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

Having received the benefits, Kaido no longer worried about whether Ron really wanted to kill him. He strode towards the ship, carrying his spiked club, though a trace of resentment still lingered in his back.

Lox walked over to Ron, put his arm around his shoulder, and laughed, "I didn't expect your performance to exceed my expectations, Ron."

Ron was in a bit of pain from the tightness, and said modestly, "Just lucky, just lucky."

Rocks tightened his grip, his laughter deafening: "Good lad, still hoping for luck? If I hadn't intervened, Kaido wouldn't be in much better shape, even if he survived."

"Uh~" Ron was speechless and could only smile wryly as he was held in his arms.

"Hahahaha..." Rocks laughed, turning Ron around and walking towards the ship. "Come on, I'll throw you a party tonight!"

..........

Kaido had just stepped onto the deck, feeling quite annoyed, and hadn't even found a corner to sit down when Shiki's light, airy voice entered his ears, sounding like it had no good intentions.

"Hey, Kaido, you seem pretty resentful. How about I help you find a chance to take him down?"

Kaido turned his head at the sound, glanced at the grinning Golden Lion, and, too lazy to pay attention, turned and left.

"Hehehehe." Seeing that Kaido ignored him, the Golden Lion wasn't angry. "You bastard, you think you're all that now that you have Linlin backing you up?"

"Tch." Kaido scoffed inwardly. After being here for so long, did he not know the situation of the Rocks Pirates?

Forget about him being kind enough to help him kill Ron; he'd be grateful if Ron hadn't tricked him while he was passing by.

Night gradually fell, and the sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell.

The Sword of Gibbek has sailed into the vast sea, with no islands in sight, only endless darkness and the sound of waves for company.

The banquet that Lox had hosted for Ron was over, the table was littered with cups and plates, and several drunken crew members lay sprawled in a corner of the deck.

If Ron had to sum up the banquet in one word, "boring" would be the most fitting.

It's actually quite normal. After all, he's new here and can't really fit into the group. Most of the time, he sits alone on the side, watching the group brag, argue, and drink with each other. Occasionally, someone will pick up a weapon and start a fight over a single sentence, only to be pulled away by others with a laugh.

The excitement belongs to them; Ron gets nothing.

After the banquet ended, the ship's deck became much quieter.

Ron sat alone on the ship's railing, lost in thought as the sea breeze blew through him.

Not far away, Whitebeard leaned against the railing on the other side, holding half a flask of wine in his hand, gazing intently at the sea.

The two each occupied a different direction, with no overlap.

At that moment, Kaido strolled over leisurely.

He stopped beside the white-bearded man and leaned against the railing.

"It seems you've recovered from your defeat, Kaido," Whitebeard said with a chuckle.

"I just lack a powerful 'Devil Fruit'." Kaido's tone when speaking to Whitebeard was completely different from how he spoke to others.

After all, Whitebeard was the only person he trusted in the Rocks Pirates who never betrayed him and sometimes even took good care of him.

"Gurgle gurgle." The white-bearded man chuckled. "Like I said, the right fruit takes time to find."

Kaido shrugged: "Of course I know, it's just... too difficult."

Whitebeard chuckled twice more upon hearing this, then fell silent, his gaze returning to the dark sea.

Kaido stood there for a while, then, finding it boring, turned and walked in another direction.

His gaze fell on Ron, who was sitting on the railing. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over.

"Hey, newbie." Kaido stood beside Ron, his voice low but carrying a stubborn edge. "How about we fight again after I find my own Devil Fruit?"

Ron was lost in thought, enjoying the sea breeze, when he heard the sound and slowly turned his head, his pupils reflecting Kaido's face.

"Don't get me wrong, I can afford to lose." Before Ron could respond, Kaido sat on the railing, his legs dangling over the outside of the ship. "I just... want to fight you one more time when I'm at my strongest."

A faint smile appeared on Ron's lips: "Don't you know... only 'dominance' can overcome everything?"

Kaido looked surprised and instinctively asked, "Did you hear that from Rocks?"

Ron smiled without saying anything. He hadn't heard it from Lockes, but from someone called "Teacher Kay".

"Sigh." Kaido sighed, then suddenly changed the subject, "Do you know that guy behind us?"

Ron glanced back. "Edward Newgate?"

"Yes!" Kaido nodded, a burning glint in his eyes. "His Devil Fruit is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which is an extraordinary fruit. I've seen it with my own eyes."

From his words, Ron could hear the undisguised adoration.

"Haki is powerful," Kaido continued, "but who could refuse to eat a fruit that grants them world-destroying power?"

Ron finally understood. Kaido thought that while Haki was powerful, it took too much time to train, and it was far more worthwhile to eat a powerful Devil Fruit.

"Do you think it's easy to find a powerful Devil Fruit?" Ron said with a smile.

Kaido was speechless for a moment before slowly saying, "The chances are great with the Rocks Pirates. And... Rocks himself promised me that if he got it, he would give it to me too."

And so the two chatted back and forth.

The sea breeze, carrying the sound of the waves, swept past them, and before Ron knew it, he found Kaido to be quite a genuine person.

Similarly, Kaido also felt that Ron was more reliable than most of the people on his ship.

Most importantly, they were all interns.

"Hey, Ron." Kaido, who had previously addressed him as "newcomer," now called him by his first name. "Let's form an alliance so we can all look out for each other. The Rocks Pirates are a mixed bag of all sorts of monsters."

Then, Kaido counted on his fingers and made a "beast list" for Ron.

He spoke very quickly, as if he had already cursed those names a thousand times in his mind.

Due to the fast pace of the conversation, Ron could only barely remember that Shiki was firmly at the top of the list, a point that Kaido particularly emphasized, saying, "This man is treacherous and must be guarded against in every way."

As for the others...

Whitebeard and Rocks are generally trustworthy.

Lingling is a fickle person; whether or not you can trust her depends on the situation.

As for the rest, none of them can be trusted, especially the names listed on the list of beasts.

Finally, Ron nodded in agreement to the alliance.

The condition is that if a powerful Devil Fruit is found, it belongs to Kaido, while the ordinary ones belong to Ron.

The next morning.

The sea fog had not yet dissipated, and Ron was fast asleep when, in his hazy state, a noisy commotion suddenly arose above the deck.

He frowned, not fully awake, when he heard another series of hurried footsteps.

"Bang!"

The hatch was kicked open, and the latch parts were twisted beyond recognition, falling to the ground with a clatter.

Ron sat up abruptly, rubbed his sleepy eyes, glanced at the pitiful door, then at Kaido walking towards him, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Even if there's an enemy attack, it wouldn't be our turn as apprentices, Kaido," Ron said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Enemy attack? What enemy attack?" Kaido shook his head, looking completely bewildered, seemingly unaware of what he had just done. "Never mind that, get up! The Kuja Pirates are here!"

Ron paused slightly, and the first thing that flashed through his mind was the Empress, Hancock.

But the next second he came to his senses and realized that the current timeline was still the old era.

The Kuja Pirates of this era were led by Gloriosa and Shakky.