Ron and Nami walked slowly down Onigashima's dark, shadowy staircases, passing through multiple floors before reaching the lowest level.
The stone steps seemed to stretch endlessly under the dim lights as they pushed forward, each footstep feeling like they were walking through history itself.
They had finally reached the submerged basement of Onigashima.
The damp air carried the heavy smell of rust and decay—a silent whisper of time, telling the stories of everything this ancient island had seen.
The flickering torches on the stone walls stretched their shadows out, twisting them into creepy shapes on the rough stone.
They looked like two ghosts from another world, stepping forward into the unknown.
"Ron, where exactly are we heading?" Nami asked with a bit of curiosity.
Her voice echoed softly through the empty stairway, carrying a hint of total confusion.
Shouldn't they be outside fighting the Beasts Pirates in a massive war for control of the seas?
Why had they come down to this forgotten, empty basement?
"We are going to find the Poneglyph. Kaido has one, too," Ron answered simply, his stare deep and focused.
"A Poneglyph?" Nami repeated the word, her mind quickly flashing through everything she knew about the massive stone blocks.
At first, she had only thought of them as something Robin was obsessed with—the archaeologist was always burying her nose in ancient texts.
But as her understanding of the world slowly grew, Nami had also come to realize exactly how important the Poneglyphs truly were.
They were directly connected to the ultimate treasure that countless pirates dreamed of finding: the ONE PIECE!
"The Poneglyph..." Ron mumbled softly, his black leather boots clicking sharply against the stone steps, looking completely relaxed and totally in control.
His long fingers brushed against the cold stone wall, the rough texture making the ancient history of the island feel much more real.
In his mind, he could clearly picture Robin's face as she focused hard on studying ancient texts.
"Since we coincidentally picked up someone who can read the Poneglyphs, it would be a real shame not to take a look," Ron continued, his tone carrying a heavy unbreakable determination.
To him, the Poneglyphs were not just the key to finding the ONE PIECE, but also a massive clue to unlocking the deepest secrets of this world.
Nami knew exactly who Ron was talking about.
Her orange hair shined with a warm, soft glow in the firelight, adding a tiny splash of color to the dark, gloomy hallway.
"But speaking of which, are you really interested in ONE PIECE?" She blinked curiously, trying to read Ron's expression.
"Knowing your personality, it cannot just be for the treasure, right?"
A slight smile curled at the corner of Ron's mouth and a playful spark flashing in his eyes.
"Who knows? Maybe the great treasure holds something interesting."
To him, the massive powers granted by the system were much better, guaranteed rewards than the mysterious ONE PIECE.
But as someone from another world, he still held a tiny bit of curiosity about this world's ultimate secret.
He wanted to know what the true history of this world actually was, and the ONE PIECE might just be the key to that truth.
Nami, too, was caught up in Ron's words.
A spark of deep curiosity and a craving for the unknown bubbled up in her chest as the two kept walking down the stairs.
"Halt! Who goes there?!"
A sharp shout suddenly exploded like thunder, completely shattering the quiet air and cutting off their conversation.
Over a dozen fully armed patrol guards rushed out from around the corner.
They wore heavy metal armor, each plate shining with a cold glare in the dim light.
The captain at the front was a massive, bulky man, holding a spear that was over ten feet long.
The wooden shaft was thick and heavy, and the sharp metal tip shined coldly under the flickering torches.
But when their eyes finally focused on the faces of the intruders, all the tough, confident energy instantly drained right out of them, their faces turning as pale as paper.
"I-It's the Eternal Divine Kingdom's... Ron!" one guard stuttered, his voice shaking with pure, unfiltered terror.
"The one who defeated Jack the Drought with a single move..." another guard added quickly, his eyes wide with a messy mix of terror and awe.
"Crap! Run!" someone shouted.
The weapons in the guards' hands began to shake completely out of control.
The sword handles they had been gripping so tightly now felt like red-hot iron, burning their palms and making them impossible to hold.
Cold sweat rolled down their foreheads, quickly soaking right through the backs of their shirts and making their bodies shiver.
Yet, Ron did not even blink, acting as if the armed guards standing in front of him were nothing more than annoying bugs.
Hum!
An invisible wave of Conqueror's Haki rippled outward silently, washing straight over the guards!
The soldiers stayed frozen in their charging stances, but their eyes had already rolled back into their heads, looking as if their souls had just been ripped right out of their bodies.
They swayed on their feet before dropping heavily to the stone floor one by one, landing with dull, heavy thuds.
The sound of metal armor crashing against the stone steps echoed down the hallway.
The sharp, heavy noises bounced around the quiet passage before slowly fading away into total silence, leaving nothing but a heavy, dead air hanging in the hall.
"Your Conqueror's Haki is becoming more and more masterful," Nami said softly, a tiny smile resting on her lips as she gracefully stepped right over the knocked-out guards.
Her sharp eyes noticed exactly how insanely precise Ron's Haki control was this time.
The invisible force seemed to have a mind of its own, targeting absolutely no one but the enemies.
Even the torches burning on the walls stayed completely still, continuing to burn quietly and give off their soft light.
Ron gave a small nod, a tiny wisp of dark red Haki energy twisting and dancing around his fingertips.
He spoke slowly, his voice low and perfectly steady. "Using Haki should be as natural as breathing. Control, extend, condense..."
He could clearly feel that with every single use of his Conqueror's Haki, this natural "Quality of a King" was connecting deeper and deeper with his very soul.
Every time he released it, it felt like a heavy hammer striking deep inside his chest, making that connection grow even stronger.
And with the system's massive boosts, his Conqueror's Haki was constantly growing and evolving, destined to one day break through to totally impossible heights.
Growing stronger every single second!
The speed of his growth was like a falling star—completely unstoppable.
The magical mechanic of his automatic training allowed his power to grow quietly in the background, stepping closer and closer to the absolute peak of the world.