Ron did not chase after him. Compared to wasting time arguing with Golden Lion over the liquor, he was more curious about something else.
Why the hell had that idiot insisted on making him drink hard liquor in the first place?
Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Don't tell me... he spat in it?
The moment that idea took root, every hair on Ron's back stood on end.
It would not cause any real damage, of course. But the mental critical hit alone would be enough to make a man drop dead on the spot.
"Gulp, gulp..."
Rocks did not think that deeply. He casually picked up a cup and took a big mouthful. As if he had seen through Ron's conflicted expression, he said slowly, "Don't overthink it. My guess is those idiots inside gave him the idea. As for the goal... probably to get you drunk, then provoke you into playing some game with him."
"..."
The corner of Ron's mouth twitched. For a moment, he did not know whether he should curse Golden Lion for being an idiot or admire the man's dedication to revenge.
"Very good, Annika." Ron turned to the girl beside him, who was already wearing a guilty look. "You've gotten bold, huh? Planning a rebellion now?"
Annika panicked at once. She really had thought Golden Lion wanted to ease the tension and had only asked her to deliver that cup of "water of life" for that reason.
Now that Ron questioned her like this, she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and stammered nervously, "I-I'm sorry, Ron-sama..."
Before she could finish, a loud explosion came from inside the ship.
Bang!
A huge hole was smashed straight through the wall, and splinters of wood sprayed outward.
Right after that, a figure wrapped in smoke and dust flew out through the opening, drew a rather ungraceful arc through the air, and crashed face-first into the deck at Ron's feet with a heavy boom.
Ron looked down at this "falling object" and said unhurriedly, "What are you doing, Kaido? Cosplaying as a flying man?"
Kaido pushed himself up from the shattered deck. His face still held panic that had not yet faded. "Huh...? What flying man cosplay...?"
Before he could finish, Rocks had already strode over, bent down, grabbed the back of Kaido's neck, and hauled him off the floor. His voice carried barely suppressed irritation. "You got a death wish, Kaido?! Wrecking the ship again!"
"What do you mean, again?!" Kaido tucked his head in, uncomfortable from being held by Rocks. "Even if I was a repeat offender before, this time it really has nothing to do with me! It was Linlin! Her hunger pangs acted up again!"
Rocks frowned and released him. He slapped a hand over his own face, sounding like a man who had completely run out of things to say. "Ugh... that idiot Linlin. Does she not know what condition her own body is in? She still argued with Gloriosa and tried to lose weight..."
Kaido paid no attention to Rocks' complaint. He only felt that his luck today had been rotten beyond belief.
He had finally found a corner to sit down and rest.
He had picked up a pastry Annika made and taken one bite. He had not even had time to chew when Linlin popped out of nowhere, stared straight at the pastry in his hand with drool at the corner of her mouth, and murmured, "Smells so good... I want to eat it..."
Kaido had casually said, "If you want one, go get it from the kitchen yourself," and then stuffed the entire pastry into his mouth.
Then everything went completely out of control.
Linlin "mutated" on the spot. Her eyes went blank, and it was like some switch had been flipped. She started howling that she was going to dig the pastry out of Kaido's stomach.
Damn it, why don't you just tell me to wait until I pass it out and give it back to you?!
"Thanks." Kaido recalled the terrifying scene from earlier while subconsciously reaching for the last cup of "plain water."
"Wait, Kaido-sama," Annika called weakly after him.
"Pfft!!"
The moment the liquor entered his mouth, Kaido felt as if he had swallowed a lump of burning charcoal. His entire mouth was scorched.
He sprayed it out in one violent mouthful. The mist of liquor scattered into droplets under the sunlight. Then he looked at Annika, then at Ron, his face full of disbelief. "This... wasn't this plain water?!"
Annika quietly opened her closed eyes a crack and said in a tiny voice, "I-I was just about to warn you..."
"It is plain water," Ron said calmly. "Just the kind that can be set on fire."
"Can you hear what you're saying, Ron?!" Kaido snapped.
Boom!
The inside of the ship exploded again.
This time the commotion was even bigger. Even the deck trembled slightly, and smoke and dust burst out of the hatch.
"Hey, Rocks, if you don't stop her soon, Linlin's going to tear the whole ship apart!" Whitebeard, who stood not far away, spoke slowly.
"Settle down for one damn second, you bastard!" Rocks cursed as he charged into the cabin.
In the next instant, an overwhelming burst of Haki erupted from inside the ship.
A muffled crash followed, and Linlin's body flew straight out of the hatch like a cannonball. She arced through the air and smashed heavily onto the deck.
Linlin quickly stood again. The right side of her face had taken one of Rocks' violent punches and had swollen beyond recognition.
Soon, Rocks walked out of the hatch with a dark expression.
Behind him, Golden Lion, Silver Axe, John, Gansui, and the others appeared in twos and threes, each leaning against the ship wall like they were watching a show.
"As expected of the Rocks Pirates. Their way of solving problems is always simple and brutal." Ron muttered under his breath, then had Annika go back inside.
"Wahwahwah... gimme... snacks..." Linlin's words came out muffled because the right side of her mouth was badly swollen.
"What bird language are you speaking? If you don't wake up, I'll throw you into the sea!" Rocks snapped.
"Wait, Rocks." Golden Lion suddenly floated out with an utterly serious expression. "I can read lips! What Linlin just said was, 'I can no longer control myself. Please kill me.'"
"?????"
The moment he said that, everyone stared at Golden Lion in shock.
Was that a serious translation?
Who the hell are you trying to fool?!
"Wahwahwah... gimme snacks!" Linlin roared. Conqueror's Haki poured out around her with her shout.
Golden Lion continued translating without changing expression. "She says, 'Hurry, Rocks. I'm about to go berserk. Please kill me.'"
The words had barely left his mouth when Rocks leapt up and kicked him squarely in the backside.
"Go play somewhere else, Shiki. Do I look like an idiot to you?" Rocks cursed.
Golden Lion steadied himself and glanced back at Rocks' face, which clearly said, 'Make up one more line and I'll send you flying farther than Linlin.' He curled his lip, but in the end, he did not say another word.