Ron's gaze swept over the beautiful, dreamlike scenery of the archipelago, the giant rainbow-colored bubbles floating lazily in the air, distorting the world in their shimmering surfaces.
"No need to rush," he said slowly, his voice a calm anchor in the sea of excitement.
"Right now, the entire world is buzzing with rumors about us. We didn't exactly hide our tracks on the way here. News of our presence on Sabaody has likely already spread." He gestured towards the bustling groves.
"Beneath this seemingly harmless beauty, countless dangers are lurking. There are too many people who would kill to make a name for themselves by defeating a Yonko's crew. On top of that, the Marines will not sit idly by."
Indeed, as Ron spoke, everyone began to feel the weight of their situation.
The path to Wano was not going to be a simple voyage.
"Hmm, you make a good point," Whitebeard agreed.
"So we just wait here to get surrounded?" Ace asked, looking around nervously at the strange, exposed groves.
"We'll stay here for no more than one day," Ron said firmly.
He then turned to the commanders.
"Jozu, Kingdew, Squard—before dusk, I need you to find a ship. One that's already been Coated. It doesn't need to be too big, but it must be sturdy enough to carry all of us. And make sure it has a spacious room I can use as a temporary lab."
"Ron, are we going to go to the Fish-Man Island?" Jozu asked, quickly grasping his plan.
"Exactly," Ron confirmed. "Right now, we're the center of the world's attention. We need to find a safe place to lay low and... grow for a while. First, we avoid the spotlight. Second, we can obtain a large amount of resources from Big Mom and rapidly boost our own strength!"
"Ah, I see!" Ace's eyes lit up.
"You plan to let these people stew for a while! Once they think we've fled and lower their guard, it'll be much safer for us to move!"
"Hey, Ace is getting smarter!" Marco laughed, ruffling his hair.
"Hahahaha!"
The group burst into laughter, the tension finally breaking.
Marco then clapped his hands together.
"Alright, in that case, some of us should go out and 'collect donations' to fund our journey."
"Hahahaha!" Jozu laughed, cracking his massive, diamond knuckles.
"This place is a paradise for criminals. Robbing them is practically a public service, right?"
"Robbing?" Marco corrected with a sly grin. "I believe the term is 'collecting protection fees.'"
******
Just past noon, the group returned, with a grim expression.
"We've got trouble," Marco said, getting straight to the point.
"A lot of Marine warships are converging on this location. It seems they're coming for us."
Jozu, however, just grinned, tossing a heavy sack of treasure onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Let them come," he said, his voice a low, confident rumble.
"Those Marine ships are just tin cans. I can sink them one by one without breaking a sweat."
Ron nodded in agreement.
"Don't underestimate yourselves. In a real fight, numbers and ships don't mean much. What matters is high-tier combat power. Jozu alone is as strong as an Admiral."
After a rough tally of their haul, a wave of collective disappointment washed over the group.
"Only 1.1 billion Belly?!" one of the allied captains groaned.
"That's not even worth two of Enchanted fruit!"
"These pirates are too damn poor!" another grumbled. "They call this a lawless zone? It's pathetic!"
Ron, who had apparently blown up one particularly stubborn pirate's hideout with a "little sneeze" to get their contribution, just smiled and shrugged.
"An unexpected gain is better than nothing at all."
After the good-natured complain died down, Izou approached Ron, his movements cautious and deliberate.
He looked around to ensure they were not being watched before carefully pulling a heavy, tightly wrapped package from his coat.
The parcel was bound in layers of cloth, as if containing something extremely precious and secret.
"Ron," Izou's voice was a low, excited whisper.
"This is the deposit from Doflamingo's side. He wants twenty Devil Fruits. The price is ten billion Belly per fruit."
Ron took the hefty package.
As he unwrapped it, a collective gasp went through the crew.
Inside were stacks upon stacks of brand-new, crisp Belly exchange notes, each bill of an enormous denomination.
The total was a staggering two hundred billion Belly.
Even for veteran pirates of an Emperor's crew, the sight of so much clean, legitimate cash in one place was breathtaking.
Jozu, the man made of the world's hardest substance, looked as though he might faint.
He had never, in all his years as pirates, seen so much wealth in one place.
"Doflamingo?!" Ace asked, his face a mask of confusion.
"Ron, why would you make a deal with him?"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed, seeing the confusion on his sons' faces.
"Ron's plan is simply genius!"
Ron chuckled and elaborated for the crew. "It's quite simple. We are using other people's money to build our own strength. For every ten billion they give us, we make ten fruits. They get one, and we keep nine." He added with a sly grin.
"And the best part? They deliver the rare blood samples directly to us. All of the reward, none of the risk."
As the brilliance of the strategy sank in, the crew erupted in cheers.
"This is amazing! With these two hundred billion, we can add sixty more ability users to our family!" one pirate roared.
"I'm choosing Pops' Tremor Fruit!" a young man declared with a grin.
"You have some nerve!" another shot back with a laugh.
"Why not Kaido's Azure Dragon? You can fly and be a tank!"
"Nah, that's boring," a third countered. "If you need to fly, just hitch a ride on one of the new commanders! For pure power, I think Commander Jozu's Glint-Glint is the best choice out there!"
Ron clutched the notes, his heart pounding.
Only nineteen more to go, he thought, the final stage of his grand project now tantalizingly within reach.
'My trip to Fish-Man Island is also part of the plan, but who would complain about gaining more strength ahead of schedule?'
"Alright, everyone aboard!" Ron shouted, his voice cutting through the excited chatter.
"Prepare to set sail for Fish-Man Island!" He held up the package.
"And this two hundred billion Belly deposit will be used entirely to enhance the strength of our family! Follow the previous order—whichever team is next in line, step forward and register!"
After giving his instructions, Ron disappeared into his cabin to begin the meticulous work of crafting the Devil Fruits.
The others buzzed with excitement, their minds racing with the possibilities.
"I want Enel's lightning powers!" one crew member said eagerly, turning to the former god.
"Enel, how about donating some blood for the cause!"
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