The hard Dragon scales coldly blocked his strikes.
His forehead quickly split open, blood running down his face, yet he seemed to ignore the pain, continuing to crash against them wildly.
"Let us down! I beg you! Let us go!"
His begging, carried by the howling wind, sounded so quiet, so helpless—broken by the wind and blown away into the empty sky.
"We still have a mission we must finish! It is our promise to the Land of Wano, our vow to Lord Oden! We cannot abandon it now!"
But only a cold silence answered him.
The Dragon kept flying forward, acting like it could not hear his cries or see his struggle.
Slowly, Kin'emon's strength ran out.
His body went weak, falling over like a puppet with its strings cut.
Tears mixed with blood, leaving sad trails down his scarred cheeks as they fell.
Shaking, he reached out, grabbing at nothing, trying to catch that last tiny bit of hope.
But all that surrounded him was the roaring wind—as cold as blades, cutting his heart, offering no comfort.
"Lord Oden... I am sorry..."
Kin'emon shut his eyes in deep pain, tears pooling inside them.
His voice was full of guilt and defeat. "We... might fail to meet your hopes... Will all these years of hard work really go to waste?"
In that dark moment, his heart was filled with confusion and pain.
The road ahead seemed covered in a thick fog, with not a single spark of light to be seen.
...
Meanwhile, Ron had been standing quietly at the Dragon's head.
His eyes were half-closed, as if he were blending in with the howling winds and the rolling sea of clouds around him.
He was in a deeply peaceful state, resting his eyes.
Suddenly, a tearing roar cut through the air from behind, drilling sharply into Ron's ears.
'Finally causing a scene?'
A knowing smile appeared on Ron's lips, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
He then stood up.
"What is all the noise?" Ron whispered to himself.
His voice was soft, but it cut clearly through the messy winds.
He took step after step toward the Dragon's tail.
Each footstep seemed to step right on their beating hearts, building up the fear in everyone watching.
When Ron's body slowly came into Kin'emon's view, the usually brave samurai acted like he was grabbing a rescue rope.
He struggled with all his might, pushing his body forward before throwing himself heavily onto his hands and knees.
His forehead hit the rough Dragon scales with a dull thud.
Right away, blood slowly leaked from his forehead, dripping down his cheek.
Yet he seemed completely unaware.
His eyes were filled with nothing but a desperate need to survive.
"Sir! I beg you, spare us!"
Kin'emon's voice shook with sobs, trembling in the wind, sounding incredibly sad.
Tears filled his eyes, and his stare was packed with helplessness as he begged.
"We will be forever thankful, always remembering your great kindness! As long as you spare our lives, we are willing to do anything for you!"
Seeing this, Kanjuro quickly did the same thing.
He pressed himself tightly against the Dragon's scales, crying and begging with fake passion.
"Yes, sir! Once we find the chosen one, we will make sure he repays you! The chosen one is someone who can change the fate of the world! If you spare us, we will use all our energy to help you find him and serve you!"
Ron's stare slowly swept over the two men.
It was as cold as a knife, scraping over them and sending chills down their spines.
Finally, his eyes landed on Momonosuke, who was curled up in a corner.
The once creepy, troublemaking brat now shook like a scared rabbit.
His body trembled wildly, and his eyes were full of fear and confusion, staring blankly at nothing.
Drool hung from the corner of his mouth without him realizing it.
He looked totally brain-dead from pure terror, with none of his old bossy attitude left.
"Heh..." Ron let out a knowing, light laugh.
"Even at a time like this, you still refuse to tell the truth?" Ron's voice suddenly turned icy, like frost in the middle of winter, sending chills down their spines.
"Just to keep a simple secret, you would rather die with it?"
Hearing this, Kin'emon's whole body shook violently.
A flash of panic showed in his eyes before he quickly forced himself to look calm, trying to hide the fear inside.
"Sir, please understand, we truly have no secrets... We are just a group of sad people struggling to stay alive. We beg you, spare us..."
Ron's eyes suddenly turned dangerous, looking like the sky right before a storm—dark and heavy.
He slowly undid the chain at his waist.
The clinking sound of the metal was incredibly sharp in the howling wind.
The chain slowly came loose in his hand, making clear clicking sounds.
Each click seemed to announce that death was coming closer.
"Very well." A cruel smile lifted the corner of Ron's lips. "Then take your secrets and disappear forever."
As he spoke, he actually began to carefully undo the ropes tied to the Dragon's tail.
His movements were slow, acting like he truly meant to throw them all off.
Kin'emon watched in pure terror as the ropes came loose bit by bit.
Below them was a bottomless drop.
The clouds rolled and crashed beneath their feet like angry ocean waves.
The faintly visible, stormy sea shined with a cold light under the sun.
It looked like a giant, open mouth just waiting to eat them whole.
"No! I beg you!" Kin'emon frantically bowed his head to the floor.
His forehead was already torn and bleeding, the blood staining a patch of the Dragon's scales.
His voice grew incredibly rough from pure fear.
"I will talk! I will tell you everything! Just spare Momonosuke-sama! He is still a child! He has not had the chance to see the beauty of this world—he cannot die like this!"
Kanjuro was also scared out of his mind.
His face was covered in snot and tears, and his whole body collapsed to the floor like a pile of mud.
He begged desperately, "Sir, have mercy! We are willing to tell you everything we know! As long as you spare our lives, we will do anything you ask!"
Ron's hands stopped moving.
He looked down at them from high above.
The strong wind whipped his black hair into a wild, messy tangle, which only made him look even more scary and powerful.
"This is your last chance."