One Piece: Lone Monster
Chapter 15
Ron woke up early the next morning and washed up before heading toward the training grounds. He had originally planned to practice using the Poneglyph he had taken from Skypiea.
However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
If Rocks noticed the stone and happened to have someone capable of reading it, the location of posaiden could be exposed. That was a risk Ron had no intention of taking.
As he walked across the island, he soon spotted Shiki practicing his swordsmanship alone.
Ron immediately grinned.
"Shiki, let's fight."
Shiki paused his movements and looked at him with amusement.
"Jihahaha! Kid, you want a beating this early in the morning?"
Ron snorted in response.
"Shut up and fight me."
"I haven't fought a proper swordsman in a while."
He opened his inventory and drew out his sword.
"My swordsmanship needs work."
The crimson blade of Surtr appeared in his hand.
Shiki's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
"A Supreme Grade sword?" he said with interest.
"How about giving it to me, kid?"
Ron simply grinned and tossed the sword toward him.
Shiki caught the blade and unsheathed it.
The moment he held it, however, he felt the sword resisting him.
A faint rejection pulsed through the weapon.
"Tsk."
"This sword has quite the temper."
He immediately tossed it back to Ron.
Ron caught the sword and calmly took his stance.
Shiki stepped forward with a grin.
The next moment, the two swordsmen clashed.
They fought using pure swordsmanship, neither of them relying on Devil Fruits or overwhelming Haki.
Ron was a Sword Master, but Shiki was already a Grand Master.
The difference in skill was clear.
However, as the fight continued, Ron rapidly began adapting.
Each clash taught him something new.
Shiki noticed it and laughed loudly.
"Jihahaha!"
"Kid, once you become a Grand Master, you'll finally be a worthy partner."
Ron grinned.
"Shut up and let's dance."
For the first time in a long while, he was enjoying a true sword duel.
Not far away, several members of the Rocks Pirates had gathered to watch.
Newgate crossed his arms while observing the fight.
"Gurararara… the kid is good."
"Give him enough time, and even Shiki will have to go all out."
Wang Zhi snorted dismissively.
"He's still just a kid."
"He has a long way to go."
Linlin immediately laughed at him.
"Mamamama! Wang Zhi, if you fought him, you might not even get the chance to show your face again."
"Stop acting like you're some big shot."
Wang Zhi glared at her but remained silent.
He knew perfectly well that Linlin was stronger than him.
Silver Axe studied Ron carefully.
"That kid is a monster by birth."
"Just like Linlin."
Linlin's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Mamamama… that's exactly why I want him."
Drool began forming at the corner of her mouth.
Newgate immediately stepped a few steps away from her.
Even he found Linlin's obsession unsettling.
Meanwhile, the sparring between Ron and Shiki continued for several hours.
When they finally stopped, Ron wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Next time, you better be ready to get your ass kicked."
Shiki burst out laughing.
"Jihahaha! I'll be waiting."
Completely satisfied, Ron left the training ground.
Soon after, he suddenly dove straight into the ocean.
The watching pirates froze in shock.
"Wait…"
"That kid isn't a Devil Fruit user?"
"No way."
"I've seen him shrink his body multiple times!"
"What the hell?!"
About half an hour later, Ron resurfaced from the sea while dragging a massive Sea King corpse behind him.
He casually pulled it onto the shore and began roasting it using his Lunarian flames.
Newgate and Shiki approached him, followed by several other curious pirates.
Newgate laughed loudly.
"Gurararara! Kid, aren't you a Devil Fruit user?"
Ron tilted his head.
"When did I ever say that?"
Shiki frowned slightly.
"Then how do you shrink your body?"
Ron shrugged casually.
"Oh, that?"
"That's my Seimei Kikan — Life Return."
"I can control my body completely using it."
He snorted.
"You think I'm stupid enough to eat a random Paramecia fruit?"
Newgate laughed loudly again.
"Gurararara! Who would've thought it was Life Return."
Everyone present knew about the technique.
Seimei Kikan was a secret skill connected to Rokushiki, allowing complete control over one's body.
Several powerful pirates, including Rocks and Newgate, had already learned versions of it.
After finishing the roasted Sea King, Ron noticed someone staring at him.
He immediately pointed at her.
"Hey, Linlin."
"Stay away from me."
He spoke bluntly.
"By giant standards, I'm technically still a kid."
"So no babies with you."
Linlin snorted in annoyance.
Just as she was about to leave, Ron suddenly stopped her.
"But I do want to make a deal."
Linlin turned back with interest.
"Mamamama… what kind of deal, kid?"
Her eyes still lingered on him.
She clearly had no intention of giving up the chance to produce a child with Ancient Giant and Lunarian blood.
Ron pulled out a strange fruit from his inventory.
"I have the Pero Pero no Mi."
"Want it?"
Linlin's eyes immediately lit up.
She knew that fruit very well.
The Candy Devil Fruit allowed its user to create and manipulate candy.
"Mamamama… what do you want in return?"
Ron pointed toward his sword.
"Turn my sword into a homie."
"But it must remain completely loyal to me."
"And it must be able to grow larger when I transform."
Linlin smiled widely.
"Mamamama… that's easy."
"When do you want it done?"
Ron crossed his arms.
"Give me a few weeks."
"I'll capture some strong pirates first."
"We'll need powerful souls to make the homie stronger."
Linlin nodded in agreement.
"Fine."
Over the next month, Ron spent most of his time training.
He sparred with Newgate and Shiki, hunted Sea Kings, and captured powerful pirate swordsmen.
Those captured pirates would later become the souls used to strengthen his weapon.
During that time, Ron also participated in several raids.
The Rocks Pirates attacked kingdoms and even intercepted a Heavenly Tribute shipment.
As a result, Ron's bounty rose again.
1,100,000,000 Berries.
Finally, the day arrived to create the homie.
Linlin stood before Ron while harvesting the souls of the captured pirates.
"Mamamama… you captured quite a lot."
She then added a small portion of Ron's soul and fused everything into Surtr using Ron's Lunarian flames.
When the process finished, the sword looked exactly the same as before.
However, Ron could now feel a deep connection with it.
He raised his hand.
The sword immediately flew into his grasp.
Ron expanded to his true twenty-five meter height, and Surtr grew larger along with him.
Unlike Zeus or Prometheus, the sword didn't speak.
It had no personality.
But its power was far greater.
Ron swung the blade once.
A massive flaming sword slash shot across the island.
"Bahahaha!"
"Perfect!"
Satisfied, Ron tossed the Pero Pero no Mi to Linlin.
Then he shrank back to his two-meter form and ran off toward the training grounds.
He was already planning his next fight with Shiki.
Meanwhile, Linlin stared at the fruit in her hand before smiling.
She returned to her ship where her young son was waiting.
Her first son, Perospero, was only four years old.
"Perospero, darling," Linlin said sweetly.
"Eat this."
"You'll gain amazing abilities."
The boy obediently nodded.
"Yes, Mama."
That was the moment Perospero gained the Pero Pero no Mi, long before the original timeline.
And somewhere on Beehive Island, Ron was already searching for his next battle.