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Even more shocking was the figure standing on that terrifying head, clad in a gray cloak!
"Hey, hey... What the hell is that?!" a Marine Captain yelled, his legs trembling.
Ron gently patted the Sea King beneath him, 'Little King'. This deep-sea overlord, capable of destroying warships, was currently as docile as a house cat.
Sheltered by Ron's precisely controlled Haki, it was completely unaffected by Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, calmly carrying its master toward the center of the battlefield.
Splash!
When the Sea King fully surfaced, the massive waves it created caused the nearby warships to rock violently.
Ron slowly straightened up, his cloak flapping in the salty sea wind. He reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a familiar face that left all the high-ranking Marine officers shocked.
"That's... Ron the Gr... the Admiral Candidate?!" A veteran soldier's gun clattered onto the deck.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's pupils contracted violently, and the Den Den Mushi in his hand nearly slipped. He rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he was seeing things. "Impossible... Wasn't he already expelled? How could he be back..."
Staff Officer Tsuru immediately recognized the former Marine genius. "It's him, just as I thought... But why now..."
Her thoughts raced. Suddenly, a possibility struck her. "Could he be here to support the Marines?"
This thought slightly eased her tense expression.
"Bwahahaha!" Garp suddenly burst into loud laughter, slamming his fist onto the railing. "I knew you old geezer wouldn't just disappear like that!"
But as he laughed, his eyes became complex.
Garp knew better than anyone that Ron was already terminally ill when he left the Marines, diagnosed with only seven or eight years left to live... And now this reckless bastard was appearing in a place like this?
But this guy is too reckless. Is he really throwing his life away for the Marines, the bastard!
Sengoku's eyes felt warm, and his voice trembled slightly. "This idiot... even with his body like that..."
He remembered how, back then, to protect Ron from being executed by the World Nobles, he had endured immense pressure and only expelled him from the Marines.
He hadn't expected that after so many years, this former favorite would step forward during the Marines' time of crisis!
This guy is just too good!
What they didn't know, however, was that the strange purple markings on Ron's arm were glowing.
Not only was his body completely healed, but his strength had also reached an unprecedented level!
"Everyone, it's been a while." Ron's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried across the entire battlefield.
Standing atop the Sea King, he calmly surveyed his surroundings: the shocked Marines, the wary Whitebeard Pirates, the cautious Red Hair, and the colossal dragon Kaido circling in the air.
Most unnervingly, the moment he spoke, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki was forcibly pushed back! A unique "domain" formed with Ron at its center.
Seeing Ron make a move, Red-Haired Shanks withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and chose to watch quietly.
Kaido's dragon eyes suddenly narrowed, a hint of worry flashing in his vertical pupils. His massive dragon body twisted uneasily in the air, the flame clouds beneath his claws churning violently, showing his inner turmoil.
"That damned guy..." A low roar escaped the dragon's mouth, his voice a mix of annoyance and wariness.
Kaido clearly remembered their last encounter. They had fought for three days and three nights without a decisive outcome.
But soon, Kaido forced himself to calm down. He narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Ron standing on the Sea King's head. He knew Ron had been expelled by the Marines long ago and was not a Marine man, so there was no reason for him to help the Marines.
"Hmph... Since he's not with the Marines..." Kaido mused to himself, his massive dragon head turning slightly, his gaze shifting between Whitebeard and Marine Headquarters.
Suddenly, he let out a deafening dragon roar, and his enormous body began to rapidly shrink.
To everyone's amazement, the colossal dragon transformed into a human form, landing heavily on the deck of the Beast Pirates' main ship.
A sake gourd was in his hand at some point. Kaido tilted his head back and took a large gulp of strong liquor, his gaze never leaving Ron's figure.
"Boss?" King approached questioningly, his fiery wings on his back slightly fanning.
"Shut up and watch." Kaido roughly cut him off, his rough fingers rubbing the handle of his kanabo. He noticed that Ron's condition was vastly different from before; his aura seemed stronger, causing him to unconsciously tense all his muscles.
In the Marine ranks, Sengoku and the others were also startled by Kaido's unusual behavior. Staff Officer Tsuru pushed up her glasses and whispered, "Even Kaido is wary of him..."
Garp dropped his usual playful behavior, his brows furrowed. "Something's not right... Ron's aura..."
Everyone's expression changed, and they also noticed Ron's transformation.
On the other side,
Whitebeard saw Ron's figure, paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "Gurarararara... He also came here."
Marco immediately stood in front of Whitebeard nervously. "Pops, be careful! He was with the Marines before..."
"Relax, Marco." Whitebeard reached out a large hand and patted his shoulder, a rare look of nostalgia in his eyes. "That kid, stubborn as a mule, but a rare drinking buddy."
Marco turned back in surprise. "Pops, you know him?"
Whitebeard stroked his crescent mustache, his gaze drifting into the distance. "That was decades ago..." His voice carried a hint of emotion. "Back then, that kid was a greenhorn Marine Vice Admiral, chasing our ship across half the New World."
The sea wind swept past, billowing Whitebeard's mantle.
He continued, "Later, on a winter island, we fought for three days and three nights. That kid, even with several broken ribs, stubbornly insisted on arresting me."
Saying this, Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh again. "In the end, we got tired of fighting and just sat on the ruins drinking... The rum he brought was really something."
Marco listened, amazed. He had never heard Pops talk about a Marine man in such a tone.
"What happened after that?" Jozu also came closer, asking curiously.
Whitebeard's eyes suddenly became deep. "Later... to save a fishing village being hunted by World Nobles, he defied the World Government's orders." The old captain's voice lowered. "I heard the World Nobles died as a result, and that guy was critically injured and near death, but he was saved."
...
Just then, Ron seemed to sense Whitebeard's gaze and turned his head to look over.
The two exchanged glances across the distance. Ron gave a slight nod, the corner of his mouth showing a hint of the stubborn Marine Vice Admiral he once was.
Whitebeard laughed heartily, raising his Murakumogiri in greeting. "Hey! Brat! Want another fight? But I don't have a good sake!"