Year 1506 of the Pirates, Zou.
Ren had been here for a year, and the world's balance hadn't changed much.
During that time, he occasionally made his presence known at sea, letting everyone understand that Celestial Dragon Ren was still around and that his things were not to be touched.
Fish-Man Island was safer than expected. The mermaids even dared to explore the land for a while and found that nothing bad happened.
This encouraged more mermaids to slowly go to the surface. All of this was thanks to Ren's status and immense power.
"Lord Ren, this cow is mature. Can we slaughter it now?" Wanda looked at the penned cow, drooling.
After a year, the Mink Tribe completely trusted Ren. Anyone who wanted to harm him would have to go over their dead bodies.
Ren had brought massive changes to Zou. First, there was farmland capable of growing various crops.
Then came livestock farming. The carnivorous Mink Tribe no longer had to eat grass, but this created a new problem.
"Wanda, that's a cow, your uncle. How can you eat it?" The cow-shaped Mink looked angry.
"Hahaha, today I want to taste beef." Shishilian ran toward the cow with a small sword.
"Shishilian, how dare you!" The cow tribe immediately charged, ready to show off their strength and see whether the lion or the cow horn was stronger.
"Uh, the tomatoes are ripe," Inuarashi tried to calm them.
"You should've said that sooner." The cow tribe quickly left the scene and headed for the crops.
Inuarashi wiped his mouth and grabbed his sword, walking toward the cow. "Shishilian, step back. Don't strike fatally, or you'll ruin the taste of the beef."
Day or night, the Mink Tribe treated Ren like a god. Children loved playing with him, and after their fun, they could receive a gentle pat. Nothing was better than that.
"Everyone, today I plan to leave here." Ren spoke seriously.
"Come back soon to play with me," Wanda said, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
The other children were the same.
During this period, Ren occasionally went out to sea, and they had already gotten used to it.
Only Inuarashi seemed to notice, guessing that Ren wouldn't return here anytime soon.
Nocturnal creatures like the Nekomamushi rarely slept.
Instead, they cooked the harvested vegetables and the livestock they had raised into a big feast to send Ren and the others off.
Pedro was ready to set sail, carrying a sharp sword on his side and eyes shining brightly.
"Ren, come back here anytime, okay?" the dog-girl licked Ren's cheek in a gesture of affection.
The other Mink Tribe also showed their own ways of being affectionate.
At this point, Ren's status in Zou had surpassed even Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
"This is a Vivre Card. Take it. With this, you can return to Zou," Nekomamushi tossed him a sheet of paper.
The farewell feast was brief.
The children scrambled to be touched by Ren.
Ren enjoyed this atmosphere; it was far better than the sanctuaries.
Clearly, spending so much time winning over the Mink Tribe had been worth it.
With this race, if you treat them well, they repay you tenfold, even risking their lives for you.
At the edge of Zou Island—or rather, the edge of the elephant—Ren and his group bid farewell to the Mink Tribe.
Among them, Ren took nearly twenty tribe members who had also mastered the Moon Walk.
"Squeak," a tiny rabbit stared at Ren.
"Carrot, say goodbye to Ren," the rabbit mother whispered softly.
Ren stepped forward, petted the little rabbit, and then turned to leave.
"Ren, I don't care about Roger's vague words. You will always be Zou's benefactor," the Nekomamushi said seriously.
The nocturnal Mink Tribe all lowered their heads, showing respect to Ren.
The daytime Mink Tribe refused to be outdone and also expressed their reverence.
Among them, Shishilian bowed the lowest, glancing at the nocturnal animals: "The daytime tribes respect our benefactor even more."
"Shishilian, do you want to fight?"
"I will never back down on this." Shishilian looked like he was daring anyone to challenge him.
Ren, meanwhile, left amidst the laughter and cheers, taking everyone with him. His guards had changed quite a bit, now showing concern for people other than him.
"Nekomamushi, do you think he is Joy Boy?"
"Do you believe in a Joy Boy that might exist in ten or twenty years? Or do you believe in what Ren has done this past year? You already have your answer, don't you? Otherwise, why would you lower your head to someone you respect?" Nekomamushi sneered, then left with the Night Tribe. They had held on just to see their benefactor off.
The sea stretched endlessly, yet Ren's ship had not vanished.
The group set sail again. Unlike a year ago, when they sailed toward Big Mom, this time, any pirate who spotted his ship moved aside without hesitation.
This allowed Ren to enjoy a peaceful life at sea. Though life on the ocean could be dull, life aboard his ship was lively and colorful.
Even Pedro enjoyed Ren's gentle touches, not to mention the other members of the Mink Tribe.
It was their first voyage, and they were very curious about the sea.
Coupled with their natural instinct to explore new territory, the Minks played around on the ship endlessly. No one would have guessed they were born warriors.
However, as they sailed, a group appeared in their sight. Naturally, they were journalists, eager for a big story. Ren was full of headlines—he was the only publicly known Celestial Dragon.
"Looks like I won't see Shirahoshi being born." Ren sighed as he sensed something approaching.
Today, Neptune had called him. Shirahoshi was born, and Ren planned to return to witness the future Poseidon's arrival.
After speaking with Fish-Man Island over the phone, Ren stood up.
"Enemies?" Pedro drew his sword, ready to fight.
"For your voyage, they're a formidable foe—the Whitebeard Pirates." Ren laughed heartily, showing no fear.
Over this past year, he hadn't only been farming; he had also shared experiences with other world Rens.
After this experience, Ren felt very strange.
The flow of time in their different worlds was incredibly odd.
He originally thought that while six months had passed here, at least several years had passed in Detective Conan world, but in reality, only one month had gone by.
Time had no reliable reference at all.
But he didn't care.
They had already crossed over, and they even had clones.
Was there anything stranger than that?
Anyway, he couldn't go to other worlds, so he might as well focus on managing his own.
"Whitebeard Pirates."
Pedro quietly memorized the name.
Neither Nekomamushi nor Inuarashi had ever told them about their sea journeys.
On this ship, only Ren's guards knew about Whitebeard.
The others, born as slaves or from Zou, had few opportunities to see the world.
So they felt a bit like fearless rookies.
Standing on the deck, they could already see Whitebeard's flag, and a towering figure standing beneath it.
Before they even got close, Conqueror's Haki arrived first.
Ren also unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, directly suppressing Whitebeard.
A year had passed.
Whitebeard might have been at his peak, but only Ren had been continuously growing.
After that power-sharing fusion six months ago, he no longer feared the so-called Emperor of the Sea.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24