Chapter 49: She Can Cook, Play the Piano, and Play the Flute...

"Hiss... The Vice Captain is way too strong! He even split a Logia attack apart!"

"Hey, kid. Anyone with Haki can hit a Logia user. Don’t act like you’ve never seen the world before. Don’t embarrass the Whitebeard Pirates."

"Who are you calling stupid? I was watching carefully! The Vice Captain’s sword aura didn’t have any Armament Haki on it at all!"

"Hiss—!!!"

The surrounding pirates collectively Inhaled sharply .

This was the first time they had ever seen a sword slash split apart a Logia attack without using Haki.

The sight was utterly shocking.

It felt as though their understanding of the world had just been overturned.

Only a small portion of the crew had participated in the earlier operation against Admiral Kizaru, so most of the Whitebeard Pirates had never witnessed Ron’s true strength firsthand.

Now that they had finally seen it for themselves, they were completely stunned.

So this was a true Great Swordsman?

Far too powerful.

Even Whitebeard couldn’t help turning his gaze toward Ron.

A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

A swordsman capable of cutting through Logia powers without Haki wasn’t unheard of.

But someone as young as Ron?

That was a first.

In a voice so quiet that only he could hear it, Whitebeard murmured:

"Ron..."

"Ro..."

"Roger..."

No one knew what he was thinking.

At that moment, everyone’s attention remained fixed on Ron.

Then a hesitant voice broke the silence.

"Th-Thank you... for saving me..."

The voice trembled slightly, trying to suppress lingering fear.

Ron lowered his gaze.

When he saw the woman’s face clearly, his expression became somewhat strange.

The young woman before him was Conis.

Not only was she beautiful, but her eyes also carried a quiet determination and courage.

"Mister... My name is Conis. I..."

Her voice shook visibly.

Part of it was because she had narrowly escaped death.

The other part was the awe she felt toward the people standing before her.

After all, she had just witnessed someone casually block Enel’s divine punishment.

That level of power was beyond imagination.

Even so, she gathered her courage and continued:

"Please, sir... save Skypiea!"

Her plea was filled with desperation and helplessness.

Anyone hearing it would feel at least a little sympathy.

Ron, however, didn’t answer immediately.

He wasn’t some selfless saint.

Nor was he the type of fool who lost his mind the moment he saw a beautiful woman.

In this world, there was no such thing as free help.

And there was certainly no free lunch.

So he calmly asked:

"Nothing comes for free. What can you offer in return?"

The surrounding crew quietly watched.

As far as they were concerned, whatever decision their Vice Captain made would be the correct one.

Hearing the question, Conis became even more anxious.

She knew she needed to provide an answer that would satisfy this powerful man.

Otherwise, everything would be lost.

"I... I can cook."

"I can play the piano."

"I can play the flute."

"I can sing."

"I can..."

With every skill she listed, her expression became more resolute.

She was doing everything she could to prove her value.

Finally, after a somewhat frantic self-promotion session, she grabbed the hem of Ron’s pants and nearly knelt on the ground.

"I can do anything!"

"Please help us drive Enel away and restore peace to Skypiea!"

"As long as you’re willing to help, I’ll do whatever you ask!"

Her voice was filled with hope born from despair.

It was as though she had entrusted everything to the man standing before her.

Ron smiled and nodded.

This didn’t conflict with his plans anyway.

"Get up."

"I happen to be short on attendants. You’ll do."

Besides, he needed Conis’s help to locate Enel.

If every piece of information conveniently came from Ron himself, it would look far too deliberate.

Using Conis as a guide would avoid unnecessary suspicion.

Still, one thing puzzled him.

Why hadn’t Enel shown himself yet?

Had he actually been frightened?

Come to think of it...

That was entirely possible.

Perhaps Enel had already learned something through his Mantra and become wary.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!"

Conis stood up nervously.

"Do you know where Enel is?" Ron asked casually.

Conis nodded and was just about to answer—

BOOM!

A deafening thunderclap exploded across the sky.

A brilliant bolt of lightning tore through the heavens, illuminating the entire area.

The electricity crackled and twisted through the air as though guided by an invisible hand.

Gradually, it formed the outline of a human figure.

As the lightning faded, the figure became clear.

It was Enel.

His long earlobes hung down like ropes, making him instantly recognizable.

Yet this Enel was different from the one everyone expected.

His face was gloomy.

His eyes were filled with caution and unease.

Gone was the relaxed confidence he usually displayed.

The reason was simple.

From the moment Ron’s group arrived, Enel had been observing them through Mantra.

He could clearly sense the overwhelming power radiating from several individuals.

For the first time in a very long while, even Enel was forced to take the situation seriously.

Originally, he had planned to wait until these outsiders left before dealing with the aftermath.

But they had openly called him out by name.

And now there was even a local helping them find him.

At that point, hiding had become meaningless.

Eventually, they would find him anyway.

Since that was the case—

He might as well face them head-on.

Thus, after a brief moment of consideration, Enel finally appeared.

Seeing him emerge, Ron’s lips curved into a faint smile.

A trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.

As long as Enel had shown himself, he wasn’t going to run.

Someone as prideful as Enel cared too much about his reputation.

Once he accepted a challenge, fleeing wasn’t an option.

"Hey!"

"You finally decided to show your face?"

Jozu immediately pointed at Enel and started shouting.

"I’ve been waiting so long the flowers have already withered!"

His frustration had been building for quite a while.

Now that Enel had finally appeared, Jozu unleashed it all without holding back.

At last, he had found the perfect target for his anger.

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