Zou was on the back of a giant elephant. Reisa was shaken speechless, while the Mink Tribe was overjoyed—they could finally go home.
Ren had slept for two days to keep his promise, and they were now devoted to him.
After docking the ship, everyone showed their skills climbing onto the elephant's back. The only mermaid was carried up by Ren, while the Mink Tribe members moved with impressive agility.
"Finally back," said the dog-girl, stretching lazily.
On the elephant's back, the islands never failed to surprise Ren. He would never tire of them. The outside world called them the Ren Expedition.
After all, he was famous for sailing, and the World Government would never put a bounty on him. Even if he had done pirate things, he still wouldn't be hunted.
"Lord Ren, please follow us," the cat-girl said respectfully.
Soon, they reached the town entrance. The buildings were unusual, clearly designed for elephants to spray water.
"It's Wandro."
"Yes, I'm back," Wandro ran into someone's arms.
Thanks to introductions from his own kind, Ren was treated as an honored guest in Zou. Here, he saw Zou's warriors and many other beast tribes.
"Donquixote Ren, thank you for taking care of them," Inuarashi said gratefully.
"Mm, I don't like beating around the bush. I saw the Mink Tribe's strength and came for them," Ren said directly.
Inuarashi looked at the tribe members, well cared for, and saw their desire to vouch for Ren. Having sailed the seas himself, he wouldn't stop them.
"Mr. Ren, if the tribe members wants to sail with you, I won't stop them," Inuarashi said with a smile.
"You won't go to sea again?"
"Mm, I've retired. I won't sail anymore. Everyone, follow me—this isn't the place to talk," Inuarashi led them toward his residence.
"Big brother, what's the world outside like? Is it good?" a young dog-girl asked Ren curiously. Her wagging tail showed how interested she was.
Ren half-squatted and rubbed the girl's head. "Little girl, what's your name? The world outside isn't very kind."
"I'm Wanda, thirteen years old." Wanda's eyes squinted slightly, and his tail wagged constantly.
"You're really cute, Wanda." Ren patted his head.
Wanda licked Ren's palm to show goodwill.
The group arrived at a living room, where Inuarashi sat opposite Ren and the others.
"First, thank you all for helping our people."
"I came here mainly for the Mink Tribe. You've also been out at sea, and by now you should have seen the news about me. You can confirm my intentions from that." Ren spoke in a friendly tone.
What Akame Ren said was accurate. In this world, his interest seemed different, focused on collecting other races. Of course, mainly because the Mink Tribe were born warriors.
In fact, Ren was already famous, so he knew this. News had mentioned members of the Mink Tribe on his ship before.
"Wanda and the others will definitely go out to sea with you. When they went before, they already had a certain level of strength. Isn't that enough?" Inuarashi pointed out the key issue.
"Now Fish-Man Island belongs to me."
Ren's words made the Mink Tribe present frown. His intentions were clear.
"You have helped the Mink Tribe. I will treat you as an honored guest. But if you push further, I will ask you to leave." Inuarashi's tone was no longer gentle.
"I'm straightforward, but don't worry. I will provide land for planting and livestock farming." Ren smiled. At first, he wasn't sure how to win over the Mink Tribe, but the glasses given by Detective Ren helped him.
Inuarashi's tail wagged slightly. He did have a point—food was limited. He added, "If your charm and abilities make them follow you, I won't interfere."
"Good. There should be one more person, right? My Observation Haki senses them."
Inuarashi introduced, "The Mink Tribe also has a group of nocturnal members. They move at night and are sleeping now."
"Alright, I won't disturb them."
"Please, go ahead." Inuarashi asked his people to prepare the room.
After arriving, Ren looked at his guards. "Can we contact someone in the Underworld who can handle things now?"
"Alright."
"Get in touch with everyone and set up a meeting." Ren instructed.
Soon, everyone was contacted, including Stussy, whose identity had to remain secret.
"Everyone, you probably know me. I've appeared in the news, and I know many of you hate me deeply, because I've caused you heavy losses."
"Haha, Lord Ren, that's not…" Umit tried to ease the tension.
Ren cut him off. "No need to flatter me. Do you need me to tell you what role you played? I made you lose money—do you feel good about that?"
The people on the line fell silent. Yes, everyone except Morgans had been involved, including Stussy. Anyone in this line of work knows how high the profits can be.
"Of course, I'm not contacting you today to talk about that. I'm here to notify you—Fish-Man Island and the Mink Tribe are under my protection. If any of you have ill intentions, you'll end up like those two. No matter where you are or whose shelter you seek, I will track you down and kill you."
Hearing Ren's commanding words, no one dared look down on him. As underground figures, they knew how deeply the World Government's influence reached across the world. Unless they vanished completely, there was no escape.
But someone like them couldn't just disappear entirely. And Ren was only protecting Fish-Man Island and the Mink Tribe, not directly attacking the slave trade. Losing some profit was something they could accept.
Stussy spoke first. "Following Lord Ren's instructions, we will strictly comply."
"Lord Ren, any plans recently?" Morgans asked. Ren had earned him a lot of money and publicity, making him a hot topic in the news.
"Nothing for now. First, stabilize Fish-Man Island and the Mink Tribe," Ren replied after a moment of thought.
Everyone immediately understood—Fish-Man Island and the Mink Tribe were untouchable for the time being. Hearing Ren speak, the others quickly expressed their agreement.
Ren reminded them, "Also, if any of your subordinates act recklessly, I will hunt you down as well. Killing them won't be enough. Make sure your teams understand this."
"Yes, we'll handle it immediately."
No one wanted to anger Lord Ren, the plague god. Even if they ignored him, his intelligence network was too powerful to resist. They all picked up their communicators to make calls.
Ren waited quietly, while Reisa gently massaged him, letting him rest against her chest until the calls ended.
"Seems everyone understands. I wish you all great fortune," Ren said, then hung up.
After Ren disconnected, people quickly found reasons to go offline. They now needed their subordinates to behave and avoid creating massive problems.
This move, a warning to all, was extremely effective. In the coming year or two, kidnappings of Fish-Men and Minks would be rare, though not impossible.
Ren then had his guards pressure the auction organizers, effectively stopping the trading of Fish-Men and Minks altogether.
**********
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