After receiving benefits, Kaido no longer obsessed over whether Ron had really tried to kill him. He carried his kanabo and strode back toward the ship, though his back still carried a trace of unwillingness.
Rocks walked to Ron's side, threw an arm around his shoulders, and laughed. "I really didn't expect your performance to exceed my expectations, Ron."
Ron was squeezed until it hurt a little and modestly said, "Luck. Just luck."
Rocks tightened his hold even more, his laughter deafening. "Good kid. Still calling it luck? If I hadn't stepped in just now, even if Kaido didn't die, he wouldn't have been in good shape."
"Uh..." Ron had nothing to say. He could only smile wryly and let Rocks drag him along.
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks laughed, turned Ron around, and led him toward the ship. "Come on. We'll hold a banquet for you tonight!"
...
Kaido had only just stepped onto the deck. He was still feeling depressed and had not even found a corner to sit in when Golden Lion's light, drifting voice entered his ears. It sounded malicious no matter how he heard it.
"Hey, hey, Kaido. You seem pretty unwilling to accept that. How about it? Want me to help you find a chance to kill him?"
Kaido turned his head and glanced at Golden Lion's wicked grin. Too lazy to pay him any attention, he turned and walked away.
"Jihahaha." Golden Lion was not angry after being ignored. "You bastard, relying on Linlin to back you up and now your wings have grown hard, huh?"
"Tch." Kaido silently clicked his tongue. Had he been here this long for nothing? Did he not know what the Rocks Pirates were like?
Forget kindly helping him kill Ron. If they did not dig a pit for him while he was walking past, he would already thank heaven.
Night gradually spread over the sea, and the wind carried the salty smell of the ocean.
The Saber of Xebec had already sailed into the vast sea. No islands could be seen in any direction, only boundless darkness and the sound of waves.
The banquet Rocks held for Ron had ended. Cups and plates were scattered everywhere, and several drunk crew members lay sprawled in corners of the deck.
If Ron had to use one word to summarize the banquet, "boring" was the most fitting.
It was actually normal. After all, he had only just arrived and could not blend into this group at all. Most of the time, he sat alone on the side, watching the others boast, curse, pour drinks down one another's throats, and occasionally grab weapons to start fighting because one sentence sounded wrong, only for others to laughingly pull them apart.
The excitement belonged to them. Ron had nothing.
After the banquet ended, the deck became much quieter.
Ron sat alone on the ship's railing, letting the sea breeze blow over him as his mind wandered.
Not far away, Whitebeard leaned against another section of railing, still holding half a jug of wine. His gaze was heavy as he looked out over the sea.
The two occupied different directions, with no intersection between them.
At that moment, Kaido slowly walked over.
He stopped beside Whitebeard and leaned against the railing.
"Looks like you've already walked out of the shadow of defeat, Kaido," Whitebeard said with a chuckle.
"I'm just missing a powerful Devil Fruit." Kaido's tone toward Whitebeard was completely different from how he spoke to others.
After all, among the Rocks Pirates, Whitebeard was the only person he relatively trusted. He never tricked him, and sometimes even looked after him.
"Gurararara." Whitebeard laughed softly. "Same as before. The right fruit is something you find slowly."
Kaido shrugged. "Of course I know that. It's just... too hard."
Whitebeard laughed twice more and stopped speaking, turning his gaze back to the dark sea.
Kaido stood there for a while, found it boring, and turned to walk in another direction.
His eyes fell on Ron, who was sitting on the railing. He hesitated for a moment, then still walked over.
"Hey, newcomer." Kaido stood beside Ron. His voice was not loud, but it carried a stubborn edge. "Once I find the Devil Fruit that belongs to me, how about we fight again?"
Ron was lost in the sea breeze. Hearing him, he slowly turned his head, Kaido's face reflected in his pupils.
"Don't misunderstand. I can accept losing." Before Ron could respond, Kaido also sat on the railing, his feet hanging outside and swinging. "I just... want to fight you again when I'm in my strongest state."
A faint smile appeared on Ron's lips. "Don't you know... only Haki can transcend all?"
Kaido looked shocked and asked instinctively, "Did you hear that from Rocks?"
Ron only smiled without answering. He had not heard it from Rocks, but from someone called "Teacher Kaido."
"Sigh." Kaido sighed and suddenly changed the subject. "Do you know that guy behind us?"
Ron looked back. "Edward Newgate?"
"Yeah!" Kaido nodded, heat flashing in his eyes. "His Devil Fruit is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. It's an incredible fruit. I've seen it with my own eyes."
Ron could hear undisguised admiration in his words.
"Haki is very powerful," Kaido continued. "But who can refuse a fruit that grants the power to destroy heaven and earth the moment you eat it?"
Ron understood now. This kid Kaido felt that while Haki was powerful, it took too long to train. It was far less efficient than eating a strong Devil Fruit.
"Then do you think finding a powerful Devil Fruit is easy?" Ron asked with a smile.
Kaido was speechless for a while. After a moment, he slowly said, "In the Rocks Pirates, the chance is very high. And... Rocks personally promised me that if he gets one, he'll give it to me."
Just like that, the two talked back and forth.
The sea breeze, wrapped in the sound of waves, brushed past them. Without realizing it, Ron began to feel that Kaido was actually rather straightforward.
Likewise, Kaido felt that Ron was more reliable than most of the people on this ship.
Most importantly, they were both apprentices.
"Hey, Ron." Kaido had changed from calling him "newcomer" to calling his name directly. "Let's form an alliance. That way we can look after each other. The Rocks Pirates are full of all kinds of monsters and demons."
Then Kaido counted on his fingers and gave Ron a "bastard ranking" list.
He spoke extremely fast, as if he had cursed those names in his heart thousands of times already.
Because he talked too quickly, Ron only barely remembered that Golden Lion held the firm top spot. Kaido emphasized this especially, saying, "That man is sinister. Be on guard at all times."
As for the others...
Whitebeard and Rocks could generally be trusted.
Linlin was fickle, and whether she could be trusted depended on the situation.
The rest could not be trusted at all, especially the names on the bastard ranking.
In the end, Ron agreed to the alliance.
The condition was that if they found a powerful Devil Fruit, it would go to Kaido. If it was ordinary, it would go to Ron.
The next morning.
The sea fog had not yet dispersed. Ron was still deep asleep when, in a daze, he suddenly heard noisy commotion from the deck above.
He frowned. Before he fully woke, hurried footsteps reached his ears.
Bang!
The cabin door was kicked open. The lock parts twisted out of shape and clattered to the floor.
Ron sat bolt upright, rubbed his sleepy eyes, looked at the poor door, then looked at Kaido walking toward him. His brows could not help twitching.
"Even if it's an enemy attack, it shouldn't be our turn as apprentices to fight, Kaido," Ron said helplessly.
"Enemy attack? What enemy attack?" Kaido shook his head in confusion, as if he had not noticed what he had just done. "Never mind that. Get up. The Kuja Pirates are here!"
Ron froze slightly. The first thing that flashed through his mind was the Pirate Empress, Hancock.
But the next second, he came back to his senses. This timeline was still the old era.
The Kuja Pirates of this era were led by Gloriosa and Shakky.