The moment Ren made his move, the few young men lurking at the corner brightened. Behind them, several children peeked their faces out from the alleyway.
"A fat sheep?"
"Thank you…"
The trembling boy accepted the food and limped away on unsteady legs.
"Any problem?" Zoro asked, his hand already resting on his katana's hilt.
"No. I'm a good man, after all. Doing one good deed a day is only natural."
Ren frowned slightly as he watched the boy disappear, then turned and walked straight toward the corner."Now, time for my second good deed of the day."
Six minutes later—
The thugs in the corner had paid several broken bones in exchange for all the information Ren wanted.
"Interesting. The mining industry collapsed, nothing left to sell. Then a group called the Shell Company moved in, even relocating their headquarters here? Promised the townsfolk to rebuild the place, but in reality, they're running dirty trades—forced labor, fraud, sex trafficking... Oh, right, this is a non-member nation zone."
He narrowed his eyes. "So you people are swindlers working for the Shell Company? Why? A famine? The Shell Company cut off sea routes, hoarded grain, and planned to make one last fortune before fleeing—promising to take you along?"
"How interesting. Truly the Great Pirate Era."
Ren concluded calmly. The young woman before him exhaled in relief, as if wanting to say something.
Crack—!
Before she could speak, Ren twisted her neck. The others screamed in terror but shared the same fate.
'Those who profit from others' suffering deserve death.'
Blood splattered across the wall. Ren coldly flicked his hand, glancing over the corpses before looking toward Nami and the others.
Nami and Nojiko were comforting the terrified children—boys and girls alike—most missing limbs or bearing scars, shrinking into a corner in fear.
According to the thugs, these kids came from different islands.
They were the "goods" the Shell Company handed over to manage. If one died, they'd "restock" by trading grain for new victims.
After all, once trained, they could be used elsewhere too.
But if too many died, the handlers would be punished.
"The evil of humanity truly knows no bottom," Zoro said with rare disgust, voicing an opinion beyond his usual role as security.
"Ren, I'm furious," Nami said, clenching her fists, her face burning with anger.
Nojiko said nothing, but her expression made her feelings clear.
"So?" Ren asked quietly.
"Let's help them," Nami said. "At least… don't let the children continue living like this."
She reached out, her pale hands grasping Ren's, bending slightly forward—pleading for his decision.
"...Do you really understand?"
Ren sighed, pulling his hand away despite her disappointment. "Even if we intervene, we can't fix the root of the problem. We're adventurers, not saviors.
We can deal with the surface issue—the Shell Company—but in the end, nothing will change.
Unless we stay here for years—and that's impossible. Even so… you still want to do this?"
"I can't turn a blind eye to the suffering of children. Maybe because I see my own childhood in them," Nami said through gritted teeth, already ready to say, If you won't help, I'll go alone.
"Then that's that," Ren replied simply.
Nami took a deep breath, about to speak, but Nojiko, ever perceptive, covered her mouth and asked instead, "You mean...?"
"I'm the captain, and you two are crew. It's natural for the crew to follow the captain's orders, but the captain should also listen to the crew's opinions. That's how a ship lasts."
He smiled faintly. "Besides, who could refuse the request of our most important and adorable navigator—and the lovely chef who controls our kitchen? I wouldn't want to get lost or eat sand. Not to mention, even our hired swordsman seems to agree."
He looked at Zoro, who shrugged without objection.
"Good. We're all on the same page."
Ren smiled, turning to the trembling children. "I'm a good man, after all. A daily good deed doesn't need a reason. Life doesn't have to be meaningful for you to mess around in it."
Then he winked at Nami. "Right, my navigator who just tried to act solo?"
"Ah—w-what are you talking about? I'm already your woman," Nami said, sticking out her tongue in mock cuteness to defuse the tension.
"Let's hope so," Ren replied dryly, walking out of the alley. His eyes grew cold.
He enjoyed fun—but if someone ruined his fun, he wouldn't mind turning them into it.
"You already have a plan?" Nami asked, following close behind as Zoro trailed them.
"We start with food."
"Didn't the Shell Company monopolize it?"
"Nami, you don't seriously plan to resolve this peacefully, do you?" Ren grinned. "You know the saying: If he's hoarding food and I have a gun, then his home is my granary. I'm just going to take back my own grain."
"Hmph, what a twisted way to justify robbery, Ren."
Their voices faded into the distance.
Nojiko, last to leave, thought for a moment before taking out her own money and giving it to the children, telling them to hide somewhere safe.
Then she turned to leave—but paused at the alley's entrance.
The limping boy from earlier had reappeared, frozen in place as he stared at something.
Nojiko approached, patted his head gently, and whispered, "Everything will be okay."
No one stayed behind to guard the children—there was no need to.
The Shell Company's influence ran deep on this island, but solving the "problem" was simple.
Before trouble arose, you just had to deal with whoever could cause it.
Their headquarters was right there on Mys Island.If you didn't attack them, could you even call yourself human?
On Mys Island, inside a walled estate—
The rigid, imposing president of the Shell Company, Deddi, spoke slowly."Everything settled?"
"All taken care of," his subordinate replied eagerly. "Most of the townsfolk now believe our agents are members of a rival company. The cheap grain we 'acquired' is already en route. During the gap between shipments, they'll do anything to buy from us.
Conservatively, this round's profit will reach at least thirty million Beli—not worse than before. Even after paying off the upper ranks, we'll still have a sizable surplus."
Deddi nodded with satisfaction. "Good. A total profit of a hundred million Beli—Mys Island remains as lucrative as ever."
He leaned back in his chair."Once this wraps up, the company can't stay here anymore. Start contacting the pirates. They'll handle the raids; we'll handle the sales.
For laborers, take a thirty percent cut—if we push too far, those wolves will turn on us."
"Yes, yes, President Deddi is wise as always. It's just…"
The steward hesitated. "Just one concern…"
"What concern?"
"With such a big profit this time… won't those pirates turn on us? After all, our headquarters is right here."
(End of Chapter)