Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), on the coast.

The setting sun dyed the sea blood-red, and the shimmering waves conveyed a sense of desolation and tranquility after a battle.

The Merry rose and fell gently with the tide, its hull occasionally creaking.

"They're back! They're back!"

Usopp, who had been pacing anxiously on the deck, pointed at several figures walking down the rock wall in the distance and shouted.

Nami hurriedly ran to the ship's side, but when she saw what the people looked like, her heart skipped a beat.

Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were all dressed in rags and covered in blood.

Luffy's red vest had a big hole in it, Zoro's clothes were covered in blood, and Sanji was walking with a limp.

The most eye-catching was Ronan, who was empty-handed; his ever-present iron spear was nowhere to be seen.

He exuded a chilling, lingering smell of gunpowder and blood.

"Oh my god... how did you get hurt like this?"

Nami covered her mouth, her eyes filled with worry: "Could it be... that even you can't defeat those Thousand-Year Dragons? Just how terrifying are those monsters?"

"I knew it!"

Although Usopp's legs were weak with fear, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his companions return alive, and patted his chest, saying...

"How could those dinosaur-like creatures be so easy to deal with! But... it's so good that you all came back safe and sound, without even losing an limb!"

Ronan jumped onto the deck, took the towel Nami handed him, and wiped the blood from his face, his expression as calm as ever.

"Ah, there was indeed a slight accident. But it's not a big problem. As for the medicinal ingredient... we'll have to figure that out on the next island."

Although he expressed regret, Ronan's eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

The gains from this battle far outweighed the benefits of the medicinal ingredient.

"Hey, Ronan."

Zoro sat cross-legged, took the water bottle Usopp handed him and gulped down a mouthful, then stared sharply at Ronan's empty hands:

"Your iron spear is damaged!"

"Yeah, it's completely ruined." Ronan shrugged, somewhat helplessly.

Zoro frowned slightly. As a swordsman who valued his sword above all else, he knew very well the importance of weapons to a warrior.

"It seems that weapons made of ordinary steel are no longer sufficient to keep up with your current strength and techniques. You need a harder and stronger gun."

"That's right."

Sanji leaned against the railing, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and tried to ease the pain in his body.

"That dragon king's defense is simply insane. Ronan's fighting style is also too violent; with that kind of impact, it's a miracle the iron spear didn't shatter on the spot."

"To be honest, when I saw the gun break, I almost thought we were going to die there."

Only after hearing this did Luffy belatedly realize what was happening.

He scratched his head, looking at Ronan with surprise: "Huh? Ronan, you're out of weapons? Wow, is the fighting that intense over there?"

"..."

Sanji's lips twitched violently, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He was almost killed in a sneak attack!

"Anyway, it's a good thing I didn't go..."

As Usopp listened to their descriptions and imagined the scene of the iron spear shattering, he couldn't help but shudder.

"If it can shatter even Ronan's thick iron spear, how hard must those dragons' claws be?"

Out with the old, in with the new.

Ronan, however, took it all in stride.

He walked to the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant sea with a deep look in his eyes:

"That iron spear was originally intended as a temporary measure; it was too fragile and suffered severe wear and tear when transmitting force."

"I dare not use my full strength in many of my moves—such as 'shaking force' and 'collapsing force'—for fear of breaking my weapon."

"Once we reach the next big island, I'll have to look carefully. I need to find a heavier, more resilient spear that can withstand my full power."

Just as everyone was discussing weapons, Zoro suddenly stood up and walked up to Ronan.

"Ronan."

Zoro's voice was deep and serious: "That final blow against the Thousand-Year Dragon King... the one where you used your fist to meet the dragon's claw head-on."

"That black thing... is it Armament Haki?"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy deck instantly fell silent.

Luffy and Sanji's gazes also converged on this.

Zoro and Sanji both remember that moment when Ronan's fist seemed to turn into black iron, blasting the dragon away with a single punch.

Ronan looked at Zoro's eager eyes and smiled slightly, without hiding anything.

"Good eye, Zoro."

Ronan nodded and admitted, "That's right, that's Armament Haki that was just awakened under the pressure of life and death."

"Really?!"

Luffy sprang up from the ground like a spring, his eyes gleaming, and charged straight at Ronan:

"Ronan! You've mastered that 'Armament Haki' yet? You mean that thing that can hurt me? Quick! Let me see it!"

"Want to see?"

Ronan's lips curled into a wicked smile: "Just looking won't do; you have to experience it for yourself."

As he spoke, Ronan slowly raised his right fist.

"Buzz—"

Ronan focused his mind intently, and his internal energy and spiritual power instantly converged into his right fist.

An invisible yet real "qi" covers the skin's surface, and then this layer of qi quickly hardens and solidifies.

Ronan's fist was clearly covered with a layer of gray-black metallic luster, exuding an aura of indestructibility.

"This is... Armament Haki."

Ronan said softly.

Before Luffy could even see clearly, Ronan's arm suddenly swung out!

"Bang--!!"

The punch wasn't very powerful; it just lightly tapped Luffy on the forehead.

But the results were astonishing.

"Ouch! O ...

Luffy covered his head with both hands, tears streaming down his face. He rolled around on the deck in pain, and a large, red, swollen bump visibly swelled up on his forehead.

"It hurts so much!! Why does it hurt so much!!"

Luffy clutched his head and yelled, "I'm a rubber man! I shouldn't feel any normal punches!"

Nami and Usopp watched in stunned silence.

They knew all too well how resilient Luffy was; he could usually withstand being bombarded by cannons without any problems, but now he was brought to tears by a single, gentle punch.

"That's the feeling..."

Luffy suddenly stopped rolling around. He raised his head, his eyes becoming incredibly serious, even carrying a hint of nostalgic fear:

"I remember now... this is what Grandpa's 'Iron Fist of Love' felt like! A pain that cuts to the bone!"

"Ronan! Teach me quickly! I want to learn this too!!" Luffy shouted.

Zoro and Sanji, who were standing nearby, also gathered around, their eyes burning with the same flame.

Zoro stroked the hilt of his sword: "If I could imbue this power into my sword... my sword would be indestructible."

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette: "If you could kick like that, you could probably break even steel."

Ronan looked at the three eager learners and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, let's begin our special training during this voyage to the Grand Line."

Ronan withdrew his Armament Haki and formulated a plan:

"We'll train as we sail, striving to get you to the threshold of Armament Haki before we reach the next island!"