After a brief farewell with the residents of Star Cape Town, the small boat carrying the four of them slowly left the shore.
From behind came the townspeople's voices, thick with gratitude, calling out their goodbyes.
Nami withdrew her gaze from the sea and turned to Ronan, her tone carrying both confusion and a miserly sense of regret.
"Hey, Ronan. That Ripped Sail Pirates captain had a bounty of over three million beli. You really just gave all the reward money to the townspeople like that?"
Ronan looked at the town gradually fading into the distance, his expression calm.
"Their town was wrecked beyond recognition by pirates. Let them use the money to rebuild their homes."
Nami pouted, muttering with mild dissatisfaction.
"You're really generous…"
Then she let out a long sigh, her longing for money written all over her face.
"I thought we'd make a killing when we ran into pirates. Didn't expect to get nothing at all—not even their pirate ship was usable!
At this rate, when will I ever save up enough money?!"
Zoro, whose ears were surprisingly sharp, turned his head toward Nami. Half-lying on the boat, he asked lazily, "What, you short on cash?"
Nami snorted and crossed her arms. "None of your business!"
Ronan didn't join their bickering. Instead, he looked toward Luffy, who was sitting at the bow full of energy.
"Hey, Luffy. Where are we heading now?"
The moment he heard that, Luffy lit up, clenched his right fist, and declared loudly,
"Of course—the Grand Line!"
Before Luffy's words had even finished echoing, Nami planted her hands on her hips and shouted,
"Charging into the Grand Line like this is way too reckless!"
She looked dead serious, but Luffy seemed to latch onto only one key word. He swallowed the apple core he'd just finished chewing and said in confusion,
"Yeah, you're right. We still need to eat meat!"
"We can't live on just apples," Zoro added, one arm behind his head in a completely relaxed sprawl, though his eyes were clear. "Man, I really want a drink."
Ronan sighed as well, weighing the broken stick in his hand—barely a third of it remained.
"I need a proper iron spear too. A wooden stick is really just terrible."
Zoro's interest was piqued. He turned to Ronan again, curiosity clear in his eyes.
"By the way, you used a wooden stick earlier but pulled off techniques with that much power. That was spear work, right?
Pretty rare. First time I've ever seen someone use a spear."
Ronan nodded. "Yeah. It's my family's Xingyi Thirteen Spear."
"What are you guys even talking about?!"
Nami looked at the three men, each lost in his own world and completely ignoring her opinion, and nearly lost it.
She grabbed an apple at random and hurled it hard at Zoro's neck.
Thump!
The apple bounced away—only to be instantly caught by Luffy's stretching arm and stuffed straight into his mouth.
"We're not just short on people," Nami snapped, angrily pointing at the navigation chart. "We're also short on a ship!"
She took a breath to calm herself, then pointed to a spot on the map and made a suggestion.
"A little farther south, there's an inhabited island. If we can get a decent ship there, that'd be perfect!"
"Alright! Let's go eat meat!" Luffy immediately seized on the most important part and cheered.
"And my booze!" Zoro straightened up as well, suddenly energized.
Ronan's gaze was steady as he added the final piece, "And get myself an iron spear."
"I'm talking to idiots, aren't I…?"
Nami was utterly speechless. All she could do was clutch her forehead and sigh at this crew, each one bursting with his own goals.
…
East Blue, somewhere at sea.
The wind was calm, the waves gentle. Sunlight scattered across the surface like shattered gold as the small boat drifted forward.
On board, Ronan had already entered cultivation mode.
In the cramped space, he held a textbook horse stance—spine upright, knees aligned, hips relaxed and sunk, breath guided down to the dantian in a steady rhythm.
Although the "Perseverance" System didn't grant any multiplier outside of combat, Ronan could clearly feel his body growing stronger in a slow yet solid way.
Off to the side, Zoro and Luffy were practicing horse stance as well, copying him as best they could.
Despite only learning it that very day, with Ronan's careful guidance, their posture was already surprisingly correct.
Paired with the traditional breathing method Ronan had taught them, steam practically rose from their bodies. They had held the stance for a full half hour, yet still grit their teeth and persisted.
Nami lay by the side of the boat, soaking up the sun with her hands behind her head. Watching the three of them, she didn't miss the chance to mock them.
"Three total idiots. Such nice weather, and instead of enjoying the sun, you're sweating yourselves to death on a boat."
Ronan paid her no mind.
When he felt the session had reached a good stopping point, he slowly drew the practice to a close, exhaling a long, turbid breath.
Almost at the same time, Zoro and Luffy let out their own hot breaths and stood up.
Zoro wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at Ronan with clear enthusiasm.
"Ronan, this horse stance is great. I can really feel my body getting tougher, especially my lower body. Way more stable than before."
"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy chimed in loudly. "Even though you don't move, it feels like I've gotten stronger!"
Ronan smiled with confidence. "Of course. This is basic training for strengthening the body—the foundation of martial arts."
He looked at Zoro, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
"In a few days, I'll teach you some basic forms to further build your physique."
Zoro's eyes immediately lit up.
"Sounds great!"
He knew full well how valuable these structured training methods were—things that systematically improved physical strength couldn't be measured with money.
Hearing that Ronan was willing to teach them more, he felt both excited and genuinely grateful.
Luffy, however, immediately puffed out his cheeks and complained,
"Ronan, I want to learn right now!"
Ronan glanced at the cramped deck around them, helpless.
"On a boat this small, we can barely stretch our arms. There's no room to practice properly."
Hearing that, Luffy had no choice but to give up.
Not long after, Nami suddenly sprang up from her lounging position and pointed ahead, shouting excitedly,
"Hey! I see land!"
Ronan, Zoro, and Luffy all followed her gaze.
Sure enough, on the distant horizon, the outline of a lush, green island was slowly coming into view.
"We're finally here," Ronan thought, his heart stirring.
With land ahead, not only could he properly train—
More importantly, he could finally get himself a proper iron spear.