Ron dodged swiftly, as a sharp whip lashed past him, hitting the deck hard.
"Still trying to dodge, huh?"
Samoatti, seated in a chair, held the whip and looked down at Ron with a cruel grin on his disfigured face.
"Hold him down! I want to see how he keeps dodging now!"
Two pirates, who had been previously beaten by Ron, sneered as they approached him.
"Wait," Ron said.
"Oh, now you're begging for mercy? It's too late!" Samoatti laughed wickedly. "Hold him down!"
"I just have one question. Do you really know Arlong?" Ron asked, looking at him.
Samoatti paused for a moment, then an ugly, triumphant smile spread across his disfigured face.
"Hahaha! Of course I don't know Arlong! Those fools actually believe I'm one of his crew!"
"So, you're not with Arlong's crew," Ron frowned slightly.
"If I were with Arlong, would I be robbing such a poor island?"
"People will do anything for their peace, hahaha!"
"Just the mention of a name, and they won't dare fight back," Samoatti sneered at Ron. "Do you see it now? This is the power of fear! This is what it means to be a pirate!"
Ron nodded slightly. "You're right about that. The world is indeed a chaotic blend of good and evil."
"Finished talking? Time to die, brat!"
"For what you did to me, I'll repay you a hundredfold! First, I'll break your limbs. Attack!"
Samoatti waved his hand, and two pirates charged at Ron, grinning viciously.
"Oh? A hundredfold repayment? Can you really do that?"
Ron took a deep breath, activating his full power.
With a sudden burst of strength, the ropes binding him snapped instantly.
The two pirates were knocked back by his small but powerful fists, sent flying across the deck.
"What!!"
Samoatti's mouth dropped open, his cigar falling unnoticed as he stared in horror.
Ron bent down and picked up a long sword, nearly his height, slinging it over his shoulder. He looked up at Samoatti, who was now filled with fear.
"Looks like you can't back up your threats," Ron said with a grin.
"Damned brat! All of you, attack! I refuse to believe he can take us all on!"
Samoatti's face twisted with fury.
"Haaah!!!"
The pirates around Ron grabbed their weapons and charged at him.
...
Moments later, Ron sat on top of a pile of more than twenty unconscious pirates, holding the bloodstained sword.
"Want to continue?"
Samoatti's weapon clattered to the deck as he fell to his knees, trembling in fear at the sight of Ron.
"A-a demon... Aaaaah!!"
"Hey now, calling me a demon doesn't really suit me, does it?" Ron smiled. "I'm actually considered the most handsome and cute guy among the boys in our mountain cabin."
He jumped down from the pile of pirates and walked over to Samoatti, resting the bloodied sword on his shoulder. The pirate shivered and began sweating profusely.
"From now on, this ship belongs to me. Wherever I say to go, you go. Samoatti, does that sound good to you?"
"E-everything is as you command, Lord Ron!"
"Good. Now, take me to the treasure room."
"Eh?!!"
"Hmm?"
"Y-yes! Right away!"
...
In the treasure room, Ron looked at the piles of treasure chests and clicked his tongue in appreciation.
"These pirates may be weak, but they've still managed to collect quite a bit of treasure."
"But now, it all belongs to me. System."
[At your command.]
"Scan all the treasure and store it in the system space."
[Understood.]
An invisible beam of light scanned over the room full of treasure.
A few seconds later, the system's voice chimed in: [Scan complete.]
The treasure vanished before Ron's eyes, now safely stored in the system's space.
Ron looked at the system's treasure storage, nodding in satisfaction.
The system's storage space was indeed convenient.
When Ron walked out of the treasure room empty-handed, Samoatti glanced inside.
Seeing the completely empty room, not even a single coin remaining, Samoatti's legs gave out as he collapsed in shock.
"Impossible... all that treasure, gone?! What did he do?!!!"
Samoatti knelt, his face blank with despair.
"My money... my ten years of savings... all gone..."
---