Nine-Tails Mode

A faint smile appeared on Ron's face. "Nice to meet you, beautiful lady. Can you tell me where it is?"

The pink-haired woman was stunned by Ron's sudden change in attitude. Surprise flashed through her beautiful eyes, and after recovering, she hurriedly gave him a deep bow and spoke nervously and urgently. "I... I'm also very pleased to meet you, sir... I remember the Navy officer put that strange fruit in the row of treasure chests behind you."

Navy officer?

A trace of doubt rose in Ron's heart. Weren't they slaves who had been captured? Yet they still called those murderers "sir"? Heh, they were oddly polite.

Ron said nothing more. He turned around and began searching through the row of treasure chests behind him.

After rummaging around for a while, he finally found a fruit with spiral patterns inside an inconspicuous wooden crate. Its skin was earthy brown, and its twisting lines resembled cracks in the ground.

"It really is a Devil Fruit." Ron muttered under his breath, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. This trip had not been in vain after all.

As for his agreement with Kaido, he had not forgotten it, of course.

But a powerful Devil Fruit that suited Kaido's tastes, according to the original storyline, was still at God Valley, in the hands of the Celestial Dragons.

Of course, if he found something better than the Azure Dragon Fruit this time, Ron was willing to give it to Kaido.

He placed his hand on the Devil Fruit and silently called out in his heart, "Activate the Mysterious Roulette."

The instant those words fell, an ethereal echo rang out in his mind.

[ Ding, the Mysterious Roulette requires the consumption of a "Devil Fruit." Current Devil Fruit: Earth-Earth Fruit. Confirm? ]

"Earth-Earth Fruit?" Ron murmured inwardly. "Kaido won't care for it."

"Confirm."

[ Ding, Devil Fruit ×1 consumed. The Devil Fruit has been reborn somewhere in the world. Randomly drawing reward... ]

[ Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained "Nine-Tails." ]

[ Ding, congratulations, Host, you have also unlocked: Passive · Malice Perception, Nine-Tails Mode. ]

A string of notifications sounded, and a translucent blue virtual panel appeared before Ron's eyes.

Host: Ron

Basic Abilities: Observation Haki [Intermediate (369/500)] Armament Haki [Intermediate (233/500)] Conqueror's Haki [Intermediate (80/500)] Taijutsu [? (?/?)] Swordsmanship [Intermediate (150/500)]

Constitution: Sage Body (Unlocked) Sage Eye (Locked)

Special Abilities: Four-Tails (Unlocked) Nine-Tails (Unlocked)

Triggered Abilities: Lava Release (from Four-Tails) Nine-Tails Mode (from Nine-Tails)

Mysterious Roulette >>> (Activation requirement: one Devil Fruit)

Ron gave it a quick glance. There were not many changes to his attributes, and the three question marks under taijutsu still left him baffled.

When he had first activated the system, taijutsu had clearly displayed numbers and a rating. But ever since he had obtained the Sage Body from the Mysterious Roulette, that section had turned into three question marks and had yet to return to normal.

Trading an ordinary Devil Fruit for a Nine-Tails... no matter how he looked at it, it was a bargain.

"Whoosh~"

A head suddenly poked out in front of Ron, nearly pressing against his face.

Ron froze for a moment. Looking closely, he saw that it was Kaido.

"You've been sneaking around, staring at this tacky gold for half the day?" Kaido straightened up and looked at Ron with a suspicious expression.

At first, he had thought Ron had discovered the Devil Fruit and was figuring out how to pocket it for himself.

But when Kaido came over, he found that this guy had simply been staring blankly at gold.

"No, Kaido. Is there really no trust between us at all?" Ron gave a bitter smile and casually closed the virtual panel.

Kaido waved a hand and turned to walk in the other direction, speaking in his usual carefree tone. "No, don't overthink it, Ron. Our Intern Alliance is unbreakable. I trust you completely. I was just... curious about what you were looking at after staring at those treasure chests for so long."

"..."

"Hey! What exactly are you two looking for? Are we leaving or not?" Stussy urged from the side, with three bulging sacks piled beside her.

