Rono extended his Bone Whip, wrapped it around the Sniper Rifle, and flung it south. The tornado's immense suction made it hard for him to keep his footing, so he leaped toward the wall beside him to avoid its path. Bone spikes shot from his feet and pierced the wall, then burst outward, anchoring him in place.
Seeing this, Crocodile sent another tornado at him. This one was even bigger than the last, tearing the roof straight off as the surrounding walls groaned under the strain.
Rono's eyes glowed an even brighter red. The bone spikes retracted from his feet, and a layer of bone spikes covered his entire body, leaving only his hair and eyes exposed. Tiny layers of bone crisscrossed over his eyes to keep the sand out and prevent it from affecting his aim. He stamped his feet, and the already-strained wall collapsed with a roar. Rono charged straight into the first Sand Tornado.
His Bone Armor clinked as it scraped against the swirling sand. With a whoosh, Rono burst through the first Sand Tornado and reached Crocodile. Crocodile had no time to unleash a third one—or, rather, even if he had, it wouldn't have helped.
Rono's Armament Haki-coated fist slammed toward Crocodile's face. Crocodile's long-neglected hand-to-hand skills let him down. All he could do was raise the Golden Hook on his left hand, coating it with a thin layer of Armament Haki. Judging by the system's levels, it was probably around Level One. Rono thought it was pitifully weak.
The Golden Hook cracked. Rono had no intention of letting things end there. The bone armor on his forearm retracted, replaced by a mass of Crimson Muscle Group. It swelled, then burst with power! The Golden Hook shattered. Crocodile used the force to retreat, but just then—
"Whoosh—bang—bang-bang-bang!" Four shots rang out in quick succession, hitting Crocodile in the chest and abdomen.
Observation Haki saved Crocodile's life: he turned his head and neck to sand, dodging the two shots aimed at them. But it didn't do him much good.
"Seastone! Cough, cough—you—" Before Crocodile could finish, Rono's Bone Claws plunged into his head. "I don't know what's going on, but you're not getting out of this alive." Rono's icy words sealed Crocodile's fate.
Then his Bone Armor retracted all over his body. His legs gave way, and he collapsed unconscious.
"Good thing we made it in time. Ten seconds later, and I wouldn't have been able to control him anymore." System Loli wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief.
Using Armament Haki by force and overusing his Devil Fruit Ability had left Rono's stamina at rock bottom. His fight with Crocodile might have looked easy, but without those four Seastone Bullets, Rono would have fallen into Combat Mode in less than ten seconds. Half a minute later, his stamina would have been completely drained, and he would have passed out. That was only because of his Super Regeneration Factor; without it, he would have died on the spot.
Before long, a young man with a Sniper Rifle strapped to his back hurried over. He checked Rono's breathing and let out a sigh of relief.
Sairona looked at Rono's height—2.5 meters now (yes, he'd grown again)—and felt a bit helpless. How was he supposed to carry him? He was only 1.7 meters tall. After thinking for a while, Sairona's eyes lit up. He laid a broken plank on the ground and rolled Rono onto it. After searching everywhere, he finally found a coil of rope downstairs and tied Rono down. Then Sairona slapped his forehead and pulled the two Seastone Bullets from Crocodile's body. Better to recover whatever he could.
After dragging the plank with Rono on it through untold hardships, Sairona finally made it to the dock. It was deserted; everyone had fled in terror when the fighting broke out. That saved Sairona a lot of trouble. He soon found the ship they had arrived on, checked it over carefully, and settled Rono in before setting course for Enies Lobby.
Sairona found an Eternal Pose to Enies Lobby in Rono's room. That was good news; it would make the journey back much easier.
Perhaps the goddess of luck was on Rono's side. For three days straight, they encountered no bad weather. At last, Rono woke up.
That afternoon, Sairona ate a quick lunch, then went to check on Rono as usual. Just as he finished and was about to leave, a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz reached his ears. Sairona couldn't make out what it said, but that didn't matter. He hurried to pour a glass of water and get Rono to drink it. In stories, giving someone in this situation a glass of water usually woke them right up. Sairona couldn't help patting himself on the back for his cleverness.
Gulp, gulp. The glass was empty in no time. Sairona stared at Rono's face, waiting for the moment he woke.
"..." Nearly five minutes passed, but Rono showed no sign of waking. Sairona sighed. So much for it being that simple.
"..." Sairona saw Rono's lips move, as if he were saying something. This time, instead of fetching more water, he leaned close to Rono's mouth.
"Meat... I want meat..."
"..." Sairona was speechless. The guy was in this state and still thinking about meat. Even so, Sairona brought over the cooked meat he had stored, along with a barrel of liquor.
Sniff, sniff. With his eyes closed, Rono's body moved naturally to the table. He grabbed a meaty bone and took a bite, mumbling, "Delicious. So delicious." Then he picked up the rum beside it and took a huge swig. Half the bottle was gone in one gulp.
Sairona watched quietly as Rono wolfed down the food, utterly distraught. He could eat this skillfully even in his sleep—how much of a glutton was he?
Rono ate quickly. After finishing all the food and drink, he paused, turned around, and lay back down on the bed. Soon, he was snoring.
Sairona cleared the table, then went to maintain his Sniper Rifle.
That evening, while Sairona was making dinner, a voice came from the dining room entrance. "Yo, Sairona! Long time no see! Hmm, make extra meat."
The moment Sairona heard the voice, he put a hand on his gun holster. Only after confirming it was Rono's voice did he sigh in relief. "Do you know how much you scared me just now? I almost drew my gun." "Oh, come on, don't sweat the small stuff~" Rono's voice carried a lazy, listless air.
He hadn't been like this before, but ever since he saw the system, he'd changed.
System · Character Panel:
Name: Wolf Rono
Age: 15
Height: 2.51 meters
Ability: Self-Healing Factor (regenerates at an extremely rapid rate)
Bone Claws (bones stronger than ordinary bone; they'll be a great help to you)
Devil Fruit · Control-Control Fruit:
Devil Fruit Ability:
Bone Planting Armament (bone armor formed from bones provides extremely high defense; stamina cost: moderate)
Crimson Armor (break free of the skin's restraints to unleash greater strength and speed; stamina cost: severe)
Combat Mode: Berserker Mode (enhances Combat Awareness and Combat Comprehension Ability, letting you approach combat from the most rational perspective)
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 24 hours
Physique: 49 (you're still growing, so you'll develop quickly) (Enhanceable)
Bones: 66 (Enhanceable)
Observation Haki: 1 (Enhanceable)
Armament Haki: 3 (Enhanceable) (Unavailable)
Enhancement Points: 13
Before you continue