Chapter 31 "Treasure of Hachinosu!"
Time passed as the Rocks Pirates grew stronger and more infamous. Many Heavenly Tributes were stolen by them, shaking the authority of the World Government.
However, the Rocks Pirates were still limited to the New World, so the damage wasn't as widespread as that caused by the revolutionaries.
Ron already knew this wouldn't truly work in the long run. In the end, the Rocks Pirates were just a group of powerful individuals held together by Rocks' strength.
It wasn't unity—it was control. And control like that never lasted forever.
Rocks was in his prime, but monsters like Kaido, Linlin, and Shiki were still growing.
The day Rocks' strength became insufficient to suppress them would be the day this crew collapsed.
Rocks wasn't an idiot either. He understood the rising ambitions within his crew.
That was why he had already begun planning something big behind the scenes.
---
"Jihahahaha! Ron, come and fight me!" Shiki came flying in, his voice loud and irritating.
Ron stopped punching the poneglyph and glanced at him with annoyance.
"Tsk, I'm training. Can't you see?" Ron replied coldly, stretching his arms.
"Shut up and let's have a match," Shiki insisted, clearly not backing down.
Ron sighed as his wings spread wide, flames flickering faintly behind him.
"Gloriousa, keep training. I'll be back soon," he said before taking off.
"Sure, dear," Gloriousa replied calmly, completely focused on her training.
Four massive poneglyphs floated in front of her, held effortlessly by her gravity.
She was training her multitasking—keeping the heavy stones afloat while doing physical training at the same time.
The pressure she placed on herself made it extremely dangerous, but she didn't slow down.
---
Ron and Shiki flew toward the sea, searching for a deserted island to fight on.
As they flew, Shiki glanced at Ron with a smirk.
"Ron, why not think about my offer again?" he asked casually.
Ron rolled his eyes, clearly uninterested.
"I already told you, Shiki. Like Newgate, I don't care about ruling the world. It's too troublesome," Ron replied.
"If the Rocks Pirates disband, I'll just form my own crew with Gloriousa."
Shiki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You have no ambition."
Ron looked at him speechlessly before replying calmly.
"Everyone has their own dreams. Ambition doesn't always mean ruling something," Ron said.
Shiki didn't respond, but his expression showed he didn't agree.
They soon found a deserted island and landed.
Ron's height shrank to match Shiki's as he drew Surtr, its blade humming faintly.
Shiki also drew his two Great Grade swords, Oto and Kogarashi.
Without another word, both of them clashed.
---
Back on Beehive Island, Gloriousa turned as she sensed a presence approaching her.
A towering woman walked toward her with a grin.
"What do you want?" Gloriousa asked irritably, not even stopping her training.
"Tsk, what's the point of training so much, Gloriousa?" Linlin said mockingly.
"If you don't have anything important, then get lost," Gloriousa replied coldly.
"Mamamama, of course I do. By the way, where is Ron?" Linlin asked, her eyes filled with greed.
Gloriousa ignored her expression completely. "He's out with Shiki, so buzz off."
"Damn that floating bastard," Linlin muttered under her breath.
"Ron will never have kids with you," Gloriousa said bluntly.
Linlin's expression darkened as she looked at her.
"Tsk, what would you know?" she snapped.
"I know Ron. And someone like you, who pops out kids like popcorn, will never interest him," Gloriousa replied.
The floating poneglyphs rose higher as her gravity surged, causing the entire skull dome to tremble.
The air grew heavy as pressure spread across the area.
"Oi! What are you two doing?" Rocks shouted angrily from a distance.
Gloriousa clicked her tongue and stopped, returning to her training silently.
Linlin also backed off, clearly in a bad mood as she walked away.
---
A few days later, Ron and Shiki returned.
Shiki had several injuries across his body, while Ron remained unharmed, though his clothes were torn.
His Lunarian physique made it nearly impossible to injure him without haki.
In a pure swordsmanship duel, Shiki was at a clear disadvantage.
Ron sighed as he looked at his hands. My strength has stopped growing…
His body had fully caught up with its earlier maturity.
Small horns had begun to grow on his head, making his appearance even more imposing.
Now, like other giants, his strength would take years—decades—to grow further.
Ron washed up and went straight to sleep.
Gloriousa noticed and quietly slipped into bed beside him.
The two fell asleep hugging each other, completely at ease.
---
Meanwhile, the port of Beehive Island was anything but calm.
"It's Kuja! The Kuja ship is approaching!" pirates shouted excitedly.
The commotion quickly spread, drawing the attention of the core members of the Rocks Pirates.
Rocks walked forward, annoyed, followed by Newgate, Stussy, Shiki, Linlin, John, Ochoku, Silver Axe, and others.
"Tsk, what's all the fuss about?" Rocks muttered.
"Gurararara, why is everyone gathered—" Newgate stopped mid-sentence.
Everyone froze as they saw the Kuja ship.
A beautiful woman with long black hair stepped forward, carrying a suitcase.
Hearts appeared in everyone's eyes instantly.
Even Rocks, Newgate, Shiki, and the others weren't exceptions.
Several pirates rushed forward, offering to carry her luggage.
She smiled sweetly and handed it over.
"You wouldn't mind this poor girl staying on this island, right?" she asked softly.
Everyone clutched their hearts as if struck by an arrow.
"Listen up, you bastards! From now on, Shakky will be living on Hachinosu!" Rocks declared loudly.
The crowd erupted in cheers instantly.
"Ara, thanks. I was thinking of opening a bar—" before she could finish, pirates rushed off.
Within moments, construction had already begun.
Even Shiki and John used their abilities to speed up the process.
A brand-new bar was completed in no time.
Shakky's eyes were searching the crowd for one person. She pouted not seeing him around. 'I come all the way here and he is not even here.'
Shakky walked inside, placed her luggage, and came back out.
"SHAKKY'S RIP-OFF BAR, officially open. Welcome, everyone."
Cheers echoed across the island as the pirates celebrated.
Rocks raised his hand with a grin.
"From now on, Shakky is the treasure of Hachinosu!"
"WOO HOO!"
---
From that day on, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar became a neutral zone.
No one was allowed to fight near it or cause trouble there.
Even the most violent pirates followed the rule without question.
The atmosphere around the bar remained lively but peaceful.
---
Far away from all the chaos, Inside Ron's room Ron and Gloriousa slept peacefully.
Completely unaware of everything that was happening.