OPTT: Chapter 96/97

Chapter 96: Physique

Ron burst out laughing.
"You think Whitebeard would listen to me?"

Beckman stepped forward, cigarette in his mouth, a knowing smirk on his lips.
"You're being too modest. With your influence, just showing up, or even..."

He narrowed his eyes.
"Once the great war starts, you wouldn't want those islands and families to fall into disaster, would you?"

"Wait a second." Ron sat up straight, looking at Beckman with a strange expression.
"Something's off here. You're the ones asking me for help. How did this turn into me being the responsible party?"

Then he looked at Beckman's smug expression and felt momentarily speechless.

He pointed at his phone screen.
"Look. The entire internet's hyped for this 'Summit War' livestream. Estimated viewership might break 100 million. Ad slots are selling like crazy..." Ron shrugged.
"You think too highly of me. I've got no reason to stop it."

A dangerous glint flickered in Shanks's eyes.
"What about the innocent islands and families? Can you really just sit back and watch them burn?"

Ron's playful smile faded. His eyes turned serious and deep.
"Shanks, when did you become so naive?"

He stood up, his white robe billowing in the sea breeze.
"This rotten world won't change unless it's broken first."

...

Ron lay lazily on top of the Sea King's head, gently tapping his phone screen, a faint smile on his lips.

Of course, he wasn't going to agree to Red-Hair's request that easily. He had planned to go to Marineford anyway. If he said yes immediately, wouldn't that make him seem too cheap?

Just as he was calculating what kind of benefits to ask for, Shanks suddenly spoke up.

"I heard you've hit a bottleneck gaining followers on TikTok recently?"

He gave a sly smile.
"My whole crew can follow you. Give your traffic a little boost."

Beckman chimed in at just the right moment.
"Our Captain's a big streamer. He's got 300,000 followers. Not exactly small-time."

Ron's expression froze. It was like three giant question marks popped up above his head.

He slowly raised his head and gave the Red Hair Pirates a deadpan stare.

"You guys really think... I care about a few extra followers?"

The sea breeze instantly became awkward. Yasopp scratched his head. Lucky Roux forgot to bite into the chicken leg in his hand.

"Alright." Ron waved his hand, done playing around.

"If you want to stop the war, come to Marineford with me. As for Kaido..."

He gave a mysterious smile.
"I have my own way to handle him."

Red-Hair's face immediately darkened. A hint of suspicion flickered in his eyes.
"Ron, even if your strength is above mine now, trying to stop both Whitebeard and Kaido is—"

"You don't need to worry about that." Ron cut him off.

Their eyes locked in midair. The Sea King beneath them shifted uneasily, stirring up waves.

Finally, Shanks took a deep breath.
"Fine. I'll trust you this once."

He turned around and shouted to his crew,
"Change course! Full speed to Marineford!"

Ron nodded in satisfaction and gently patted the Sea King's head.

The massive beast let out an earth-shaking cry and surged forward through the waves.

Shanks watched Ron's white silhouette disappearing into the distance, brows tightly knit.
"Beckman, what do you think he's really planning?"

Beckman lit a new cigarette and narrowed his eyes.
"Whatever it is... this war's gonna be even crazier than we imagined."

The Red Force followed closely behind. One after another, the two ships cut through the sea, heading for the place that was about to become the center of the world.

Behind them, the last rays of the sunset were swallowed by thick clouds, like a prelude to the coming storm.

On the sparkling sea, Ron's white robe danced in the wind.

He stood on the Sea King's head, staring at the glowing sky-blue system interface that only he could see.

"System, open the store."

With a thought, the translucent system interface expanded before him. A dazzling selection of items shimmered with temptation.

Ron's pupils shrank slightly. Although the update didn't add much, every single item was a top-tier treasure!

