The moment Whitebeard gave his approval, a roar went up from the crew.
They'd been anchored long enough, and the chance to see the legendary Sky Island was more than they could have hoped for.
"Amazing! Sky Island! I heard it's swimming in gold! I can finally buy myself a Devil Fruit!"
"Yeah! The Vice-Captain said it's a whole city of it! We'll all come back as ability users!"
"And the women! I'll find the most beautiful one and bring her to Vice-Captain Ron!"
"Good thinking! A man like the Vice-Captain deserves the best of everything!"
A vein throbbed on Ron's temple.
Do they really think I'm that shallow?
Still, he couldn't fault their sincerity.
He glanced at the rowdy bunch, a flicker of warmth in his eyes, and gave a firm nod of approval.
That was all the encouragement they needed.
Their cheers redoubled.
In contrast to the crew's wild energy, the division commanders were quiet.
Ace swung his legs from his perch on a large crate, while Marco stood nearby, arms crossed.
"How's the Haki training, Ace-yoi?" Marco asked, his voice calm but expectant.
Ace puffed out his chest, a confident glint in his eye.
"Almost there. I can't project my Armament yet, but what I have now is plenty."
Marco's brow furrowed. "Not good enough, Ace. You're a commander. Not being able to project your Haki is a bad look."
Feeling defensive, Ace grinned and slung an arm around Ron's shoulder.
"Hey, Ron here is the Vice-Captain, and he's just a regular guy—doesn't even use Haki."
Marco shook his head, about to reply, but the words died in his throat.
Slowly, Ron lifted his right hand.
A shimmering energy bled into existence, flowing like liquid fire to coat his forearm.
The sight left Marco speechless with his mouth hanging open.
"V-Vice-Captain …" he stammered. "Since… since when can you use Armament Haki?"
"Oh? its not just armament haki tough?" Ron chuckled, entirely unfazed by Marco's shock.
Then, the Armament Haki covering his forearm seemed to ripple, as if alive.
He swung his fist into a boulder nearby.
BOOM!
A booming sound echoed as the boulder trembled slightly.
Its surface was unmarred, but everyone present felt the air itself ripple with a silent, concussive force.
"No way..." Ace breathed.
At Ron's gesture, he stepped forward and tentatively touched the stone with his right hand.
The instant his fingers made contact, the entire boulder disintegrated with a deafening CRACK, collapsing into a pile of rubble and dust.
The interior had been utterly pulverized.
"Hisss..."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
They finally understood what they had just witnessed.
That was Armament Haki emission—an advanced technique that took masters years to learn, if they ever did.
Wait a minute… Wasn't Vice-Captain Ron a scientiest?
How could he suddenly use Haki? And not just basic Haki, but an advance version of it!
Most people here hadn't even mastered the basics, yet Ron had done it so casually.
It was unbelievable.
Ron himself was staring at his fist, a little surprised by the overwhelming power.
He had only meant to break the stone, not unleash Haki that could tear through the air and pulverize it from the inside out.
Shit... this is going to be hard to explain.
Ron groaned internally.
He'd only wanted to show them a little of what he could do, not cause this kind of scene.
Before he could say a word, the crew erupted.
Their cheers were thunderous, as if they themselves had shattered the rock.
"So Vice-Captain Ron was just protecting our pride all along, pretending to be ordinary!" one crewmate exclaimed, his eyes shining.
"He's too kind, humoring us like that! To hell with my pride—Ron-sama, accept my bow!" another blubbered, dropping to his knees.
"All this time I thought he was just a scientist... I even tried to teach him some self-defense moves," lamented a pirates specialize in martial arts, his face burning with shame.
"Turns out I was the clown all along."
The mood shattered, and a wave of miserable wails swept through the men.
They were simultaneously in awe of Ron's power and ashamed of their own ignorance.
******
Four days later...
The Moby Dick cut through the open sea.
On deck, navigators checked wind patterns and humidity, ensuring their course stay true.
Whitebeard stood at the prow, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky.
"Gurararara… Ron, my boy," Whitebeard rumbled, turning his sharp eyes on him.
"Are you certain this is the spot? This 'Knock Up Stream' of yours?"
