The Pipi Shrimp set sail without anyone daring to stop it — everyone who had that kind of courage was already lying dead beneath Zoro's blade.
The sea of corpses left behind was the best deterrent of all. Besides, Ren had returned unhurriedly, with Nami by his side, completely unharmed.
Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
The "insect" they once thought they could crush had turned into a dragon crossing the river — and that dragon had even torn apart another dragon's claws.
How could the local minnows dare to show their heads now?
But all of that no longer mattered to Ren and his crew.
Their only concern now was dealing with the Krieg Pirates.
Ren sat atop Chester's head, chin resting on his hand, staring lazily at the disheveled man kneeling before him with an awkward grin.
A dark bruise swelled around the man's right eye, and dried blood still clung to the corner of his mouth.
The rest of the Big Bucket Pirates looked just as miserable.
But compared to the corpses littering the deck, they were already the lucky ones.
"Captain Crescent, right? From the Big Bucket Pirates?"
"Y-Yes, yes! Please, just call me Little Bucket!"
"I heard you were planning to steal treasure from my ship... and burn it down?"
"A huge misunderstanding, sir! We were blind fools!"
"Blind, huh? Everyone else died, and you call that a misunderstanding?"
"N-No! Those idiots were the blind ones — they ran right into your swordsman's blade! Got themselves killed! The fault's theirs, not your great swordsman's!"
Ren chuckled. "You're funny — and smart. I like smart people."
"N-No, no, you're the clever one, sir!" Crescent forced a sycophantic smile, though his heart was sinking fast.
He'd been so confident before the battle, thinking he could earn great merit — how could he have known he'd provoked such a monster? Even Commander Gin had fallen!
"I only have one question," Ren said, smile unchanged but eyes turning cold. "Where can I find Krieg?"
"Uh..." Crescent's smile froze, panic spreading among his crew.
"Think carefully before you answer," Ren said lightly. "You're a smart man — you should know the difference between dying now and possibly dying later."
He pulled out a golden pocket watch. Its steady tick-tock echoed ominously, carrying a crushing sense of pressure. "Three minutes. If I don't hear the answer I want by then, the sharks will get a bonus meal tonight."
Nami hesitated, wanting to speak up — but she bit her tongue.
"Th-That..." Crescent's lips trembled, then he clenched his jaw. "I want to speak to you alone."
Boom!
The blade shot from its scabbard, lightning crackling across its edge as a streak of blue light grazed Crescent's cheek.
The crackle of thunder was followed by the dull thud of heads rolling.
A scorching blade pressed against Crescent's neck, making him shiver uncontrollably.
"Speak," Ren said coldly, Raichi humming faintly in his grip.
Headless bodies lay strewn across the deck, their neck wounds charred black by flame — not that it mattered to the dead.
"Baratie! The Baratie Restaurant!" Crescent shouted at once, spilling every piece of information he'd learned from Gin.
The Krieg Pirates were preparing to attack the Baratie. Their affiliated forces had been summoned back for the operation.
Baratie...
Ren immediately recalled the restaurant where Sanji worked. He wasn't particularly interested in the "Knight of the Sea" himself, but he could tell that his butterfly effect was spreading further than expected — ripples now reaching places he hadn't even touched yet.
Who knew when they'd finally reach the New World?
At the mention of "Buggy," Ren instantly understood that Krieg's actions were part of the fallout from his own earlier interference.
If memory served, Red-Leg Zeff indeed possessed a logbook — a priceless navigational record.
In the Grand Line, where weather changed on a whim and compasses failed, such a logbook, combined with maps, could drastically improve safety.
"Good. You may live."
Ren sheathed his sword and pointed toward the sea. "If you don't want Krieg's revenge later, go back to your old contact point and spread word that Gin has completed his mission. Fool your former master."
"After all, you know what kind of man Krieg is. The only way you live longer... is if we succeed."
A devil!
...But a devil who's right.
Crescent cursed under his breath — then dove straight into the sea without hesitation.
"That's it?" Nojiko asked curiously.
"That's it," Ren shrugged. "Smart people overthink things. Once they start thinking, they realize exactly what happens to them if Krieg survives."
He turned toward Nami, who was fiddling with her Magical Clima-Tact. "Plot our course. How long will it take?"
"Full speed... four days. Maybe five if we stop for supplies."
"Good. Then our next destination — Baratie Restaurant!"
Ren clapped his hands, decision made. Either do nothing... or do it completely.
That had always been his style. Krieg was a petty villain — cruel, cunning, and poisonous to the core.
If he wasn't eliminated, who knew what kind of trouble he might cause later — perhaps even threatening Cocoyasi Village.
If Ren ever returned home one day to find his parents' graves desecrated, it'd be too late for regrets.
With the captain's order, the Pipi Shrimp came alive.
