Ron looked at Hody Jones's furious, resentful face and smiled faintly.
For an extremist like him, words were a waste of breath.
The kind-hearted Queen Otohime had once exhausted herself trying to reform fishman like him, Ron had no intention of making the same mistake.
In his view, the best and fastest solution was simple elimination.
Reasoning with fanatics was pointless.
"Resentful? Then stay resentful," Ron said, his voice flat.
He gave a lazy wave of his hand.
Instantly, a thick bolt of lightning materialized out of thin air and struck Hody Jones.
Unlike the blast that had hit Vander Decken, this one was far stronger.
Enel, having seen how tough Fish-Men were, had decided to give them some special treatment.
The lightning ravaged Hody's body, charring him black and inflicting an agony beyond words to him.
"Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi," Ron's cold voice echoed across the square.
"These two are nearly dead. If any of you have grievances, now is the time to vent. Don't wait until they're die."
With that, Ron gently led Shirahoshi away from the scene.
A girl her age didn't need to witness such brutality.
"Thank you, Ron!" Fukaboshi cried out, his voice brimming with admiration and gratitude.
The three princes, their eyes burning with a righteous hatred, then charged forward.
The two scum who had tried to destroy their home didn't deserve a quick death.
They had to pay for their crimes.
Meanwhile, Enel wasn't idle either.
He moved among the other fallen conspirators, busily and gleefully collecting blood samples.
By evening, all of Fish-Man Island was immersed in an atmosphere of celebration.
The Fish-Men and Merfolk had prepared a grand banquet, both to welcome the Whitebeard Pirates and to covertly celebrate the imminent departure of Big Mom.
As night fell, King Neptune stood on a high platform to address the jubilant crowd.
"Tonight, we witness a historic moment!" he boomed. "First, allow me to welcome our friends who have traveled from afar! And we must also thank those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to save our home."
When Ron's name was mentioned, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
His quick actions had averted a war and saved the fate of the entire island.
After the speeches, the banquet began in earnest.
Whitebeard and Neptune, old friends reunited, chatted merrily as they downed bottle after bottle of sake.
"Newgate, tonight we drink until we drop!" Neptune declared.
Whitebeard burst into his signature laugh. "Gurararara! Then you'd better bring out all the good stuff you've been hiding!"
Nearby, Big Mom was completely immersed in her own world.
She ignored the exquisite desserts spread across the tables, her attention focused solely on the ice cream in her hand.
With every cool, smooth bite, she let out a satisfied cry.
"MAMAMAMAMA! More Ice Silk Cake!"
While most reveled, setting aside their worries and prejudices, some remained vigilant.
The children of the Charlotte family stayed on high alert, knowing their mother was in a vulnerable state.
Smoothie, in particular, shot Ron a venomous glare.
She watched Shirahoshi happily refilling his cup and said under her breath.
"Men really are creatures who think with their lower halves."
Ron, who had been enjoying his drink, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He looked up to find Smoothie staring at him resentfully.
In her hands, she was twisting various fruits, her Devil Fruit power effortlessly wringing every last drop of juice from them.
She then held up the shriveled, desiccated husks and shook them in his direction, her message clear.
You're just like the rest of them, and you deserve to be wrung dry.
"..."
Ron instantly felt sober immediately.
Seriously, is this woman insane?
He had no idea what he'd done to provoke her.
Smoothie just snorted coldly, closed her eyes, and refused to look at him again, leaving Ron utterly baffled.
*****
Meanwhile, outside the Sabaody Archipelago...
When Admiral Kizaru reluctantly arrived with dozens of warships, he was stunned.
The Whitebeard Pirates had vanished without a trace.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… what a terrifying old man," Kizaru muttered to himself, his face maintaining its usual lazy expression.
The beach, which should have been a chaotic battleground, was completely deserted.
It was as if the pirates had never even been there.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Another day of slacking off… how wonderful.
After all, he'd heard Whitebeard was now a user of three Devil Fruits power.
If he'd had to face him alone, wouldn't he have lost at least a liter of blood?
"Vice Admiral Momonga, confirm the status of the Whitebeard Pirates. Take your men and conduct a thorough search of Grove Three," Kizaru's lazy voice echoed across the desolate beach.
