Alabasta

"The World Government had a shipment of goods stolen by pirates in Alabasta. These things can't be brought into the light, so the Navy can't be allowed to handle it. The higher-ups said we can destroy them if necessary. I'd like you to help me reach an agreement with Crocodile." Spandam took out the documents he'd prepared and handed them to Rono.

"You can take a look. This is a personal investment of mine."

"I can't make heads or tails of it." Rono took the documents and skimmed through them.

"A ship will come to pick you up tomorrow morning. All you have to do is fight."

Spandam paused, then lowered his voice.

"I suspect Crocodile was the one who stole the shipment. If it really was him, don't do anything reckless. Come back and get reinforcements. The Navy won't do, of course. They can't find out about this."

"Oh, sure, I get it. If I can't win, I call for help." Rono's relaxed expression made Spandam uneasy. He had a feeling Rono wouldn't stick to the plan.

"Whitey Bay and Jabura were supposed to go with you, but they went out on a mission a couple of days ago."

"No problem. Just take good care of my tree."

"Of course."

After chatting for a while longer, Spandam took his leave.

Once Spandam was gone, System Loli appeared on Rono's shoulder.

"Little Zha, I've got a mission for you: fight Crocodile. You don't have to win. Complete it, and I'll unlock the option to spend points on Observation Haki."

"Come to think of it, I didn't check my Character Panel yesterday."

Little Shota waved a hand, and a glowing screen appeared before Rono.

A 3D model of Rono spun in a circle, with information displayed beneath his feet:

Name: Wolf Rono

Age: 15 (This system thinks displaying the number of days is pointless. It's not like I'm going to celebrate your birthday.)

Talent Skills: Self-Healing Factor, Bone Claws

Devil Fruit Ability: Control-Control Fruit (Stage One)

Devil Fruit Skills:

Bone Planting Armament (Greatly increases defense and slightly improves offensive capabilities. Moderate stamina consumption.)

Evaluation: This doesn't suit your Berserker class, but it's useful for clearing out mooks.

Crimson Armor (Sheds the constraints of your skin and enhances your muscles' explosive power. Offers almost no defense. Combined with Super Regeneration and Berserker Mode, it deals massive damage. Stamina consumption: severe.)

Evaluation: There are always trade-offs. You've gained incredible explosive power, but lost the ability to fight for long periods.

Combat Mode: Berserker (Passive) (A mode that may be triggered when your life is in danger. Improves Combat Awareness and combat instincts. Exchange Injury For Injury, Exchange Life For Life. It suits you well.)

Skill Duration: 5 minutes

Skill Cooldown: 24 hours

Evaluation: The more intense your emotions, the more likely it is to trigger. You may enter a killing frenzy, so Host, use it with caution.

Constitution: 40 (Can be enhanced)

Bones: 49 (Can be enhanced)

Observation Haki: 0 (Can be enhanced)

Armament Haki: 0 (Can be enhanced)

Enhancement Points: 16

Overall Evaluation: Not bad. But how do you rank in the world without Haki?

The 16 Enhancement Points were the result of a month of hard training. Rono hadn't used them until now.

"System, put 11 points into Bones and 5 into Constitution."

"Sure, one moment... Beep! Enhancement complete." Little Shota spoke in a robotic voice.

With four and a half times the constitution of an ordinary adult and bones four times as strong, Rono felt power coursing through his whole body.

"Better get used to my strength first." Rono extended his Bone Claws and drove them into the wall. With a grating sound, they sank in to the hilt, meeting only the slightest resistance.

"Damn, these are sharp. They're almost as good as a Good Grade Sword." Rono retracted his Bone Claws and headed for the Enies Lobby training room.

Ten minutes later, a series of thunderous crashes rang out from the training room at Enies Lobby. Spandam received a report. "Rono? I knew he was strong, but I didn't realize he was this strong. It looks like we have a better chance of reaching an agreement now."

Rono was pleased with how his new moves had performed. He waited for the people coming to take him to Alabasta the next day.

Early the next morning, Rono was doing his usual training when a Marine ran over.

"Lord Rono, the ship is here. When will you be ready to leave?"

"I'll be ready once I've had a bath."

Rono looked at the Marine standing a couple of yards away in the courtyard and couldn't help finding it a little funny. They'd all been terrified by his killing spree that night. He figured they must have pushed this Marine forward by force.

After his bath, Rono packed a few things and went to the port. Three people were already waiting there. He boarded the ship, stowed his luggage, and said to them, "Let's introduce ourselves."

Although Rono was the main attacking force on the trip to Alabasta, he wasn't in charge of the mission. The World Government probably knew that, apart from fighting, he was useless at pretty much everything.

"I'm Haddaway, the commander of this mission. You'll follow my plan. Any problems with that?" The steady, middle-aged man spoke first.

"I'm Sairona, a sniper," said a young man who barely seemed to be there.

"I'm Deng Alpha. You can call me Deng. I'm a gunner," said a muscular young man, raising his hand.

"I'm Rono, a Berserker," Rono said eagerly.

"A Berserker? What's that?" asked Captain Haddaway. Knowing each crew member was the best way to make full use of their abilities.

"A fighter who doesn't care if he lives or dies once the fighting starts."

"That's a fitting name," the captain muttered.

"Wait, Captain. Who's our Navigator?" Rono realized that everyone on the team was an attacker. They didn't have a single support member.

"I am. All right, we'll have time to get to know each other as we go. For now, let's set sail." The captain gave the order.

"Aye!" the others answered.

Time at sea always flew by. Before they knew it, two months had passed, and Rono had gotten to know Haddaway and the other two. They'd also learned a little about one another's abilities.

Haddaway was an excellent navigator and a capable fighter who wouldn't hold the others back. He was skilled at strategy and had designed the entire plan for the mission.

Sairona was a sniper with exceptional talent. He could hit a mosquito's wing from three hundred meters away. He barely seemed to be there—which also meant he was good at staying alive, exactly what a sniper needed most.

Deng was an ordinary gunner. At the time, Rono had wondered why he'd been included in the mission, but he soon understood. Deng was a Devil Fruit user whose ability amplified effects. If one of his cannonballs hit an enemy ship, it could deal five times the damage of a normal cannonball. What if it missed? No problem. Once it hit, that ship was as good as done for.

Last was Rono. He hadn't revealed all his abilities. He'd only told the others that he'd eaten a fruit similar to the Bone-Bone Fruit, which let him cover his body in bone to increase his defense. He'd also shown them his Bone Planting Armor.

Rono knew the other three had all held back some of their abilities, more or less. None of them would say it outright—not even Captain Haddaway, who was the most eager to know what his crew could do.

First, once someone knew a Devil Fruit's ability, they could find ways to counter it. If people learned about sniper Sairona's habit of keeping a low profile, they could target him more easily.

Second, the four of them were only a temporary team. Once the job was done, they'd all go their separate ways.