In the center of town.
Broken masonry and charred wooden beams lay scattered haphazardly across the ruins surrounding the Pentagram Magic Circle.
The air was thick with the smell of burning and the acrid taste of dust, mixed with lingering waves of heat from the distant battle's aftershocks.
Fake Ron and the companions he had recruited had gathered here.
Although Ron's battle with the Five Elders was taking place outside town, its aftershocks alone were enough to leave this nearest town unrecognizable.
One burly man with a massive sword resting on his shoulder stared into the billowing smoke and dust ahead, an undisguised tremor in his voice. "Th-this kind of attack... could a human really do something like that?"
"Idiot." Another man spat disdainfully. "How could human strength possibly reach that level? They just ate Devil Fruits with incredibly powerful abilities. Where else would they get that kind of terrifying power?"
"Whatever the case, those bastards deserve to die for destroying our base," a third person chimed in.
"It doesn't matter."
The voice came from behind them. Then its owner continued with a cold grin, "Our boss will make them pay, right?"
At those words, everyone's gaze swung toward Fake Ron, who was sitting on the ruins.
He sat on a half-tilted stone slab with one leg crossed over the other, looking as though everything was under control.
In reality, though, witnessing a battle on this scale had scared the piss out of him-he was so frightened that he wanted to run away.
Still, thinking of those five monsters that had suddenly appeared, he decided to wait for the outcome before making his choice.
"Heh." Fake Ron sneered, then said with a serious expression, "Rather than making them pay, what I truly want is to keep you safe."
"Boss!"
"Boss!"