Recruiting Ron

The Royal Palace Guard Captain, guarding the palace, the commander of the guards who protects the Queen, what kind of status is that?!

Uh... if you really want to talk about status, it's not as good as a third-class noble.

But whoever can hold this position is definitely the person the King trusts the most!

Your status can be higher than his, but you can't be higher than the King... then he is truly second only to the King!

The reason Fred wanted to set a trap to eliminate Jed was not only because he was the Queen's strongest fighter, loyal to her without any second thoughts, but also because he held the position of Royal Palace Guard Captain.

As long as Jed existed, his plan to force the Queen to abdicate would never be realized!

Of course, he could also lead a large army to storm the palace and forcefully change the regime through violence. But Fred considered himself noble and did not want to be like those reckless pirates, purging his enemies through blood and terror.

After eliminating Jed, the first thing he did was to replace the guards and install his own confidants in the palace; this was also for this reason.

He thought that with the birthday banquet approaching, there wouldn't be any changes to the position of Royal Palace Guard Captain. Fred never expected that the Marines would personally send Ron to Rosa!

It was truly a "gift"!

There have always been people leaving affiliated countries to join the Marines, but never people leaving the Marines to join affiliated countries!

This is an irreversible change of position!

Those who leave the Marines to join other forces can no longer be trusted by the Marines!

Ron, as a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, known as the strongest Logia, had a brilliant future! Fred never imagined that the Marines would push Ron into the position of Royal Palace Guard Captain. This way, Ron would never be able to return to the Marines for the rest of his life!

At first, he thought the Marines were shameless and wouldn't acknowledge Ron as a Marine. Now he realized this wasn't shamelessness at all, it was downright suicidal!

Snapping back to reality, Fred found the garden empty. Ron had transformed from a miscellaneous soldier into the Royal Palace Guard Captain, and Rosa had granted him the authority to act first and report later. If they were to be found an excuse and thrown out like Andrew, to be humiliated like this, what could they do?

Would they really go to war with Hana?

What a joke!

Continuing to support Fred was a certainty, after all, it was a promised future. But until the day the Queen announced her abdication, these nobles did not want to provoke Ron, who was clearly no ordinary person.

They were using Fred's name to act tough, to show their stance, while the Queen was directing Ron to be aggressive, to take lives!

Hana's strength and prosperity had given them high status in the Grand Line, and at the same time, made Ron, a mere Royal Palace Guard Captain, possess more prestige and status than most of the nobles present!

Garp and Traine had also left. Ron was now the Royal Palace Guard Captain, so there was no reason for him to return to the Marine base with them. Although both were bewildered, they were not worried about Ron joining Hana's faction.

After all, besides them... very few people knew that Ron was a "temporary worker."

Ron, who wasn't even a formal Marine, became Hana's Guard Captain. Is there anything wrong with that?

Nothing at all, my friend!

The only ones left in the garden now were him, and Ron.

Glancing around, Ron was sitting on a chair, leisurely stuffing pastries into his mouth. Noticing Fred looking at him, Ron smiled, "General Fred, you're thinking so deeply, could it be you're considering how to kill me?"

Taking a deep breath, Fred's expression sharpened, exuding killing intent.

"What if I said yes?"

"Hmm... that would be troublesome..."

Fred thought Ron was referring to himself being in trouble and sneered dismissively. But Ron's next words made his lips twitch, unsure how to respond.

Because Ron said: "As a Devil Fruit user, I naturally have my weaknesses. However, lightning can destroy anything that is unfavorable to me with high temperatures, such as insulating rubber that restrains lightning. What cannot be destroyed can be dodged with speed, such as Seastone, the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users... So, to kill me, besides having absolute superiority in raw strength and being faster than me, you also need to learn Armament Haki... Oh right, General Fred, do you know Armament Haki?"

In the first half of the Grand Line, Haki users are rarely seen, and many consider it a legend. For example, in the East Blue, Devil Fruit users are also a legend. But to ask Fred if he knows Haki would be underestimating the heroes of the world.

Fred's lips moved a few times: "I know!"

"Then... can you use it?"

Fred: "..."

