Loguetown, outside the backstreet weapon shop.
Ronan stepped out of the dim shop, a heavy weapon now in his hands. It wasn't the zhangba iron spear he had been longing for, but a jet-black staff about three meters long.
It had no sharp spearhead—only crude, ancient textures along its surface, seemingly forged from some unknown metal.
"Hey, Ronan."
Zoro, now wearing three swords at his waist, frowned as he looked at the thing in Ronan's hands.
"Weren't you always yelling about using a spear? That firewood stick… doesn't seem very fitting, does it?"
Earlier, the balding shop owner had rummaged through his storeroom for ages and failed to find a proper spear. In the end, he dug this long-forgotten piece of "scrap metal" out of a corner.
Supposedly, the material was too heavy and had too high a melting point to be reforged, and with no blade edge, it had never sold.
Seeing how badly Ronan wanted a long weapon, the owner had simply given it to him.
"Not fitting?"
Ronan stopped, gently running his fingers over the staff's cold, dense surface. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
"Hng—"
Holding the staff in one hand, he snapped his wrist.
The heavy black staff vibrated violently, releasing a deep, thunder-like hum that shook the air, instantly scattering the surrounding dust.
"Very heavy. Very hard. Excellent toughness."
Ronan nodded in satisfaction. He could feel that the material was anything but ordinary—several times stronger than normal steel.
"Spearmanship itself evolved from staff techniques. A spear thrusts in a line; a staff sweeps a wide arc. For me right now, as long as the force is there, even without a spearhead, it can still kill."
He slung the black staff across his back and looked toward the direction of the Grand Line, a hint of anticipation in his voice.
"And this is just a blank. Once we reach the Grand Line, if I can get some Seastone and forge a spear tip onto it…"
"Seastone?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. "That stone that supposedly drains Devil Fruit users?"
"Exactly." Ronan smiled faintly. "Then this will become a true 'Devil-Fruit-Killer Spear.'"
They stopped at a crossroads.
"I'm heading to an herbal shop," Ronan said, pointing down another street. "Coming?"
"Nah, I'll look around elsewhere." Zoro adjusted the swords at his waist. "I need to get used to Yubashiri and Kitetsu."
They went their separate ways.
Over the next few hours, Ronan moved through Loguetown's many herbal shops.
Although the names of the medicinal ingredients differed from his previous world, their properties were similar.
Relying on his refined knowledge of herbs, Ronan spent every last berry he had borrowed and finally gathered everything he needed.
"Blood-activating Redflame Grass in place of safflower, Dragon-Whisker Vine instead of bone-penetrating herb, and this old ginseng with decent age…"
Looking at the bulging bundle of herbs, Ronan felt reassured.
With these, everyone's physiques could advance another step.
Just then, a clamor rose from the town center. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and the once-bright sky rapidly dimmed.
"The wind's picking up…"
Ronan glanced at the sky, his gaze sharpening.
"About time. The show at the execution platform should be starting."
He hoisted the herb pack, gripped the black staff, and sprinted like lightning toward the plaza where the execution stand stood.
Loguetown, central plaza.
The square was already packed with people.
And atop the towering execution platform—the same one where Pirate King Gol D. Roger had once been executed—a farcical yet heart-stopping scene was unfolding.
Luffy was locked into a massive wooden restraint around his neck and wrists, pinned to the platform.
Beside him stood a red-nosed man with clown makeup—Buggy—holding a large blade aloft, laughing wildly.
"Hahahaha! Damn you, Straw Hat brat! Today is your death day!!"
Buggy's arrogant laughter echoed through the plaza.
"Luffy!!"
Nami and Usopp screamed in terror from the crowd.
Zoro and Sanji were fighting their way in from the outskirts, but Buggy's crew and Alvida's subordinates were too numerous to clear quickly.
When Ronan reached the edge of the plaza, he saw the critical moment unfolding.
"So… it's about to fall."
Unlike everyone else, Ronan didn't panic. He stopped, found a vantage point with a clear view, and calmly crossed his arms.
In the original story, this strike was broken by a lightning bolt.
That was the chosen one's "luck."
But now…
Ronan's gaze pierced the crowd and settled on Luffy's fearless face.
"Die!!"
Buggy roared, planting his feet on Luffy's shoulders. The gleaming custom blade in his hands—filled with vengeance and all his strength—came crashing down toward Luffy's neck!
"Whoosh—!!"
The blade wind was sharp and unstoppable.
The crowd covered their eyes. Nami and Usopp were on the verge of screaming themselves hoarse.
And yet—
"CLANG—!!!!"
A deafening metallic crash, like a massive bell being struck, drowned out all other sounds.
There was no spray of blood.
No head fell.
Time seemed to freeze.
Buggy remained frozen in his downward swing.
His eyes bulged so wide they nearly popped out, his mouth hanging open in shock.
The massive blade that could cleave rock had struck Luffy's neck—and not only failed to cut in at all, but rebounded as if it had hit indestructible divine metal!
The tremendous recoil traveled up the blade.
"CRACK!!"
Before everyone's eyes, the heavy execution blade snapped cleanly in half!
Half the blade spun through the air and embedded itself into the wooden platform.
Total silence.
"Huh?!"
"The blade… broke?!"
"That Straw Hat kid… is his neck made of iron?!"
The crowd erupted into stunned disbelief.
On the platform, Luffy was still locked in the wooden restraint.
He looked at Buggy—who was staring blankly at the broken hilt in his hand—and grinned, flashing an infuriatingly smug, confident smile.
"Hehehe!"
"What's wrong, Red Nose? Your blade's quality kinda sucks, huh?"
Watching from afar, Ronan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"This guy… I didn't expect him to have this kind of twisted sense of humor."
Ronan shook his head helplessly.
Luffy could have shattered the wooden restraint and escaped at any time—but instead, he chose to tank the strike head-on.
It seemed that while the famous "smiling execution" scene was gone, a brand-new iconic moment had been born—
shattering the execution blade on the execution platform.
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