Chapter 34: Going Merry!
[Ding! Host detected integrating acquired knowledge to create a new skill during combat. Skill has been recorded in the skill list.]
[Skill Named: Soru-Step Draw Slash (Beginner)]
[Skill Description: Based on the traditional draw slash technique, incorporates the explosive high speed of Soru, coordinating footwork, body movement, and draw slash into one unified motion, instantly unleashing extremely powerful single-target slashing force.]
The system's notification echoed in his mind.
Ralph felt a slight stir in his heart. He never expected to possess such talent in swordsmanship—merely experiencing one high-intensity life-or-death battle had forced him to create a promising fusion skill.
Unfortunately, he didn't have an ounce of strength left to appreciate this "masterpiece."
The cost of creating an original skill was immense. That single strike, which condensed all his spirit, speed, and strength, had almost completely drained the already scant physical energy he had forcibly recovered through self-hypnosis.
Intense exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave. His vision darkened intermittently, his legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed forward.
At the critical moment, he instinctively used the still-unsheathed Wado Ichimonji in his hand to prop himself up on the ground!
The resilient blade of the famous sword provided crucial support, allowing him to barely maintain a half-kneeling posture without completely falling into a humiliating sprawl.
Faintly, he heard cheers and hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the mansion.
It must be Nami, Kaya, and those three kids... With the crisis resolved, they finally dared to come out.
Sure enough, after a short while, the mansion's main door was flung open, and five figures rushed out in a scramble.
Miss Kaya's pure white nightgown was stained with dark red bloodstains, making a stark contrast.
She had just performed emergency bandaging on the unconscious old butler Merry and immediately ran out to check on Ralph's condition.
"Mr. Ralph!... Are you alright? Are you badly injured?"
Kaya ran to Ralph's side, her azure eyes filled with concern and gratitude as she saw his paper-pale complexion and weak half-kneeling posture.
Ralph struggled to lift his eyelids, "It's fine... Just exhausted... I'll be okay after some rest..."
Hearing that he was only exhausted and hadn't sustained fatal injuries, Kaya finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She first bowed deeply to Ralph, her voice choked with emotion: "Mr. Ralph, and your companions... Really... thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I... Syrup Village..."
She couldn't finish her sentence, but the lingering fear and gratitude were evident.
However, now wasn't the time for detailed thanks, as she immediately remembered there were other injured people: "Please rest first! There are two injured guard gentlemen at the entrance who need treatment!"
With that, she immediately turned and hurried toward the mansion's entrance, where two guards who had been cut down by Jango still lay unattended.
Yet, just as Kaya bent down to examine the guards' injuries—
A sudden change occurred!
Ahem... ahem... A suppressed, blood-flecked coughing sound emerged from nearby.
Everyone turned in horror to see Kuro, who should have been dead, propping himself up with his half-broken Cat Claws, struggling unsteadily to his feet.
The gruesome wound on his chest still bled profusely, staining his entire front in dark crimson, yet his eyes behind the shattered lenses burned with a final trace of madness and venom!
"Ah! He... he's still alive!" Piiman, Ninjin, and Tamanegi were the first to notice, crying out in terror.
Nami reacted swiftly, darting in front of Ralph. Though trembling slightly herself, she resolutely raised her custom-built extendable staff, shielding the weakened Ralph behind her as she shouted with forced bravado:
"Don't... don't come any closer!"
Everyone assumed Kuro's final breath would be spent lunging at Ralph—the one who had thwarted his plans and inflicted his grievous injuries—for a last act of vengeance.
Yet, no one anticipated that Kuro's final target would be Kaya, who was innocently tending to the wounded, completely defenseless in her kindness and fragility!
"Let's go... to hell together!!"
Kuro let out a hoarse roar, mustering his last ounce of strength like a dying beast as he lunged at Kaya's back! The broken Cat Claws still glinted with a cold, deadly light!
"Miss Kaya! Look out!!" Nami and the three boys screamed in unison, but it was too late to intervene!
At the critical moment!
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
A familiar voice accompanied the sound of tearing air approaching from afar!
A stretching rubber fist, like a meteor from the heavens, shot whistling from the forest's edge, cutting through the air to land a solid punch squarely on Kuro's cheek!