Taking a few deep breaths, Fred suppressed the urge to punch Ron and suddenly showed a smile, "You are very good, Captain Ron."

"You are also a genius, at least in terms of rebellion..."

Fred: "...Stop talking nonsense... Captain Ron, you can't go back to the Marines now. Have you considered working for me?"

"Hmm?"

Ron raised an eyebrow and looked up at Fred, "If I heard correctly, you want to recruit me?"

"That's right!"

After saying this, Fred felt much more relaxed. "You are already tied to Hana's ship. Even if this rebellion fails, your aunt's problem of having no heir will still not be solved. The future King will still be me, and you will still serve under me."

"Since that's the case, why not cooperate with me? The Marines' only goal is to protect Aunt Rosa, right? Who rules Hana is completely unimportant to them, isn't it?"

Seeing Fred's handsome face full of confidence, Ron fell silent.

Speaking of the Queen having no children, Ron was also quite frustrated. He had already imagined a hundred thousand... melodramatic plots between the old scoundrel and Queen Rosa, but Queen Rosa indeed had no heirs. Her only relative was the nephew rebelling against her right now.

In this semi-feudal One Piece World, royal bloodline inheriting the throne is an unshakable foundation!

As for the Marines' true intentions, Ron couldn't be sure, but he didn't care.

Whether the Queen's life was more important or Hana's harmony was more important was up to the old scoundrel's whim. He just needed to follow orders.

But...

This is also an opportunity!

Ron dropped the half-eaten pastry, picked up the teapot to refill it, then wiped away the water stains, a faint smile curving his lips. "To win me over... will come at a price!"

"How about intelligence on Baroque Works?"

General Fred's handsome face also curved into a smile, meeting Ron's gaze with equal resolve.

A moment later, Ron withdrew his gaze and continued eating the pastry. "General Fred has ruthless methods! I imagine you've thoroughly erased any traces of your connection to them, haven't you? And the other witnesses have likely all been eliminated..."

Fred chuckled heartily at this.

"Four whole months, I won't just sit back and wait to die."

"If you can support my ascension, the intelligence on Baroque Works is yours! Whether you give this credit to the Marines or keep it for yourself is entirely up to Mr. Ron! Furthermore, once I inherit the throne, Captain Ron's position will be unshakeable, and even Commander of the Army is not out of the question."

The Commander of the Army of Hana, the intelligence on Baroque Works – to win Ron over, Fred had truly spared no expense.

The reason was as he suspected: Ron had already tied himself to Hana by switching from the Marines to the Royal Palace Guard Captain, making a return impossible. Moreover, as a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, Ron was a powerful combatant worth recruiting!

As for whether Ron would betray him in the future... for someone not of royal blood to ascend the throne, the difficulty was incomparable to his own!

"Truly... a grand gesture!"

Ron's surprise lasted only a second before he smiled slightly, impressed.

"Mr. Ron is worthy of this gift!"

Fred's lips curled, his expression unreadable.

Both wore faint smiles, like two cunning foxes.

It had to be said, this Fred was quite to Ron's liking. He had brains, strength, cunning, and decisiveness. Cooperating with such a formidable figure, as long as he himself made no mistakes, would undoubtedly bring more benefits than drawbacks!

But...

"It's not enough!"

Ron's expression suddenly turned grim, and he said in a low voice, "I have a question that has never been answered, so I hope General Fred can tell me the truth."

"You wish to ask... the reason why the Five Elders have tacitly allowed the Marines to interfere in Hana's internal affairs, yet still want to push you to the forefront?"

Even though his height had grown significantly due to his training in Rokushiki, standing before Ron, clad in his dark heavy armor, Fred was still more robust and imposing. Especially the strange glint in his eyes made Ron's heart sink.

But he still nodded, speaking without fear, "Exactly!"

Although this mission no longer had a pitfall as a choice, since even the Five Elders had tacitly approved, why was Garp still hesitant? In the Marines, the attitude of the Five Elders was everything! Garp could have directly stormed the palace and killed Fred, without needing to trouble him with this task. As soon as Fred was dead...

The Alliance of Allied Nations?

That would be a joke!

Therefore, Ron had to understand the underlying reason!