Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"Zoro, it's your turn."

Ronan pointed to the two enormous bodies: "Swing your blade and completely sever the spines of these two dragon-like creatures. Be careful not to break them."

"clear."

Zoro drew his Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu, wielding them in a dual-sword style. With a flash of cold light, the muscles on the backs of the two giant beasts were neatly peeled away, revealing their stark white spines.

Ronan stepped forward and placed his palm on one end of the spine.

"Explosive Force - Penetrating to the Bone!"

He gave a low shout and suddenly exerted force with his palm.

An extremely subtle vibrational force instantly spread throughout the entire spine.

With a soft "plop," a milky white, golden, viscous liquid slowly flowed from the other end of the spine—the most essential bone marrow of the dinosaur.

Ronan carefully guided the bone marrow into the stone bowl, where it mixed with the scarlet blood.

As the last drop of marrow fell, the enormous stone bowl was almost full.

The red blood and white bone marrow mingled together, creating a strange reaction.

Wisps of steam began to rise from the surface of the liquid, which had already begun to boil without needing to be heated, and a faint sound of a dragon's roar could be heard.

"Wow... such amazing energy." Even from a distance, Vivi could feel the terrifying heat and oppressive aura emanating from the stone bowl.

Ronan stood by the stone bowl and threw all the thousand-year-old elixir from his arms into it.

Purple Cloud Lingzhi, Blood Dragon Ginseng, Frost Lotus...

With the addition of the elixir, the originally scarlet and violent liquid gradually calmed down, and its color changed to a deep purplish-gold, emitting a captivating fragrance.

That was the essence and marrow of two ancient overlords, fused with several thousand-year-old spiritual herbs to form a "great medicine".

Even before it was heated, the intense, almost overwhelming energy fluctuations had already made the surrounding air distorted and scorching.

"Light it."

Ronan stood beside the woodpile, his voice calm.

"boom--!!"

These pine trees, which grow on ancient islands, are rich in highly flammable oils; a single spark can ignite a wildfire in an instant.

The towering flames, like a roaring fire dragon, instantly engulfed the entire pile of wood, with flames frantically licking the stone pot at the top.

The terrifying heat caused ferns hundreds of meters away to wither and curl instantly. Vivi, riding Karu, had to retreat to a more distant place, watching in horror at this scene that resembled purgatory.

"Glug...glug...splash!!!"

Under the intense heat of the fire, the liquid inside the stone pot boiled rapidly.

The once calm, purplish-gold liquid surface began to churn wildly, with huge bubbles bursting and releasing a suffocating aroma of blood and medicine.

Thick steam rose up and condensed into the shape of a dragon in mid-air, with the faint roar of a ferocious beast emanating from it.

Ronan stood at the edge of the stone pot, looking down at the "great medicine" that was powerful enough to melt gold and iron.

"No destruction, no construction."

Ronan turned around, his gaze resolute, and swept it over the three people in front of him one by one:

"This medicinal bath, in terms of both temperature and the potency of the medicine, is incomparable to the gentle medicinal baths of the past."

"The violent bloodline of the ancient overlord, combined with the immense primordial energy of the thousand-year-old spiritual herb, will, once it enters your body, be like countless knives cutting you madly."

"Prepare yourself mentally, this isn't just painful, it's real... you could die."

Ronan's voice sounded exceptionally clear amidst the roar of the flames:

"However, once we pull through, we will completely shed our mortal bodies and possess the world's most supreme physical talent—indestructibility!"

silence.

The only sound was the crackling of the flames.

A few seconds later, Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, revealing eyes that burned with a light hotter than flames.

He gritted his teeth, feeling the wave of heat hitting him, and a grin spread across his face.

"Hehe... What's a little pain compared to becoming the Pirate King! If it's the strongest body, then I've got it!"

"snort."

Zoro untied his waistband, revealing his muscular upper body, the scar across his chest looking particularly gruesome in the firelight.

"The world's strongest physical talent... Sounds good."

"To surpass that man, to become the world's greatest swordsman, I will not back down here!"

Sanji pulled out his last cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then flicked the butt into the flames.

"Ah... I won't give up either. To protect the people I want to protect, to finally set foot on that ALL BLUE..."

"It would be foolish to give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it means death, it's worth it."

Seeing the unwavering determination in the eyes of the three, Ronan smiled with satisfaction.

"Then... let's jump!"

Before he finished speaking, Ronan took off his shirt, revealing muscles with smooth lines like a marble sculpture.

Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped into the boiling stone pot with a "plop."

"We'll join in too!"

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

Three splashes of water erupted as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji followed closely behind, jumping into the boiling furnace without hesitation.

"Zzzzzzz—!!"

The moment it hit the water, the sensation wasn't "hot" at all, but rather "explosive".

Ronan felt as if his skin was being peeled off in an instant, and the scalding liquid was frantically drilling into his body through his pores.

That was not gentle energy, but the lingering resentment and violent will of the two dragon-like beasts before their deaths.

The immense, unreasonable medicinal power of the thousand-year-old herb surged through his veins.

Pain! Pain that goes deep into your bones!

It felt as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at my internal organs, or as if countless dull knives were scraping my bones.

"Well……"

Even someone as resolute as Ronan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan at this moment.

He felt like his body was a balloon that had been inflated to its limit, ready to burst into pieces at any moment.

Blood and qi flowed in reverse, meridians swelled, and consciousness began to blur.

Is this what death feels like?

However, just as Ronan's consciousness was about to plunge into the abyss of darkness, that cold yet familiar voice rang out in his mind like heavenly music.

[Warning! Warning! Host vital signs detected rapidly declining... Entering a near-death state!]

[System protection mechanism activated!]

[High-energy substance intrusion detected... "Desperate Training" mode activated! Training multiplier increased to 10x!]

[Special Status Triggered: Mental Tempering. Maintaining consciousness amidst extreme pain will greatly enhance mental strength!]

boom--!!

As the system notification faded, a strange power suddenly surged through Ronan's body, which was on the verge of collapse.

That wasn't an external force, but rather the system forcibly squeezing out the potential that was originally dormant within him.

With a 10x cultivation multiplier, the violent medicinal power that had been raging and destroying his body instantly transformed into the purest nutrients.

Ronan suddenly opened his eyes, golden light swirling in his pupils.

"Give it to me... to refine it!!"

He roared inwardly, guiding that enormous energy to surge through the blocked meridians within his body.

[Host is absorbing dragon blood essence... Physique +1, Strength +1!]

[The host is absorbing the medicinal power of the Thousand-Year Blood Dragon Ginseng... Physique +1, Strength +1! Speed ​​+1!]

[The host is in extreme pain. Willpower has been assessed... Spirit +1, Spirit +1, Spirit +1!]

The data stream was frantically scrolling across Ronan's retina.

That feeling was incredibly wonderful.

On one side is the extreme pain of being torn apart and burned, and on the other side is the extreme pleasure of power rising steadily and cells cheering.

This experience, a blend of hell and heaven, sent shivers down Ronan's spine.