Chapter 154: Don't Leave Yet, I'm Calling a Quick Meeting!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror.
"Ha..."
The wax mech slowly split into upper and lower halves, revealing the pale-faced, dazed Mr. 3 inside.
A bloody gash burst open on his chest.
Blood sprayed, staining the white wax with a glaring red.
"Thud."
Mr. 3 was sent flying backward, crashing into a large tree before sliding limply to the ground.
He seemed to be alive, likely because the wax armor had absorbed most of the damage at the last moment.
But the battle...
Was already over.
Both "Misters" had lost their fighting strength.
Only the two "Misses" remained.
Just then—
[Ding!]
The system's notification rang in Ralph's mind:
[Detected that target 'Mikita (Miss Valentine)' has developed 'affection' feelings toward the host]
[Has met the criteria for a relationship beyond 'friends']
[Reward: Opportunity to obtain the 'Kiro Kiro no Mi' through the Fruit Reincarnation Method (requires target's death)]
Ralph: "..."
He turned to look at Miss Valentine.
The golden-haired girl was staring at him, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed.
That expression, that gaze...
It was almost identical to Sanji's "heart-eyed" state when he saw a beautiful woman.
It didn't seem fake.
So... she fell in love?
Just earlier, she was complaining about my lack of taste in style.
How did she fall so easily today?
What did I even do?
I just hugged her once!
Are women in the Pirate world this easy to win over?
No wonder the system paired me with Lufia...
It must have deliberately gender-swapped the protagonist to give me a "high-difficulty" challenge.
Ralph grumbled to himself for a moment, then turned his gaze to the final "target."
Miss Goldenweek.
The little girl with pigtails, clutching her palette.
She remained calm.
She was even eating senbei— "Crunch, crunch," the sound crisp and clear.
Noticing Ralph looking at her, she swallowed the senbei in her mouth, then...
Pointed around her.
Ralph followed the direction of her finger.
Then, his pupils slightly contracted.
Unnoticed, the surrounding trees, rocks, and ground...
Had been covered in red markings.
"Colors Trap: Togyu no Aka!"
Miss Goldenweek's voice was calm.
"Anyone hit by this move will uncontrollably attack all red markings."
Ralph wasn't listening to her.
Because at this moment, his body... had already started moving.
Moving uncontrollably.
His gaze locked onto the nearest tree.
There was a strange, red circular symbol there.
Then, he charged toward it.
"Bang!"
One punch.
The bowl-thick tree snapped in response, and the symbol was destroyed.
Next, he turned and rushed toward a rock— it also had a red marking.
"Bang!"
One kick.
The rock shattered.
That feeling...
Was strange.
Indescribable.
As if nothing else mattered.
Dreams, comrades, goals, even self... all became blurry.
The only clear thought was—
Destroy all these red markings.
All of them.
He could even hear Mr. 3's arrogant laughter and mocking words from behind.
But those sounds were muffled, as if separated by a layer of water.
Mr. 3 struggled to sit up, a triumphant smile spreading across his face:
"Exactly... cough... Once caught in Miss Goldenweek's Colors Trap, even the strongest person will be affected..."
His voice carried a sense of satisfaction at finally turning the tables:
"I told you, brute force alone can't get things done. No matter how powerful someone is, they have weaknesses. With proper planning, they can sometimes be manipulated at will."
Miss Goldenweek calmly retorted:
"Actually, I was the one who handled it."
Mr. 3: "...Cough, but it was all thanks to my plan that we cleared the enemy!"
Next, as long as Miss Goldenweek adds other Colors Traps to Ralph...
For example, 'Warai no Kiiro,' which makes people laugh uncontrollably;
Then mix it with 'Kanashimi no Ao' to create 'Nagomi no Midori,' making people so calm they only want to drink tea...
To achieve such miraculous Hypnosis through colors alone... I really want to try them all.
But not now.
Ralph thought to himself, standing before a patch of ground marked with red, ready to strike with his fist.
But his movement halted.
Because...
The cross necklace around his chest had swung out during the intense motion just now.
The white cross swayed back and forth in the sunlight.
It caught his eye.
"Hypnosis skill—activate."
He silently chanted in his mind:
"Countdown, three, two, one...
"My world will lose its color."
Miss Goldenweek, holding her palette, followed behind him with her short legs.
She held a paintbrush, ready to add other colors to Ralph.
But just as she approached him—
Ralph suddenly stopped.
Miss Goldenweek happened to catch up right behind him.
She raised her brush, preparing to paint 'Warai no Kiiro' on Ralph's back.
But at that moment—
Ralph turned around.
Their eyes met.
Miss Goldenweek stared into a pair of... terrifyingly calm eyes.
Those eyes held no confusion, no madness, not even any emotion.
Only a deep, pond-like tranquility.
The little girl's heart suddenly sank.
She felt... something was wrong.
But she still pressed the brush down.
Yellow paint left a strange circular mark on Ralph's white shirt.
Color Trap—Warai no Kiiro.
In theory, anyone hit by it would laugh uncontrollably until exhausted.
But Ralph...
Only smiled.
A very calm smile.
Not "uncontrollable" at all.
Miss Goldenweek looked at his smile and frowned slightly.
Then, she put down her brush.
She pulled a senbei cracker from her pocket and took a crisp bite.
After chewing, she calmly said:
"I lost."
Composed.
Unbelievably composed.
Ralph looked at the little girl, feeling a bit emotional.
He hadn't planned to use force against a child like this.
He had already gripped the cross, ready to give her a "reverse hypnosis."
But she conceded so straightforwardly...
It seemed unnecessary now.
"Since everyone is convinced... don't leave just yet!"
Ralph dusted off his hands, walked to a relatively flat open area, and sat down on a rock:
"Everyone, come over here..."
He glanced around:
"I'll hold a little meeting for everyone."
Mr. 3, Miss Valentine, and Miss Goldenweek all looked at him.
"The meeting is adjourned. Those who attended, please convey the meeting's key points to those who couldn't make it."
Ralph cleared his throat.
"As the... former boss of Baroque Works."
He paused, making sure everyone heard those words clearly.
"I'll keep it brief."
Mr. 3: "...???"
His mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
Fo... former boss?!
Him?!
Miss Goldenweek also showed a rare expression of "slight surprise," her eyebrows lifting just a bit.
Mr. 5 was too badly injured and still unconscious, falling into the "unable to attend" category.
Miss Valentine would later have to convey the "meeting's key points" to her partner.
As for herself...
The adoration in her eyes deepened a little more.
"So cool..."
She covered her face, murmuring softly:
"So much style...
"Could anyone who hasn't been a boss say those lines like that?"
She looked at Ralph, stars sparkling in her eyes:
"No matter what others think..."
"This boss, I acknowledge!"