Moreover, the subsequent notification sent Ron into a near frenzy of joy.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself, a wide, almost manic grin spreading across his face.
"Valid within three minutes… this changes everything."
He did the mental math, his mind racing.
"This means that previously, three Devil Fruits were needed to guarantee one successful Enchantment, but now, only two are required!"
With this discovery, a profound, relieved smile spread across his face.
He understood exactly what this meant.
For him, a man whose ambitions were limited only by time and resources, this was an unimaginable boon.
The probability of success wouldn't just increase for the first dual-fruit user, but for the second, and the third!
This wasn't just saving a few billion Berries on a single project; this was saving tens, even hundreds of billions in the long run.
"Hah! The System is finally paying a real dividend!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, clenching his fists, his eyes gleaming with the light of a thousand new possibilities.
Soon after, Ron's gaze slowly shifted away from the completed mission notification, turning instead to the other tasks listed further down in the system's holographic interface.
A hint of caution flickered in his eyes as he scanned them.
The Phased Reward Mission, the one he had just completed the first stage of, stood out prominently.
The clear mission prompt indicated that this task could be completed a total of ten times, with nine more stepping stones to even greater rewards.
Each phase, he knew, could bring unexpected, game-changing assistance.
Another task, the [Haki Replacement Mission], also stirred a deep excitement in his heart.
This, too, could be completed ten times.
The name alone was brimming with an allure that was almost terrifying.
'I could grant someone Shanks Conqueror's Haki!' he wondered.
'Or replace a weak Observation Haki with a future-seeing variant?'
He could almost foresee the incredibly generous, world-altering reward awaiting him once he completed all ten stages.
However, reality quickly made Ron frown.
The funds required for these high-level system missions were simply too vast, like towering, insurmountable mountains of gold.
Given his current financial situation, even with Doflamingo's deposit, investing heavily in these missions would be far from cost-effective.
Every Berry had to be used carefully.
One misstep, and he could find himself strapped for cash, hindering his overall development plans.
Ron took a deep breath and shifted his focus.
He began preparing to craft the Float-Float Fruit, a critical part of his immediate plans.
He meticulously gathered the necessary materials, his gaze focused and determined.
At the same time, the reconstruction of the Upper Yard was added to his agenda.
The once-sacred land, now in ruins, carried his hopes for the future.
And beyond that, in the deepest corners of his heart, the grand design for his "Eternal Divine Kingdom" unfolded like a slowly unrolling scroll.
It was time to reveal the first corner of its destiny.
.....
Meanwhile, across Sky Island, the various players were busy in their respective fields…
With Haruta's assistance, Marco began the strange task of familiarizing himself with the Tree of Covenant.
He approached it cautiously, placing a hand on its massive, bark-like surface, trying to sense the consciousness Ron had spoken of.
However, throughout this process, he felt nothing but a deep, ancient, and profoundly plant-like life force.
That mysterious power that Ron seemed to command appeared to be an unreachable existence for him.
This filled Marco with doubt.
He turned to Haruta, his eyes conveying a questioning look.
Haruta sighed and shook his head helplessly, indicating that he hadn't sensed anything either.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
Yet they knew Ron wouldn't lie.
The consciousness of the vine had to exist… somehow.
Deep within the jungle, Ace and Jozu were fully immersed in the most rigorous training of their lives.
Their eyes burned with a desperate, hungry desire for greater strength.
Haki, an intangible yet immensely powerful force, was the essential skill they needed to master.
Jozu, however, frowned with a trace of frustration in his eyes.
He lacked Conqueror's Haki.
Fate had not granted him the rare gift of a king's will.
But this didn't deter his pursuit of strength.
He devoted all his attention to mastering the other two forms.
Day after day of brutal training under Shiki's tutelage steadily elevated his power.
His Armament Haki grew increasingly refined, the hardened energy shield over his diamond body beginning to flow, edging ever closer to the advanced realm of Ryou that Ron had once described.
"Gyahahaha! Come on, kids! My training is hellish! Are you ready to cry?!" The Golden Lion's boisterous, slightly maniacal laughter echoed through the forest clearing.
In his eyes, occasionally tormenting these two hot-blooded youngsters was a unique and enjoyable kind of amusement.
He stood beside a thick tree, arms crossed, a smug grin on his face.
However, he soon found his amusement turning into genuine, jaw-dropping astonishment.
This kid named Ace was simply a monster.
His talent for Haki was so good it was unnatural.
"Don't just harden your fist, brat!" Shiki had barked on the first day.
"Feel the flow of my killing intent, the precursor to my Haki, and intercept it before it even forms!"
It was a complex, high-level concept that had taken Shiki years to master.
Ace struggled for an hour, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Then, his eyes snapped open, and he perfectly deflected Shiki's next probing attack, not by blocking, but by smothering the Haki at its source.
Shiki was astonished.
'This kid… he's like Roger,' he thought, a flicker of something akin to jealousy in his eyes.
'He doesn't learn Haki; he just… remembers it, like it's a forgotten instinct.'
Just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, the Golden Lion had unreservedly, and with growing frustration at his student's impossible progress, shared all the techniques and applications of Haki he knew.
He had poured out a lifetime of knowledge.
He thought that after this, these two brats would be grateful and obediently leave him to his wine and relaxation.
However, to his utter surprise, they continued to pester him without any intention of leaving.
What's more, their goal had changed.
"Alright, old man, that's enough lectures," Ace said on the fourth day, cracking his knuckles with a wide, challenging grin.
"We've learned all we can from your talking. Now we need a real sparring partner to put it into practice."
"Exactly," Jozu added, slamming his massive, diamond-hard fists together with a deafening CRACK.
"We need a moving target. A real punching bag."
This infuriated Shiki beyond measure.
He had agreed to be a security officer, a respected steward! Not a training dummy for Whitebeard's upstart children!
Faced with their expectant, battle-hungry stares, the Golden Lion was at his wit's end.
"Get away from me, you brats!" he roared, his voice full of exasperation.
"I really have nothing left to teach you!"