Hearing the system's prompt, Ron couldn't help but curl his lips.
A teacher?
Was the system sure it wasn't bugging out?
Rayleigh had trained Luffy for a full two years, yet when it came to Observation Haki and Armament Haki, he had only taught the bare basics.
Meanwhile, look at everyone else.
Luffy fought Katakuri once, and his Observation Haki jumped straight to a new level.
As for Armament Haki—Hyogoro barely explained a few lines, and Luffy immediately grasped Ryuo.
And Conqueror's Haki?
Rayleigh only taught him how to control it, not how to use it properly.
Then Kaido smashed him with a single club, and boom—Conqueror's coating unlocked.
Compared to those three…
Rayleigh was basically a terrible teacher.
A complete menace to students.
Honestly, his "trait" should've been old lecher, not teacher.
"Hey, brat," Rayleigh said while drinking the wine Rem had just served him, frowning slightly.
"Why do I feel like you're looking at me the same way you'd look at trash?"
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"You're too sensitive," Ron replied calmly as he sat behind the bar.
"It's not a feeling. You are trash—at least, that's how Shakky sees it."
Rayleigh opened his mouth to argue, neck stiffening—
Then slowly deflated.
…Fine.
That part was technically true.
But did you really have to say it so directly?
Do you have any idea how badly that hurts the pride of a seventy-year-old man?!
"Sigh…" Rayleigh let out a long breath, unusually serious as a hint of age crept into his voice.
"Getting old, huh. Nothing can be done about it."
Then suddenly, his tone shifted.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"But these days, I've changed my way of thinking."
"Women, you see~
There are seventy ways to make them happy. One is buying bags—
the remaining sixty-nine…"
Ron: "!!!"
Hold on.
Every single word made sense.
So why did the sentence as a whole feel completely incomprehensible?!
Just then, the tavern door slowly opened.
Chaton strode in.
Ron glanced at him and felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
Good thing Rayleigh came early.
Otherwise, if another 'simp-type' guest showed up, Ron genuinely wouldn't be able to take it.
Chaton sat down at the bar and handed over the case he was carrying, scratching his head apologetically.
"Sorry about this, Boss Ron," he said.
"These Devil Fruits were sent by Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Yesterday afternoon was crazy busy.
I was either buying helmets for women, buying food for their boyfriends,
or getting dragged off by a teacher to 'discuss life' late at night…"
"Please don't tell Sengoku about this."
Ron and Rayleigh both went dark in the face.
Damn it.
This simp was beyond saving.
Good thing Akainu wasn't here—otherwise Chaton's legs would already be broken.
"Don't worry," Ron said with a smile as he took the case.
"My lips are sealed."
He opened it.
The system immediately provided a breakdown.
Three Devil Fruits:
One Ancient Zoan
One Mythical Zoan
One Paramecia
The World Government really was filthy rich.
Just then—
A Den Den Mushi started ringing.
Pururururu…
Chaton's face lit up instantly.
He didn't even touch his drink, hurriedly pulling out the Den Den Mushi.
"Baby, you're awake?"
"You were yelling all night—your throat must hurt. I made you pear-and-pork-lung soup."
"Huh? Your boyfriend's tired too? Needs supplements?"
"Then I'll bring him a tonic as well—super nourishing!"
"Oh, right, the lipstick I bought you—did you use it last night?
I kinda want to feel involved too."
"What?!"
"You're coming to my place tonight?"
"Then… maybe I'll keep the tonic for myself…"
...
For the next half hour, Chaton's Den Den Mushi rang repeatedly.
Each call unleashed a fresh batch of peak simp dialogue.
During that time, familiar patrons arrived one after another—
The Holy Lord and his son, Doflamingo, the Kasha sisters, Tu Shan Yaya…
But unlike usual, no one joked or chatted.
They all stared at Chaton in stunned silence.
A genius.
An absolute once-in-a-generation talent.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Rayleigh immediately stood up to hype things up.
He raised his glass high and shouted:
"A toast—to the most devoted man in this tavern!"
At once, everyone raised their glasses.
Clink—
The crisp sound echoed through the tavern.
"Thank you, everyone," Chaton said, draining his drink in one go, his face glowing with satisfaction.
He was truly happy.
After all, going from a pathetic simp to a full-fledged player hadn't been easy.
The pain, the setbacks—
Only he himself knew what he'd endured.
But now, he'd succeeded.
He'd transcended.
However…
One person in the tavern wasn't celebrating.
Instead, he sat alone at the bar, drinking in silence.
That person was Aizen.
He was the third guest to arrive today.
And until now—
Gray Wolf still hadn't shown up.
Suddenly—
The tavern door was thrown open.
Gray Wolf walked in, shoulders slumped, went straight to the bar, grabbed a bottle, and started chugging.
Ron looked over, curious.
"What's wrong? You look pretty down."
Even Aizen looked concerned.
Gray Wolf gave a bitter smile.
"After hearing the Nether King yesterday, I got fired up and went back to catch sheep again."
"But… after working all night, I still caught nothing."
"Sometimes, I really start wondering—
am I actually a wolf at all?"
Aizen's eyelid twitched violently.
You can hand-build a Hōgyoku…
But you can't catch a single sheep?!
After a moment's thought, Aizen sighed.
"If you can't catch them, maybe you should just give up."
Gray Wolf shot him a look, then jumped up and smacked him on the head with a paw.
"What do you know?!"
"This king will catch sheep no matter what—
I will never give up!"
"Say that again, and you can figure out the Hōgyoku yourself!"
That slap wasn't light.
It even knocked Aizen's glasses crooked.
"Never again, King Gray Wolf!"
"Shall we begin?"
Veins bulged on Aizen's forehead, fists clenched tight.
Yet his voice remained calm, respectful—
with a faint trace of murderous intent beneath it.
"Hmph!" Gray Wolf snorted and walked toward a nearby table.
Aizen immediately followed.
Watching the two bicker, Yoruichi—still in her black cat form—rolled happily in Ron's arms.
This time, Aizen looked like he was yielding.
In reality, he was completely wrapped around Gray Wolf's finger.
Just then—
The tavern bell rang.
Ding—ling.
As the door slowly opened, a man in a green sleeveless bodysuit strode in, looking around with curiosity.
Then—
His steps froze.
His eyes locked onto the kitchen.
"Wait—oh my god!"
"Put the knife down! You can't kill this octopus girl!"
"NO!"
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/ZoroTL442