If Capone Bege knew that his blood had just become part of a multi-billion Belly deal between two of the world's most powerful crews, he would have probably dropped dead on the spot.
Big Mom's eyes narrowed further, her massive brain, a repository of decades of cunning and calculation, instantly processing the request.
'Capone Bege... one of the rookies from the West Blue.'
'A castle man.'
'So he wants the Castle-Castle Fruit... for storage and defense, no doubt. A useful, but ultimately limited ability.'
She weighed the effort of dispatching her children to hunt down a single, troublesome rookie against the immediate, overwhelming desire for the Ice-Ice Fruit.
The trade was still insultingly lopsided in her favor.
"Fine," she declared, a wide, predatory grin spreading across her face, revealing her grotesque teeth.
"A simple errand. I accept your terms!"
Ron nodded in satisfaction, knowing she would.
With a faint smile, he said.
"Excellent. Then let's toast to our successful partnership."
"MAMAMAMA! So where's my Ice-Ice Fruit?" Big Mom eagerly extended a hand, her voice brimming with a greedy anticipation.
"Since this is our first collaboration," Ron chuckled, "As a gesture of goodwill, I can give you the fruit first. But you must ensure Capone Bege's blood arrives as quickly as possible."
He then turned and headed toward the ship's cabin, leaving the Whitebeard commanders to watch the Big Mom pirates with a heavy, solemn silence.
They were in awe of Ron's masterful negotiation, and a new, almost fearful curiosity about his interest in Capone Bege began to brew among them.
Ron returned a few minutes later, holding a heavy, metallic case.
He gently placed it on the ground between them.
"Here is the Ice-Ice Fruit you desire," he said calmly. "However, to prevent any leaks and unnecessary trouble, I require that it be consumed now, here, in front of me."
Smoothie bristled at the new demand, her hand instinctively moving to her sword.
This man, she thought, her eyes narrowing.
But Big Mom was thrilled.
"MAMAMAMA! So cautious! You're starting to look like a proper vice-captain!"
Laughing, she then called out a name, and a man in a clean white chef's uniform timidly stepped forward from her crew, his body trembling.
"Eat it," Big Mom commanded, her voice a soft, silken threat.
The chef's eyes widened, a chaotic mixture of mortal terror at his captain's command and ecstatic disbelief at the opportunity before him.
The legendary Ice-Ice Fruit... the power of an Admiral... it was being offered to him.
"Y-yes, as you wish!" he stammered, his hands trembling as he accepted the fruit.
Taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage and took a large bite.
Instantly, a wave of nausea so profound it nearly made him vomit surged through him.
Yet, for the sake of the immense power, he forced himself to endure it, swallowing the entire foul-tasting fruit with great difficulty.
Then, an incredible sensation flooded his body.
It was a deep, biting cold, a power that felt as ancient and absolute as winter itself.
"I can feel it!" he murmured, his voice filled with a shocked, disbelieving excitement.
He slowly extended his trembling palm.
Faint wisps of frigid air began to emanate from his fingertips, and the ground at his feet frosted over.
With a surge of newfound confidence, he focused, and the water molecules in the air above his palm condensed, flash-freezing into a spiky, irregularly shaped, but strikingly beautiful sphere of pure, crystalline ice.
"It really is the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit!" one of the Big Mom pirates exclaimed.
"Incredible!" another whispered.
Big Mom let out a triumphant, world-shaking laugh.
"MAMAMAMA! This is amazing!" Big Mom exclaimed excitedly, utterly delighted at acquiring the Ice Fruit once wielded by Aokiji.
She had never imagined that there could truly be two identical Devil Fruits in the world!
"MAMAMAMA, Ron, I'm growing fonder of you by the minute!"
As she spoke, Big Mom fixed Ron with an intense gaze that sent shivers down his spine—a look that seemed to pierce straight through to his very soul.
Faced with such an enthusiastic yet slightly threatening stare, Ron couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Uh... Big Mom, if there's nothing else, please prepare the blood samples as soon as possible. I look forward to our next pleasant collaboration."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he turned to leave, eager to escape before she found some way to forcibly keep him there.
"Don't worry," Big Mom said breezily before departing with her children.
Right now, her mind was filled with thoughts of how to use the newfound ice powers to create all sorts of delicious and whimsical frozen treats.
Meanwhile, Smoothie called out to Ron's rapidly retreating figure.
"The 6 billion Belly will be delivered along with the blood samples you requested!"
With that, she too followed Big Mom and left the scene.
*****
Ron watched Big Mom's crew depart, a faint, satisfied smile on his face.
In truth, when giving her the Ice-Ice Fruit, he had quietly removed the ingrained knowledge of Aokiji's most advanced techniques.
The new user would have the raw power, but they would have to discover its true potential on their own.
As soon as they were out of sight, a wave of uproarious laughter erupted from the Whitebeard commanders.
"Vice-Captain Ron is so popular!" one of them howled.
"Big Mom really adores him!"
"I think she has her eye on him!" another joked.
"Maybe they'll even have a little Ron soon!"
As the princes led them toward the palace, Ron was immersed in a world of breathtaking wonder.
He had seen images of Fish-Man Island before, but nothing could compare to the reality.
The island was a vibrant metropolis of colossal coral and giant, pearlescent shells, teeming with Fish-Men and Merfolk whose way of life was completely different from the surface world.
Ace, in particular, was captivated, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Ron," he asked, "Do you think a Fish-Man who eats a Devil Fruit would be the strongest? They're born to live in water—they won't drown if they fall into the sea! As long as they can hold out until rescue arrives, they can keep fighting! They're natural-born warriors!"
Ron nodded, but then shook his head. "In theory, yes. But Fish-Men are children of the sea. The ocean is their home. If they abandon that home, that very essence of who they are, just to gain strength... then what's the point of becoming stronger?"
The words struck Ace with the force of a physical blow, silencing his excited chatter.
He pondered Ron's question deeply, his mind churning.
He thought of the man he had never met, the man whose blood ran in his veins.
Gol D. Roger.
He became the Pirate King, the freest man in the world.
And what was the result? His family was torn apart, his wife died, his son left an orphan to be hunted.
Was that a life worth pursuing?
Ace clenched his fists, a new, unwavering resolve settling in his heart.
No.
He would protect this family, the Whitebeard Pirates.
He would cherish what he had right here.
That was what truly mattered.
Jozu, overhearing their conversation, nodded, his expression uncharacteristically solemn.
"Ron is right. If the price of strength is sacrificing your home, then that strength is meaningless."
He turned his gaze to the younger crew members, his voice a low, powerful rumble that commanded their full attention.
"My homeland was destroyed by pirates when I was a child. If Pops hadn't found me, I would have died long ago," he said, a distant, painful memory flickering in his eyes.
"There are many brothers on this ship just like me—homeless, with no one left in this world to care about. That's why we are the Whitebeard Pirates. This ship, this flag... this is our home." His voice grew firmer, his conviction ringing through the palace halls like a solemn vow.
"The purpose of our strength isn't to conquer or destroy. It's to protect what we love. That is why we keep getting stronger."
He looked at Ace, then at the other young faces in the crew, his gaze as hard and resolute as diamond.
"Protection."
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