86 Chapter 84

"Damn you, release her!" Mr. 3 weakly protested after witnessing Miss Golden Week's capture, trying to get up despite being badly injured by Ron's blow.

"Your body can't withstand the blow I just delivered," Ron said calmly. "If you still want to die, I'll accommodate you."

Ron approached Mr. 3 and lifted his foot as if to step on him.

"Wait!" Miss Golden Week intervened.

"What is it?" Ron turned his gaze to her, maintaining his gentle demeanor.

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Miss Golden Week looked up at Ron. "I promise to join your crew, can you spare him?"

"That..." Ron thought for a moment.

"Miss Golden Week, you shouldn't make such promises!" Mr. 3 interjected, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

"What is your decision?" Miss Golden Week waited for Ron's answer.

"Very well, since it's a condition of yours, I'll agree," Ron agreed with a slight smile, then looked away from Mr. 3 and led Miss Golden Week away.

"Miss Golden Week..." Mr. 3 called after them, but Ron ignored him.

"Let's go!" Ron approached the girls and gently set Miss Golden Week down. "This is one of Crocodile's agents, sent to follow Vivi, now a member of our crew."

"My God... Even someone so young is not spared!" Nami whispered, covering her mouth in concern.

"Wow, a new friend!" Apis exclaimed excitedly, looking at Miss Golden Week. "Hi, I'm Apis!"

"I'm Marrianne!" the young girl replied with a tilt of her head, extending her hand to greet the girls (T/N: From now on, I'll use her real name and Miss Golden Week when necessary).

"Are you joining Ron's crew too?" Apis asked eagerly. "That's wonderful! We're going to be great friends, aren't we?"

"I suppose..." Marrianne replied somewhat dazedly, watching the enthusiastic Apis.

"Let's get going. We've stocked up on water and food; it's time to go to Alabasta!" Ron turned to Vivi. "Alabasta is in turmoil, and we must arrive quickly."

"Thank you, Captain Ron!" Vivi expressed her gratitude, relieved to be returning home.

As the group departed, Dorry scratched his head in confusion, then hurried to check on the injured Brogy. Fortunately, Ron had shown mercy, and Brogy's injuries weren't serious, though he remained unconscious for a while.

Meanwhile, despite his injuries, Mr. 3 decided to report back to Crocodile. Ron's formidable strength made him too dangerous to confront.

Aboard the Merry, Miss Valentine observed Miss Golden Week talking to Apis in silence. "You... You've been captured too!"

"Hmm." Miss Golden Week nodded quietly. "His strength was overwhelming. My skills had no effect on him."

"Sigh..." Miss Valentine sighed. "I wonder if the boss can defeat him."

"Stop dreaming!" Apis declared proudly. "Brother Ron is invincible. Crocodile can't defeat him!"

Miss Valentine and Marianne exchanged glances, reluctantly acknowledging the truth that Ron was indeed incredibly powerful.

As the Merry sailed away from the ancient island known as Little Garden, Ron delegated navigation duties to Nami and retired to his quarters.

Ron entered Tashigi's room.

"How did you find me?" Tashigi looked at Ron in surprise.

"Don't tell me you forgot," Ron said and fixed Tashigi with a firm look.

"Forgotten? About what?" Tashigi's expression changed, feigning ignorance.

[Content deleted] (T/N: The author deleted a lot of content and I can't find it anywhere, so I have to improvise)

"Oh. So the memory of our bet just seemed to evaporate out of nowhere?" Ron sneered.

"What bet? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Tashigi shook her head, trying to deny the bet.

"Are you trying to deny it?" Ron looked at Tashigi silently. "This isn't like you."

"I'm a girl!" Tashigi argued.

"Right..." Ron rolled his eyes. "What a convincing argument."

"Hmm, why don't we settle this some other time!" Tashigi smiled, confident of her victory.

"Unfortunately, I won't let you have it your way!" Ron smiled and leaned closer.

[Content deleted] (T/N: Again, the content has been deleted, so I have to improvise again)

But before she could protest, Ron pushed her gently against the wall, his eyes intense as he leaned closer.

"You tried to avoid the bet, Tashigi," he murmured, his breath warm against her skin. "But you can't escape it now."

And with that, he closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss that sent shivers down her spine. In that moment, all doubts melted away as they lost themselves in each other, the world fading into the background as their desires ignited like a flame.

(T/N: I'm a novice at writing these things, I think I'm going to make a discord channel for people who can help me with this kind of scene, I know you guys love to read them)

It took a while before Ron let go of Tashigi.

Returning to the deck, Ron suddenly felt a chill, wondering if it was a sign of impending danger. But with his strength, he was not afraid - what danger could really threaten him?

Shaking off the feeling, Ron approached Nami and inquired about their progress to Alabasta.

"We're almost there. Once we pass the island ahead of us, Alabasta is next!" Nami answered, checking the map.

"Good." Ron nodded, then asked curiously, "What comes after that?"

"It appears to be Drum Island," Nami replied.

"Drum Island?" Ron's eyes sparkled. Wasn't Chopper there?

But Chopper wasn't the main target.

What was important was the King of Drum Island, who had eaten a Devil Fruit. Ron had learned from the system that the potential of the fruit was immense; once it reached full power, it could consume other Devil Fruits, giving the user the ability to wield three powers at once. Such an opportunity was too good to pass up!

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