He knew that no matter how much he wanted to slack off, appearances had to be maintained—and done thoroughly, at that.
"Report immediately if you find any trace of them," he repeat, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Beside him, Vice Admiral Momonga nodded seriously.
"Rest assured, Admiral Kizaru. We will complete the mission flawlessly."
With that, he turned to relay the instructions, and several rear admirals swiftly sprang into action, leading squads of soldiers in different directions.
As the marines began to land, the weight in their hearts instantly lifted.
Seeing the empty beach, their taut nerves loosened all at once.
"Thank goodness, they're really gone!" a commander exclaimed, his voice brimming with relief.
"Indeed," another rear admiral responded, a healthy reverence for the Four Emperors in his tone.
"If they were still here, we'd be facing another ugly battle."
"Who in their right mind would provoke a Yonko?" a young marine marveled, his eyes alight with a mix of fear and admiration.
The marines who had already landed cheered with unrestrained excitement.
"Hahaha! Looks like we won't have to die today!" one marine laughed heartily.
"Right? Who'd have thought small fries like us would live to see another day," another mused, his face glowing with joy.
"They must have left already. This search is just a formality," a seasoned marine analyzed wisely.
"Hahahaha! Don't say that out loud—just keep it to yourself!"
"Charge!" another roared with mock enthusiasm. "Even if we have to dig three feet underground, we'll root out the Whitebeard Pirates!"
With that, a group of marines charged into the dense forest, "diligently" beginning their search.
They overturned logs, parted bushes, and even carefully lifted small rocks, pretending to check if a member of a Yonko's crew was hiding underneath.
Kizaru lounged leisurely on a deck chair, enjoying the cool sea breeze.
He had just assigned the marines their task: a thorough two-day search.
However, after a moment of contemplation, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he were deep in strategic thought.
"Grove 3 is too vast. Two days might not be enough," Kizaru muttered to himself.
To ensure nothing was overlooked, an adjustment was necessary.
He turned to a nearby communications officer.
"Tell them to search every corner meticulously. If needed, we can extend the operation by another day," he said firmly, his voice calm yet absolute.
"Understood!" the officer replied, before rushing off to relay the new orders.
Watching him go, Kizaru sighed softly and settled back into his chair, closing his eyes to bask in the sun.
He was, of course, displeased about being recalled from his vacation.
But unexpectedly, the Whitebeard Pirates had brought him an unforeseen delight: a paid extension.
"So comfortable," he rejoiced inwardly.
In the future, matters like this should definitely require my personal involvement.
****
In a corner of Water 7...
Teach sat silently on the ground, clutching an empty bottle, his eyes hollow and lost.
Before him, Burgess was laboring to repair a rickety old ship that looked like it would fall apart in the next strong breeze.
An indescribable heaviness hung in the air.
Even the lethargic Doc Q seemed unusually alert, passing Burgess one wooden plank after another to speed up the repairs.
"Another one!" Burgess called out.
"Sigh, coming," Doc Q replied, his heart far from light.
The two exchanged a glance at Teach before swallowing their words and getting back to work.
Just then, a white bird descended from the sky—it was Lafitte, returning from his reconnaissance mission.
"Oh? Lafitte, you're finally back!" Teach tossed aside the bottle and shot to his feet, a flicker of anticipation in his voice.
Lafitte gave a slight, respectful bow.
"Captain, I bring good news."
"Oh?" A glimmer of light returned to Teach's eyes.
These past few days, he'd been so unlucky that even the heavens seemed to be against him.
Good news felt like a distant dream.
"Speak! Quickly!" he urged impatiently.
"While searching for our belongings washed away by the sea," Lafitte began, his voice smooth and confident.
"I unexpectedly spotted Straw Hat Luffy."
"What?! Are you certain?!"
Lafitte nodded firmly.
"Rest assured, Captain. I could not mistake the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates."
Hearing this, the gloom that had weighed on Teach for days instantly vanished.
A wide, manic grin spread across his face.
"Zehahahaha! The heavens have finally smiled upon me! Fate is on my side!"
His thunderous laughter echoed across the desolate shore, as if the very air trembled in response.
----------------------------
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