At the very same time that Ron was ahem "battling bravely on the home front,"
chaos erupted at Marineford.
The cataclysmic explosions from Rem, Ram, and Shendu's assault had shaken the entire Sabaody Archipelago—
and the tremors had reached all the way to Marine Headquarters itself.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office,
the highest-ranking officers had been called in the middle of the night—
the Three Admirals, Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and every major staff officer.
BANG!
The desk cracked under Sengoku's palm. His veins bulged as he glared at Akainu.
"You went after Ace—why didn't you deploy troops?! Why act alone?!"
Akainu frowned, voice flat but firm.
"I didn't. I haven't left Marineford today."
The room went silent.
"According to our reports," Akainu continued, "there's been no trace of Ace on Sabaody either."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Then what on earth had caused that eruption of magma and flame that lit up the archipelago?
Just then, a panicked ensign burst through the door, clutching a reel of Den Den Mushi film.
"Fleet Admiral! Someone recorded the entire incident. Intelligence bought a copy—cost a fortune!"
"Good work. Leave it here," Sengoku ordered.
He loaded the film and hit play.
The image flickered to life.
At first, the feed showed Blackbeard's crew fleeing the tavern in a panic.
Then, a pink-haired girl appeared, gathering fire in her hands.
The room barely reacted.
Pyro-type abilities were fairly common—plenty of Flame-Flame or derivative fruits existed.
But in the next frame, the entire room froze.
A blue-haired girl, her body glowing with molten heat, raised her arms skyward—
and unleashed a rain of magma.
Akainu shot to his feet, eyes wide.
"That's… the tavern's waitress!"
He slammed a fist on the table.
"Why does she have my Magma-Magma Fruit?!"
The officers gaped.
Before anyone could process that, the screen cut again—
to an ordinary-looking middle-aged man hovering above the battlefield.
Twin beams of golden light blasted from his eyes, spearing Burgess through the chest even though his arms were hardened with Armament Haki.
"That—what ability is that?!" Sengoku gasped.
"Not a Devil Fruit," Tsuru murmured, analyzing every frame. "If it were, Haki would've blocked it."
Sengoku's lips pressed into a thin line.
He'd underestimated that tavern keeper.
Maybe he shouldn't have been so stingy back then—offering Ron the position of "Rear Admiral Candidate."
He should've gambled and offered Admiral rank outright. Maybe then Ron would've joined.
And that magma fruit... how was that even possible?
The footage continued.
Explosions painted the night sky, stretching from one end of Sabaody to the other.
The "ordinary man" released one devastating energy blast after another—lasers from his eyes, plasma from his mouth.
Even through a recording, the Admirals could feel the pressure of that power.
No one in the room doubted that a direct hit would cripple even an Admiral.
By the time the feed ended,
silence blanketed the office.
Everyone there—legends and living weapons—shared the same thought:
If those three ever turn against the Marines... what kind of disaster would that be?
Tsuru broke the silence first.
"Sengoku… you were right. We must bring Ron into the Navy, no matter the cost."
Even the stoic Garp nodded gravely.
Forget Ron himself—just those twin girls alone were a strategic force equivalent to another Admiral-level combat unit.
Sengoku inhaled deeply and made his decision.
"Suspend Momousagi's transfer to G-14. Have her remain at Headquarters for now."
Tsuru didn't argue this time—her silence was as good as approval.
Across the table, Kizaru and Aokiji exchanged glances and smirked faintly, both understanding without a word.
The Next Morning
When Ron finally opened his eyes, every muscle screamed in protest.
He felt completely drained—like someone had hollowed out his soul.
Lifting the blanket, he glanced down at the soaked sheets and the faint trace of red on the fabric.
A headache bloomed behind his eyes.
"So she was… that kind of first-timer, huh…"
A lazy voice floated from behind him.
"Regretting it already?"
Ron turned to find Momousagi fully dressed, smirking at him.
"Not really," he said softly.
Men never lose in these things—
unless they end up with a kid.
"Good," she teased, flipping her hair. "You were quite the gentleman. I'll come back when I want more."
She tossed a thick wad of Berries onto the bed, winked, and leapt gracefully out the window.
Ron stared at the pile of money for a long second—then burst out laughing.
"Did I just… get paid for that?!"
Was he a tavern keeper or a… service provider now?
Still, watching her walk away—hips swaying just a little awkwardly—made him feel oddly satisfied.
After washing up, Ron sat at the bar with breakfast and the morning paper.
The headline hit him like a bullet:
"Devil Fruits Can Be Copied?! A Young Girl Wields Admiral Akainu's Magma Powers!"
And in the corner, in bold type:
"Complete footage available — 10,000,000 Berries per copy!"
Ron chuckled.
"That damn Morgans really cashed in this time."
Just then, Rem sniffed the air beside him.
"Master, you smell… weird today."
Ram nodded.
"A mix of perfume… and something salty."
The black cat gave him a disgusted look from the counter.
"Cough—" Ron choked on his tea, awkwardly clearing his throat.
And at that very moment—
the tavern's bell jingled.
Ding-ling…
The door creaked open, and You Tanzhi strode in, looking anxious.
"Boss! I brought you the Divine Wooden Cauldron!"
He set a six-inch-high wooden vessel onto the counter—its golden hue gleaming, grain traced with faint red lines, smooth as jade.
"Not bad," Ron said, finishing his porridge. He placed the cauldron into his system storage.
Then he spoke to the system:
"Exchange the cauldron for points. Use them to buy a Senzu Bean."
[Ding — Item exchanged for 2,000 points.]
[Ding — Senzu Bean cost: 500 points. Remaining: 1,500.]
A glowing green bean materialized in his palm.
Ron handed it to You Tanzhi.
"Give this to A'Zi. Once she eats it, she'll see again."
The man took it without question and turned to leave. He didn't worry about being tricked—
after all, the tavern wasn't going anywhere. If it didn't work, he'd just come back swinging.
As he stepped out,
the tavern's bell chimed again.
Ding-ling…
And another guest arrived.
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