Who goes out to become a pirate and still has a sweet reputation?
Wasn't every pirate the kind of person people wished they could kill on sight?
"Kid, did you dig up Roger's ancestral grave or something?" Golden Lion asked curiously.
Ron looked up at the sharp-faced man with flowing blond hair, shook his head, and honestly explained why his reputation had become so terrible.
Then... many people froze.
A moment later, laughter erupted across the ship one after another.
"Kid, are you trying to laugh me to death?"
"Tch... I thought you did something incredible."
"It sounds a little pitiful, but the whole thing is pretty funny."
Everyone on the ship chimed in. No one thought Ron had done anything wrong.
Some even felt Ron had been merciful. If it had been them, once they got annoyed, the neighboring village would have been buried along with them.
Others mocked Roger for being fake and hypocritical. If he did not want someone, he could just say so. Was there any need to reject him with such a low-grade excuse?
They were all pirates. Whose hands were truly clean?
Silver Axe stared straight at Ron for a while, then looked at Rocks and asked, "Rocks, how strong is this kid?"
"Strength?" Rocks paused and thought for a moment. "He should be decent, I guess. What do you think, Ron?"
Ron frowned slightly. A blue attribute panel that only he could see suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Host: Ron
Basic abilities: Observation Haki [Intermediate (245/500)], Armament Haki [Intermediate (159/500)], Conqueror's Haki [Intermediate (67/500)], Taijutsu [? (?/?)], Swordsmanship [Intermediate (133/500)]
Physique: Sage Body [Unlocked], Sage Eyes [Locked]
Special abilities: Four-Tails [Unlocked]
Triggered ability: Lava Release [Source: Four-Tails]
Mystery Wheel >>> [Unlock condition: one Devil Fruit]
Looking at his current panel, Ron was not sure where he stood in the world of One Piece.
Since crossing over, he had never fought any named character from the original story.
The only opponents he had fought were mountain bandits, some nameless pirate crew, and Marines from some unknown branch.
"Jihahahahaha! Idiot Silver Axe, what the hell can you learn by asking with your mouth alone?" Golden Lion mocked in a nasty tone.
Silver Axe immediately frowned. He and Golden Lion were rivals, the kind who both wanted to find a chance to kill the other.
"If you've got nothing to do, can you go die, Shiki?" Silver Axe cursed.
"Jihahaha! You pile of dog crap, you're really vicious, cursing people to die like that," Golden Lion shot back instantly.
Ron gave an almost imperceptible nod. Yes. This was the flavor. This was the "discipline" of the Rocks Pirates.
"Can the two of you stop howling like ghosts? You'll scare the newcomer," Linlin finally said, unable to watch anymore.
Golden Lion and Silver Axe turned to Linlin almost at the same time and cursed without appreciating it at all, "You sure love sticking your nose into things, Linlin."
After cursing her, the two turned back around, grabbed each other by the collar, and continued shouting.
Golden Lion: "#@%%—what was that?"
Silver Axe: "!@#%%—what did you say?"
Boom!
At that moment, both Golden Lion and Silver Axe were kicked off the ship by a massive force.
Ron froze for a second. Looking carefully, he realized Rocks had boarded the ship at some point and sent both of them flying with one kick.
"You two bastards, settle down for a while!" Rocks cursed irritably.
Golden Lion and Silver Axe, kicked off the ship, did not get angry. They looked at each other and threw down threats.
"Fine, Shiki. For Rocks' sake, I won't argue with you today."
"Idiot, I'm the one who should be saying that."
Rocks ignored them and turned to Ron. "Everyone seems pretty curious about your strength. How about showing us a little, Ron?"
"Who am I fighting?" Ron did not mind. Mainly, he also wanted to measure his current strength and see what level he could reach if he went all out.
Rocks thought about it and felt many people were unsuitable. Some had no sense of restraint, while others would not be interested and would consider it a waste of time.
"Got it." Rocks' eyes brightened as he found a suitable candidate. "Kaido, you give him a try."
Kaido, who had been leaning against the railing and watching the show, froze and quickly refused. "Hey, Rocks, don't throw every dirty job at me."
Rocks only smiled and leaned close to Kaido, whispering a few words in his ear.
It was easy to see the resistance on Kaido's face slowly fade. Then... Rocks kicked him off the ship.
Kaido climbed up from the ground, fuming, just as his kanabo was tossed down after him.
"Do your best, Kaido." Rocks smiled.
"..." Kaido opened his mouth, then closed it. He ignored Rocks and turned to Ron. "Hey, newcomer. Ready?"
"Come at me." Ron immediately entered battle stance.
At the same time, the ship became lively.
"Come, come, come! Place your bets! Kaido wins pays two times! Newcomer wins pays three!" Captain John seized the chance to start taking bets, ready to make a fortune.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished. No one paid him any attention.
"Who do you think will win?" Rocks appeared on the roof beside Whitebeard, sat down, and casually grabbed the liquor next to him, taking a few mouthfuls first.
"No idea." Whitebeard shook his head, then stood up. He did not want to guess. It did not matter who won.
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks did not press him. His attention fell on the bottle in his hand. It looked familiar. He looked up at Whitebeard, who was about to leave, and said, "Hey, Newgate, don't tell me you're drinking the liquor I hid."
"No idea. I found it in the cabinet." Whitebeard leaped down and landed on the deck.
"You're such a bastard," Rocks grumbled.