Ten ultimate-level abilities were neatly displayed on the interface:

Top-tier Conqueror's Haki – 100 million user value

Top-tier Armament Haki – 100 million user value

Top-tier Observation Haki – 100 million user value

Top-tier Overlord Body Physique – 100 million user value

Top-tier Great Swordsman Sword Skill – 100 million user value

Top-tier...

...


Each ability radiated a unique glow, as if calling to him.

Ron looked at the list, wanting every single one.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. His current user value was only 130 million, which meant he could only afford one.

"Top-tier Haoshoku..." His finger hovered over the first option for a moment, but then he shook his head.

Whitebeard's sudden declaration of war had disrupted his plan. Simple Haki suppression wouldn't cut it at this level of conflict.

He had originally planned to exchange for Top-tier Haoshoku, but the situation had changed, and it was no longer optimal.

High-level Haki was useful, but against Yonko-class enemies, it couldn't fully dominate.

As for the fist and leg techniques... he was tempted to try them, but now wasn't the time.

His gaze continued scanning downward. When he reached Top-tier Overlord Body Physique, Ron's brows raised slightly.

"System, what's so special about this physique? Any description?"

[No detailed description. Please explore on your own.]

"Tch..." Ron clicked his tongue.
"Just like a blind box."

The sea breeze brushed past his face, carrying a salty tang. Ron's eyes darted between the options again and again, before finally settling on the physique.

"Kaido's Oni Physique, Big Mom's Iron Balloon..." he muttered.
"Their bodies are the foundation of their power."

He thought it over, then made his decision. His three types of Haki were already on par with the Yonko. No need to chase top-tier Haki right now.

With that in mind, Ron no longer hesitated.
"System, exchange for Top-tier Overlord Body Physique!"

[Exchange complete! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Overlord Body Physique!]

[Automatic integration in progress...]

In an instant, a scorching power erupted from within his body!

Ron's spine straightened. His white robe flapped in the wind. Strange, dark purple patterns began to spread across his skin, like the symbols in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, glowing with an eerie light under the sun.

"This is...?" Ron stared at the marks spreading across his arm in surprise.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 97: Sentient Devil Fruit?

Arriving at Marineford, Whitebeard Is Coming!

Ron could feel it—every single pattern pulsing with terrifying power. His muscle fibers were restructuring, his bone density increasing. His entire body was undergoing a qualitative transformation!

[Fusion complete!]

As the system prompt sounded, Ron slowly opened his eyes.

His aura had completely changed. An indescribable pressure radiated from him. When he lightly clenched his fist, the air compressed with a sharp popping sound!

The surface of the sea instantly calmed, as if even the waves were holding their breath.

The massive Sea King froze in place. A deep fear filled its giant eyes.

It could feel the overwhelming pressure from the small human on its head—a presence like an abyss, so heavy that it couldn't even swim. All it could do was float on the surface, trembling.

"What the hell..." Lucky Roux's chicken leg slipped from his hand, the greasy juice splattering on his boots. He didn't even notice.

Everyone aboard the Red Force stopped what they were doing and turned their heads in unison.

The wine bottle in Shanks's hand shattered with a crisp crack. Amber liquid dripped through his fingers.

His eyes were locked on the white-robed figure standing atop the Sea King in the distance. His brow furrowed.
"This pressure… it's on a whole new level from the last time we met."

Benn's cigarette trembled between his lips, ash falling onto his polished boots.

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, voice low.
"I told you… that guy's a real monster."

He recalled the rumors from when Ron was still at Marine HQ.
"Remember how he single-handedly crushed that riot in the New World? He was barely in his twenties."

Yasopp wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a laugh.
"Ha… and the pirate crews that picked a fight with him back then? Still gnawing on rocks in Level Six of Impel Down."

He subconsciously touched his sniper rifle.
"If he hadn't been expelled from the Navy, we'd be dealing with this ex-Vice Admiral with a whole lot more caution."

Just then—

Ron, far away in the distance, seemed to sense their gazes.

