Not long after, on the sea.
Ron, transformed into the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, quickly caught up with Kaido and the others, bringing Whitebeard along.
“Ahhh…
you finally made it back!”
Stussy stood on the deck of the secondary ship, one hand patting her chest as she let out a long sigh of relief.
“If you had been any later, this bastard Kaido would have attacked me.”
Whitebeard clicked his tongue, leaning against the ship’s railing and giving Stussy an expressionless glance.
Fighting over treasure was the usual style of the Rocks Pirates, something he never participated in or interfered with.
“Stussy, you know I never get involved in treasure distribution issues.
So…
whether I came back or not, I wouldn’t take sides.”
Stussy pouted, her shoulders slumping slightly as she put on a pitiful look for Whitebeard.
She even deliberately made her eyes glisten with moisture, her tone carrying just the right amount of resentment: “Hey, Newgate, do you really think I’m such a greedy woman in your heart?”
Whitebeard looked at her with genuine shock, his mouth slightly agape: “Isn’t…
that the case?”
“Wuwuwu…
hearing you say that really breaks my heart.” Stussy covered her chest, sighing dramatically in a performatively sorrowful tone, her voice drawn out soft and long.
Ron didn’t join Whitebeard and Stussy’s conversation.
Instead, with deliberate dissatisfaction, he addressed Kaido: “Bastard Kaido, are we still in the apprentice alliance or not?
You actually ran off and left me behind?”
Of course, he just wanted to vent a little.
As a transmigrator, didn’t he understand Kaido?
Forget just running off first—if Ron got his hands on a legendary Devil Fruit, Kaido wouldn’t hesitate to knock him out with a club and take it.
[Reference: original work where Kaido clubbed Linlin to steal a fruit].
“Huh?”
Kaido, who hadn’t cared much before, couldn’t sit still after hearing Ron’s shout.
He immediately raised his voice a notch: “Bastard Ron, are you questioning our bond?”
What the hell?
We have a bond?
“Then why didn’t you wait for me?
Let me make this clear…
I hate it most when people apologize afterward.”
“Spare me~” Stussy raised her hand from the side.
“Because of leaving first, this kid Kaido almost attacked me!
If I hadn’t explained the reason, you two would be fishing me out of the sea right now.”
As Stussy explained, Kaido suddenly straightened his back.
He lifted his chin, glancing sideways at Ron, mimicking his tone with sarcasm: “I also…
hate it most when people apologize afterward.”
Ron blinked, momentarily stunned.
He was quite surprised—he hadn’t expected Kaido to nearly attack Stussy over this.
It seemed many things couldn’t be judged with “prejudice.” Only by seeing with your own eyes and experiencing it firsthand could you draw a conclusion.
A smile spread across Ron’s face as he walked over cheerfully, throwing an arm around Kaido’s shoulder and giving him a hearty shake.
“See?
I told you the bond between us apprentices is unbreakable.
How could it possibly fail a test?”
“Tch.” Kaido turned his head away, lifting his chin even higher and letting out a snort through his nose.
“Who was just badmouthing me earlier?”
“Hey, Stussy.” Ron turned to look at Stussy and called out loudly, “Don’t do things that undermine unity next time!”
Stussy couldn’t help but laugh at Ron’s words, letting out a soft “pfft.” Leaning against the ship’s railing with one hand, her shoulders shook with laughter.
Listen to that—the Rocks Pirates talking about “unity”?
Still, Stussy didn’t want to pour cold water on these two “interesting” young men.
Smiling, she raised her hand and made an “OK” gesture, then nodded firmly.
“Alright, alright, it was me undermining your unity.
I apologize.”
“I hate it most when people apologize after the fact…” Whitebeard chimed in with mild interest, his tone casual but a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
Stussy shot Whitebeard an exasperated glance and rolled her eyes.
“Hey, Newgate, are you trying to die?
Joining in on their nonsense?”
Whitebeard didn’t respond.
He just leaned against the ship’s railing, his gaze shifting from Stussy to Ron and Kaido, watching the two young men with their arms around each other’s shoulders, trading barbs yet neither letting go.
From these two, he sensed something…
indescribable.
A scene like this…
truly something to yearn for.
A faint smile touched Whitebeard’s lips as his eyes gleamed softly.
Inside the ship, in the main hall.
“Name.”
“Lucia Annika!”
The pink-haired woman stood before him, her hands neatly folded in front of her, her back straight.
“What is your relationship with Shakky?”
Annika’s eyes brightened slightly, as if recalling something warm.
“Many years ago, I helped her once, and we gradually stayed in touch.
She’s a very kind person, a reliable senior.
She always told me to escape, to go out and see the world…”
Before she could finish, Ron waved his hand.
“Off-topic.”
Annika chuckled softly, reaching up to brush aside the pink hair that had fallen across her face, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of clear eyes.
“Sorry…
But, Mr.
Ron, thank you so much for saving me.”
“Miss Annika, I regret to inform you that you weren’t saved.
You were kidnapped by another group of scoundrels.”
Annika blinked her large eyes, tilting her head as she asked seriously, “I…
I was kidnapped by you, Mr.
Ron?”
“Yes.” Ron smiled kindly.
“You’d better hope your friendship can withstand the test, Miss Annika.”
On such good terms with Shakky?
Asking for a Devil Fruit in exchange isn’t too much, right?
No, even two wouldn’t be too much.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Annika’s face, the light in her beautiful eyes dimming slightly.
After a moment of silence, she asked softly, “Then…
will there be a ransom?”
“Of course.” Ron nodded with a serious expression, his tone deliberately threatening.
“If Shakky doesn’t give me what I want, I’ll throw you into the middle of the ocean to feed the sharks.”
But Annika wasn’t afraid.
She just thought it over carefully and then asked, “Then…
could you let me get completely drunk before you throw me in?
That way it won’t hurt.”
Ron frowned slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Of course not.
Do you think this is a market?
No bargaining.”
“Hey, hey, hey, Ron~~”
Stussy’s weak voice came from a distance.
She was sprawled over a nearby table, one hand propping up her head, the other tapping the tabletop intermittently.
“Could you let her go cook first?
We’re all starving to death.”
Ron glanced sideways at her, then turned back to Annika.
“Hmm, on second thought, if you do the job I give you well, I’ll consider letting you get completely drunk.”
Annika’s eyes lit up again.
She bowed deeply to Ron, her long pink hair slipping from her shoulders like a soft waterfall.
“Thank you very much, Mr.
Ron.”
Ron smiled.
Listen to that—she’s thanking me.