At the exact instant the last trace of medicinal power was completely devoured by the four of them—
That granite cauldron, carved from a single block of stone, finally let out a mournful cry under the strain.
CRACK—
A crisp fracture rang out, like some ancient seal being shattered.
And then, as if a chain reaction had been triggered, three heavy, terrifying booms erupted from inside Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Four wildly violent shockwaves exploded outward from the four of them, sweeping across the area like a storm.
The force was so great it blew apart the blazing flames around them, instantly evacuating the air within dozens of meters.
Under that impact, the stone cauldron that had held prehistoric essence and millennium-grade medicine didn't just break—
It was pulverized into dust, scattered into the night wind.
When the smoke cleared, Ronan rose slowly to his feet.
He had changed completely.
His once 180-something height had been forcibly stretched to two full meters after this baptism.
His bare upper body carried a faint bronze sheen.
The sleek lines of his muscles had become tighter, deeper—every rise and fall packed with explosive power. He clenched his fist lightly, and the air between his fingers compressed and popped with a sharp bang.
That sensation—limitless strength coursing through his veins, organs like stone, breath long and steady as a dragon's—made him want to throw back his head and roar at the heavens.
"So this is… indestructible."
Ronan murmured, feeling the endless surge within him.
At the same time, a pale-blue system interface automatically appeared before his eyes, golden data streaming rapidly as the results settled:
[Perseverance System]
[Only Rule: As long as you never stop training, your strength will grow without end]
[Host: Ronan]
[Strength: 36]
[Speed: 32]
[Physique: 39]
[Spirit: 26]
[Skills:
Xingyi Thirteen Spear: Proficient, spear intent emerging.
Thirteen Guardians' Iron Body: Indestructible (Beginner).
Observation Haki (Intermediate 32/100): Range expanded, prediction sharpened.
Armament Haki (Intermediate 56/100): Hardening density greatly increased.]
[Overall Combat Assessment: Grand Line First Half — Overlord Class]
Ronan studied the panel and nodded in satisfaction.
On the first half of the Grand Line, with this body alone, there were few who could truly threaten him.
But when he turned to the three beside him, his brows knitted slightly.
He had the system to regulate the flow.
Luffy and the others didn't.
They hadn't been blown apart by the overwhelming medicinal force—but the savage dinosaur essence and the vast vitality of millennium herbs were still rampaging inside them like wild horses without reins.
"GRAAAAAH—!!!"
Luffy threw his head back and roared, his voice hoarse.
His skin was red as blood, thick white steam pouring off him.
Under the shock of the medicinal power, his rubber body lost control—swelling into a sphere one moment, stretching snake-like the next, as if some beast inside him was trying to burst out.
"So hot!! It hurts!!"
Luffy clawed at his own chest, sparks flashing from his nails.
Zoro and Sanji weren't doing any better.
Zoro's muscles bulged like twisted cables, veins swelling like black roots, eyes bloodshot as if they might pop from his skull.
Sanji's body shook violently, the elegant gentleman's face now twisted in agony—as though he were experiencing a gene-level tearing and reconstruction.
"Move! Run the breathing method!"
Ronan roared, voice like thunder. "Circulate your qi and blood! If your body can't hold it, release the excess energy! Don't force it!"
"Release it…?"
Luffy snapped his head up. Those crimson eyes held no retreat—only an animal's stubborn obsession.
"No… I won't!!"
He bellowed, swallowing a mouthful of rising blood back down.
"I finally… got this power inside my body… I'm not spitting it out!! That's the strength I'm gonna use… to become Pirate King!!"
"Same here!" Zoro forced the words out through clenched teeth, eyes savage.
"If I can't even digest this much energy, what right do I have to talk about being the strongest?! Absorb it—ALL OF IT!!"
"Me too…" Sanji ground his teeth. "A once-in-a-lifetime chance like this… I'm not throwing it away!"
And right when the three of them were at the very edge—desperate for an outlet—
"Shihihihihi! What an ugly struggle!"
A sharp, smug voice split the air.
From the jungle shadows, massive streams of white wax sprayed out, rapidly hardening into a towering white "robot" nearly five meters tall.
Mr. 3 was hidden inside the armor, peering through a viewing slit at these "deranged" pirates, greed shining in his eyes.
"I've waited for this moment! You're all cooked like boiled shrimp—can't even move! Perfect time to harvest!"
He drove the "Candle Champion" forward, huge waxen gauntlets swinging with a whistling roar toward the most unstable-looking target—Luffy.
"I'll wipe you all out with my 'Candle Champion'! Starting with you, Straw Hat!"
"The first one!!"
Faced with that killing blow, Luffy—whose energy had nowhere to go, who was on the verge of exploding—slowly turned his head.
Those blood-red eyes locked onto Mr. 3 charging in…
Like a predator staring at the perfect punching bag.
"Perfect… timing!!"
Luffy roared so hard it shook the trees.
Under the boost of his indestructible body—under the savage push of overflowing medicinal power—his rubber cells expanded in an instant.
WHOOM—
His body swelled with the wind, and in the blink of an eye, Luffy grew to a full five meters tall!
Muscles bulged like boulders, skin shining with a metallic luster—he stood a full head taller than Mr. 3's Candle Champion.
Like a demon god descending into the world.
The waxen iron fist came crashing down—
But giant Luffy didn't dodge.
He simply raised his massive right arm.
Jet-black Armament Haki coated it instantly. The energy was so overfull that dark red lightning crackled around the hardened surface.
"Gum-Gum—GIANT PISTOL!!!"
BOOOOOOM——!!!
It was a collision like a meteor hitting the earth.
Luffy's fist—loaded with indestructible strength and the violent force of that prehistoric medicine—smashed straight into the Candle Champion's chest.
There was no suspense.
That wax armor that claimed to be harder than steel… was as fragile as flour-dough in front of this punch.
CRACK—SPLURCH!!
The monstrous power pierced through the wax mech and crushed everything inside—Mr. 3, the thick wax layers, all of it—shattered, ground down, erased.
"AAAAA—"
The scream lasted less than half a second before it was cut off.
White wax fragments exploded into the air, and Mr. 3 didn't even leave behind a complete corpse.
Under absolute force, he and his Candle Champion were reduced instantly into a red-and-white paste, smeared across the trees behind him.
A one-punch kill.
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