"Wait a little longer." Ron replied, then turned back to the pink-haired woman. "Anything else?"

The pink-haired woman gently shook her head, a hint of apology in her voice. "I'm not sure... I only saw the Navy officer take one."

"As payment for the information you gave me," Ron said more softly, "I can help you with something within my ability. What do you need me to do?"

"Really?" Light suddenly bloomed in the pink-haired woman's beautiful eyes. "You... you really are a good person."

That last part was completely unnecessary... Ron grumbled inwardly. This was merely returning a favor. Of course, if her request was too troublesome, he would refuse without hesitation.

"Hmm~" The pink-haired woman thought for a moment, lowering her gaze as though carefully choosing her words. "If possible, after you leave, if you encounter anyone from the Kuja Pirates... could you deliver a message for me?"

She quickly added, "Don't worry. They may be pirates, but they are all good people. They aren't as vicious and terrifying as the rumors say."

The Kuja Pirates?

Ron's heart stirred. Shakky and the others' purpose... was it to save the woman standing before him?

Suddenly, a bold thought flashed through his mind. If Shakky was willing to seek cooperation with the Rocks Pirates for this woman, then she had to be very important.

If he captured her and negotiated terms with Shakky and the others, it would be quite a profitable deal.

"I refuse." A faint smile appeared on Ron's face. "Whatever you want to say, tell them yourself."

"But I..." Before the pink-haired woman could finish, Ron had already reached out, grabbed the iron bars in front of him, and violently pulled them apart.

"Creak."

The thick iron bars bent apart like noodles, revealing a large gap wide enough for someone to pass through.

The other slaves in the cargo hold raised their heads one after another, faint hope igniting in their eyes.

Ron then grabbed the explosive collar around her neck. Armament Haki instantly covered his fingertips, coating the metal surface in pitch-black.

With a hard pull, the collar's clasp snapped. He casually tossed it into an open corner of the cargo hold.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The collar's alarm grew increasingly frantic, its red light flashing wildly.

A few seconds later.

Boom!

The blast wave erupted in the corner. Fire flashed for an instant, and fragments clattered against the walls of the hold.

The pink-haired woman instinctively shrank back, raising a hand to touch her bare neck.

Behind her, the other slaves seemed to have witnessed the arrival of a savior. They surged forward in a desperate rush.

"Save me! Please save me too!"

"I'm a princess of the Doria Kingdom!" a woman wearing elaborate ornaments cried urgently. "Save me, and I can pay you a fortune! Gold, silver, jewels—take however much you want!"

"I'm a princess too!" Another young woman shoved aside those in front of her and practically threw herself before Ron. "If you save me, I can make you my prince consort, and you'll inherit the entire kingdom in the future!"

Voices rose and fell, pleas, promises, and cries blending into one chaotic mass.

Ron frowned and immediately waved a hand to cut them off. "Sorry, I'm only a pirate, not a savior. Your offers hold no appeal for me. If you want to escape, you can only rely on yourselves."

Then Ron turned toward Stussy, who was standing nearby with her hands on her hips and watching the show, and called out, "Hey, come help."

A moment later.

Outside the warship.

Sengoku and Whitebeard's battlefield had gradually shifted from the warship's deck to the shore.

This was beneficial for both sides. Sengoku no longer had to worry about the aftermath of the battle damaging the warship.

And Whitebeard could let Ron loot as boldly as he wished, since Sengoku had no time to spare.

At that moment, the two stood more than ten meters apart, facing off on a stretch of sand pitted and gouged by shockwaves.

"Sengoku, you know it as well as I do." Whitebeard planted his naginata into the sand and spoke calmly. "Neither of us can determine a winner in a short time. So why not... sit down and have a chat?"

The corner of Sengoku's mouth lifted slightly. He glanced toward the warship, then looked back at Whitebeard and slowly said, "What you say is correct. But... what if Garp has arrived too?"

"What?" Whitebeard's expression darkened.

Almost at the same instant.

"Whoosh!"

A figure leaped high from deep within the forest, both fists clenched and wrapped in Haki.

"Newgate... you really made me search hard for you!"