"What a pity. But everyone has their own path. If you can't agree, then parting ways is for the best."
Ren shook his head, not dwelling on it.
If their paths diverged, there was no point forcing cooperation. Zoro might leave in the future anyway—perfectly normal.
And if they were really going to talk about debts, Ren wouldn't have taken Zoro as a three-month bodyguard and called it done.
Much less would he let himself be painted as the villain first just because of Nami.
A favor is a powerful bond—but only if the other person recognizes it.
Leaving the cabin, Ren helped out—meaning he stood up on the high deck, hands on hips, looking down like some "captain supervising work."
Soon,
The Pipi Shrimp set sail. Wind filled the canvas as the single-masted ship glided across the sea.
At this point,
The four finally breathed in relief. The Marines wouldn't catch up anytime soon.
Nami casually appraised the gemstone—it was worth about 300,000 Beli.
Not cheap, not expensive either. She then casually stuffed the glittering gem into the valley of her chest.
"I'll keep this safe for you. Oh, right. I need to help my sister pack."
She blinked mischievously, clearly intending to slip away.
Ren expressionlessly grabbed her, and under her embarrassed, annoyed glare, he reached into the valley and pulled out the slightly warm gemstone.
"You stingy brat!"
Nami ground her teeth, glaring at him.
This guy really didn't have the slightest moral boundary. Even if she technically belonged to him… shouldn't he at least show a little restraint?
Oh right—He was this kind of person.
Nami remembered the humiliating experience she suffered on Cuckoo Island.
Dead memories were attacking her. Mocking her.
Ah—So infuriating!
"Go on."
Ren dismissed her with a wave, slipped the gemstone into his pocket, and returned to the captain's room to store it.
The Eye Bone was still on the bedside table, so Chester was staying inside too.
Nami, having eaten a tiny loss, left with Nojiko to pack while also inspecting the Pipi Shrimp's structure.
As the navigator, she needed to fully understand the ship.
But Ren reminded her in passing that this single-mast vessel was only temporary—they would change ships later.
No one knew when that "later" would be, though.
(Author: Any readers have suggestions? Maybe the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean?)
On deck,
Zoro sat collapsed on the floor, staring 90 degrees up at the sky with a helpless expression.
He seemed deep in thought.
He… might have been completely scammed.
"I think you won't get a bounty. Not many people noticed you, and you didn't actually kill Marines," Ren said, sitting beside him, scratching his head to offer something.
"…Maybe I would've thought so before. But after seeing how vile those Marines were, I think they might be the real Arlongs. Arlongs don't listen to reason."
Zoro sighed, then lazily stretched. "I roughly know what you want to say. But it's unnecessary.
"The path of a swordsman is always forward. So is the path of a man. I won't regret what I've done—if there's regret, it belongs to that moment.
"Besides—"
"Besides what?" Ren asked.
"Rage stuck in my throat—if I don't spit it out, I'll suffocate. So… I killed them very happily. Enduring suffering without complaint is also a form of training."
Zoro laughed, clapped Ren on the shoulder, and stood. "I'm going to rest. Hopefully you won't cause trouble while I'm asleep… Mr. Walking Disaster."
"…Alright, alright."
Ren let out a bitter smile, still feeling a little guilty.
If he remembered correctly, one of Zoro's blades snapped. He should find him a fine sword later and add a Fire enchantment as a parting gift.
Yes—
In Ren's mind, Zoro would eventually leave.
Though they got along well, a prideful swordsman wouldn't bow his head so casually or serve under others.
Ren never thought he had the charisma to keep someone like Zoro permanently.
He walked to the bow and looked out over the sea.
Something felt off. After a moment, he realized the sword that should've been hanging at his waist—the Doran Blade—was gone.
Right.It had been left behind on the battlefield during the bombardment.
Things were too urgent then; he had no chance to retrieve it.
"Smoker, huh?"
Ren sighed internally, then turned his attention to his development path.
His earlier clash with Smoker wasn't too intense, but it exposed his shortcomings.
First—
His physical foundation was weak. He couldn't fully unleash the power of his templates.
Yes—
Only after so long did Ren discover that template amplification was independent, capable of stacking on top of his own stats.
"Depending on the base stats, the template provides small to large full-attribute boosts."
This didn't mean the stronger he became, the weaker the template got.
It meant: the stronger his foundation, the stronger the template amplification.
Between those two interpretations was a chasm of power.
Second—
He was nearly helpless against Logia users.
He defeated Smoker by strategy, intel, and the fact Smoker didn't understand his abilities. That let him steal the crucial jitte and counterattack.
But the jitte wasn't omnipotent. Seastone was a natural enemy to Devil Fruit users—But pulling it out didn't automatically guarantee victory.
Real combat was complex, full of variables.
Like how Smoker reclaimed the jitte—using the blast of the bombardment and risking his life to force Ren to let go.
Lastly—
There was the limitation of firearms.
The Silver Desert Eagle was strong, but situational. The Dragon's Breath shotgun was powerful, but against someone with Armament Haki or certain Devil Fruits…
Its usefulness would plummet.
He needed alternatives.
"So I need to increase my own power, learn Haki, and find substitutes for firearms."
Ren concluded.
"Improving my body… I can rely on the Dimensional Roulette and my 'As I Wish' trait. I could draw things like Demon Slayer breathing techniques, or the Indestructible Vajra Body… actually no, forget that.
"I don't want to die a virgin again. But Assassin Wu Liuqi's techniques have high potential.
"If only I could pull Dragon Ball-style techniques… yeah right, those won't come from a Silver Roulette.
"Haki… I can see if Zoro can learn it. I can copy his experiences. Or… I could draw Haki aptitude directly from the Roulette? Maybe even Conqueror's Haki aptitude.
"'If one can imagine it, one can obtain it.' Huh?
"As for replacing firearms… cold weapons are the obvious path. Martial arts is an option, but not mainstream.
"Zoro is here, and I have that forged cursed blade—so swordsmanship is the choice.
"I have no talent, but maybe the Roulette can fix that.
"The enchantment system has huge potential. If I develop it properly, I could even surpass others through equipment advantages.
"Alright… that's my development roadmap."
Ren's gaze deepened. "Next… comes the money problem."
(End of Chapter)