When Ron first learned that a major battle might erupt somewhere in the western seas, the thought stirred his blood. But with Nami still away, and the progress of his rune research reaching a crucial stage, he decided after some thought to put it aside—at least for now.
The drunken men he had overheard never mentioned the exact time or the specific parties involved in the rumored weapons deal. Even if the news was true, a scattered armada like Krieg's would take days, maybe more than a week, to assemble.
So Ron reasoned calmly: if Nami returned before the battle began, they could head there together. And if the battle broke out before then—so be it. Krieg's fleet was already marked as his future prey. Let it grow. A fatter beast only meant more reward when it fell.
With that settled, he cleared his mind and returned to his training, diving once more into the deep, methodical work of rune derivation.
Day Five.
Day Six.
Day Seven.
On the morning of the seventh day, Ron finally succeeded.
The second derivative wind rune took form before him—glowing gold, pulsing softly with elemental harmony.
Now, among the nine total wind runes, he had mastered three. A third of the entire discipline. The foundation of true wind magic was steadily coming together.
With one base rune and two different derivative runes at his disposal, a second-tier wind spell should be within reach. The number of possible combinations was vast, but he had both patience and power to test them all.
Yet before he could begin the experiments—
"Found you."
A cheerful voice drifted down from above.
Ron stopped mid-motion and looked up. Nami sat atop the reef above him, swinging her legs and smiling mischievously, sunlight catching the orange in her hair.
"So you're back," he said with a faint smile.
He'd sensed her approach long before she spoke, of course, but chose not to interrupt his work until she revealed herself.
Nami's eyes fell on the wand in his hand. "What's that?" she asked, curiosity bright in her tone as she hopped down beside him.
"A wand," Ron replied simply. Then, after a pause, a thought struck him. He held it out toward her. "Here. Try using it—see if it responds to you."
"Eh?"
She blinked, surprised, but took the Elven Wand anyway. Closing her eyes, she tried to recall the simple rune he had once shown her and mimicked his gesture.
Nothing happened. The air remained still.
"So it doesn't work after all," Ron murmured, touching his chin thoughtfully. "Seems that without a magic mark, even a wand can't channel spells."
Nami just shrugged, unsurprised. "Figures. Still, it's beautiful," she said, twirling the wand in her fingers. "What's it made of? Looks like crystal—no, diamond maybe?"
"Magical material," Ron said offhandedly. Truth be told, he didn't know what the World Tree's branches really were. He gestured lightly, and the wand floated out of her hands and returned smoothly to his grasp.
The Elven Wand contained its own energy core. It couldn't grant true flight, but it could easily hover and move through the air.
Nami's eyes widened. "It floats?!"
She blinked twice, then her lips curled into a sly grin. "You know, it was my birthday two days ago, Ron~"
Bonk.
He rapped her gently on the head with the wand. "Too late. No gifts for belated birthdays."
Nami puffed her cheeks in mock outrage. "You're such a cheapskate."
Ron chuckled quietly. He knew she was teasing. Still, the thought crossed his mind—if one day she could use magic, and he had acquired a better wand, this one would suit her perfectly.
"Anyway," he said, lowering the wand, "you came back at the perfect time. I picked up some news recently."
He recounted what he'd overheard about Krieg's gathering fleet.
Nami's playful expression faded into a frown. "The Krieg Pirates? That's bad. I heard they've had more than a thousand men in their fleet for ages. They're dangerous."
"That's exactly what makes them interesting," Ron replied with a calm smile. "A crew that large must be hoarding a fortune. Probably far beyond fifty million."
Nami tilted her head thoughtfully. "That's… true."
A thousand-man fleet meant chaos—disorder. And in chaos, she thrived.
Her lips curved into a determined grin. "Let's go."
If they could pull this off, her lifelong dream—one hundred million Berries—would finally be within reach.
The numbers didn't scare her. Quite the opposite. In confusion and crowds, survival was easier. It was the tight-knit, elite crews that were the real nightmares.
"Then it's decided," Ron said, flicking the wand once before snapping it lightly against his palm.
He smiled faintly, the wind stirring his silver hair. "While we sail, I'll keep working on second-tier wind magic. Once we hit that hundred million, we'll head for Cocoyashi and deal with that fishman once and for all."
"Zeal Sea, right?" Nami grinned. "Leave the navigation to me."
Together they walked toward their anchored ship.
Their small vessel cut away from the coast, gliding into the deep blue horizon.
The journey to the Zeal Sea would take about five days.
During those days, Ron continued his relentless study.
Three distinct runes—one base, two derivatives. He tested combination after combination. Two-by-two merges, triangular merges, central fusions—all failed. Eventually, he realized the key was a triangular pattern—each rune linked at its core but layered in rotation.
He already understood the base-to-base fusion, and even the base-to-first-derivative sequence. Now, with the second rune in play, only three combinations remained untested:
Two of the second derivative runes.
A second derivative with a base rune.
A second derivative with the first derivative.
The first time he had cracked a fusion sequence, it had taken him more than three days. This time, it took only one.
By the next morning, he had mastered all three.
The following day.
Ron began assembling the runes into trios, chasing the elusive form of second-tier wind magic.
Base + Derivative 1 + Derivative 2 — failure.
Base + two Derivative 2s — failure.
Derivative 1 + two Derivative 2s — failure.
Two Derivative 1s + one Derivative 2 — failure.
After four consecutive collapses, only one possible combination remained—
Two base runes and one second derivative.
He took a slow breath, eyes bright with anticipation, and raised his wand again.
The sea breeze quieted, and for a moment, it felt as though the world itself held its breath.
The next step could bring him one spell closer to the power he sought—
The path toward the "Thousand-Man Slayer."
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