Naval Ship Island. The devastated central battlefield.
The suffocating stench of blood had yet to dissipate. Scalding dragon blood dripped onto the rocks, hissing as it burned.
Ronan stood before the collapsed Thousand-Year Dragon King. Although the eight-foot iron spear was no longer in his hands, the freshly awakened Armament Haki coiling around his right fist—like streams of black air—radiated a danger sharper than any blade.
"It's over."
Ronan lowered his gaze, killing intent already settled.
To a martial artist pursuing the limits of the human body, the dying Thousand-Year Dragon King before him was no longer a living being, but a walking, priceless great medicinal treasure.
Just as he was about to bring down the finishing crushing punch—
"Hm?"
Ronan's brows suddenly furrowed.
Within his Observation Haki—sharpened to an extreme after tenfold tempering—he sensed a presence entering this slaughterfield like a moth flying into a flame.
The presence was incredibly weak, so weak it felt like a powerless child.
Yet strangely, the surrounding Thousand-Year Dragons—previously restless and murderous—fell into an eerie calm the instant they sensed it. Some even withdrew their claws and fangs, voluntarily opening a path.
"Don't—!!!"
A shrill, tearful cry pierced through the battlefield.
Ronan slowly withdrew his fist and looked up.
From within the dusty ruins ran a small girl wearing tribal clothing, with short blond hair.
She stumbled forward, face streaked with tears, one shoe missing.
Her pale foot was sliced open by sharp rubble, blood flowing freely, yet she seemed oblivious to the pain.
She spread her arms wide and fearlessly blocked the massive Thousand-Year Dragon King behind her.
"Please… don't hurt the Thousand-Year Dragons anymore!!"
Apis.
Seeing the small figure, information from the original story instantly surfaced in Ronan's mind.
Paramecia-type Whisper-Whisper Fruit user… capable of understanding animal hearts and speaking with them.
So that was it—because of her, the dragons had stopped attacking?
With Apis's arrival, the battlefield—once brimming with tension—fell into a brief standstill.
The Thousand-Year Dragon King, lying in a pool of blood with its abdomen smashed into gore by Ronan, let out a low, sorrowful whimper.
Its massive head lifted slightly, the violence fading from its golden slit pupils, leaving only deep exhaustion.
It tried to nuzzle the girl before it, but from blood loss its enormous body swayed, then collapsed weakly once more.
Apis turned and hugged the dragon king's huge snout. Tears fell like broken pearls, soaking into its hard scales.
"I'm sorry… I came too late… I'm sorry… I failed Dragon Grandpa's trust…"
"The Thousand-Year Dragons are gentle by nature. As long as no one attacks them first, they would never harm humans!"
Apis turned around, her reddened eyes staring at Ronan and the others as she begged hoarsely:
"Please… stop! Don't hurt them anymore! Please!"
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone who had just been consumed by bloodlust.
"Who's this brat…?"
Zoro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze still cold.
Wado Ichimonji in his grip continued to drip blood, killing intent not yet fully withdrawn.
To a swordsman, once a battle began, there was no reason to stop unless one side fell.
"A little girl?"
Sanji straightened himself with some difficulty, adjusting his white shirt that had been torn into rags, frowning deeply.
"Why would there be a kid… on a battlefield like this?"
"Whoosh—!"
A rush of wind sounded.
Luffy jumped over from the distant "a dragon horde.
He was covered in scrapes as well, his red vest ripped with several holes, yet he still looked full of energy.
"Wow! Those big birds are tough! They're really strong!"
He landed beside Ronan and finally noticed the situation, tilting his head as he looked curiously at Apis.
"Huh? Who are you?"
Apis didn't answer.
She only clutched the dragon king behind her tightly, like a small beast protecting its young—terrified and trembling, yet refusing to step back even once.
"I promised Dragon Grandpa…"
Apis sobbed, her voice choked but firm.
"I have to protect the Thousand-Year Dragon clan… I'm their guardian! As long as I'm still breathing, you're not allowed to kill it!"
Watching this, Ronan slowly exhaled. His clenched fist loosened, though the light in his eyes grew complicated.
Looks like… the Thousand-Year Dragon bones were about to slip away.
As the one most familiar with Luffy's personality, Ronan knew it well.
Once this girl stood before the dragon king, once the dragon was no longer just a "beast" but someone's "friend," Luffy's stance would flip completely.
In that guy's values, friends and promises outweighed "all vested interests."
But—
Ronan turned to glance at Zoro and Sanji beside him.
Not everyone was as "simple" as Luffy.
"Kid, move aside."
Zoro held his sword and walked step by step toward the Thousand-Year Dragon King.
His footsteps were heavy and oppressive, each step pounding on Apis's nerves.
"We went through hell to finally bring down this prey…"
There was no pity in Zoro's eyes—only obsession with becoming stronger.
"You think we'd just give it up because of one sentence from you? Do you know how much blood we spilled to defeat it?"
"That's right."
Sanji also took a deep drag from his cigarette.
Though he normally upheld his chivalry of "never hitting women," faced with the corpse—or soon-to-be corpse—of a legendary creature, he showed the coldness befitting a pirate.
Having just escaped death himself, he understood the importance of strength better than anyone.
Without power, forget protecting Nami—he wouldn't even be able to protect himself.
"The bones and meat of this big bird are top-tier ingredients and medicinal materials."
Sanji exhaled smoke, staring coldly at the dragon king.
"Sorry, little girl. This is the adult world. The law of the sea is survival of the fittest."
The killing intent of the three intertwined like a mountain, pressing down on Apis.
Her face turned deathly pale, yet she still spread her arms wide and screamed in despair:
"Bad people! You… you just want Dragon Grandpa's bones too! You greedy bad people!!"
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