Chapter 22
Ron and Gloriousa walked across the treasure-laden ship, its deck filled with gold, jewels, and priceless artifacts. Stussy was already busy cataloging everything with sharp focus.
"Tsk… we got quite a haul," Ron chuckled, glancing around lazily.
Gloriousa barely looked at the treasure before losing interest. She climbed onto Ron's back, resting comfortably.
"Are we done? I'm bored," she said casually.
Stussy glanced at her with slight annoyance. "Wasn't that fight satisfying enough?"
Gloriousa ignored her completely and leaned closer to Ron. "I can still fight, you know."
Ron's eyes lit up instantly. "Stussy, I'll leave the treasure to you," he said.
Before she could respond, both he and Gloriousa disappeared toward their room.
Stussy's mouth twitched in irritation. "Horny bastards," she muttered under her breath.
Still, she continued counting the treasure, though her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
Soon, the ship arrived at Beehive Island. Ron jumped off first, landing casually, while Gloriousa floated down beside him.
"Vohahahaha! Oi, Ron—perfect timing. Come with me, we're going to meet a friend," Rocks shouted as he walked toward his ship.
Ron glanced at Newgate and Shiki, who were already following. Without hesitation, he spread his wings and took off, with Gloriousa right behind him.
Stussy frowned before shouting, "Oi! I'm a cadre too—I'm coming!"
Rocks waved dismissively. "Fine."
Before Stussy could complain further, Gloriousa snapped her fingers, lifting her with gravity onto the ship.
"Thanks, Gloriousa," Stussy said.
Gloriousa leaned closer with a mischievous smile. "You'll be my sister sooner or later. No need to thank me."
Stussy's expression stiffened. "I like Newgate. I'm not falling for Ron."
Gloriousa rolled her eyes lightly. "We'll see about that."
Inside, however, Gloriousa sighed quietly. She missed Shakky, and more importantly, she knew her limits.
Ron was an Ancient Giant, while she was only human. The gap in stamina was something she couldn't ignore.
Ron always stopped when she reached her limits. Even if she didn't like the idea of sharing him, she couldn't bridge the gap between their stamina. And her lifespan was that of a human.
She sighed.
She looked at him standing with Rocks, her expression softening with fondness and sadness. She could stay with him for her entire life—but Ron… he would have to live for hundreds of years without her and Shakky.
She was selfish and didn't want to share Ron with others, but she also didn't want him to live alone for years after she was gone. Just thinking about it made her heart ache.
Meanwhile, Ron stood with Rocks, Newgate, and Shiki.
"So, we're going to Elbaf? To meet the Giant King?"
"Yeah," Rocks grinned. "I need him to help me become King of the World."
Ron replied dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. You've said that enough times."
Rocks' mouth twitched in irritation. He punched Ron.
"You bastard! What's with that expression?!"
Ron, who had been thrown into the sea, flew back up angrily. "You shit-ass captain! What was that for?! I didn't even do anything!"
"Fire Fist!"
Ron sent a massive flaming fist at Rocks, then drew Surtr and charged toward him. Rocks also drew his saber, slicing through the fire fist as the two began fighting.
Newgate and Shiki sighed.
"Those two are really something," Newgate muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"Oii, Captain! Stop fooling around! Don't we have to go to Elbaf?" Shiki shouted.
Rocks and Ron stopped fighting and landed back on the ship, both clearly unsatisfied.
Ron rolled his eyes. "What's so great about being King of the World? Can you even manage a country? It sounds pointless."
Rocks narrowed his eyes at the blunt response.
"Gurararara, I agree with Ron," Newgate laughed. "That kind of dream sounds troublesome."
Shiki clicked his tongue in disdain. "Tch… what do you two know?"
Ron cracked his knuckles while Newgate smirked. "You want a beating, Shiki?"
"Enough," Rocks interrupted. "No fighting right now."
The ship sailed toward Elbaf at full speed. Ron lay lazily on the deck, staring at the sky.
Newgate approached with a massive gourd of wine. "Gurarara, what are you thinking about?"
Ron didn't move. "Just wondering what to do. When you have too much time to live, it becomes a problem."
Newgate chuckled. "Sounds troublesome."
"It is," Ron replied quietly, lying there like a dead fish while Newgate drank beside him.
Soon, the massive silhouette of Elbaf appeared on the horizon.
"Vohahahaha! Let's go meet our giant friend!" Rocks roared excitedly.
Inside the castle, King Harald frowned as he sensed their arrival.
"Tch… that damned Rocks again," Harald muttered. He had been trying to align with the World Government, but Rocks kept pestering him.
Still, he was curious about the Ancient Giant in Rocks' crew. He had never met one outside the loyal and noble families of Elbaf.
Suddenly, his Observation Haki picked up movement inside the treasury.
"Who dares approach the sacred treasure?!" he roared, rushing toward it.
He arrived at the treasury, hearing something slamming against the door from inside. He frowned and entered.
What he saw left him stunned.
"Ragnir…?"
The legendary hammer, guardian of the ancient Devil Fruit, was trembling.
He stared at it in confusion as the hammer tried to break free, yet hesitated to leave the Devil Fruit unguarded.
A sudden possibility crossed his mind—and he froze.
He turned toward the legendary hammer.
"Could it be… it sensed the Ancient Giant in Rocks' crew?"
His mind went blank.
"Could that Ancient Giant be the chosen one? The successor of the War God?"
Cold sweat formed on his back.
"If that power falls into his hands… it will strengthen Rocks' crew even further."
"Gee… Gee…"
The hammer hummed angrily from within its confinement. Frost spread across the floor, and lightning cracked violently around it.
Meanwhile, Ron and the others entered Elbaf, unaware of everything.
They landed near the coast at a tavern owned by Harald's first wife, Ida.
"Vohahahaha! Ida, prepare a feast!" Rocks laughed loudly.
Ida smiled warmly. "Welcome back, everyone."
Her gaze shifted to Ron. "And nice to meet you, Ron-san."
Ron waved casually. "Yo."
His body expanded, growing into his full 25-meter Ancient Giant form.
Ida blinked in confusion. "Shouldn't an Ancient Giant be bigger?"
Ron shrugged. "I'm only 19."
Her eyes widened. "What?! Then why do you look like a fully grown human?"
Ron shrugged again. "Who knows? I've never met another Ancient Giant."
The truth was, he had begged the ROB for this extra wish.
Living as a baby for decades didn't sound fun at all, so he asked for his physical body to grow like a human until his 20s.
Ida eventually shook her head. "Well… it's not a big deal. Enjoy yourselves."
Ron stretched before turning away. "First time in Elbaf. I'm going to explore."
Gloriousa followed him immediately without a word.
Rocks didn't bother stopping them—they were free to do as they pleased.
Ron spread his wings and took to the sky, with Gloriousa sitting comfortably on his shoulder.
In his giant form, the size difference was obvious—he towered at 25 meters while she barely reached 2 meters.
They flew across the land, visiting different villages.
"Elbaf is huge," Gloriousa said, looking around in awe.
Ron nodded slightly as they continued exploring.
---