Chapter 41: The Vice Captain Is This Strong?!

When they heard that Whitebeard had agreed to the plan, the crew erupted into cheers.

They had been staying here for quite some time and were already getting restless. Now they had a chance to visit the legendary Sky Island, which was undoubtedly exciting news for everyone.

"Awesome! I heard Sky Island is covered in gold! I can finally become a Devil Fruit User!"

"Yeah! Ron said it’s the City of Gold. There’ll definitely be enough treasure for all of us to become Devil Fruit Users!"

"There are supposed to be lots of beautiful women up there too! I’ll capture them all and present them to Vice Captain Ron!"

"That’s right! We can never repay Ron ’s kindness. The only thing we can offer is beautiful women!"

"..."

Ron was speechless.

Did he really look that obsessed with women?

Still, that wasn’t the important part. What mattered was their sincerity.

Looking at these lovable crewmates, Ron gave them an encouraging glance and nodded firmly in approval.

The crew became even more excited.

This was Vice Captain Ron’s acknowledgment!

Compared to the boisterous atmosphere elsewhere, the Division Commanders’ side was much calmer.

Ace sat casually in a chair, leisurely swinging his legs, while Marco stood nearby, watching him with a gentle smile.

"Ace, how’s your Haki training coming along?" Marco asked with a hint of concern and expectation.

Ace proudly lifted his chin.

"Pretty good. I’ve got most of it down. I still can’t project Armament Haki externally, but what I have is more than enough for now."

Marco frowned slightly.

"That won’t do, Ace. You’re a Division Commander. Not being able to use Advanced Armament Haki is pretty embarrassing, don’t you think?"

Ace immediately protested.

"Come on! Big Ron is the Vice Captain, and he’s just an ordinary person. He doesn’t even know Haki."

As he spoke, he casually slung an arm around Ron’s shoulder.

Marco was about to reply when he suddenly froze.

His eyes widened.

Ron slowly raised his right hand.

A flowing layer of crimson-gold energy gradually enveloped half of his forearm.

Marco’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

"V-Vice Captain Ron... y-you... when did you learn Armament Haki?!"

"Oh? Is that all you think it is?"

Ron chuckled.

The crimson-gold Haki covering his forearm began to flow like a living substance.

Then he suddenly threw a punch at a decorative boulder nearby.

Boom!

A dull explosion echoed across the deck.

The boulder trembled slightly.

At first glance, nothing seemed to have happened.

Yet everyone present could feel an invisible force spreading through the air.

"No way..."

Ace hurried over.

Following Ron’s gesture, he reached out and lightly touched the stone.

The next instant—

Crash!

The entire boulder exploded into pieces.

Everyone finally saw what had happened inside.

The stone’s interior had been completely shattered.

Countless cracks spread throughout the core, and some sections had even been pulverized into dust.

"Hiss..."

The crowd collectively Inhaled sharply of cold air.

Only now did they realize what Ron had just used.

Advanced Armament Haki.

The ability to project Armament Haki beyond one’s body.

It was a technique that normally required years of training to master, and even among Haki users, only a select few could achieve it.

But wasn’t Vice Captain Ron supposed to be an ordinary person?

How did he suddenly know Armament Haki?

And not just basic Armament Haki—

That punch had clearly been Advanced Armament Haki.

Most of the crew hadn’t learned that technique yet.

Yet Ron had casually used it with a single punch.

It was unbelievable.

Even Ron himself hadn’t expected the attack to be so powerful.

He had only wanted to perform a simple "break a boulder with one punch" demonstration.

Instead, he had accidentally projected his Haki.

The force erupted from his fist, tearing through the air and instantly reducing the massive stone to rubble from the inside out.

Uh... this is going to be hard to explain.

Ron silently groaned.

He had merely intended to show off a little.

Who knew it would create such a huge commotion?

Before he could say anything, the crew suddenly exploded into deafening cheers.

Their enthusiasm made it seem as though they themselves had shattered the boulder.

"So Vice Captain Ron has been protecting our fragile self-esteem this whole time! He pretended to be an ordinary person out of consideration for us!"

One sailor’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Ron is too kind! He actually cared about our feelings this much! To hell with my pathetic pride! Ron , please accept my respect!"

Another sailor immediately dropped to his knees and bowed deeply.

"Sigh... I always thought Vice Captain Ron was just a scientist. I even considered teaching him some self-defense moves before. Turns out the clown was me all along..."

A crew member known for his confidence in hand-to-hand combat sighed in shame.

"..."

The entire crowd suffered a collective emotional breakdown.

Wails and lamentations filled the deck.

Everyone was completely shaken by Ron’s strength while simultaneously regretting their own ignorance.

The scene became pure chaos.

Four days later...

Upon the sparkling sea, the Moby Dick sailed steadily forward like a giant sea beast.

The navigators worked diligently, constantly monitoring wind direction, humidity, and other environmental changes to ensure safe passage.

Whitebeard stood on deck.

His gaze crossed the endless ocean and settled on the slightly turbulent waters in the distance.

His brows were tightly furrowed.

"Ron, are you sure there’s a Knock Up Stream here that can send us to Sky Island?"

Ron nodded confidently.

"Don’t worry, Pops. This is the right place."

His certainty immediately reassured everyone present.

Ace laughed casually, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Pops, relax. Even if we miss the Knock Up Stream, we can still use the Giant Jack route."

He looked up at the clear sky.

There was no sign of any island above.

But if Ron said it was there, he would believe it without question.

Turning back to Whitebeard, Ace’s eyes shone with excitement.

"Pops, once you successfully enchant yourself with the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi), you’ll become the first Three-Devil-Fruit User in history!

"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

"Attack power, recovery, and speed—all of them will reach terrifying levels.

"You’ll absolutely crush the other Four Emperors!"

Marco nodded enthusiastically.

"That’s right, Pops! Three Devil Fruit powers are more than enough to overwhelm the other Four Emperors. And your Haki is already monstrous. You’ll become an unstoppable superpower!"

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