One Piece: With Sign-in System

Several miles away from the Traveler's position, on a distant part of the North Sea...

Bepo of the Heart Pirates stepped out onto the deck, stretching and taking in the brisk sea air. The white-furred bear mink was about to enjoy a moment of peace when his gaze fixed on the horizon—and froze in sheer disbelief.

"What... what is that?!" His voice was laced with panic as his wide eyes took in the incredible sight before him. "The sea... it's floating?!"

A colossal volume of seawater—several meters thick—had inexplicably risen from the ocean, defying gravity. It spanned an unfathomable range, hovering ominously a few meters above the surface.

Bepo stood rooted to the spot, stunned into silence, as the impossible scene played out. But just as quickly as it had happened, the phenomenon ended. The suspended water crashed back into the ocean with a thunderous roar, sending towering waves rippling outward.

The Polar Tang rocked violently as the waves slammed against it, causing its speed to plummet.

"What's happening? Is there a storm brewing?" Trafalgar Law, wearing his signature hat and carrying his long sword, emerged from below deck. His sharp eyes scanned the churning sea.

"C-Captain!" Bepo stammered, turning to face him. His expression was a mix of shock and bewilderment.

"What's wrong, Bepo? Why do you look so shaken?" Law asked, frowning.

"T-The sea... just now... it floated into the air!" Bepo exclaimed, pointing toward the horizon.

Law raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Are you feeling okay? That doesn't make any sense."

However, despite the monumental disturbance, no one aboard the Traveler noticed anything unusual. The ship had only trembled slightly, prompting Robin and the others to inspect the deck. After some searching, they concluded that nothing significant had occurred.

"Maybe it was a Sea King bumping into the ship," Bonnie said dismissively, chomping on her food as usual.

"I'll go take a look!" Enzo volunteered. The kung fu dugong dived into the water, scouting the area. After a thorough inspection, he returned, shaking his head. "There's no sign of any Sea Kings around."

…

Inside his room, Ron slowly descended from the air, landing lightly on the wooden floor. His breathing was labored, his face pale, and sweat dripped from his brow.

"So... the larger the area I control, the greater the strain on my stamina and mental energy," he muttered, wiping his forehead. "Even with my physical endurance, I could only sustain it for a few seconds."

It dawned on him why Shiki, the Golden Lion, had never attempted such massive feats during their battle. Moving small mountains or cubic blocks of seawater a few hundred meters wide was one thing, but manipulating such a vast volume as Ron just had would have drained even someone like Shiki too quickly.

After a brief recovery, aided by the Sun Breathing technique to fully restore his strength, Ron changed into a clean shirt and stepped out of his cabin.

The sight of him emerging, unharmed and seemingly in high spirits, was met with collective relief and excitement from his crewmates. The tension that had lingered for the past few days instantly evaporated.

…

On the deck, Ron sat at a table piled high with food prepared by Conis. As he ate with gusto, the rest of the crew gathered around him—Robin, Conis, Bonnie, Enzo, and even Su, the winged cloud fox. They all bombarded him with questions, a mixture of curiosity and excitement lighting up their faces.

"Wait! Captain, are you saying... you now possess the Golden Lion's ability?!" Bonnie asked, stunned, her fork frozen mid-air.

"Mmhm." Ron nodded, not even pausing as he stuffed another piece of steak into his mouth.

His casual response left Bonnie, Conis, and the others staring at each other in shock.

"Devil Fruits usually reappear somewhere in the world after the original user dies," Robin said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "But for it to manifest nearby... that's quite rare."

"So, Captain, did you eat one of those rare Devil Fruits that appeared where Shiki died?" Conis asked, her face lighting up with a hopeful smile.

"What luck!" she added.

"Wait, does this mean now Master has sea water weakness too?" Enzo asked, looking up at Ron. The kung fu dugong's expression was filled with concern. "Everyone else on this ship already can't touch the water. Now I'm the only one who can swim!"

Enzo's shoulders slumped dramatically, but Ron only smiled faintly as he finished his meal. He leaned back in his chair and, with a calm demeanor, addressed them.

