In the center of the town.
Around the ruins of the pentagram formation, broken bricks and charred beams lay scattered everywhere.
The air was filled with the smell of burning and the dry bitterness of dust, mixed with the remaining heat carried by the aftershocks of the distant battle.
The fake Ron and the partners he had recruited were gathered here.
Although the battle between Ron and the Five Elders was outside the town, the aftershocks were already enough to leave the closest town unrecognizable.
One burly man carrying a giant sword over his shoulder stared toward the smoke-filled distance. His voice trembled openly. "An... an attack with this kind of power... is that really something a human can do?"
"Idiot." Another man spat disdainfully. "How could human strength possibly reach that level? They must have eaten Devil Fruits with ridiculously strong powers. Otherwise, where would that terrifying strength come from?"
"No matter what, those bastards deserve to die. They actually destroyed our base," a third person echoed.
"It doesn't matter."
That voice came from behind them. Then he grinned coldly and continued, "Our boss will make them pay, right?"
As soon as those words fell, everyone turned their eyes to the fake Ron sitting on the ruins.
He sat on a half-tilted stone slab with one leg crossed over the other, wearing an expression that said everything was under control.
But the truth was, after seeing a battle of this scale, he had been so scared he nearly wet himself. He was so frightened he wanted to run away.
Still, after thinking of the five monsters that had suddenly appeared, he planned to watch the result before deciding.
"Heh." The fake Ron let out a cold laugh and said with a serious expression, "Compared to making them pay, what I truly want is to protect your safety."
"Boss..."
"Boss..."
Hearing the fake Ron's words, everyone was moved to tears and completely conquered.
They even felt the urge to declare that joining the Ron Pirates in this life was without regret, and in the next life they would still be his subordinates.
After all, who would not like a boss who truly thought for his crew?
"Boss... It's so great to be your subordinate!"
"That's right! From now on, our lives are yours!"
"Boss! We will definitely make the name of the Ron Pirates resound across the sea!"
The fake Ron waved a hand, signaling for them to quiet down. He suppressed the fear deep in his heart and slowly spoke. "Don't worry, everyone. I am invincible. As long as I am here, I will not let any of you suffer harm."
Right now, he only hoped those five ugly monsters could successfully kill the real Ron. That way, he could truly enjoy all the power brought by the name "Ron."
On Linlin's side.
She walked and stopped, not having run very far before slowing down again and looking back, as if waiting for something or simply confirming that the smoke behind her had not caught up.
She stopped several times, and every time she stopped, she muttered a couple of lines under her breath.
"Ron, if you get killed, don't blame me... If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too arrogant. I clearly said I would help. You're the one who chased me away."
She ran a little farther. Her steps gradually slowed again. She stopped, looked back, and cursed irritably, "You bastard... you're even dumber than that brat Kaido."
She was silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. When she spoke again, her tone had softened. "Forget it. You'd better survive. A normal person finally joined the Rocks Pirates."
Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle, inside a grand hall.
The lines of the pentagram formation still held faint afterglow on the floor, like embers that had only just gone out.
The towering dome of the hall looked down in silence from the gloom.
Crackle.
Two clouds of black mist condensed in the center of the formation and gradually took human shape.
The figures of Saint Mars and Saint Saturn appeared one after another. Their outlines had only just stabilized when they staggered, dropped to one knee, and spat blood onto the cold floor.
The two clutched their chests and murmured almost simultaneously, "Forgive us, Imu-sama... things exceeded our expectations."
The hall was silent for a while.
Then an ethereal voice fell into their minds. "Mu already knows."
"Please permit us to return to the battlefield."
"No need. The result is already clear. Before that, we must prepare for what may happen in the future."
"Yes, Imu-sama."
After a brief silence, Imu's voice sounded again.
"Did you... see Gunshigu's body? After Mu used Domi Reversi, Mu lost control of her. Even the contract disappeared."
Saint Saturn and Saint Mars shook their heads at the same time. They had been focused entirely on fighting Ron. How would they have noticed?
"Even the contract disappeared..." Saint Saturn's voice lowered. "Does that mean... true annihilation?"
"Mu... is not certain."
The hall sank back into silence.
After a long time, Saint Saturn spoke again, his voice carrying an unease he had not shown for a very long time. "Is this situation worse than eight hundred years ago?"
But this time, Imu did not answer Saint Saturn.
Back on the battlefield.
Ever since Ron confirmed that Imu's Domi Reversi was ineffective against him, his state of mind had relaxed completely.
But right after he finished using that Daytime Tiger, he seemed to hear someone cursing him. The voice did not come from outside. It rang from within his own mind, broken, vague, and intermittent.
What the hell?
Had the system not completely purged the visitor yet?
Just then, deep inside Ron's mind, the muttering appeared again.
"Bastard Ron, you forgetful guy! Have you found a way yet?"
"Bastard, bastard, bastard!"
"Stop yelling. He probably can't hear us at all!"
Three different voices, carrying three different tones, surfaced in Ron's mind.
Ron froze slightly. The voices sounded very familiar. He also felt like he had heard the words "found a way yet" somewhere before.
The next instant, he remembered. It had been in his dream, when the Nine-Tails, Kurama, told him to think of a way to let him come out and play because it was too stuffy inside.
And the first sentence just now was spoken by Kurama!
The second was the latest tailed beast he had obtained, the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, complaining.
The third was the Four-Tails, Son Goku, telling Kurama and Gyuki to stop shouting.