One Piece: We already have the Four Gods, so my Six Paths Sage is reasonable, right?

Not long after, on the sea.

Ron, transformed into a nine-tailed fox demon, quickly caught up with Kaido and his crew, accompanied by Whitebeard.

"Hey, hey, hey... you guys are finally back!"

Stussy stood on the deck of the mate ship, patted his chest with one hand, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"If you had come any later, that bastard Kaido would have attacked me."

The white-bearded man clicked his tongue, leaned against the ship's railing, and glanced at Stusi expressionlessly.

Fighting each other for treasure is typical of the Rocks Pirates; he never gets involved or interferes.

"Stusi, you know I never concern myself with the distribution of treasure. So... whether I come back or not, I won't take sides."

Stussy pursed his lips, slumped his shoulders slightly, and looked at Whitebeard with a wronged expression.

She even deliberately managed a few tears in her eyes, her tone carrying just the right amount of resentment: "Hey, Newgate, do you really think of me as such a greedy woman?"

The white-bearded man stared at her in shock, his mouth slightly agape: "Isn't...it true?"

"Waaah...you really hurt my feelings by saying that." Stussy clutched her chest, sighing softly and deliberately.

Ron ignored Whitebeard's conversation with Stussy and instead, with a hint of deliberate displeasure, said to Kaido, "Damn Kaido, aren't we still the trainee alliance? You actually abandoned me and ran off first?"

Of course, he just wanted to vent his anger.

As a time traveler, doesn't Kaido know him well? Forget about running away; if Ron got his hands on a legendary Devil Fruit, Kaido would unhesitatingly whack him with his club and snatch it away. [Refer to the original manga where Kaido whacks Linlin to steal her Devil Fruit].

"Um?"

Kaido, who hadn't paid much attention initially, couldn't sit still any longer after hearing Ron's shout. He immediately raised his voice a notch: "You bastard Ron, are you questioning our bond?"

What the heck? We still have a bond?

"Then tell me why you didn't wait for me? Let me make this clear... I hate it when people apologize afterwards."

"Spare me~" Stussy raised his hand from the side, "Because of the fact that I left first, Kaido almost attacked me! If I hadn't explained why, you two would be fishing me out of the sea right now."

As Stussy explained, Kaido suddenly straightened his back. He raised his chin, glanced sideways at Ron, and said in a sarcastic tone, mimicking Ron's voice, "I also... hate it when people apologize afterwards."

Ron blinked, stunned for a moment. He was quite surprised; he hadn't expected Kaido to almost attack Stussy because of this.

It seems that many things cannot be approached with prejudice. Only by seeing and experiencing them firsthand can one draw conclusions.

Ron smiled and walked over, grabbing Kaido's shoulder and shaking him vigorously. "I knew it! The bond between us trainee alliance members is unbreakable. How could it possibly fail the test?"

"Tch." Kaido turned his head away, raising his chin even higher, and snorted. "Who was just badmouthing me?"

"Hey, Stusky," Ron turned to Stusky and called out, "Don't do things that affect team unity next time!"

Stussy was amused by Ron's words and couldn't help but burst out laughing. She leaned on the ship's railing with one hand, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Listen to this, listen to this, the Rocks Pirates have "unity"?

However, Stussy didn't dampen the spirits of these two "interesting" young people. She smiled, raised her hand, gave an "OK" sign, and nodded firmly: "Okay, I'm the one who affected your unity. I apologize."

"I hate it when people apologize afterwards..." the white-bearded man said with interest, his tone indifferent, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Stussy glanced speechlessly at the white-bearded man and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Newgate, are you trying to kill yourself? Going to go crazy with them too?"

Whitebeard didn't respond.

He simply leaned against the ship's railing, his gaze shifting from Stussy to Ron and Kaido, watching the two young men with their arms around each other's shoulders, exchanging barbs yet neither willing to let go.

He sensed something from these two guys that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Such a scene... is truly something to look forward to.

The white-bearded man's eyes flickered slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

-------------------------------------

Inside the ship, on the hall.

"Name."

"Lucia Annika!"

The pink-haired woman stood in front of him, her hands neatly folded in front of her, her back ramrod straight.

"What's your relationship with Xia Qi?"

Annika's eyes brightened slightly, as if she were recalling something warm: "Years ago, I helped her, and we gradually reconnected. She was a very kind person, a very reliable mentor. She always told me to escape and broaden my horizons..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ron waved his hand and said, "We've gone off-topic."

Annika smiled gently, reaching out to brush aside the pink hair that fell in front of her, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of clear eyes: "I'm sorry... but, Mr. Ron, thank you so much for saving me."

"Miss Annika, I regret to inform you that you were not rescued, but rather kidnapped by another group of villains."

Annika blinked her big eyes, tilted her head, and asked earnestly, "Was I...was I kidnapped by Mr. Ron?"

"Yes." Ron smiled kindly. "You'd better hope your friendship stands the test of time, Miss Annika."

With such a good relationship with Shakky, exchanging her for a Devil Fruit wouldn't be too much to ask, right? No, even two wouldn't be too much to ask.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Annika's face, and the light in her beautiful eyes dimmed slightly. After a two-second silence, she asked softly, "Then... will they kill the hostage?"

"Of course." Ron nodded seriously, his tone carrying a deliberate threat. "If Shakky doesn't give me what I want, I'll throw you into the middle of the ocean to feed the sharks."

Annika wasn't afraid. She just thought about it seriously and then asked, "Then... can I get really drunk before I throw it? That way it won't hurt."

Ron frowned slightly, his lips twitching. "Of course not. Are you here to buy groceries? Haggling over prices?"

"Hey, hey, hey, Ron~~"

Stussy's weak voice drifted from afar.

She leaned on a table not far away, propping her head up with one hand and tapping the surface of the table with the other. "Could you ask her to go and cook first? We're starving."

Ron glanced at her sideways, then turned back to look at Annika.

"Hmm, after thinking about it carefully, if you do a good job with the tasks I've assigned you, I'll consider letting you get completely drunk."

Annika's eyes lit up again, and she bowed deeply to Ron, her long pink hair cascading down her shoulders like a soft waterfall.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ron."

Ron laughed. Listen to that, she even thanked me!