Nami manned the helm, reading the weather. Nojiko and Zoro worked under her direction, adjusting the sails and rigging.
As for Captain Ren...
Did he look like the type to do manual labor?
Ren pushed open his cabin door and set the Eye Bone on his nightstand. Chester, at this point, had practically become the ship's treasure vault — occasionally storing huge chunks of meat as well, though preservation wasn't guaranteed.
As for things like the Dragon's Breath Cannon, Ren kept those inside his Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum.
It only had about a cubic meter of space, but angled right, it could fit.
Still, he was starting to feel the weapon's limitations. During the auction fire, the flames had lasted only two or three minutes — not because of enchantment issues, but because the gun barrel couldn't handle the heat.
Subsequent tests showed that the cannon's lifespan had drastically shortened.
Perhaps that was the curse of hot weapons — disposable tools by nature.
Ren sat on the edge of the bed, checking his progress.
There was a change — one that caught his eye immediately.
[Killing Intent]
[Current Tier: Evil Spirit]
Evil Spirit?
Not a kill counter... more like a qualitative stage?
Ren scratched his head and opened the detailed entry.
[Evil Spirit]
Type: Killing Intent
Effect: A killing aura condensed from the malice and resentment of hundreds of souls. It forms a dreadful field around the wielder — Evil Spirit.
Like the stench of a butcher or the chill of a coroner, it clings eternally to its owner.
This aura exerts a fear effect — those with weak minds are more likely to have their psyche shattered upon confrontation. Lesser spiritual entities may feel terror or even forced submission.
The aura can continue to accumulate. Next stage: Demonic Wraith.
Remark:A divine scourge descended from the heavens — a god of calamity walking among men!
"Interesting..." Ren murmured. "I wonder if I could use it to subdue the evil spirit inside that cursed sword."
He pondered for a moment — unlikely, he decided. Better to wait until his Killing Intent reached the next tier.
And with the Baratie conflict coming, the opportunity wasn't far off — the Krieg Pirates numbered five thousand strong, after all.
The Dimensional Roulette materialized before him, its vibrant wheel spinning lazily.
He rubbed his hands together and began the draw.
His original pool of 160 million Beli had now grown to 260 million. The extra ten million, he planned to distribute among Nami, Nojiko, and Zoro — even if Zoro refused, it was the thought that counted.
"Let's see what I get this time."
Ren lit a cigarette with his Lucky Lighter.
Luck increased — Blessing of the Goddess of Fortune activated!
Ten brilliant beams of color shot from the Silver Roulette, messages cascading across his vision like a waterfall.
{Acquired: Iron Golem Synthesis}
{Acquired: Aztec Gold Coin x1}
{Acquired: Pseudo–Gáe Bolg}
{Acquired: Nami's Weather Plantation}
{Acquired: Blackbeard's Spoils — Flying Dutchman}
{Acquired: One-Time Skin — Mechanical Style}
{Acquired: Ghost-Making Technique}
{Acquired: Bubble Coating Machine}
{Acquired: Yarukiman Mangrove Refined Resin}
{Acquired: Giant World Map}
At his feet appeared a collection of glowing items:
A miniature sailing ship sealed inside a glass bottle, a bloodstained gold coin, a scroll, a crimson spear, what looked like a garden facility — and a barrel of liquid beside a block-shaped machine.
There was even a blank sheet of parchment.
[Nami's Weather Plantation]
Origin: One Piece Dimension
Type: Building Facility
Effect: A plantation of unique plants from Weatheria, cultivatable with botanical expertise.
It perfectly complemented Nami's combat system — well worth the ten-million-Beli draw.
Ren nodded, satisfied, and turned to the next prize.
[Blackbeard's Spoils — The Flying Dutchman]
Origin: Pirates of the Caribbean
Type: Magical Ship
Effect: Taken from a timeline where Blackbeard seized all treasure. Before being miniaturized through dark magic, most of its weaponry was stripped, leaving only the ship itself.
Once used by Davy Jones to ferry souls to the underworld, it now carries extraordinary traits: Soul Carriage, Spirit Crossing, Submersion, Sea Phantom, and Flight.
Soul Carriage: The ship can house souls and carry them toward the afterlife. However, due to dimensional dissonance, it cannot locate the underworld — only store souls.
Spirit Crossing: Disabled — cannot locate the underworld.
Submersion: When over 100 souls are bound to the ship, it can dive beneath the sea, using deep currents for stealth travel while keeping internal conditions stable.
Flight: When over 500 souls are bound, their essence can be harnessed to lift the ship into the air. The more souls, the longer the flight duration.
Cost: Souls
Remark:No rest in life, no rest in death — the eternal laborers of the deep.
So basically... the Underworld's version of "Seal-007," huh?
"I kill you... and then make your soul my worker?" Ren smirked. "Now that's efficiency."
(End of Chapter)