"Sorry to disappoint you all, but your guesses are wrong," he said, dabbing his lips with a napkin. "I didn't eat a Devil Fruit. I'm not afraid of the sea, and not have sea water weakness .'"

The revelation left his crewmates stunned once more, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Robin, Conis, and Bonney froze at Ron's declaration.

"Not a Devil Fruit?"

"Then how could you possibly have the abilities of one?"

They were utterly baffled.

Even Enzo tilted his small head, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty. "So… Master doesn't have sea water weakness ?"

The three women and the kung-fu dugong were thoroughly confused.

Ron, finishing the last plate of the seafood meal, stood up, stretching lazily as the sea breeze caressed his face. The sound of his cracking joints broke the silence as he strolled to the front of the deck.

Under the astonished gazes of Robin, Conis, and Bonney, Ron casually stepped forward. His feet, defying the laws of gravity, found footing on thin air as he ascended.

It was as if an invisible staircase had materialized in the sky, allowing him to walk effortlessly into the heavens.

"Incredible..." Conis murmured, her voice laced with awe, admiration shimmering in her wide eyes.

Bonney and Robin, too, found their gazes drawn to the ascending figure, their expressions tinged with disbelief and fascination.

Just then, without warning, Ron's body suddenly plunged downward, hurtling straight toward the ocean.

"Ron!"

"Captain!"

"Captain Ron!"

"Master!"

The three women and Enzo rushed to the railing, their voices overlapping in alarm as they watched him fall.

But in the very next moment, as the waves churned violently beneath him, Ron landed as if the ocean's surface were solid ground.

There he stood—steadily, confidently—on the tumultuous sea, unyielding in the face of its chaos.

The trio's eyes widened further, the sight shaking their understanding of reality.

"How is this even possible?!" Bonney exclaimed. "There's no way a Devil Fruit user wouldn't fear the sea!"

"Maybe the captain wasn't lying when he said he didn't eat a Devil Fruit," Robin speculated calmly. "The powers of the Float-Float Fruit must've been obtained through some other, unknown means."

"You're spot on, Robin."

Ron, standing atop the restless waves, turned to glance back at them, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"This is just one of my many secrets."

…

Meanwhile, aboard the Heart Pirates' ship…

"Captain, I swear I'm telling the truth! An entire section of the sea just floated into the air!"

The polar bear mink, Bepo, pleaded fervently to Trafalgar Law.

"Stop spouting nonsense."

Sitting on the deck, Law took a sip from his drink, his expression indifferent as if refusing to entertain such absurdity.

"But we sailed to the exact spot where I saw it happen! Doesn't that prove I'm not imagining things?"

Law raised an eyebrow. "The ocean doesn't just randomly float into the air, Bepo. You must've been dreaming."

"But…" Bepo's voice wavered, his tone a mix of frustration and dejection.

Law sighed, finally relenting. "Fine, fine. I believe you, okay? Now stop sulking. Your 'cute and pitiful' act doesn't work on me."

Just then, Shachi, holding a spyglass, called out from the crow's nest.

"Captain, there's a ship ahead!"

"Is it a pirate ship?" Law asked, his gaze sharpening.

"Doesn't look like it," Shachi replied.

"Not a pirate ship, huh…"

Law's brow furrowed slightly.

"We're running low on supplies," he muttered. "If it were a pirate ship, we could just loot them outright."

"Too bad it's not," Bepo chimed in innocently. "You're much better at handling pirates than regular folks."

"Shut up."

Law bonked the top of Bepo's head with the hilt of his sword before turning back to Shachi.

"Regardless, bring us closer. Let's see what we're dealing with."

"Captain," Bepo asked hesitantly, "are we… going to rob them?"

Law's lips curled into a sly grin, a glint of mischief flickering in his eyes.

"And if we do?"

His tone carried a dark humor. "We're pirates, after all."

Shachi, catching on, chuckled knowingly as he steered the ship closer.

"Understood, Captain."