Bullets in the gun?
Did she really have to make the metaphor that accurate?
Ron muttered a complaint under his breath, then followed the voice and looked over.
Tōru was standing barefoot in the doorway.
She wore a loose, slightly rumpled nightshirt, yet it still couldn't hide her stunning figure.
"Y-you—"
Ron had barely managed to get a word out when—
Tōru lunged straight at him.
Ron's vision went dark for a second, and in that instant, he understood something very clearly:
Tonight…
was destined to be another sleepless night.
...
The next morning.
The "battle" still hadn't ended.
If Ron's physique weren't as tough as it was now, he would've been completely drained dry.
Still…
Dragon Claw Hand and the Flower-Plucking Finger really were something.
One focused on the upper routes, the other on the lower…
"Ahem."
"Get up. It's time to open for business."
Ron brushed aside the sweat-damp fringe on Tōru's forehead and spoke softly.
"Mm~"
"Ron, I'm so tired. I'm sleeping all day."
Tōru buried her head under the blanket, clearly determined to slack off.
Ron couldn't do anything about her, so he got up himself and went to wash up.
When he came to the dining table in the tavern, he found a lavish breakfast already laid out, along with a newspaper.
Kanna swung her short legs, eating with complete focus, and asked, "Where's Lady Tōru?"
"Why hasn't she come out yet?"
Ron answered casually, "Maybe she's still asleep."
"Oh. Then I'll go wake her up later." Kanna nodded obediently.
Ron's eyelid twitched violently.
If Kanna went into his room, and saw the "scene" that hadn't been cleaned up properly…
She might flip the whole tavern upside down.
Just as Ron was trying to think of a way to talk Kanna out of it, Lucoa smiled sweetly and said, "Let Tōru sleep, Kanna. She's been a bit tired these last few days."
"Then… okay." Kanna nodded, still as well-behaved as ever.
Ron finally let out a breath—
Only to hear Lucoa continue, still smiling, "People say tiger fangs can 'hurt the household.' I wonder if someone got hurt last night."
Ron pretended he hadn't heard a word, picked up the newspaper, and started reading.
The first thing that caught his eye was last night's headline.
[Celestial Dragon Saint Rosward 'Passes Away From Illness' Last Night. All Member Nations to Hold Collective Mourning Today!]
Under the red title, the article lavishly praised Rosward's "great achievements":
Generous donations… rescuing women and strong men from human traffickers… funding the poor…
Ron couldn't help feeling both amused and speechless.
Donations?
It would be a miracle if Rosward didn't rob commoners.
And as for "strong men"…
Those were bought for his personal entertainment, weren't they?
Still, it was obvious the World Government hadn't announced the real cause of death—probably because they feared the Revolutionary Army would seize the chance to stir trouble.
The next pieces of news were dull.
The only thing remotely worth reading was a report about the "world's largest chicken farm" established by the Celestial Dragons collapsing overnight in a massive scandal.
You didn't even need to think hard about it.
Either Doflamingo did it… or the Revolutionary Army did.
...…
After breakfast, Ron carried a bottle of goji-berry water to the bar and sat down.
Not long after, the tavern welcomed its first customers of the day.
Black Little Tiger and Black Heart Tiger.
The father and son's steps were unsteady, and exhaustion was written all over their eyes—clearly they hadn't slept all night.
The moment they sat at the bar, Lucoa brought over two bottles and set them down.
"Your drinks. Please enjoy."
"Thank you," Black Little Tiger said, twisting off the cap and chugging half the bottle in one go.
Tears slid from the corners of his eyes, mixing with the liquor he spilled, dripping onto the floor.
Like a sincere heart tossed on the ground—
then stomped on, hard.
Seeing his son in such pain, Black Heart Tiger's expression tightened with genuine heartache.
He said slowly, "We talked all night."
"Tiger said… he's giving up. From now on, he'll focus on cultivation and strengthening the Demonic Cult."
Ron nodded lightly. "That's not a bad thing. A pain that lasts a moment is better than a pain that lasts a lifetime."
In the original story, Black Little Tiger couldn't accept Blue Rabbit's constant rejection and spiraled into madness.
When he chased after the Seven Swords later, he got mocked by Da Ben, lost control, and ended up walking into his own minefield—dying on the spot.
If he truly gave up now…
Would the original plot change?
"Giving up doesn't mean forgetting," Black Little Tiger said, pointing at his chest, his voice low and hoarse.
"A pain that lasts a moment beats a pain that lasts a lifetime!"
"Every time I think of Blue Rabbit, my heart can't help but seize up."
"My father's words… just woke me up."
"From today on, we are enemies. And I won't go soft again!"
Men were like that.
They didn't mature just because they got older.
Only when the world beat them down—and love shattered them—did they slowly become calmer, stronger, and sharper.
"Then I'll be watching," Ron said with a faint smile.
"I'll kill the Seven Swords together with my father!" Black Little Tiger nodded hard, then began discussing plans with Black Heart Tiger.
The planning was meticulous. The methods were ruthless…
During that time, the Lord and his son, Saitama, the Netherworld Overlord, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and others all arrived one after another, filling the tavern with life instead of silence.
Then, Xiao Zizai and Jack the Ripper returned—one after the other.
Both had heavy dark circles under their eyes. They clearly hadn't slept either.
"After you left the hotel last night," Ron asked curiously, "where did you go?"
"To clear suspicion," Jack the Ripper said awkwardly, "Brother Xiao Zizai took me to Red Romance to… 'relax' for a while."
Ron's eyes lit up instantly.
"Red Romance?"
"The one where it's like, 'Gentlemen, welcome. Hold your number tag—please go up to the third floor'?"
Xiao Zizai nodded with a bitter smile. "That's the one."
"Akainu went there too last night. And he knows I'm the one who killed the Celestial Dragon."
"But he didn't curse me out. He didn't hit me."
"He just made me stay there the entire night."
"You know me—it's not that I have zero interest in women… but I'm not exactly that interested either."
"This was more painful than getting beaten up or scolded…"
Ron: "..."
So that was basically…
a boss "rewarding" his subordinate.
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