Kon scooped a big spoonful of the ice cream, grinning as he savored the sweet flavor.
'This crew's the best,' he thought, kicking his legs. 'Free food, music, and no one nagging me like Mom used to. No rules about washing my hands, not eating too much sweets and keeping my voice low everytime.'
The crew around him laughed and drank. Kon chuckled, watching Goku steal the show by his dance moves.
'That monkey's got better moves than half these pirates,' he thought, licking his spoon.
Rick looked at kon enjoying himself.
'This guy's weird,' he thought, scratching his chin. 'He is keeping his identity a secret for some reason. He has a devil fruit in the four seas. Is he from the grand line?
Kon's carefree attitude—partying without a care, trusting the crew just because of their flag, and eating like poison wasn't a thing—made Rick suspicious.
'He's too trusting for the Grand Line,' he thought. 'But that monkey, Goku—those arms of his has some serious muscles. It's trained, loyal, and follows him everywhere. The monkey also punched him when he was about to reveal something sensitive. So he is the brains of the two. The monkey is busy dancing right now. It's the right time to get some answers from the kid.'
Goku was now juggling rum bottles, the crew cheering loudly. Rick saw his opening, 'Let's see what this kid's hiding,' he thought, strolling over.
Rick sat beside Kon, his voice casual. "So, kid, you don't look like you're from around here. Where you from?"
Kon paused, spoon halfway to his mouth. 'What was that fake island name Old Man Chief told me to use?' he thought, squinting. 'Lomtown? Locetown? Lovetown? Yeah, Lovetown's sounds right.'
"I'm from Lovetown in East Blue," he said, grinning like he'd just told the best joke.
Rick raised an eyebrow. 'Lovetown? Never heard of it,' he thought. 'He's gotta mean Loguetown. The kid's lying, and he's not even good at it.' He leaned closer, keeping his tone light. "So, what's a guy like you doing out here alone on the sea?"
Kon pointed at Goku, who was now doing a handstand, making the crew roar with laughter. "I'm not alone—Goku's with me!" His face lit up, eyes blazing with excitement.
"As for what Iam doing out there, My goal's to travel the whole world, meet different races, fight strong people, make tons of friends, and find the One Piece!"
Rick's eyes widened. 'That's a hell of a dream,' he thought. 'Travel the world? Different races? The One Piece?'
'Someone's been feeding him big ideas. Someone must have told him about the world and the other races. And since he wants to fight strong people, he has been doing it already. Someone must have also taught him how to fight.' Rick deduced
'"Who told you about the world, Kon?" he asked.
Kon scooped more ice cream, grinning wide. "Old Man Chief Iroh."
Rick froze, the name hitting like a cannonball. 'Iroh? I know that name,' he thought,
'Where've I heard it?'
"What's his full name?" he asked, trying to sound calm.
Kon swallowed, not thinking twice. "Iroh D. Ryūkami!" he thought, proud to drop the name.
Kon had been told to hide his own full name by Iroh, but he never said anything about speaking about his own name.
Rick's face went pale, his hands shaking. "You mean… Iroh D. Ryūkami, one of the Roger Pirates? The guy who sailed with Gol D. Roger to find the One Piece?"
Kon's eyes sparkled, and he dropped his spoon into the bowl with a clatter. "You know Old Man Chief Iroh? Wow!"
Rick shook his head, his voice trembling. "Kid, every damn person knows Iroh D. Ryūkami. He fought the Navy Admiral, the Buddha Sengoku back in the day, and rumors say he won. His bounty's 3.8 billion berries—higher than Rayleigh and Gaban, Roger's right and left hands. The Navy calls him 'Akuma no Shirohi,' the Demon of the White Fire."
Kon's jaw dropped, ice cream forgotten. "Woah! So everyone knows Old Man Iroh can use white fire?"
Rick leaned closer, his voice low and urgent. "He burned a ship with two vice admirals and Celestial Dragons to nothing. Not a scrap left." He shook his head, muttering, "That's what I get for poking my nose where it doesn't belong. I should have never asked him questions."
Kon tilted his head, confused. 'Why's he so scared?' he thought, scooping another bite.
Rick grabbed Kon's arm, his eyes deadly serious. "Don't tell anyone your Old Man Chief's name or that you know him. The Navy, the World Government—they'll hunt you down. They'd send an admiral just for a whisper about that man."
Kon nodded, but his mind was already racing. 'An admiral? I remember Old Man Iroh saying that they were some of the strongest people in the Marines. I wonder how I would dare against them.'
Kon grinned, 'Me and Goku would send 'em flying! But why is he so scared of Old man chief's name.' He opened his mouth to ask why Iroh was such a big deal, but a shout cut through the deck's noise.
"A ship is coming our way… it's a pirate ship! Get ready for battle!"