'The balance of luck tipping happened today… meaning my streak of misfortune officially begins now and could erupt at any moment?
Let's calculate this carefully—Garp's possible movements follow two routes. First, from Marine Headquarters.
He could enter through the Calm Belt, reach Loguetown for rest… if that's the case, going to Loguetown now would definitely spell disaster for me.
The other path starts from Windmill Village. If I don't slip into the Grand Line right now while the gap's open, I'll eventually be caught.'
Ren thought through the possibilities, his brows furrowing in distress.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Ren, today's newspaper arrived."
Nojiko pushed the door open after knocking, handing him the day's issue.
Ever since they'd learned the hard way on Mys Island that skipping newspaper subscriptions left them in the dark, the Pipi Shrimp had been ordering a copy daily.
Seabirds that delivered newspapers were abundant across the ocean, and the most circulated among them was the World Economic Journal.
Usually, Ren was the one who read it—he had a broad understanding of the East Blue and could extract useful intelligence from small details.
Today's headline was especially eye-catching: [Black Cat Pirates Annihilated! Marines Strike with Iron Fist!]
'The Black Cat Pirates… Kuro's crew?'
Ren's eyes narrowed as he scanned the details.
In the Great Age of Exploration, news traveled only through papers, and newspapers relied on journalists as their source. That meant most of what got published was incomplete at best.
Take Branch 16's incident, for example—it had been completely misrepresented.
So this paper in his hand felt vague. All he could really extract were two key points:
The Black Cat Pirates were completely wiped out, and the one responsible was a big shot from Marine Headquarters—someone who destroyed the entire crew and ship with a single punch.
'The Black Cat Pirates weren't weak. According to the original timeline, they could've run wild in East Blue for quite a while. Their sudden annihilation can only be the result of my butterfly effect.
And there's only one person who fits that description—Garp!'
Marine Headquarters. A big shot. One punch.
Of course—it was that "salary thief" Garp making another home visit!
"What a troublesome guy… looks like I'll have to make a stop at Loguetown, then head straight for the Grand Line."
Ren folded up the paper and tossed it aside, carefully storing the two Totems of Undying inside the Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum.
Honestly, those things still made him uneasy.
If Garp was already behind him—judging from where the Black Cat Pirates had been destroyed—then once Ren entered the Grand Line, even Garp likely couldn't keep up.
But could a calamity this fatal really be so simple?
And if he dodged it this time… would the next one be even worse?
'It's come to this—might as well check the rewards first. Whether I face the gallows today or tomorrow doesn't make much difference.'
Ren sighed, then began examining his prizes.
The most abstract, useless, yet oddly symbolic one was the so-called Millennium Clock of Sculpted History.
What, were they giving him a funeral clock now?
Ren exhaled and tossed the ornament, which had historical value and nothing else, straight into the sea. Then he picked up a black device encased in a glowing sphere.
[Iron-Farm Black Box]
Origin:Minecraft
Type:Rule-Type Item
Effect: A contraption invented by a certain Steve frustrated by the scarcity of iron ore. Built under the Minecraft rule system, it can endlessly generate "weak-rule" iron ore for forging equipment and creating Iron Golems.
Note: Because it's sealed within a "black box," its inner workings cannot be observed.
Consumption: None
Remarks: "No one knows what's truly sealed inside. When you listen closely, you can hear villagers' cries, zombies' groans, fire crackling, and the clang of iron. Perhaps the truth is too cruel to reveal."
What the hell—an iron farm?
Ren had never built one himself, but he could picture the mechanism: a trapped zombie, two villagers within its aggro range, triggering the world's rules to spawn Iron Golems.
Then campfires were used to burn the golems, harvesting their iron.
A complete exploitation of the system—a bug turned feature.
Still…
Ren didn't intend to discard it. Combined with Iron Golem Synthesis, it could produce an army of Iron Golems. He planned to install it aboard the Flying Dutchman and merge it with his One-Time Skin: Mechanical Style.
Maybe even mount cannons on top—might as well go all in.
He then turned to the other glowing orbs—Weatheria Meteorology and Weatheria Botany.
After a quick inspection, he didn't bother opening them. He tossed both, along with Nami's Weather Notes and the Iron Farm, into Chester's mouth for safekeeping.
Too bulky to release now—he'd unpack them once he upgraded ships.
The last items were three books.
Not skills—but manuals for study.
