Ochoku the Schemer's Fury

"You seemed rather happy?" Ron's voice was calm as his eyes stared straight at Ochoku.

Ochoku's expression remained natural. Spreading his hands, he smiled. "Can't I be happy while eating food I like and drinking wine I like? Is being happy... something I'm not allowed to do?"

Ochoku was still somewhat worried. He feared that Roger had already confessed that he was the one who had provided Ron's coordinates. That would inevitably bring him unnecessary trouble.

Still, he did not care that much. After all... he had already thought of an excuse. As long as he firmly "denied" it, Ron would have no evidence against him.

"How you chose to be happy was your business, but if you didn't give me an explanation today, I thought we needed a fight to the death." Ron's voice sank.

The smile on Ochoku's face stiffened for a moment. The next second, anger surged through him.

As one of the Rocks Pirates' old guard, he was a prominent figure anywhere on these seas.

You were provoking him to his face, saying you wanted a "fight to the death"?

Did you think he had no pride?

"Hehehehe... bastard, were you threatening me?" Ochoku asked with a cold sneer.

Yet for a moment, he could not tell whether Ron knew something.

Otherwise, why would Ron come here demanding an explanation from him?

But that was impossible. He had done everything flawlessly. How could Ron possibly know?

"Where was Annika?" Ron asked expressionlessly.

Leaving aside the fact that Annika was now his personal chef, more importantly, she was the bargaining chip for his Devil Fruit deal with Shakky.

If that deal fell through, the loss would be far greater than a meal or two.

So Ochoku wanted to rob him after the fact?

"Annika? Who was that?" Ochoku paused deliberately, his brows slightly furrowed as though he were trying hard to remember. A few seconds later, he nodded in sudden realization. "Oh, that girl. Idiot, I wasn't your subordinate. Why would I keep an eye on her for you?"

"Don't feed me any nonsense. Whether you did it or not, you knew perfectly well."

"Evidence?" Ochoku sneered a few times, folding his arms across his chest. "I admitted she was quite pretty, but the women chasing me, Ochoku, could line up from the New World all the way to the first half of the Grand Line."

Ron paused slightly.

The women chasing you could line up from the New World to the first half of the Grand Line?

Who did you think you were? Li Ruolan?

You really had no shame at all, did you?

"Evidence? Heh..." Ron laughed. "You were asking a pirate for evidence to prove something?"

"Bastard, don't push your luck!" Ochoku cursed. He had originally thought Ron possessed something concrete, but now it seemed this guy was acting entirely on instinct.

"I already gave you a chance, Ochoku." Ron slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Ron had originally intended to use the safest method to get Annika back, but things had not gone as planned. Since Ochoku did not want to settle this properly, Ron knew a little about fighting with fists too.

At the same time, on the road leading toward the secondary ship.

Whitebeard and Kaido walked side by side, one carrying a naginata and the other a spiked club, their pace unhurried.

"Hey, Kaido." Whitebeard considered Ron's earlier conversation and the anxious look on Ron's face, then asked Kaido beside him in confusion, "That girl named Annika... did she run away?"

"Uh..." Kaido froze at the question and scratched his head. "Newgate, we went out together. How would I know? But running away seemed unlikely. If she wanted to run, she would have done it long ago."

"Mm." Whitebeard nodded. After walking in silence for a few steps, he suddenly asked, "Did Ron have his eye on Annika?"

"Huh?"

Kaido's CPU began whirring madly. One hand rubbed his chin as he stared ahead, while all kinds of strange scenes churned through his head. Had his eye on her? What did that mean? That kind of thing between men and women? Mm... that was probably what it meant.

So did Ron have his eye on her? Mm... what would happen if he did? Kissing? Hugging? It seemed none of that had happened. Ron had always been fierce with Annika, and whenever he called her stupid, he never held back at all...

Whitebeard watched Kaido's thoughtful expression, and his brow furrowed even tighter.

"Forget it." Whitebeard waved a hand. "Pretend I didn't ask. How could a brat like you understand?"

"Huh?" Kaido immediately retorted, "Don't underestimate me, Newgate! I understood everything!"

Whitebeard clicked his tongue and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. What the hell would a guy who spent all day fighting know?

Boom!

Suddenly, a violent explosion sounded in the distance. Then a faint tremor ran through the ground beneath their feet.

Whitebeard and Kaido stopped at the same time and quickly scanned their surroundings.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. The explosion had come from somewhere far away.

"Could Roger have gotten ideas again while Ron was alone?" Kaido guessed, then immediately cursed. "Damn it, Roger really was a bastard!"

Whitebeard said nothing. How long had it been? They were fighting again already? Besides, Ron had done nothing wrong. Had Roger taken the wrong medicine? Why did he keep hounding Ron?

Meanwhile, on Ron's side.

Thick dust billowed through the air, turning the surroundings gray-white.

Rustle, rustle.

Within the ruins, a collapsed wall suddenly shattered from the inside. Then a head poked out and looked around. Sweat slowly formed on his forehead.

Madman!

Ron was absolutely a madman.

None of his attacks had been meant to force him to admit he had kidnapped Annika. Every one of them had been aimed at killing him.

Tap, tap, tap...

Footsteps sounded through the dust.

Within the hazy gray field of vision, a gleaming golden figure slowly emerged.

"You..." Ron slowly said, "were really quite a schemer."

Ochoku had always been holding back—holding back his strength and his ambition. He had made everyone believe he posed no threat, made everyone overlook him.

All so that under certain special circumstances, he could kill his opponent in a single strike.

And in their fight just now, Ron had nearly fallen for it.

Of course.

As one of the Rocks Pirates' old guard, how could he possibly be weak?

All his previous concessions had merely been because no one had touched his interests.

"Ron, you madman!" Ochoku cursed furiously. "If we really fought to the death, you might not come out ahead!"