"I'll find you a resting place, my comrade."
Zoro carefully gathered the fragments of his broken blade, pieced them together, and slid them gently into the scabbard. He would find a proper place to bury them — this battlefield was not suitable.
Then, he began keeping watch.
Ever diligent, ever focused.
Meanwhile, Ren was still comforting Nami. It wasn't long before she cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep in his arms.
The mental strain had been immense; once her nerves relaxed, the fatigue struck like a tidal wave.
However—
A commotion suddenly erupted outside Arlong Park.
A large group of people appeared — it was Genzo leading the villagers of Cocoyasi. They held all manner of farm tools as makeshift weapons. The only real weapon among them was a rusty blade clutched in Genzo's hand.
The explosion had been deafening. Everyone instinctively assumed that Nami, having lost all hope, had launched a desperate solo attack. Fearing for the girl who was their village's pride, they had rushed here immediately.
Genzo even felt guilty for not telling Nami earlier about Keya's actions.
But when they finally arrived at Arlong Park and saw Keya holding Nami, surrounded by the corpses of Fish-Men — even Arlong's body among them —
Genzo finally realized how wrong he'd been.Maybe Keya had killed that Marine out of vengeance… but with just two people — no, two humans — they had annihilated the Arlong Pirates, who had ruled these seas for over a decade.
The nightmare that had hung over Cocoyasi and the twenty surrounding villages had been dispersed — by Keya and that green-haired swordsman.
"Is this… for real?"
A villager whispered in disbelief, eyes locked on Arlong's corpse.
That monstrous tyrant — shot beyond recognition, face so ruined even his mother wouldn't have known him —yet this man could never forget the murderer who had driven his wife to her death.Even if he turned to ashes, he'd recognize him still.
"It's real."
Genzo's voice trembled as he tried to contain his excitement. The joy bubbling within him surged uncontrollably.
As soon as his words fell, the villagers erupted in thunderous cheers.Some cried tears of joy.Others collapsed to their knees, sobbing so hard it tore through the night.It was a raw, soul-deep release.
Zoro watched the scene in silence. He scratched his head, as if recalling something.
"Adaptability beyond stubbornness, huh…"
He thought of his master's teachings — that a swordsman's path required unwavering courage, but flexibility was equally vital.His teacher had likely warned him not to let his single-mindedness become a weakness others could exploit.
In the past, he hadn't cared. All he'd wanted was to train, to grow stronger, to draw closer to his goal —
to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Only then could his name reach the heavens, and his promise to a dear friend be fulfilled.
But now, he realized… perhaps a little flexibility along the way, if it led to meaningful results, wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe it was part of his growth.
For a moment, Zoro's thoughts drifted endlessly.
Meanwhile, things on Ren's side grew a bit complicated.
The cheering woke Nami, and soon the Cocoyasi villagers surrounded them.
After all, "Keya" was one of their own — born and raised in Cocoyasi Village.Even her name had been taken directly from the village itself.
Fortunately, Ren simply told them coldly that his name was Ren now — and that he had no ties to Cocoyasi anymore.
He was ready for things to get awkward.After all, the body's past was its own; he was someone else now.
But—
"Don't worry," Genzo said, grasping Ren's hand with gratitude in his eyes. "The Marines won't go so far as to wipe out innocent villagers."
"Thank you, truly."
Tears welled in many villagers' eyes.
To them, "Keya" — who had killed a Marine and severed ties with her home to protect them — was the very image of selflessness.A true child of Cocoyasi — kind and noble to the end.
Ren could only nod along, too lazy to correct them.At least, this way, his former body's parents' graves would have someone to tend to them.
To inherit this body is to shoulder its karma.That was Ren's way of seeing it.
Afterward, Genzo led the villagers away to spread the good news to the other settlements.
Nami stayed behind, glancing at Ren uncertainly.She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
"If you've got something to say, just say it," Ren sighed. He still had plenty to take care of.
"The village is in trouble," Nami murmured, wiping away her tears. "All the money was taken by the Arlong Pirates…"
She tried to look playful and charming as she leaned against him, pressing her curves against his arm."Couldn't you… maybe… share a little of that treasure?"
Soft.So very soft.
But — this was just sugar-coating a bullet.
Ren didn't move. He simply spat out the "candy" with a smirk."No money. You can have my life, but not my spoils. The Arlong Pirates' treasure is my war loot.
And if you're thinking of using yourself as collateral—don't forget, you already lost yourself to me. You still owe me four hundred million Beli.
And as for ties…" he smiled faintly, "my name's Ren now."
He'd originally forced that bet on her partly for this very reason — to make future complications easier to manage.In this world, being the "bad guy" often made life simpler.If you tried to be a good man, you'd just end up staring down a gun barrel.
Genzo had wisely chosen not to bring it up. Nami, however, had no such reservations.
She knew exactly how to use what she had — and Ren's weakness for her was one of them.
"Then… think of it as a loan," she said, batting her lashes. "Ten million Beli, maybe?"Her voice softened, her lashes fluttered. She rubbed her head against his arm again."You said there'd be a salary before — just take it as an advance. Out of four hundred million, ten million isn't that much."
"Fine. Nine parts out, thirteen parts back."
Nami: "…"
In the end, seeing her persistence (and to give his arm a break), Ren relented.
Ten million Beli would be enough to help Cocoyasi Village get back on its feet — the other villages, though, were beyond his reach.
And of course, there would be no absurd "nine out, thirteen back."He wasn't that cruel.
Once Nami's request was settled, Ren reviewed his situation.
His Dragon's Breath Blaster ammo was depleted and needed resupply.His Desert Eagle magazine count dropped by one, leaving ten full spares — sixty-nine bullets remaining.One of them still lodged in Arlong's corpse.
The Sharingan's side effects had been offset by his breathing recovery. One of his main goals this trip was now complete.
Nami had agreed to leave Cocoyasi with him — on the condition that he supported her dream of drawing a complete world map.
Ren agreed.
The Arlong Pirates were wiped out.Captain Nezumi was dead.
Ren wielded the Doran Blade, decapitating the remaining Fish-Men and piling the bodies together.He arranged their severed heads to face the barren hills — their empty eyes gazing at the stars.Nezumi's head was among them.
Then he doused everything in kerosene and struck a flame.
The fire roared to life, its glow piercing the night sky.
In this world, your word is your bond.If you say you'll look to the stars — then you damn well look to the stars.
(End of Chapter)