[Congratulations, Host—Golden Lion's Dual-Blade Swordsmanship (current stage) acquired!]
"Hm?!"
Reno's eyes lit up.
Another reward that boosts raw power—straight to the point.
As the mechanical voice faded, a surge of strength awakened inside him.
Golden Lion's Dual-Blade Swordsmanship!
As a man who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Whitebeard, the world's strongest, and Pirate King Roger, Golden Lion's swordsmanship was beyond question.
He might not have been number one in the world, but he was absolutely on the Great Swordsman tier.
The only disappointment for Reno: what he'd obtained was current-stage Golden Lion swordsmanship—
—not the peak Dual-Blade style.
And the gap between those two? Anything but small.
At his peak, the Golden Lion roared across the seas with boundless ambition.
After Roger rejected him, he dared to start a war outright!
Back then, the Roger Pirates weren't just Roger—they had Silvers Rayleigh at his prime, the twin-axe Jabba, and the Devil's Heir, Douglas Bullet.
Facing four top-tier monsters, the Golden Lion didn't flinch.
If not for that sudden, freak storm, who would've won was anyone's guess.
Fate loves its jokes—
In the chaos, a stray ship's rudder came out of nowhere and lodged in the Golden Lion's head—bad enough to be life-threatening.
That single rudder crippled his power.
Later, Sengoku and Garp teamed up to defeat him and threw him into Impel Down, the "iron-walled" prison.
He escaped by sacrificing both legs.
After those two heavy blows, his strength plummeted.
His swordsmanship was no longer what it once was.
"So where did that sick old lion run off to?!"
Reno rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
He knew the Golden Lion hadn't died—but who knew where he was scraping by now.
"Forget it. First, I'm going to Baratie to test these blades on that guy."
Originally, Reno planned to skip Baratie and head straight to Loguetown to recruit that glasses girl.
But with a fresh reward in hand, not finding someone to test it on would make his hands itch.
More importantly, he needed to see how far his strength still lagged behind the world's top players.
The next day.
After transplanting a few of the best tangerine trees, Nojiko and Nami left Cocoyashi Village with Reno.
There wasn't much to linger over.
Reno left a coordinate marker there.
He could bring Nami and Nojiko back anytime.
"Nojiko, from now on, you're a cook of the Reno Pirates. You'll handle meals with Makino."
Last night's dinner had been excellent—Reno admitted as much.
Nojiko's cooking could go toe-to-toe with Makino's.
"Yes, Captain," Nojiko answered seriously, spatula in hand.
She knew she was just an ordinary person—unlike Nami with her gift for navigation—and she knew nothing about medicine.
But logistics? Nojiko promised she'd handle that perfectly.
Reno nodded, satisfied.
As more girls joined the crew later, one cook—Makino—wouldn't be enough.
Cooking for dozens would kill a person.
They'd need more cooks.
Nami slid up to Nojiko with a mischievous grin, nudging her with an elbow. "Sis, how'd it feel last night?"
"Didn't you see the afterimages?"
Nojiko blinked, then got it.
She swatted Nami with mock anger.
This little imp—just a few days and she's gotten this cheeky?!
Before, she wouldn't even have understood what "afterimages" implied.
Now she got it instantly.
Blinding speed and… impact.
Great. Reno was a bad influence.
Elsewhere.
After Captain Nezumi's death was discovered, the Marines launched an investigation.
They quickly confirmed that Reno had killed him.
The villagers had seen it with their own eyes—no covering it up.
Witnesses… by the dozen.
Once confirmed, the reports moved up the chain.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office.
The Den-Den Mushi's mouth flapped as Sengoku listened, frown deepening.
When the briefing ended, the line clicked off.
Sengoku kneaded his brow, irritated.
Damn pirates.
Today they dared to kill a Marine captain.
Tomorrow they'd dare to strike Marine HQ.
He shot a glare at Garp, who was munching rice crackers like he owned the place. "Garp, how many times have I told you—no eating in my office."
Garp just laughed. "Hahahaha… Sengoku, I didn't tick you off. Don't take it out on me."
Then he popped another cracker into his mouth without a care.
"Garp, the East Blue's been restless lately—two pirate crews making a lot of noise," Sengoku said, finally getting to business.
"Let's hear it," Garp mumbled around the snack.
He cared about his home sea.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and recited:
"First: the Reno Pirates, led by Reno. Suspected Cloud-Cloud Fruit user. Crew appears to be all female; the only confirmed name is navigator Nami, suspected Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
"As for their captain, identity unknown for now."
"His photo is being transmitted."
"Intelligence confirms Captain Nezumi died at Reno's hands—method extremely brutal."
Garp nodded, face unreadable.
"Second: the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, suspected Rubber-Rubber Fruit user. Crew includes swordsman Roronoa Zoro."
"They defeated Captain Morgan in Shells Town and Buggy the Clown in Orange Town."
"Witnesses say they clashed with the Reno Pirates in Syrup Village—both Luffy and Zoro were cut down by Reno and severely injured. Current whereabouts unknown."
Boom!!
Garp's aura exploded.
Sengoku slammed him back into his seat with a bark: "Garp! Have you lost it? Calm down!"
Garp: I can't calm down.
Luffy—his own grandson—cut down and gravely wounded?!
Bastard!!
Wait!
A realization hit Garp, and his face went dark.
That brat really did become a pirate behind his back.
And all that bragging about conquering the seas…
First voyage and he gets flattened?!
Truly making the D. family lose face.
Sengoku caught the tell.
Garp's reaction to Luffy and Zoro getting hurt was way too strong…
Wait.
Monkey D. Luffy.
Monkey D. Garp.
Realization finally dawned; Sengoku slapped his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me!!"
________________________________________
[Don't forget to throw some stones at me!]
[ We've only reached 160 stones in just one week, guys — you're way too weak! xD ]