"BAM!!"
The tremendous impact sent Kuro's already failing body spinning through the air before crashing heavily to the ground with a dull thud, finally falling silent for good.
Following the trajectory of the fist, everyone saw the rest of the Straw Hat crew arriving at the forest's edge!
Luffy remained in her punching pose, covered in wounds yet with eyes still blazing like fire.
Zoro stood beside her, equally battered but insisting on walking on his own, with an unconscious Usopp slung over his back.
These guys' vitality was monstrously tenacious!
The moment they regained consciousness and treated their wounds, they rushed to support the final battle.
"Looks like we made it!" Luffy retracted her arm, grinning to flash her signature bright smile.
Zoro unceremoniously dumped Usopp from his back with a "THUD!"
"Oww!" Usopp yelped from the impact, jolting awake from unconsciousness as he clutched his wounds with a pained grimace.
Kaya and the three boys immediately crowded around him, checking on Usopp with concern.
Meanwhile, Zoro's gaze instantly locked onto the white named blade in Ralph's hands.
"You bastard!" Zoro's eyes widened, ignoring his own injuries as he stormed over. "Who said you could touch my sword?!"
He shouted, reaching to snatch Wado Ichimonji back from Ralph's grasp.
Ralph was so exhausted he could barely speak, let alone struggle with him. He let Zoro take back his beloved sword.
However, without the support of Wado Ichimonji, Ralph's barely sustained balance completely failed. He uncontrollably pitched forward, about to fall face-first onto the ground!
"Hey!" Nami, being the closest, instinctively exclaimed in alarm and quickly reached out to support him.
Ralph immediately tilted sideways, half his body leaning against Nami.
A faint, girly scent—a mix of sunshine and fresh oranges—instantly filled Ralph's nostrils.
This sudden soft touch and sweet smell provoked a strong reaction in Ralph, even in his extremely weakened state with dulled senses...
At first, Nami didn't notice anything unusual, only finding it somewhat strenuous to support Ralph. But then she suddenly felt something hard pressing against her waist, making her uncomfortable.
She blurted out her confusion without thinking:
"Ralph, what... what's so hard? It's poking me! And it's warm too!"
As soon as these words left her mouth, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Ralph just wanted to struggle away from Nami as quickly as possible. He liked Lufia—how could he be hugging another girl like this?
He staggered and sat down on the grass, explaining, "That's my pistol."
Once he was settled, Nami looked down in confusion and saw the metal barrel of a flintlock pistol in Ralph's hand, its muzzle seemingly still emitting a faint wisp of smoke.
It really was his pistol!
Ralph pointed toward Kuro, who lay completely lifeless at the base of the distant wall, and said:
"Ahem... The sound of my gunshot was probably covered by Lufia. Even if Lufia hadn't acted just now, my bullet should have been enough to kill him before he could harm Miss Kaya."
Had he even considered this final layer of insurance?
Nami looked at Ralph's profile—still calm and composed despite his extreme weakness—and couldn't help but feel another flutter in her heart at his meticulousness and reliability.
At this moment, she no longer found this deeply calculating, ruthless guy cruel at all. Instead, she felt... exceptionally secure.
She couldn't help but glance at Ralph a few more times.
Ralph seemed to notice her gaze. He turned his head, met her eyes, and though his face was pale, he managed a slightly teasing smile:
"Stop looking... No matter how much you look, I'm not yours. My heart has long belonged to Lufia."
"Who... who wants your stupid heart!"
Nami, flustered and annoyed by his blunt words, instantly lost all the goodwill she'd felt moments earlier. She shouted and gave Ralph a hard shove,
"I was only being nice to you because you saved my life earlier! Don't get the wrong idea, you jerk!"
With that push, Ralph, who was already unsteady, immediately fell backwards.
And Zoro happened to be standing right behind him.
Ralph fell directly into Zoro's arms.
Zoro was no longer angry about Ralph stealing his famous sword, because he had just carefully examined the fatal sword wound on Kuro's chest—the cut was smooth and sharp, far beyond what an ordinary swordsman could achieve.
