Good grief… drifting through a drainage pipe?
That old man was really showing off.
Ronn handed Rayleigh a bottle of tiger tonic with a wry smile.
"There are kids around. If you end up corrupting Yaya, her sister will break both your legs."
Rayleigh stiffened, breaking into a cold sweat.
"Right. I'd better… check on my nephew. See you tomorrow."
He slammed down a pile of Berries, grabbed his bottle, and bolted out of the tavern.
"Why'd that uncle run off?"
Yaya, having just emptied another jar, tilted her head innocently.
"Probably forgot to turn off the gas at home," Ronn chuckled.
"Gas?"
The little fox twitched her fluffy ears, blinking her big green eyes in confusion—
adorable beyond words.
She was still too small.
Give it a few years, though, and men's eyes wouldn't be stopping at "adorable."
Mhm… that soft fur scarf around her neck looked—
Wait. No scarf.
Then… those buttons were perfectly round—
Hold on. She didn't have buttons either!
Never mind.
"I should head back," Yaya said, hopping off her chair.
Standing on tiptoe to see over the counter, she asked, "Uhm… can I take a little wine to go?"
"No chance," Ronn said flatly.
"Why not?" Yaya's fox ears drooped, her voice turning soft and pitiful.
Moments ago she'd been fierce, but after seeing him freeze liquor solid,
the little fox didn't dare act out again.
What if he froze her into an ice sculpture?
"You've got the Endless Wine Gourd on your back," Ronn said, half laughing.
"What you're trying to take isn't wine—it's my entire tavern, isn't it?"
The Endless Wine Gourd was a divine artifact.
When Yaya drank from it, she could release her nine tails—it was basically her exclusive weapon.
The problem was that the thing worked like a black hole; no one knew how much it could hold.
If she filled it with a year's supply, she'd never come back to buy more.
And if Yaya stopped visiting, Honghong wouldn't either.
Then Ronn could forget ever getting his hands on the Absolute Claw.
Caught red-handed, Yaya's cheeks flushed.
"I-I wasn't gonna take that much…"
"Two jars," Ronn said, raising two fingers. "No more."
"If you want more, come back. My door's always open."
Yaya pouted, dragging out a tiny sigh. "Fine…"
"Alright, four jars," Ronn relented.
It was impossible to stay firm against such a soft, fuzzy creature.
"Really?!" Yaya's eyes sparkled.
With a sudden leap, she hopped behind the counter and bumped him lightly with her hip.
"Deal's a butt-shake!"
Ronn's face darkened.
Who on earth taught her that?!
If adult Yaya ever remembered this scene, she'd probably die of embarrassment.
After he packed four jars of Nü'er Hong into her Endless Gourd,
Yaya stood tall, patting his shoulder like a grown-up.
"It's getting late. I'll be going too."
Ronn smiled, reaching out to pat her ears.
"Come again soon."
"Don't touch my ears!"
Her face went crimson, and she bolted out of the tavern.
Watching her petite figure vanish into the light, Ronn sighed softly.
The ears had felt nice…
But those nine tails—those were the real treasure.
Just then, the system's voice chimed in his head:
[Ding! Customer: Tushan Honghong has completed her confession.]
[Ding! Customer: The End Emperor has completed his confession.]
[Tushan Honghong: Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline, Law Manifestation—choose one.]
[The End Emperor: Dragon Physique, Dragon Magic, Forbidden Arts—choose one.]
"Select Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline and Forbidden Arts, and begin fusion," Ronn whispered.
[Ding! Optimizing bloodline. Compensating for missing traits. Beginning fusion.]
Raw, domineering energy surged through his body.
It felt as if an ancient mark were being branded onto his very blood.
After about a minute, the fusion completed.
Ronn could feel it—his body was stronger.
Not just muscle and bone—his magic intake was faster too.
Every breath, every second, his body grew tougher, denser, more powerful.
If the situation ever allowed it,
he kind of wanted to test his raw strength against Tohru—
a friendly spar, of course.
But if he got carried away…
well, the One Piece world might not survive the rematch.
Then his mind flooded with alien whispers.
"Trace the flow of time… strip the soul… eternal hymn of the Dragon Code…"
Ronn's eyes widened.
He'd struck gold this time.
There were over a dozen Dragon Forbidden Spells burned into his mind—
each one a world-ending ability.
Of course, the cost matched the power:
life force consumption, live sacrifice, even forced self-near-death.
They were not spells to use lightly.
The entire afternoon passed without a single new customer.
Ronn spent it mastering the new forbidden arts,
testing how they might fuse with his existing dragon magic—
creating something entirely new.
When evening fell, Lucoa's lazy, sultry voice floated from the kitchen:
"Dinner's ready, Ronn~"
"Tonight we've got grilled oysters, stir-fried oysters with chives, steamed oysters…"
Ronn stared blankly. "…Right."
The Next Morning
When Ronn woke, his eyes were filled with floating stacks of cash.
And just like before, that familiar graceful figure slipped out the window—
no words, no glance, no goodbye.
"…What does that woman even take me for?"
He muttered under his breath—
while happily counting the money.
After breakfast, he did what he always did:
sat behind the counter, unfolded the morning paper.
[Countdown!] The Beasts Pirates and Red-Hair Pirates will clash in three days in the New World!
[Breaking!] A Celestial Dragon curses out a Marine in public!
'When the Heavenly Dragon speaks, birds sing, flowers bloom, and mortals kneel!'
The article went on for thousands of words, practically worshiping the Celestial Dragon in question.
Ronn rolled his eyes, flipping the page—
And the tavern door exploded open.
Rayleigh marched in, chest out, eyes bloodshot, skin pale as wax.
"Ronn! Pour me something strong!"
"Try not to drink yourself to death," Ronn sighed, handing him a bottle.
Rayleigh opened his mouth to reply—
But before he could, the door slammed open again.
A short, gray-furred wolf burst in, panting excitedly.
"Boss! I brought something amazing! Behold—the Obedient Bean!"
He held up a small green bean proudly.
"Anyone who swallows this will obey the one who fed it to them!"
Rayleigh froze mid-sip.
"...!!!"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/ZoroTL442