An hour later.
After relentless effort, Annika finally completed a lavish feast.
At the long table, Ron, Kaido, and Stussy stared with varied expressions at the plates and pots laid out before them, their eyes filled with doubt.
“This black, charred thing…
is it really edible?” Stussy poked the coal-like object with her fork, her deep skepticism evident as she glanced up slightly at Annika, who stood by the table full of anticipation.
“Mhm!” Annika nodded confidently, her hands clasped in front of her, her tone sincere yet tinged with apology.
“I’m truly sorry, Lady Stussy.
I didn’t control the heat well, and it burned.
But I promise, it’s edible!”
“And what is this pot?” Ron also asked doubtfully, stirring the pot of brownish thick soup with a ladle.
“This is a stew made with mutton, pork, beef, chicken…
and some meat I’m not sure what it is,” Annika patiently explained.
“I tasted it, and it’s quite delicious!”
Ron fell silent.
Whitebeard fell silent.
Kaido also fell silent.
Stussy took a deep breath and slowly spoke, “Who taught you to cook like this?
Tell me, I’ll kill them.”
“I’m sorry, Lord Ron, Lord Kaido, Lady Stussy…” Annika lowered her head, her pink hair covering half her face.
“It’s all my fault for being unskilled in cooking.”
Ron glanced at her, then looked down at the pot of soup.
Honestly, its appearance was indeed terrible.
He picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
Hmm?
It actually…
tasted quite fragrant?
However, Ron didn’t attribute this fragrance to Annika’s cooking.
Most likely, it was because they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days.
Much later.
On the sea, a pirate ship was slowly sailing away from the island riddled with holes.
Roger sat cross-legged beside the figurehead at the bow, one hand holding a Transponder Snail, the other resting on his knee, his expression darker than usual.
“I’m sorry…” Roger’s voice was slow.
“We were ultimately too late and couldn’t prevent the tragedy.”
The Transponder Snail remained silent for a long time.
So long that Roger thought the other party had hung up.
After a while, the corner of the Transponder Snail’s mouth twitched slightly, and a voice came through, choked and struggling to suppress trembling: “Were…
any bodies found?”
“There were bodies,” Roger’s expression grew more solemn.
“But due to the aftermath of the battle, only some dismembered limbs were found at the scene…
It’s impossible to identify which one is Annika’s body.”
“We searched the area and buried all the dismembered limbs we could find…
together, erecting a simple marker.”
The person on the other end of the Transponder Snail finally couldn’t hold back any longer, and a long-suppressed sob came through the receiver.
Roger’s head lowered slightly, revealing no expression.
“Shakky, I will help you find Ron and make him pay for what he’s done.”
“Ron?” Shakky’s voice on the other end suddenly rose, filled with obvious astonishment.
“What does this have to do with Ron?”
Roger did not answer immediately, shifting the Transponder Snail to his other hand.
“You’ve already reached a cooperation agreement with the Rocks Pirates, right?
But that guy Ron, while seizing the treasure, ignored the conditions you proposed, indirectly causing Annika’s death.”
Shakky was stunned.
She opened her mouth, but it took several seconds before she managed to squeeze out a sentence.
“You…
weren’t you too late?
How do you know these inside details?”
Roger’s eyes flickered slightly.
“I heard even more important inside information from Wang Zhi.”
“They had a falling out over the spoils and abandoned Wang Zhi.
But before that, Wang Zhi personally witnessed Ron ignoring the main conditions you mentioned.
During the battle with the navy, all the imprisoned slaves died indirectly because of it.”
Shakky fell silent.
She simply didn’t believe Wang Zhi would be so kind as to tell Roger the actual situation, especially a scandal where he himself was abandoned.
“You believe him?”
“I don’t believe him, but I believe in his weakness.
A guy who prioritizes profit above all else will ruthlessly betray anyone if the price I offer is high enough.”
And according to Wang Zhi’s account, all the blame was directed at Ron.
And Ron, who is known across these seas as the Devil Butcher, treats indiscriminate killing as casually as drinking water.
Therefore, Wang Zhi’s words were highly credible.
“While we can’t definitively confirm Wang Zhi’s words are true, at least the logic holds up without issue,” Roger said unhurriedly.
After a long while, a deep sigh came from the other end of the Transponder Snail.
“This was ultimately Annika’s fate,” Shakky’s voice sounded weary.
“You’ve done enough for me here.
There’s no need to go after Ron anymore.
Thank you very much, Roger.”
After all, Ron was a member of the Rocks Pirates.
Shakky didn’t want Annika’s death to deepen the conflict between the innocent Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates, as that would harm Roger’s crew.
Shakky paused, then added, “Finally…
please tell me where you buried the body.”
“Alright,” Roger nodded gently.
Two days later.
The New World, a certain island.
The morning sea mist had just dispersed.
Sunlight slanted down through gaps in the clouds, coating the entire small town in a faint layer of gold.
Ron and his group had landed on the island early.
As agreed, they would wait here for the entire Rocks Pirates to return.
After many consecutive days adrift at sea, the moment their feet touched solid ground was an exceptionally comfortable feeling.
Seizing the opportunity while Ron was in a good mood, Annika cautiously made a request.
She wanted to walk around the island and stretch her legs.
Ron agreed.
The main reason…
was that he was also getting a bit tired of being on the ship.
On the bustling market street, the clamor of voices filled the air.
Ron’s footsteps unconsciously slowed, soaking in the lively atmosphere around him.
“Mr.
Ron.”
Annika suddenly turned around, walking backward a couple of steps, and asked, “Why did you become a pirate…?
For freedom?”
Through these days of interaction, Annika had gradually come to feel that Ron was actually a good person.
Though he often called her stupid and never held back with his words, whenever Annika ruined a meal, Ron would patiently teach her.
[Mainly to find someone who could cook his “hometown” dishes.]
“Living,” Ron said plainly.
Annika was taken aback for a moment before replying earnestly, “But…
if it’s just about ‘living,’ there are many ways to do it.
Like them, for example…”
“Their tomorrows rest on the blades of others.
But for me—whether it’s tomorrow, the day after, or all the days to come—every single one of my tomorrows must be held firmly in my own hands.”
“Living isn’t about breathing or a heartbeat.
Living is when your fate is judged by you alone.”
Annika couldn’t fully grasp all the meaning in Ron’s words at that moment, only feeling the weight of those sentences.
Just then, a booming voice rang out from behind Ron.
“Ron, great news!!”
…
Brothers reading this, drop a comment.