52: The Sudden Malice—The Seven Warlords of the Sea

In the following days, the Marine ship took an alternative route back to Marineford, passing by three different islands. Ron logged each of them along the way, finally reaching a vitality level of 700 points. He successfully performed the Moon Step for the first time.

Moreover, Ron received an additional reward from the system—a silver revolver with unlimited ammo. Though he loved it, he temporarily stored it in the system space. The space held not only treasures and money but also clothes, furs, and various wines. He still hadn't brought himself to open the bottles of wine that Makino had gifted him.

"Thank goodness the system space is large enough; otherwise, storing and carrying these items would be a challenge."

Leaning against the rail, Ron withdrew his mind from the system space. Before him stretched the boundless blue sea, and as he gazed at it, a rare touch of loneliness appeared in his eyes.

"I wonder how Makino, Ace, and Luffy are doing... are they alright? Has Kuina grown stronger...?"

A gentle voice interrupted his thoughts, "What are you thinking about?"

Ron turned to see Ain, who had her blue hair tied back, approaching in her black cloak.

"Nothing," he replied, averting his gaze.

Ain leaned on the railing beside him and looked at him playfully. "Liar, you seemed deep in thought just now. Could it be... you're missing a girl back home?"

"Of course not."

The two stood side by side, though Ron's head barely reached her shoulder. Ain looked out at the sea and said, "Thank you for helping me last time."

Ron replied, "I didn't exactly help; I was just in a bad mood and needed something to cut down."

Ain chuckled, "What a whimsical reason! I bet the guy you cut down would be furious if he heard that."

Ron sneered, "He should consider himself lucky I didn't take his head off in one strike."

"Agreed." Ain rested her chin on her hand as she leaned against the railing, turning to Ron with interest. "Where did you learn swordsmanship?"

"A dojo called Isshin Dojo, on a small island in the East Blue."

Meanwhile, Shuuji and a fellow Marine were checking on the cell holding the members of the Devil's Hand Pirates. As they passed the cell of Devil's Hand, bound in chains and missing both arms, the man sneered at them.

"You fools dare to capture me—do you even know who I serve? You've disrupted the business of someone very important."

Shuuji's brow furrowed. "So you have a superior? Who are they?"

"Very soon, you'll find out," sneered Devil's Hand.

Feeling uneasy, Shuuji immediately went to report the incident to Zephyr.

"The Devil's Hand Pirates must be receiving orders from someone," Zephyr murmured. He recalled reports from the island locals—the Devil's Hand Pirates hadn't left for four years, enforcing iron mining operations.

After piecing it together, Zephyr concluded that the pirates had been commanded by someone higher up to block communications and mine a rare iron ore for four years.

"Shuuji, inform everyone to prepare for maximum speed. We're heading back to Marineford immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

The Marine ship picked up speed, but little did they know a figure was approaching fast from several hundred miles behind, flying through the clouds.

The next day, Ain invited Ron for a sword duel. Although Ain knew she couldn't defeat him, she hoped to learn from the match.

As Ain left, Ron stayed on deck, looking out over the sea before turning back toward his quarters. At that moment, a chilling sense of danger washed over him.

"Is this… killing intent?!"

Ron spun around and spotted a figure in the sky rapidly closing in on them. He drew his sword, Raikiri, as the figure landed on the ship's stern.

Zephyr appeared beside Ron, his formidable presence joining Ron's, as they both faced the intruder. Dressed in a pink-feathered coat and wearing sunglasses, the man stood arrogantly atop the railing.

"Long time no see, Zephyr," the man sneered.

"Donquixote Doflamingo," Zephyr addressed him coldly. "What's your purpose here?"

Ain, Binz, and other Marines rushed to the scene, shocked to see the imposing figure.

"That's... Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?!" Binz murmured, sweat beading on his forehead.

Ain tightened her grip on her sword, sensing Doflamingo's intense malice.

"Hand over Devil's Hand and my cargo," Doflamingo demanded, eyes narrowed on Zephyr. He referred to the rare iron ore that the Marines had seized.

Zephyr rolled up his sleeves, his eyes fixed on Doflamingo. "You're Devil's Hand's superior, then? Think you can abuse your Warlord status and get away with this?"

Doflamingo smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You plan to stop me with your precious students around?"

(Note: Events have been altered slightly to account for the protagonist's impact, diverging from the original One Piece storyline.)