Kaido looked annoyed. His chin lifted slightly, and his tone carried a stubborn edge. "What do you take me for? A little brat?"
What a joke. Although his strength was indeed not among the very top in the Rocks Pirates, did that mean he had no pride? He, Kaido, had dignity too.
Linlin looked at his serious expression and could not help sighing again. Her tone softened. "All right, all right. I chose the wrong words. Don't be angry, okay?"
Kaido snorted heavily. It was as if he had finally found the step down he wanted. His tense shoulders relaxed a little. "That's more like it."
"Pfft."
Annika had been standing quietly to the side the whole time. When she heard Kaido's righteous "that's more like it," she really could not hold back and let out a tiny laugh.
But she quickly pressed her lips together and forced it down. Even so, the corner of her mouth from that instant would not go back down, and her face clearly wrote two words: laughing.
Kaido turned his head and precisely caught the expression on her face. "Annika, are you laughing?"
Annika shook her head lightly, but whether she was laughing or not was already written all over her face. Shaking her head at a time like this had no persuasiveness at all.
She was struggling badly. Just now, Kaido had been righteously refuting that he was not easy to fool. Then Linlin had pacified him with one "all right, all right." Annika really could not hold it in.
"It's written on your face," Kaido explained seriously. "Don't forget, you, me, and Ron are teammates. Linlin is an outsider."
What he meant was that no matter what happened, she had to stand on his side.
"Screw you." Linlin planted her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Before Ron came, whenever you had trouble, you often came to me for help. Now that Ron's here, I'm an outsider, huh, Kaido?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. When this kid first joined the Rocks Pirates, she had more or less looked after him, right?
But after Ron came, he turned around and started calling someone else his brother, while she got pushed to the "outsider" side.
This ungrateful brat. She felt those two punches earlier had been too light.
"Isn't that what you told me, Linlin? You said Rocks wasn't a good guy and told me to come to you if anything happened," Kaido replied innocently.
Linlin looked at him like she was looking at an idiot. She did not answer. Instead, she turned to Ron and spoke more seriously. "I'll be honest. I really have run into something. After thinking it over again and again, I realized you're the most reliable person to ask."
Ron raised an eyebrow slightly and cursed inwardly. 'Very good, Linlin. You really have no shame. You're clearly the one who needs a favor, but you insisted on saying you might go with me and even wanted to ask me for benefits.'
"Refuse," Ron answered cleanly.
"Don't be like that, Ron." Linlin spoke a little faster. "I'm not asking you to help for free! There's payment!"
"I'm not short on money."
"..."
Linlin choked, but she quickly changed tactics. "Then help me first, and I'll owe you a favor."
"Refuse."
Linlin did not give up and continued pestering him.
Her tone went from "I've considered it" to "I'm serious," then from "I'm serious" to "what exactly do you want before you'll help?" But Ron blocked all of it with various reasons.
Mainly, he was too lazy to bother. If it were something on the way or easy to do in passing, he would not mind helping.
"What exactly do you want, Ron? If I have it, I'll give it to you," Linlin finally laid everything out.
Ron looked at her and did not speak for a moment.
For her to say this much meant that the matter really was not small.
Then Ron asked tentatively, "You... aren't asking me to go to Holy Land Mary Geoise and assassinate high-ranking World Government officials, are you?"
"Huh?"
Linlin froze, then looked speechless. "Why would I be bored enough to send you to assassinate World Government officials? What I want you to help with is simple. My children were captured by the Marines."
"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be a trap. If it's just some rabble from the Marines, I can solve it myself. But if I run into Garp and Sengoku, I can't fight and rescue them at the same time."
By that logic, Linlin really had chosen the most suitable person by asking Ron.
After all, if she paid anyone else, they might agree verbally, but once real trouble arrived, who would care about her? They would all run their own way.
Ron pondered for a moment, quickly weighed the pros and cons, then looked up at Linlin. "Do you have Devil Fruits?"
"Devil Fruits?" Linlin neither confirmed nor denied it. She only repeated the words, as if waiting for Ron to name his price.
"Helping you isn't impossible." Ron raised one finger. "My fee is Devil Fruits. If you have them on hand, one. If you owe me, two. That's the friendship price. No bargaining."
Linlin was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "That's... that's all?"
After a pause, afraid Ron would regret it, Linlin immediately added, "Don't even call it a friendship price. I'll give you two outright. On hand."
"..."
Ron blinked and paused. It seemed he had asked for too little!
Thinking carefully, Linlin really was wealthy.
In the original story, she had so many sons and daughters, and most of them were Devil Fruit users.
And now she was giving him two without even frowning.
Damn it!
He really had asked for too little!
You should have said earlier that you were this rich.
"Friend, your problem is as good as solved." Ron stood up, instantly changing faces.
Linlin subconsciously took half a step back, a trace of vigilance in her eyes. "Ron, you're not planning to scam me, are you?"
Ron explained, "We're one loving family, aren't we? How could I do something so low?"
"Besides, Linlin, your judgment is very good. Coming to me was the right call."
"Running away and fighting, I'm good at both!"
Linlin looked at him, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. She did not answer.
Running and fighting did have proven records, yes. But when the words "one loving family" came out of Ron's mouth, she always felt there was a trick.
"Do you need any additional services? For example, if a crisis happens, I take you and your children and run together? It's not expensive. Just one more Devil Fruit as a hardship fee," Ron continued with a smile.
"Enough, Ron. Don't take me for an idiot," Linlin said speechlessly.
"Then, beautiful Linlin." Ron immediately put on a serious expression. "When do we leave?"
"Now."
"Now?" Ron's voice rose slightly. "That's a rush order. It costs extra."
Linlin glared at Ron irritably. "Enough, Ron. Can you get any more shameless?"