"If I'm not mistaken, that should be one of Doflamingo's officers Senor Pink."
Ron had already wiped out the Donquixote grunts and now stood calmly on a nearby rooftop, his gaze focused on the street below.
Sending an officer just for a single Devil Fruit showed how much the Donquixote family valued it. Even if Pink was only a mid-level cadre, he came from the New World a realm leagues beyond East Blue.
But Ron wasn't afraid.
The reason was simple: Senor Pink couldn't fly.
If Ron's memory was right, Pink's Devil Fruit was a Paramecia type the Swim-Swim Fruit. It didn't control water; it merely allowed him to "swim" through solid surfaces like walls or ground.
Ron didn't know how strong Pink truly was, but against a man confined to the ground, a flying mage like him held every advantage.
"He'll come back soon."
Ron narrowed his eyes, slipping into his God Mode the state of full spiritual perception.
He knew Donquixote's kind well enough. Officers like Pink didn't retreat, especially one with that "hardboiled" reputation. If anything, being ambushed would guarantee he'd come charging back for a fight.
A faint splash rippled beneath him.
In an instant, Pink shot out from the warped surface of the building below, arms crossed before his chest, body surging upward like a cannonball aimed straight at Ron.
Ron's reaction was instant. He lifted off, rising higher into the air. His right hand pressed forward as golden light flared.
Magic Barrier!
A translucent golden shield materialized before him.
Boom!
Pink's body slammed into it like a wrecking ball against steel. Ripples spread across the barrier, but it held firm. The shock ran back through Pink's arms, his body shuddering from the rebound.
"This level of force…"
Ron smirked, relaxed and confident. With a flick of his wrist, the barrier vanished. His other hand, gripping the elven staff, swung downward.
Explosion Spell!
Pink was still recovering midair no space to dodge, no time to counter. A blazing crimson arrow streaked from Ron's staff and struck him dead-on.
Boom!
Flames erupted, swallowing Pink and smashing him back into the street below. The explosion ripped through the road, spreading fire in every direction.
Ron hovered overhead, eyes calm, waiting.
The flames faded.
Splash!
Pink burst from the molten street like a diver breaking the surface of water.
He had used his fruit to slip beneath the ground at the last instant, reducing the impact and dissipating the fire. But he hadn't escaped unscathed his baby bonnet was half burned away, and the pacifier hanging from his mouth was blackened and cracked.
"Tch."
Pink shifted the pacifier from left to right, glaring up at Ron. Despite the burns, his face remained stoic. His voice, however, held a note of surprise.
"You're that bounty hunter from East Blue, aren't you? The one who refused our offer. So this is about the Devil Fruit?"
He didn't know Ron's name, but the tales had reached him a "magician" wielding a strange staff. Seeing that staff now, the connection clicked.
"That's right," Ron said evenly, floating above. "I'm interested in Devil Fruits. And stealing from pirates isn't against the law, is it? Technically, that fruit wasn't yours you just murdered the last owners for it."
Pink nodded once. "I see."
He weighed the fruit in his hand for a moment, then tossed it aside. It landed on a nearby barrel with a dull thud.
"In that case," he said flatly, "let's see who's left standing."
He hadn't planned on talking, but after testing Ron's strength, he realized this wasn't a pushover. Fine then. Simple rules: whoever won, kept the prize.
Ron smiled faintly. "A proper hardboiled attitude. But I don't plan on backing down either."
He flicked his wrist.
Whsssh!Whsssh!Whsssh!
Multiple Wind Blades tore through the air, arcing toward Pink like crescent moons.
Pink sprang forward, plunging straight into the nearest wall. The stone rippled like water as his body vanished beneath its surface.
The wind blades carved the wall to pieces but hit nothing.
A second later, water shimmered above.
Splash!
Pink burst from the top of the ruined building, launching himself straight for Ron.
But Ron's spiritual sight tracked every move. The moment Pink emerged, Ron's staff was already moving.
Gale Rend!
Seven or eight massive blades of compressed wind, each several meters long, exploded outward in a chaotic crossfire that sealed every escape path. From his aerial vantage, Ron had him completely boxed in.
Pink didn't flinch. He clenched his fists, muscles coiling, and roared.
His skin darkened to jet black.
Armament Haki.
Characters this chapterRon Faces off against Senor Pink, combining Magic Barrier and explosive fire spells with perfect aerial control.
Senor Pink Donquixote family officer, fights back with his Swim-Swim Fruit and Armament Haki.
Donquixote family Their presence looms over East Blue, continuing to pursue the Devil Fruit.
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