He slowly turned his head. The moment his eyes swept over the Red Force, everyone—including Shanks—felt their hearts skip a beat.

That gaze carried such a crushing weight that even these battle-hardened veterans instinctively tensed their muscles.

"Keep moving."

Ron lightly tapped his foot. The sound wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly across the sea.

The Sea King immediately snapped out of its fear, as if granted a royal pardon. It started swimming again, carefully, gently—as if afraid to disturb the being on its head.

Shanks took a deep breath, a complex glint in his eyes.
"Benn… I think we might've underestimated the variables in this war."

Benn flicked away the stub of his cigarette, his gaze deep.
"You mean…"

"Full speed ahead." Shanks turned, his red cloak billowing in the wind.
"I've got a feeling… what's about to go down at Marineford will shatter everyone's expectations."

The Red Force surged forward, engines at full power.

At that moment.

Ron stood atop the Sea King's broad head, feeling the boiling strength coursing through him. He clenched his fist lightly, and the air in his palm cracked, as if even space was being crushed.

"This stamina… it's endless."

He muttered to himself, eyes gleaming with excitement. He executed several high-difficulty physical techniques in a row, but his breathing remained steady. His muscles showed zero signs of fatigue.

His gaze landed on the mysterious dark purple markings on his arm.

With a thought, the patterns slithered beneath his skin like living things, vanishing completely.

With another thought, they re-emerged, glowing faintly under the sunlight.

"What is this..." Ron frowned as he studied them. The more he looked, the more familiar they felt.

Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
Weren't these the same spiral patterns found on Devil Fruits?

Just... more complex. More profound!

A ridiculous thought flashed through his mind. Ron couldn't help but curse.
"Holy crap, are you serious?"

He poked his own arm.
"What is this? Someone bites me and gains a power? Is that the gimmick here?"

The system gave no response.

Ron's expression twisted. He imagined some desperate pirate lunging to bite him and instantly gaining powers.
"Great. I'm a walking Devil Fruit now…"

It had to be impossible.

To test his theory, he casually pulled a scale off the Sea King and lightly scratched his arm.

The wound healed instantly. Not even a scar was left.

Even stranger, the blood that had appeared glowed faintly with purple light!

"Interesting…" Ron's eyes narrowed.
"Even healing is this fast? This is straight-up Zoan-level regeneration…"

He looked down at his arm, lightly tracing the raised veins with his fingertip.

The markings emitted a faint glow that made even him shudder.

"What a shame…" He sat cross-legged atop the Sea King, muttering to himself. His gaze drifted to the Red Hair Pirates, who were casually feasting on deck.

Shanks was laughing with his crew, wine bottle in hand.

"If only one of them had a Devil Fruit… I could run a quick experiment."

Ron clenched his fist again. The markings subtly twisted beneath his skin, like a living organism responding to his muscle tension.

He was starting to worry whether these markings might actually turn him into... some kind of sentient Devil Fruit.

As his thoughts spun, time passed quickly.

In the distance, the fortress of Marineford finally appeared on the horizon.

But what was even more jaw-dropping was.

The sea was boiling.

A massive fleet of pirate ships surged through the waves.

At the front, shaped like a white whale, was the Moby Dick. On its bow stood a towering figure in a white coat, as unshakable as a mountain.

"The Whitebeard Pirates!"

Ron's pupils contracted sharply. It wasn't just the main ship. Dozens of other flags fluttered behind it—each belonging to one of the 43 allied pirate crews under Whitebeard's command.

Each flag represented a terrifying force from the New World, names that sent chills down spines.

The waves parted naturally before the fleet, making way for the world's strongest man.

"ALL HANDS! PREPARE!" Shanks's voice boomed across the Red Force.

The Red Hair Pirates snapped into action. Benn had already loaded his firearms. Yasopp's sniper rifle glinted with killing intent.

He stared at the approaching fleet, throat dry.

Whitebeard was about to clash head-on with Navy Headquarters!

(To be continued.)