Ron nodded, his expression resolute.
"I'm sure, captain. This is the place."
His confidence was enough to put the others at ease.
Ace spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.
"Don't worry, Pops. Even if we miss it, we can still try the Western Zenith Pass." He glanced up at the empty, cloudless sky, then looked back at Ron.
If Ron said it was here, Ace believed him without question.
Then Ace turned back to Whitebeard with his eyes gleaming.
"Besides, once you master the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, you'll be the first three-fruit user on the seas! No one will be able to touch you!"
Marco chimed in excitedly, "He's right, Pops-yoi! Tremor, Phoenix, and Lightning? Your offense, recovery, and speed will be off the charts. The other Emperors won't know what hit them!"
Listening to his sons, Whitebeard felt a familiar fire stir in his old bones.
He threw his head back and laughed, the sound booming across the deck.
"GURARARARA"
Jozu was grinning like an idiot, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Ron," he cut in, his voice tight with eagerness. "Forget the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. For me... I want Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit."
Ron's eyes widened slightly.
He saw where this was going.
"My Shining-Shining Fruit turns me to diamond," Jozu explained, holding up a hand that shimmered like a thousand tiny stars.
"Diamonds have countless reflective surfaces. If I combine that with the power of light itself... my strength wouldn't just double, it would multiply."
"Refraction... reflection..." Ron murmured, his mind already racing. "You could bend your attacks around defenses."
"Exactly!" Jozu's excitement grew. "And I could focus them! Scatter the light to blind an enemy, or concentrate it into a single point—a beam that could pierce anything!" He slammed a diamond-hard fist into his palm.
"It would be unstoppable! The Glint-Glint Fruit was practically made for me!"
He paused, catching his breath. "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is powerful, sure, but with my abilities… this is a perfect match."
Ron stared at the Third Division Commander with newfound respect.
My God, he's not just a brawler.
This isn't just one plus one; it's an exponential curve.
He's talking about turning himself into a natural magnifying glass for light-based attacks...
He could turn a simple laser into a devastating cannon.
"Jozu," Ron said, his voice firm with conviction, "that idea is brilliant."
He turned to Whitebeard. "Captain, we need to set aside a portion of the funds for Jozu."
Whitebeard just laughed again. "Gurararara! You two figure it out."
"You're the Vice-Captain. Handle it."
Ron paused, then gave a sharp nod, accepting the weight of the responsibility.
"Okay captain."
"Hahaha! Thanks, Pops! Thanks, Ron!" Jozu boomed, pumping his fist.
"I won't let you down!"
The other commanders clapped him on the back, Marco and Ace congratulating him warmly.
Though if given the choice, Ace still thought Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit was the ultimate prize for raw destructive power.
Just as the group was laughing, the calm sea ahead tore open.
A massive whirlpool formed without a sound, its immense pull yanking the Moby Dick violently off course.
The sudden shift sent loose barrels sliding across the deck.
The whirlpool was a watery abyss, its diameter stretching for miles, like the colossal maw of a sea beast ready to devour them whole.
As the ship was dragged closer, the deck tilted sharply and towering waves began to crash over the rails with deafening roars.
Faced with the spectacular and terrifying sight, a hush fell over the crew.
"Gods above... a whirlpool that big could swallow an island!"
"It's pulling us in! Look at the water level—it's dropping!"
"It's so deep... it feels like it's staring back..."
"Everyone, hold on something!" Ron called out, a grin on his face.
"Wouldn't want to fall in!"
The crew scrambled, gripping railings, cannons, and anything else bolted down, their knuckles white with fear.
Someone tried to shout, but the words were swallowed by a deafening BOOM that seemed to shake the very foundations of the world.
From the whirlpool's eye, a pillar of water the size of a mountain erupted, shooting straight for the sky.
The sight was both magnificent and horrifying.
Sharks and giant Sea Kings, too slow to escape, were sucked into the vortex and flung into the air like toys.
Fish caught in the spray were hurled from the sky, hitting the churning surface with enough force to tear them apart.
The Moby Dick was thrown into the sky, threatening to capsize with every lurch.
Some of the newer crew members screamed, held back from the raging sea only by the hands of their comrades.
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