Ronan shook his spear.
The Vajra Inner Energy within his body surged violently through his arms, pouring into the long Adam-wood spear.
The shaft let out a deep, resonant roar.
With the full force of waist and hips united—
He brought it down in a crushing arc.
"BOOM—!!"
The strike shattered Blackbeard's last layer of Armament Haki—
And smashed him into the ground like rotten wood.
Dust exploded into the air.
Blackbeard's massive body convulsed violently as blood poured from his mouth.
The arrogance in his eyes—
Was finally replaced—
By fear.
Ronan stood with spear in hand, looking down coldly at the man who once stirred an era.
A thought flickered through his mind.
"If I kill him now… will the Paramount War never happen?"
But then—
Another thought followed.
Even without Blackbeard—
The conflict between the World Government and Whitebeard was still a ticking bomb.
Kill one Blackbeard—
Would something even more unpredictable take his place?
He let out a self-mocking chuckle.
Pushing those thoughts aside—
He turned his head.
"Hey, Luffy."
"What do you want to do with him?"
Luffy had already recovered from Gear Second's strain.
His Vajra Inner Energy flowed steadily again, repairing the fatigue in his body.
He stood at the edge of the crater—
The last light of sunset falling across his broad back.
The outline of a true conqueror—
Beginning to take shape.
Blackbeard, who had been lying like a dead dog—
Saw that Ronan hadn't pierced his throat.
Hope—
Exploded in his eyes.
To survive—
He abandoned all dignity.
Dragging himself through the mud—
Like a broken stray dog—
He crawled toward Luffy.
"Straw Hat Luffy… cough… spare me…"
His voice was hoarse, like sand scraping metal.
"If you let me go this once… I swear… I'll never appear before you again… the throne of the seas… I won't compete for it anymore…"
Luffy looked down at him.
There was no arrogance.
No hatred.
"Let you go?"
"…Sure."
"Hey! Luffy!"
Zoro frowned deeply, his hand tightening on Wado Ichimonji.
"This guy is dangerous. Letting him go is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!"
Luffy simply pressed down his straw hat and grinned.
"So what?"
"If we can beat him today, then no matter how strong he gets later—"
"If he comes at us again…"
"We'll just beat him again."
Ronan burst out laughing.
"As expected… that's Luffy."
He pointed his spear casually at Blackbeard, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"But if we're letting him go…"
"We should at least collect some 'ransom.'"
"That Dark-Dark Fruit of yours…"
"It has a very strange ability."
"It can… strip other Devil Fruit users of their powers."
"What?!"
Blackbeard trembled violently.
His blood-covered face filled with shock.
That was his deepest secret.
Ronan crouched down.
The Seastone spear tip lightly tapped Blackbeard's cheek.
Smiling.
"You can know things… so why can't I?"
"Blackbeard."
"If you want to live—"
"Do something for us."
Before Blackbeard could respond—
Heavy footsteps approached.
Sanji and Usopp walked in from opposite sides—
Dragging bodies like sacks.
"Thud! Thud!"
Van Augur and Doc Q were thrown onto the ground.
Van Augur's refined black cloak was torn apart.
His body was riddled with dense impact craters—
As if hit by a storm of precise, violent projectiles.
"Ronan! Look!"
Usopp, covered in dust, was unusually sharp-eyed.
"For a moment just now… I suddenly felt the 'breathing' of everything around me!"
"I predicted his movement and fired!"
"That was Observation Haki, right?! It had to be!"
Ronan nodded approvingly.
"Well done, Usopp."
"With that alloy slingshot of yours, anyone who can survive your predictive shots…"
"…is rare on this sea."
"Hehe… well, if Sanji hadn't kicked that bullet away earlier—"
Usopp scratched his head, about to ramble again—
Meanwhile—
Nami, Robin, and Chopper returned from outside the town.
Looking at the battlefield—
They were speechless.
The entire town—
Flattened.
This level of destruction—
Went beyond their understanding of "battle."
"Alright, back to business."
Ronan turned to Blackbeard.
"I want you to extract the Munch-Munch Fruit from Wapol."
"That's your price for living."
"And then what?"
Zoro frowned.
"Don't tell me you plan to eat that disgusting fruit."
Luffy and Sanji also looked puzzled.
To them—
If Ronan ate a Devil Fruit, he'd lose the ability to swim.
Not worth it.
"I'm not eating it."
Ronan said seriously.
"I want…"
"…the Going Merry to eat it."
Silence.
Then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Usopp and Chopper burst into laughter, rolling on the ground.
"Ronan, did fighting break your brain?!"
"How is a ship supposed to eat a Devil Fruit?! It's made of wood!"
"Should we build it a stomach too?!"
Ronan didn't respond.
He simply turned—
And smacked Usopp on the back of the head.
"OW!!"
Usopp clutched the lump forming instantly.
"You won't know unless you try."
Ronan said calmly.
"The Going Merry carries all our wills."
"It's already more than just a ship."
"If it can gain the Munch-Munch Fruit's ability—self-repair, self-evolution—"
"Then it can sail with us to the very end."
"Instead of breaking apart one day."
Robin watched him thoughtfully.
There were rumors—
That objects could be given Devil Fruit powers.
Even in the Marines, it was rare.
But no one—
Had ever thought of feeding one to a ship.
Ronan, however, knew—
The Merry had a spirit.
If the ship couldn't eat it—
Maybe the spirit could.
And if not—
He'd save it for Franky.
"Sanji."
"Where's that 'metal-eating guy'?"
Sanji exhaled smoke.
"He tried to run when the fight started."
"I got annoyed and kicked him into the rubble over there."
"He's probably buried under it now."
"Go dig him out."
Ronan lifted his spear and walked toward Blackbeard.
"Blackbeard."
"Don't try anything funny."
"If you fail…"
"Or try to tamper with the fruit—"
"I'll show you what it feels like…"
"…to have this Seastone spear pushed into your heart…"
"inch by inch."
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