Holding Ralph, Zoro's eyes burned with fiery fighting spirit as he stared intently at Ralph:
"Ralph... You've been hiding your skills well! This slash... was it from you? You're actually such a powerful swordsman! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
He shook the weakened Ralph violently, nearly rattling him apart.
"As payment for borrowing my Wado Ichimonji without permission! You must duel me immediately! I want to experience that move you just performed firsthand!"
Ralph, dizzy from the shaking, felt utterly defeated and sighed weakly:
"Bro... are you okay? Look at me now... completely exhausted, can't even move... Now look at yourself, covered in wounds, bleeding nearly dry... Is this really the time for a duel?!"
"I don't care! I can't wait!" Zoro's battle-mania completely took over, refusing to listen to reason.
Ralph felt utterly helpless, casting a pleading look toward his captain: "Lufia... control this idiot swordsman..."
However, Luffy was currently standing beside Usopp, watching their noisy companions and the safe Kaya, hands on her hips, letting out a carefree laugh:
"It's great that everyone's okay! Nami's fine, Ralph's fine, Zoro's fine, and Usopp didn't die! The bad guys were defeated too! I'm so hungry! Let's take this chance to have a big feast!"
Everyone: "..."
Well, expecting the captain to mediate was indeed wishful thinking.
The subsequent cleanup proceeded in an orderly manner.
The unconscious Jango was secretly transported by the awakened steward Merry and the bandaged bodyguards, handed over to the nearby Marine branch.
As for the surviving grunts of the Black Cat Pirates on the southern shore, they had stealthily sailed away on their large ship after Ralph left, disappearing without a trace.
Finally, complying with Usopp's strong request and to avoid unnecessary panic, the incident of the Pirate attack on Syrup Village was strictly kept confidential, not disclosed to ordinary villagers.
Everyone feasted heartily at the village's only restaurant, replenishing their depleted energy. Luffy particularly showcased her terrifying appetite, with plates stacked mountain-high.
Just as the banquet reached its peak, Kaya arrived at the restaurant accompanied by steward Merry.
"Dear saviors," Kaya's voice was gentle yet firm, "To express our humble gratitude, Merry and I have prepared a gift, hoping you'll accept it."
Curious, everyone followed Kaya and Merry to the harbor.
When the golden sunset glow fell upon the harbor, clearly revealing the docked single-masted sailboat with its cute lamb figurehead, Ralph's steps suddenly halted.
In that moment, countless memory fragments seemed to surge through his mind like tidal waves—laughter, tears, farewells, dreams of flying, snowy night partings, burning sails, and that "I'm sorry" that seemed to transcend time and space.
His eyes uncontrollably grew warm and moist, his vision instantly blurring. Two streams of scalding liquid unexpectedly traced paths down his cheeks.
The others, seeing Ralph's reaction, were completely stunned.
Nami covered her mouth in surprise: "Hey... no way? Ralph..."
Zoro also furrowed his brow: "Getting a new ship is something to celebrate, but your reaction is just too..."
Even Luffy stopped stuffing meat into her mouth, tilting her head as she curiously looked at Ralph: "Ralph, why are you crying?"
Although everyone was delighted to receive Kaya's gift of a ship, it certainly wasn't something to cry about!
Moreover, Ralph—someone usually so strong and cold, who never hesitated to scheme against others—actually... could shed tears too?
Ralph quickly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, took a deep breath, forcibly calming his surging emotions, his voice still carrying a barely noticeable hoarseness:
"It's nothing... It's just, although we've had bigger ships before, this one... feels particularly compatible at first glance, as if it was fated to be."
He turned his head to look at Luffy, "Lufia, what do you think?"
By then, Lufia had already bounded onto the deck like a joyful spirit, plopping down on the adorable sheep-shaped figurehead, spreading her arms as if embracing the entire sea.
She turned back, her face radiant with a smile brighter than sunlight, and loudly declared:
"Ralph is right! From now on, this ship will be our Pirate ship!"
She patted the sheep head beneath her, her tone utterly serious:
"It will be our most important partner—adventuring together, chasing dreams together!"
She raised her arm high, as if heralding the dawn of a new era:
"Forward—
"Going Merry!!"