Chapter 24 Hunt The Sea Kings!

"Momo! Ten times faster!"

Swish!

The surface of the sea churned, sending massive waves crashing into the sky. The undead warship surged forward, cutting through the water with unimaginable speed. Bond placed his hands on the hull, activating his Devil Fruit power.

"Impressive!"

Ron lounged on a chair, savoring the sensation of the ship's wind-like velocity. The speed of the undead warship was already among the best in the world, and now, enhanced by the Momo fruit, it was ten times faster. Even the finest warships of the World Government would trail behind.

Ron closed his eyes, enjoying the rush of air against his skin. The ability granted to his skin heightened his sensitivity to the world around him. This new perception transcended the usual five senses, approaching what some might call the fabled sixth sense — the "heart sense."

The concept of the sixth sense is often seen as mysterious, but at its core, it's a unique biological magnetic field that sharpens perception. Everything within this field is instantly detected and processed by the brain, without the delay of normal sensory input. No visual barriers, no slow reactions — every movement is captured in an instant.

In this world, such ability is known as Observation Haki.

"The practice of Observation Haki involves blocking the five senses to heighten the intuition of the sixth sense. I'm so close to mastering it," Ron mused.

He reached out, effortlessly snatching a seabird from mid-flight, catching it by the wing. While he hadn't fully grasped Observation Haki yet, his heightened awareness allowed him to detect movements within a two-to-three-meter radius. If he could fully master it, his range could extend to tens of kilometers.

To quicken his mastery of Observation Haki, Ron knew he needed a fast and powerful opponent — someone who could push him beyond his limits.

"A fast opponent…"

A sly smile crossed his face as he thought of one such individual: Borsalino, the future Admiral Kizaru, and a user of the Pika Pika no Mi, the Glint-Glint fruit. In terms of speed, Borsalino would definitely rank one in the world. If Ron could successfully sense and catch Borsalino using Observation Haki, his training would be complete.

But how could he engage Borsalino in battle? Borsalino wasn't like Sakazuki — he wouldn't fight for no reason.

"It looks like I'll have to provoke him," Ron concluded, scratching his chin. He knew that challenging someone like Borsalino could be seen as reckless, but it was the only way to get a fight out of him. As for the consequences, based on his knowledge of the Marine Commander-in-Chief, Kong, the incident would likely be smoothed over, turning into a minor issue.

As long as nobody died, the worst outcome might be a few days in confinement. Ron was no stranger to such punishments, having caused more than his fair share of trouble recently.

"Right now, Borsalino should be stationed at G6 Fortress," Ron recalled.

Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Ron were each stationed at three key Marine fortresses — G6, G7, and G8 — which guarded the end of the first half of the Grand Line. Only the most formidable pirates operated in these waters, so it made sense to assign two Logia-type Devil Fruit users to this region.

This wasn't just about defense; it was also an opportunity for these three Marines to gain battle experience and merit. With so many pirates passing through, it was easy to capture a few notorious ones and build up one's resume. In a decade or so, they would have accumulated enough merit to be promoted to Vice Admiral, and once the current Marine leadership retired, they would naturally ascend to Admiral.

Ron suspected that Kong had originally focused on Borsalino and Sakazuki, seeing them as prime candidates for promotion. Ron himself had likely been added to the mix to make up the numbers. Little did Kong know that in just a short time, Ron's strength would skyrocket, and his rank would rise repeatedly.

Within three months, he had been promoted again and again. Now, the Five Elders had made an exception and directly elevated him to Vice Admiral. Anyone with a keen eye could see that Ron was on track to becoming the future Fleet Admiral.

Marshal Kong, seeing Ron's potential, had changed his attitude toward him. During earlier meetings in the Marshal's office, Kong had been strictly business-like. Now, his demeanor had softened, and his interactions were filled with warmth and encouragement, almost like a kind elder.

This was the power of strength. In this world, there's no such thing as unconditional goodwill.

The undead warship soon docked at G8 Fortress, giving Ron a rare few days of peace. While the headquarters prepared to deploy more forces to G8, Ron wasn't idle.

In the Calm Belt…

An undead warship cut through the still waters of the Calm Belt, moving with surprising speed.

"It's been a while since I've been here," Ron muttered from the bow, gripping his sword's hilt as he gazed at the unnervingly calm sea. His eyes sharpened.

"Raging Strike!"

A dark-red slash cleaved the sea apart. Ron stood still, watching as the deep waters churned.

Moments later, a massive shadow stirred beneath the waves.

Crash!

A monstrous creature, over 100 meters long, breached the surface, roaring ferociously.

"Sea Kings," Ron said with a smirk. The Calm Belt was notorious for its Sea Kings — colossal sea monsters that lived in these tranquil waters. Beneath the surface, millions of them thrived. Some, even larger than 10,000 meters, were the true rulers of the sea.

Compared to those giants, the Sea Kings before him were mere infants. But even these "small" Sea Kings were terrifying by human standards. Several opened their massive jaws and lunged at the undead warship, intent on tearing apart the intruders.

"Rapid Draw Strike!"

Ron unsheathed his blade, unleashing a dark-red slash that sliced through the air. Blood sprayed as dozens of Sea Kings were cut down in an instant. The undead warship's bow opened, greedily consuming the corpses one by one.

Even Sea Kings could be enslaved by the power of the undead warship.

Ron felt a faint increase in his strength and remained calm. He wasn't surprised; killing such low-level Sea Kings offered only minor benefits. To significantly increase his power, he would need to slay an Admiral-level opponent.

Still, his current goal wasn't to strengthen himself but to bolster the undead army's combat power.

Whistling sharply, Ron summoned a dozen undead Sea Kings — rotting, skeletal creatures that emerged from the ship's hull, exuding death.

"Go hunt down more Sea Kings!" Ron commanded.

Without hesitation, the undead Sea Kings dove into the depths, ready to slaughter their own kind.