Chapter 114
"Why hasn't Ron come yet? It's been two days!" On the Merry, Kaya and Apis stood on the ship's side together, their hands on their chins, their eyes scanning the crowd passing by on the docks, searching for Ron in the bustling crowd.
"Do you think Brother Ron doesn't want to come back?" Apis asked with concern.
"How could that be?" Kaya immediately turned her head and said firmly, "Don't even think about that! Ron will definitely come back."
"Ok!" Apis murmured and nodded, "Brother Ron will definitely return. Let's just wait patiently."
Not far away, Nami, Robin, and Nojiko lie under an umbrella, sipping juice brought by Makino and nibbling on pastries.
"Why hasn't he returned yet?" Nami wondered aloud. "Something doesn't seem right. With his strength, he should have been back by now."
"Well, maybe he's been enchanted by Princess Vivi and decided to stay to be her knight!" Mikita chimed in, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Shut up!" Nami glared angrily at Mikita. "You don't know anything about Ron!"
"Then why hasn't he returned?" Mikita retorted. "Should we leave without him?"
"If you want to keep enjoying food and drinks, then keep your mouth shut!" Makino interjected confidently as the best cook on the ship.
Ron had improved the girls' skills, enhancing Makino and Nojiko's cooking abilities to the maximum level. Both were positioned as support crew members, while the combat side mainly featured Ron and Tashigi. Although there might be others in the future, for now, it was just them.
Hearing Makino's words, Mikita looked stunned, smiled awkwardly, and then fell silent.
"Idiot!" Marianne muttered as she glanced at her, continuing to sip her tea.
"You... Ugh, damn it!" Mikita glared at Marianne, seething with resentment. This girl, who had once been one of Crocodile's henchmen, had also been captured by Ron. But now, she occasionally looked down on her, which was utterly annoying.
What's more, unexpectedly her strength had increased so much. Clearly, Ron had played a part. But why did he only focus on her and not on Mikita?
Was being a child such an advantage?
Mikita seethed with frustration.
Robin, on the other hand, observed the exchange between the two without speaking. Despite only spending a few days with the girls, she had developed a good rapport with them. With her high IQ, Robin seamlessly integrated into the group. Though not yet fully recognized as a member, no one found her annoying.
"ooh ooh! Brother Ron! Brother Ron is back!"
"He's back! Ron has returned!"
At that moment, Kaya and Apis on the ship's side suddenly shouted in joy, waving vigorously at the shore. Apis even jumped up and down, gleefully anticipating Ron's return.
"He's back!" Nami and the others also rushed to the side of the ship.
On the dock, Ron walked up to the deck with Vivi. Seeing the girls' excitement, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Ron!" Kaya exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him. "Why did it take you so long? And who's this? Sister Vivi!"
Kaya looked at Vivi beside Ron in surprise. "Are you coming to sea with us?"
"Well, you can blame this guy," Vivi said, pointing at Ron. "I was asleep when he barged in and carried me away in the middle of the night. I couldn't stop him!"
"Hahaha!" Kaya burst into laughter, then rushed to Vivi's side, putting her arms around her. "Whether it's Ron's fault or not, having Sister Vivi join us at sea is fantastic! I'm so happy!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Apis also approached Vivi, beaming. "Apis likes Sister Vivi too! Even my Little Dragon Ryu approves!"
"Tweet..." The little dragon on Apis's shoulder chirped happily, clearly fond of Vivi. (T/N: These dragons in One Piece look weird, plus imagine Pika a really buff guy, but he has a squeaky voice, so a dragon sounding like a bird doesn't surprise me)
Ron glanced at the little dragon, secretly thinking it must have been won over by Vivi's treats.
"Vivi, welcome to the Sword and Rose Pirates!" Nami walked over, extending her hand to Vivi.
"Thank you. I hope to learn a lot from you in the future!" Vivi smiled, shaking hands with Nami.
Nojiko, Makino, and Tashigi also greeted Vivi warmly.
Ron surveyed the ocean thoughtfully, his gaze lingering in the direction of Jaya Island.
Their next destination was Jaya Island. Although it appeared uninhabited, the sky above the island held something of great value, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a powerful logia Devil Fruit. (T/N: it is also known as the Goro Goro No Mi, but it can also be called the thunder Fruit as Rumble-Rumble means the sound of thunder, although it produces lightning)
With the black cloth he acquired from Blackbeard, Ron planned to seize the Thunder Fruit of Enel from the island. However, he hadn't yet decided how to utilize it. (T/N: For all those who watched in dub, his name sounded like Aniru/Aneru and not Enel, so tell me if you like Aniru or should I keep Enel)
He had no intention of consuming the fruit himself, even though he could eat two additional Devil Fruits. He needed to choose fruits that would be most beneficial to him, such as those related to space or time.
Space and time were crucial abilities he desired. He recalled the Door-Door Fruit wielded by a CP9 agent in Water 7, a space-type Devil Fruit. As for the Time Fruit, he remembered the Toki Toki no Mi, which controlled time. (T/N: And it's funny how the person who ate the fruit was also named Toki, LOL)
He hadn't figured out his plan for the Thunder Fruit yet. Instead, he considered having the girls consume it.
Nami was an obvious candidate.
As a navigator with full proficiency in navigation and meteorology, adding thunder to her repertoire would make her the Weather Queen. (T/N: OMG, Overpowered moment, :o)
"Weather and thunder... Perhaps I can groom Nami to become the Queen of the Skies!" Ron smiled. "Although the original plot hinted at the Celestial Dragons controlling the skies, I intend to create my own Sky King. It'll be interesting when the two clash!"
"Raise the anchor! Set sail for the sea!" Ron commanded, signaling the crew to embark on their next adventure.