For the next five minutes,
Rayleigh was pinned to the floor and given the beating of his long, adventurous life.
Yoruichi even joined in—just to leave a few claw marks for style.
The tavern echoed with his miserable wailing.
Fortunately, Rem and Ram hadn't gone full rage mode; it was all surface-level damage—bruises, scratches, nothing internal.
Even so, the old man gritted his teeth in agony.
"Ssss— Damn it!"
"Kid! Didn't you say no fighting inside the tavern?!"
Ronn shrugged.
"That rule only applies to customers. Not to… family."
Rayleigh's face darkened instantly.
"Double standards, huh? You're getting good at this, brat."
If he could win, he'd have taught Ronn what a real social beating looked like.
Then, suddenly—
a crimson magic circle bloomed above Rayleigh's head, filled with glowing runes.
Tiny motes of light drifted down, sinking into his skin.
It was dragon-class healing magic.
In less than a minute, his wounds sealed up completely.
"You've still got a little conscience left, I see."
He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck, and sighed.
"I'd better go check on Ace. I'll bring your stuff tomorrow."
Leaving behind a thick stack of Berries, he strode out the door.
Ronn turned to walk him out—
but froze when he caught sight of Rem and Ram.
Both twin maids stood glaring at him, cheeks puffed, brows knit, eyes watery and full of grievance.
Adorable, yes. Terrifying, also yes.
"That was a misunderstanding," Ronn said weakly.
"You saw it yourselves—I was the victim here."
"Humph!" The sisters turned their faces away in perfect synchronization.
"Don't be mad. That sort of thing will never happen again."
He gently ruffled their hair. "And for the record, there's nothing between me and Liang Bing."
(At least… next time, I'll make sure they don't see anything.)
"Really?" they asked, blinking suspiciously.
"Really."
His expression was dead serious.
Then his tone dropped, cold and commanding.
"But you two—no more beating up customers. Understood?"
"Y-yes, Master…" they murmured softly. "We won't do it again…"
"Good. Now get back to work."
Seeing he wasn't angry anymore, both girls' faces lit up with sweet smiles.
Just like that, their mood flipped from stormy to sunshine,
and they happily skipped off to the kitchen to prep ingredients for dinner.
Ronn watched their tiny figures fade behind the doorway and couldn't help smiling.
As expected—Rem and Ram are so much easier to appease.
If this were Taotu…
he'd be out in the fields swinging a hoe till dawn before she'd forgive him.
When Rayleigh and the others left, the tavern stayed quiet for the rest of the afternoon.
After dinner, around nine, Ronn closed up shop and went to rest in the backyard.
The next morning—
The same routine.
The same silhouette.
The same smooth motions.
The same casual toss of money onto the counter.
Three mornings in a row now.
At this point, whether it was post-session "sage mode" or simple numbness,
Ronn barely reacted.
He'd grown desensitized.
Well… except at night.
Just as Taotu was about to leap back out the window, Ronn finally asked,
"Can you give me a reason?"
Taotu turned her head slightly,
her white-gloved hand brushing his cheek.
"A reason?" she repeated, her lips curling faintly.
"Sweetheart, you're too cute. In the adult world, there's no reason.
There's only comfort—or discomfort."
"Don't worry," she added with a teasing smile.
"I won't cling to you. Our relationship stays exactly like this. Understand?"
Before he could reply, she was gone—
a whisper of perfume, a swish of the window curtain.
But in that fleeting moment before she turned away,
Ronn saw something in her eyes—
a flicker of pain, a buried wound she carried alone.
Maybe everything she'd said before was just a mask.
Maybe her story had another version, one she'd never told.
Ronn could have used dragon magic to pry into her memories.
But he refused.
He wanted her to speak it herself someday—
so that when she did, that would be the real Taotu.
After washing up, Ronn returned to the tavern for breakfast—steamed buns and soy milk.
He ate while scanning the morning paper.
[WORLD GOVERNMENT ISSUES SUMMONS FOR THE SEVEN WARLORDS — MARINES PREPARING MAJOR OPERATION?!]
[REVEALED: SUPER NOVA KID'S ARM WAS SEVERED BY RED-HAIR SHANKS!]
[OUTRAGE: GOLDEN CITY DISTRIBUTES FREE CHIPS TO NOBLES — COMMONERS LEFT WITH NOTHING. THIS PAPER STRONGLY CONDEMNS THE INJUSTICE!]
Ronn chuckled and shook his head.
"Ha! This is exactly like that 'carriage incident' before I crossed worlds.
Doesn't matter the era—capitalists all wear the same ugly face."
Whether it was the Pirate World or the old Blue Star,
greed never changed.
Just then—
BANG!
The tavern door burst open.
Rayleigh stomped in, a long blade slung over his shoulder and a box in his hand.
His face was dark as thunder.
Thud!
He dropped both items on the counter and growled,
"You've officially drained my coffin savings dry, brat!"
But then, his mouth twisted into a grin.
"Totally worth it, though!"
He leaned in, whispering gleefully,
"Fed that Obedient Bean to Shakky last night… she's been sweet as a kitten ever since!
I swear, last night felt like paradise itself—"
I knew it, Ronn groaned inwardly.
The old man definitely didn't use that bean for research purposes…
He sighed and said flatly,
"My advice—remove the 'source of evil.' You'll live two years longer."
Ignoring Rayleigh's scandalized sputtering,
Ronn opened the box.
Inside sat a Devil Fruit—dark, eerie, etched with strange swirling lines.
[Ding — Item identified: Inu Inu no Mi, Mythical Model — Tengu Form.]
Ronn's heart leapt.
Jackpot!
A mythical zoan!
That alone was worth at least 1,000 system points.
If Rayleigh ever learned how valuable it was,
he'd probably cough blood on the spot.
"You drink free today," Ronn said with a grin.
"Anything you want."
Rayleigh blinked, instantly suspicious.
"You're being generous?
There's gotta be a trap somewhere, right?"
Before Ronn could respond—
Ding-a-ling…
The doorbell chimed again.
The tavern door opened, and a tall blond man strode in.
Sharp features, deep-set eyes, strikingly handsome.
His dark-blue uniform clung perfectly to his athletic frame—
though the baby bottle dangling from his mouth didn't quite match the image.
He sat down at the bar, set the bottle aside, and smirked.
"One drink."
His tone was calm—but dangerous.
"I'm in a bad mood.
If it's not to my liking… the consequences might be severe."
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