphon and charged out of the tavern door first.
The group rushed to the coastline of Foosha Village at high speed.
The wind picked up, and the waves crashed against the reefs, whipping up white foam.
Higuma, holding a tattered fishing boat hostage, had already rowed to deep water tens of meters away from the shore.
He stood at the stern.
One hand held a sword.
One hand choked Luffy’s neck.
He laughed wildly at everyone on the shore.
“Don’t come any closer!
One more step forward, and I’ll throw this brat into the sea to feed the fish!” Higuma was unfazed.
Luffy kicked his short legs in mid-air.
His face flushed red.
His hands desperately clawed at Higuma’s fingers, but he couldn’t make a sound.
Before anyone on the shore could react, a huge vortex suddenly churned beneath the sea surface.
A massive black shadow rapidly grew larger beneath the fishing boat.
The seawater churned violently, and spray shot into the sky.
A bloodthirsty maw even larger than the fishing boat broke through the water surface, whipping up a gale.
It was the Lord of the Coast!
Scarlet eyes locked onto the fishing boat, and the Lord of the Coast let out a hair-raising roar.
Its giant mouth, filled with sharp teeth, opened.
That terrifying shadow instantly enveloped the entire small boat.
Higuma, who had been extremely arrogant just a moment ago, was now frozen stiff.
He stared blankly, tilting his head back.
Looking at the abyssal maw inches away, the sword in his hand dropped to the deck.
He was shaking with fear, and the action of preparing to throw Luffy into the sea froze in mid-air.
“Mon…
Monster!” Higuma’s eyes rolled back.
“Luffy!” Shanks didn’t even take off his shoes.
He leaped and dived straight into the sea, swimming toward where Luffy had fallen.
The sea breeze blew across the beach.
Ron stopped three steps away from the seawater.
He leisurely unbuttoned two buttons and loosened his neck.
He looked at the ugly monster fish in the sea.
His gaze turned cold.
“Can’t even clean up the scene properly after a fight.” Ron complained nonchalantly.
“Disturbing me while I’m chatting up girls.
You really don’t make things easy.”