Bang—!
A sudden gunshot tore through the air, and Mondes' head burst like a watermelon.
Ain, no longer wearing his earlier sycophantic smile, was the first to roar:"Lord Mondes has sacrificed himself for justice! Everyone—attack! For justice!!"
"?"
Smoker's eyes widened. For a moment, he was completely stunned.
"For justice!!!"
The marines who had been trembling and too afraid to act suddenly surged forward together, dragging Smoker along with them as they charged the monstrous figure before them.
They clenched their teeth and attacked that demon-like man.
Attacking now meant a real chance of dying… but if Mondes spoke the wrong words, the entire 16th Branch would be purged!The Marines weren't rotten to the bone—only these festering tumors were!
Crack—!
The sound of glass shattering rang out—Ren vanished completely.
"He turned invisible! Is that a Devil Fruit ability?"
"No, he went into the sea earlier and floated up on his own."
"Damn it, where is he!?"
The marines scrambled in chaos. Smoker instinctively transformed into smoke, spreading across the entire area to search for Ren.
Smoke was a part of his body—he could sense if anything moved inside it.
The smoke rapidly expanded, covering more than half the battleship.
"Found him—up there!"
Smoker snapped his head up.
Ren stood high atop the battleship's roof, looking down at the marines.The mana crystal in his palm turned to dust, drifting away.
A complex patterned spell circle unfurled beneath his feet, the surging energy around it dispelling his invisibility.
Some kind of interference was happening—but it no longer mattered.
Teleportation countdown—3
The ornate patterns lit up with flowing brilliance, the mana crystal's power flooding into the circle.
Ren held a menacing flintlock musket, its pitch-black muzzle aimed directly at the airborne Smoker.
Charge—Critical Mode—Rum Song!
The sound of crashing waves suddenly filled Ren's ears, accompanied by the haunting melody of "Johnny Boy."
You had to die, only heaven knows why!The violent roar infused the bullet with murderous, bloodthirsty killing intent!
Bang—!
Flames burst forth. The never-miss shot howled into the air.
2
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Smoker rushed upward as smoke, swallowing the bullet whole.
But behind him, the marines watched with bulging eyes as the bullet twisted unnaturally mid-air—changing direction!
1
As the wave of smoke surged toward him—
Ren extended his hand, four fingers clenched, thumb pointing downward.
"Goodbye."
Smoker—now inches away—lurched violently as the bullet curved and struck him square in the back.
Maintaining full-body smoke form took immense stamina—he was already at his limit!
Teleportation initiated!Destination—Nami!
Boom—!!
A blinding pillar of light erupted upward, piercing the sky.
Sunlight poured through the hole it left, illuminating Smoker—collapsed and howling like a defeated dog.
Moooooo—!!
A deep beastly roar echoed across the sea.
A bull-headed sea creature surfaced, and atop it sat Hachi, the octopus fish-man.
He stared blankly at the battleship blocking his way… then looked toward the bay.
He rubbed his eyes.
He looked again at the place where Arlong Park's tall tower should be.
…Wait. Where's my huge home???I oversleep one day and everything's gone!?
Marines?
Marines!!
Hachi became furious.
Standing atop Moo Moo's head, he glared ferociously at the stunned marines.
"You damn humans! Damn Marines! You at the 16th Branch dared to break the deal with Boss Arlong!We pay you money and you pretend not to see us—that was the agreement!!Liars! Bastards! Trash! Moo Moo, sink their ship!!Let them taste the wrath of the Arlong Pirates!"
"ROOOOAAAR!!"
The massive bull-headed sea beast bellowed and charged straight at the battleship.
Smoker, already heavily wounded, turned ghostly pale as the shadow bore down on him like a falling mountain.
BOOM—!!
The battleship shuddered… then capsized.
—
Ren, already three kilometers away, had no idea what happened next.He only knew that after a dizzying flash, he suddenly crashed onto something soft.
Then he toppled forward, smashing into that "soft thing," and everything went dark.
It felt like he had buried his head between two "mountain peaks."
A familiar scream rang out—and a faint floral scent.
"You—you—you! Ah! Stop breathing there—it tickles!"
Nami yanked Ren's head out from under her collarbone, face bright red.
Ren's first words made her expression drop instantly.
"…Facial cleanser?"
"Clean your damn head!!"
Nami exploded—just a bit.Truthfully, she had already mentally prepared herself for this kind of situation.
So she forced herself to calm down and helped Ren up.
"How did you suddenly appear?! And what was that light that fell just now!?"
"Cough, cough—just an ability."
Ren twitched his nose. The scent swirling around him stirred his thoughts—but he quickly refocused.
Teleportation brought him straight down.The Marines couldn't immediately track his destination, but they could search the sea.
They needed to run. Now.
Devil Fruit powers really are interesting…
Zoro looked up at the hole punched through the sky, eyes curious.Just now, a beam of light pierced the clouds, and Ren had dropped out of it.
Zoro was holding a massive bundle—bigger than himself—stuffed with pots, blankets, and household items.
Nami and Nojiko's belongings.
Prepared long before things went bad.
Yes—
Nojiko had escaped with them during the chaos.
She was staring at Ren in shock, wanting to ask something but holding it back for now.
They were standing at the edge of Cocoyasi Village.
"Let's go. The Marines might be here any minute. Zoro—grab Chester."
Ren made the call instantly.Ignoring Nami's shriek, he slung her over his shoulder—then grabbed Nojiko as well.
Frost vapor burst from his feet as he bolted toward the Pipi Shrimp.
Zoro grabbed Chester by the collar and followed.
Soon—
They reached the Pipi Shrimp, crossed the camp, and boarded the ship.
"Prepare to set sail! Hurry!"
Ren set the girls down and urged Nami while looking around for Koby.
But the ship was strangely empty—Koby wasn't there.
Zoro immediately searched around, eventually calling out from inside the cabin:
"Ren—look at this. Seems like Koby left it."
He held a note and a gemstone he'd found on the dining table, then returned to help with departure preparations.
Everyone moved like a fully-wound clockwork machine—because no one knew when the Marines might arrive.
Ren raised an eyebrow and read the note carefully.
Koby had run. He slipped away while they were gone, taking some food with him.
The note said he would remember Ren's kindness, but he couldn't travel with pirates.He needed to find out whether his dream of being a Marine was real—or built on lies.
The gemstone was something he'd stolen from confiscated pirate loot.He didn't know how much it was worth—only that it was "a lot."
It was the only way he could repay Ren.
(End of Chapter)