"Zoro, your turn."
Ronan pointed at the two massive bodies. "Use your blades and cleanly extract the spines of these two dragon-type creatures. Carefully—don't break them."
"Got it."
Zoro drew Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu. Twin blades flashed coldly as he moved. In a flurry of steel, the thick muscles along the beasts' backs were neatly peeled away, exposing stark white spines.
Ronan stepped forward and placed his palm against one end of a spine.
"Crushing Force—Bone-Penetration."
He barked the words low and drove power through his palm.
An exquisitely controlled vibration raced the length of the spine. With a soft puh from the far end, a thick, milky-gold liquid slowly seeped out—the purest essence of the dinosaurs' marrow.
Ronan carefully guided the marrow into the stone cauldron, letting it mingle with the scarlet blood already inside.
When the final drop fell, the massive cauldron was nearly full.
Red blood and white marrow interwove—and something strange happened.
Wisps of steam rose from the surface. Without heat, the liquid began to boil on its own, a faint dragonlike resonance echoing within.
"Th-that energy is terrifying…" Vivi kept her distance, yet she could still feel the oppressive heat and pressure rolling off the cauldron.
Ronan stood at the rim and dumped all the millennium-grade herbs from his pack straight in.
Purple Cloud Lingzhi.
Blood Dragon Ginseng.
Icefrost Snow Lotus…
As the herbs dissolved, the violent crimson liquid gradually calmed. Its color deepened into a profound violet-gold, releasing an intoxicating, heady fragrance.
This was a grand elixir—the fused blood and marrow of two prehistoric apex rulers, refined with multiple thousand-year spirit medicines.
Even without fire, the sheer density of energy warped the air around it, turning the space scorching and distorted.
"Light it."
Ronan's voice was calm as he stood by the woodpile.
WHOOOM—!!
The pines from this prehistoric island were packed with volatile oils. A single spark triggered a roaring inferno.
Flames surged skyward like a raging fire dragon, swallowing the entire stack and licking furiously at the stone cauldron above.
The heat was so intense that ferns hundreds of meters away withered and curled instantly. Vivi, mounted on Karoo, had to retreat even farther, staring in terror at the hellish scene.
Gloop… gloop… KRAAASH—!!!
Under the blaze, the liquid in the cauldron boiled violently.
The once-still violet-gold surface churned like madness. Massive bubbles burst apart, releasing suffocating waves of blood-heat and medicinal aroma.
Thick steam billowed upward, coiling into dragonlike shapes in midair. Within it echoed the distant roars of feral beasts.
Ronan stood at the cauldron's edge, gazing down at this brew capable of melting metal.
"Destruction before rebirth."
He turned, eyes resolute, sweeping his gaze across the three men.
"This bath—its temperature and its ferocity—are nothing like the gentle ones before."
"The savage bloodlines of prehistoric overlords, combined with the vast vitality of millennium herbs—once inside you, they'll be like countless blades carving you apart from within."
"Prepare yourselves. This isn't just pain."
His voice cut clean through the roar of the flames.
"This can truly kill you."
"But if you endure it, we'll shed our mortal shells and gain the highest physical aptitude this world has to offer—an indestructible body."
Silence.
Only the crackle of fire answered.
A few seconds later, Luffy tugged his straw hat down. In his eyes burned a light fiercer than the flames.
He grinned through the heat. "Hehehe… If it's for becoming Pirate King, this pain's nothing! If it's the strongest body—then I'm taking it!"
"Hmph."
Zoro untied his waistband and bared his powerful torso, the massive scar across his chest glowing menacingly in the firelight.
"The world's strongest body, huh… Sounds good."
"To surpass that man—to become the world's greatest swordsman—I won't back down here."
Sanji pulled out his last cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, then flicked the butt into the fire.
"Yeah… I'm not backing out either. To protect who I want to protect, to reach the ALL BLUE…"
"A chance like this comes once in a lifetime. Walking away would be stupid. Even if it kills me—this deal's worth it."
Seeing the unshakable resolve in their eyes, a hint of satisfaction curved Ronan's lips.
"Then… jump."
Before the words even faded, Ronan stripped off his shirt, revealing muscles carved like marble.
Without hesitation, he leapt.
SPLOOSH—!
He plunged straight into the boiling cauldron.
"We're in!"
SPLOOSH! SPLOOSH! SPLOOSH!
Three more splashes followed. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji dove in after him—no hesitation, no retreat.
SZZZZ—!!
The moment they entered, it wasn't "hot."
It was detonation.
Ronan felt his skin being stripped away in an instant as the scalding elixir forced itself through every pore.
This wasn't gentle energy—it was the lingering resentment and feral will of two dragon-type behemoths at death's door.
Mixed with the utterly unreasonable potency of millennium herbs, it rampaged through his veins like a storm.
Pain—bone-deep, soul-rending pain.
As if ten thousand ants were devouring his organs. As if countless dull blades were scraping his bones raw.
"Hnn—!"
Even Ronan couldn't suppress a muffled groan.
His body felt like an overinflated balloon, ready to burst into fragments at any second.
Qi and blood reversed. Meridians swelled. His consciousness blurred.
So this… is what dying feels like?
Just as his awareness teetered on the brink of the abyss, that cold, familiar voice rang out in his mind—clear as salvation.
[Warning! Warning! Host's life signs rapidly declining… entering critical condition!]
[System protection protocol activated!]
[High-energy substance detected… initiating "Extreme Survival Training" mode! cultivation multiplier increased to: 10x!]
[Special status triggered: Mental Tempering. Remaining conscious under extreme pain will greatly increase mental strength!]
BOOM—!!
As the system's alerts finished, a strange power surged through Ronan's body.
Not external—his own buried potential was being forcibly wrung out.
Under the tenfold cultivation multiplier, the once-rampant, destructive medicinal force transformed instantly into the purest nourishment.
Ronan snapped his eyes open. Golden light flowed through his pupils.
"Refine it… ALL OF IT!!"
He roared inwardly, guiding the massive energy to slam against blocked meridians.
[Absorbing dragon-blood essence… Physique +1, Strength +1!]
[Absorbing Thousand-Year Blood Dragon Ginseng… Physique +1, Strength +1, Speed +1!]
[Extreme pain sustained. Willpower check passed… Spirit +1, Spirit +1, Spirit +1!]
Streams of data flooded his vision.
The sensation was indescribable.
On one side—his body being torn apart and burned alive.
On the other—power surging upward, cells cheering in wild exaltation.
Heaven and hell intertwined.
And Ronan's soul trembled within it.
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