[Purple Qi Rising from the East]
Origin:Scissor Seven
Type: Cultivation Method
Effect: A foundational technique famed for efficient internal-energy conversion and low entry difficulty, though it requires long-term persistence. At sunrise each day, the practitioner must absorb a wisp of purple qi for one hundred days to establish a foundation. Once complete, one can refine flesh into blood-energy, then further convert it into Qi through purple essence. High-energy pills can shorten this period, but never below forty-nine days.
Remarks: Commonly used as a gateway art for more advanced disciplines. The resulting Qi has exceptional adaptability, able to merge into any specialized form of Qi unique to other techniques.
'A slow-grind cultivation art… that's the drawback of self-learning, but it's still essential. The Calabash Brother system can sustain early- to mid-game strength, and if that's not enough, I can always develop a chakra-based system through the Sharingan.
But even so, relying purely on external boosts isn't viable. "Purple Qi Rising from the East" will teach me fundamentals.
Like Thunderstorm magic—I can cast it, but without knowing the principles, I can't refine or innovate it.
Spending time to master a true Dao-level craft is never wrong. I can't neglect Haki either.'
Ren thought so, then turned to the next two books—both were technique manuals, not cultivation arts.
[Flying Bird Gate: Phantom Wing Flight]
Origin:Scissor Seven
Type: Technique
Effect: Circulates internal energy to forge "phantom wings" that grant flight. Speed and maneuverability depend on one's mastery.
Consumption: Qi
A very useful flight art. Currently, Ren could only fly in rainy weather, and even then, not fast.
This would cover his non-rain gaps—though he'd need to train it himself.
[Protective Qi Barrier]
Origin:Scissor Seven
Type: Technique
Effect: Circulates internal energy to form a defensive barrier. Durability scales with the amount and quality of Qi infused.
Consumption: Qi
Another valuable art—one that strengthened with Qi.
Ren pocketed the manuals, then opened the Dimensional Roulette. His 40 million chips vanished instantly.
{Drawn – Arcane Ring: "You Can't See Me"}
{Drawn – Invisibility Cloak}
{Drawn – [garbled text]}
{Drawn – [incomplete]}
The first two were at least useful. The last ones? Total junk.
Ren realized his luck had completely run dry.
He picked up the ring and cloak for inspection.
[Arcane Ring: You Can't See Me]
Origin:Arcane Dimension
Type: Arcane Item
Effect: A ring enchanted with the "You Can't See Me" spell, interfering with others' perception of the wearer. Ordinary people will ignore the wearer's existence, though it's useless against strong sensory types.
Consumption: Arcane Energy / Mana Crystal
[Invisibility Cloak]
Origin:Magical Dimension
Type: Magical Tool
Effect: Automatically casts a lasting invisibility spell when worn, concealing the user's body but not the sounds they make—like footsteps or rustling wind.
Consumption: Mana Crystal
'These could go to Nami and the others.'
Ren decided, tidied his things, and went to the deck.
Standing at the bow, the cold sea wind brushing his face, he thought deeply. He needed to use every card he had to face this calamity.
Endless evasion was impossible.
The imbalance of luck would only worsen until it became a fatal disaster.
Since acquiring this "Luck Balance" trait, most of his rewards had aligned with his desires—a clear sign of fortune's bias.
Profit came with cost; that was natural.
At least he still had two "revive armors" left. With careful planning, he might just survive.
'Then it's decided—Loguetown. The only real concern is Smoker. Logia users are always troublesome.'
After running the plan through his head, Ren went back below deck.
He handed the Arcane Ring to Nami and the Invisibility Cloak to Nojiko.
Then, he checked on Zoro.
"What's this?"
Zoro lay on his bunk, holding a small bean between his fingers.
"A Senzu Bean. One of these restores you completely. Don't thank me yet—you'll need to be at full strength for what's coming."
Ren's tone was calm but serious.
A single bean to heal all wounds—it was almost wasteful on Zoro, whose injuries would've healed naturally.
But the air already reeked of impending calamity.
Ren knew he didn't have much time. At Garp's pace, he'd reach Loguetown any day now.
He had to resolve this disaster before that happened—and that meant Zoro's help.
"What do you need?" Zoro asked bluntly.
"Tell me… have you learned Haki yet?"
"Huh?"
And so it began again—another late-night, ten-thousand-word chapter.
(End of Chapter)