"Eh?" Big Mom muttered in puzzlement, watching Whitebeard and Neptune walk away, their arms thrown around each other's shoulders like old friends leaving a tavern.
Her massive shadow fell over Ron, her sweet scent of cake and sugar a sickening contrast to the immense pressure of her aura.
Her eyes, filled with a wild, hungry light, fixed on the young man before her.
"You," she began, her voice a low growl, "are you the captain now? Ron is it? That youngest Great Swordsman with a bounty of two billion Belly?"
"I'm Ron," he replied calmly, "Vice-Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Big Mom nodded slowly.
Compared to the stubborn, infuriatingly Whitebeard, she preferred this.
The boy was the one with the real power here.
"Ron," she said, her voice shifting instantly from curious to demanding.
"Perospero said you agreed to cooperate with us?"
Ron smiled faintly and nodded.
"Naturally."
At his confirmation, Big Mom's cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by a sudden, explosive rage.
"THREE BILLION BELLY FOR A SINGLE FRUIT?!" she roared, a wave of raw Conqueror's Haki crackling in the air, causing the weaker pirates nearby to gasp for breath.
"Are you mocking the Big Mom Pirates?!"
Whitebeard, hearing the roar, paused in the distance.
A wide grin spread across his face.
He knew exactly what Ron was doing.
He wasn't just leaving because he couldn't be bothered; he was making a statement.
He was showing the world, and Big Mom, that his vice-captain had the authority to stand on this stage alone.
With a soft chuckle, he continued on his way.
Yet, the storm of Big Mom's will crashed against Ron and simply... dissipated.
He stood there, seemingly unaffected, his eyes as calm and deep as a bottomless lake, her suffocating aura finding doesnt affect him a bit.
"Three billion Belly?" he asked casually, his tone neither contemptuous nor reverent.
"Is it expensive?"
This casual question seemed to completely deflate her explosive anger, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"Big Mom," Ron continued, his voice flat and analytical.
"You are a physical monster, one of the strongest beings in this world. But your status as an Emperor, the very foundation of Totto Land and your army of Homies, is built upon your Soul-Soul Fruit. It is an exceptionally rare and powerful ability. Without it, you are a yonko, yes. But you are not the Queen of a living, soul-infused empire." His words were a direct, cutting truth.
"And I," Ron said, his voice dropping slightly, a quiet, undeniable confidence in his eyes, "Have the ability to mass-produce the very foundation of your empire. So, I ask you again. Is this technology... worth three billion Belly?"
The last sentence hit the depths of Big Mom's heart like a heavy hammer.
She was silent for a long, heavy moment.
This young man wasn't just a swordsman; he was a living, breathing factory of goods.
The price was no longer an insult; it was a bargain.
"MAMAMAMAMA!" she suddenly laughed, the sound echoing across the grove.
"Junior, you're really good! You're right, this thing is indeed worth three billion." She then gave him a meaningful look.
"Ron, are you interested in joining my Totto Land? I will give you a position second only to me."
"Big Mom, I think my current position is pretty good," Ron replied firmly, rejecting the offer without a second's hesitation.
"Let's prepare the materials needed so I can begin the experiments."
"MAMAMAMA, don't worry," Big Mom said with satisfaction. "Within three days, all the blood and funds you need will be in place."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up with a new, greedy light.
"Ron, I heard you also have the Ice-Ice Fruit and Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit in your hands?"
Ron's expression didn't change, but his tone became slightly helpless.
"Not much left," he said with a sigh. "Even our own crew is in short supply."
He knew exactly what she was thinking.
For an Emperor like Big Mom, the hunger for power was never, ever satisfied.
Sure enough, upon learning that there were still reserves, a startling transformation came over Big Mom.
Her normally cruel, cunning eyes went wide, shimmering with a pleading, childlike light.
Her entire, massive demeanor seemed to soften, becoming almost adorably docile, reminiscent of her innocent state when she had lost her memories in Wano.
"MAMAMAMA, wonderful!" she exclaimed, her voice now a high, excited coo that was deeply unsettling coming from a woman of her size and power.
"I want an Ice Fruit! As for the price... hmm... how about four billion Belly?"
Ron was momentarily stunned into silence.
What is this? he thought, completely thrown off guard.
Why is she suddenly acting like this? And she voluntarily raised the price by a billion!
Seeing this bizarre, almost unnerving display, Ron's shrewd mind immediately saw an opportunity.
He put on his most reluctant, pained expression.
"Big Mom, you have to understand how rare it is to encounter an Admiral, let alone make him cough up blood for a sample. Our supply is..."
"Five billion Belly!" she instantly interrupted, her voice tinged with a desperate urgency.
She gazed pitifully at Ron, her giant eyes filled with such earnest pleading that he found it genuinely difficult to refuse.
Nearby, Marco and Jozu exchanged completely bewildered glances.
"Why do you want the Ice-Ice Fruit so badly anyway?" Ron finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Big Mom's face suddenly contorted with pure, passionate rage.
"SHUT UP!" she roared, shooting him a disdainful look.
"What do you know?!"
Then, just as quickly, her eyes began to sparkle again with a foodie's ecstatic fantasy.
"You know what I've heard? The Icy Sweet ice cream cones are the most divine dessert in the world! And there's Ice Silk Cake! And Icy Sweets made from frozen morning dew! With the Ice-Ice Fruit, I can have chilled desserts anytime, anywhere! Just thinking about it gets me so excited!" She was practically drooling, lost in a vision of a culinary paradise.
Ron's expression was a mask of sheer, dumbfounded shock.
To spend five billion Belly... for a glorified refrigerator? This was absolutely insane.
A true Emperor's obsession.
Seeing this golden opportunity, he continued his performance.
"Big Mom, you know how precious Kuzan's blood is... our stock is dangerously low. We can only produce one... maybe two more at most."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Big Mom's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a manic determination.
Frozen delicacies meant everything to her!
Her gaze grew wild, teetering on the edge of a full-blown tantrum as she roared.
"Seven billion Belly! That's the highest I can offer!"
"MAMA!" Smoothie gasped, startled by the outrageous price, but she was instantly silenced by a furious glare from her mother.
Ron was ecstatic inside—seven billion!
But outwardly, he maintained his composure.
"Alright," he said with a slow, pained sigh. "Since you insist, I'll do my best to arrange it. But you'll need to give me some time to..."
"No!" she snapped, her patience gone. "I want it now!"
Ron put on his most reluctant expression.
"This is really difficult... I suppose," he sighed dramatically, "I'll have to give you the Ice-Ice Fruit that was originally reserved for one of our own commanders."
At these words, Big Mom's eyes lit up with a delighted grin.
This young man was far more agreeable than that old geezer Whitebeard.
Seeing the timing was right, Ron's demeanor shifted, his voice becoming sharp and focused.
"I can give you the Ice-Ice Fruit right now, Big Mom. But I have one condition. If you agree, I'll even discount the price by one billion Belly."
Big Mom's eyes narrowed, a flicker of her usual cunning returning.
"Let's hear it," she said, ignoring the discount.
Ron took a deep breath, a faint, predatory smile on his lips.
"The condition is simple," he said, his tone shifting from merchant to taskmaster.
"There is a man I want. A Supernova from the West Blue. Find him, capture him, and bring me a sample of his blood." He paused, letting the demand hang in the air before delivering the name.
"His name is Capone Bege."
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