Standing beside him were no longer people who happened to meet by coincidence, but true companions.
What could possibly be better than that?
"Alright, Captain, I'll go make dinner. What would you like tonight?"
Nojiko stood up, resting one hand on the chair's back as she leaned slightly forward to ask.
Ren's eyes narrowed instinctively at the sight of that dazzling white glimpse. "You're the chef—decide yourself."
"Then seafood paella it is. I've finally figured out a few things from Baratie's menu."
Nojiko blinked playfully and turned to leave.
Ren let out a quiet sigh. He couldn't help but feel like he'd just been completely overpowered.
Then a thought hit him.
Something Nojiko had said earlier… there was something dangerous mixed in her words.
He froze for a moment—then gasped.
"Hiss—!"
Five minutes later.
With his head finally cooled, Ren went to Nami's room to soothe her—but women in a bad mood rarely listened to reason.
He got hit twice before he managed to calm her down by promising to "properly apologize later."
It wasn't a big deal, yet not exactly small either.
After settling that little domestic crisis, Ren asked Nami to steer toward a prosperous island, then recharged the entire 200 million Beli.
The Arlong Pirates' treasure was now fully converted into usable funds.
And there was only one thing left to do—
—Get a new ship!
The business at Branch 16 was over. Ren had achieved his goal—and vented quite a bit along the way.
But his resurrection had definitely drawn attention.
Although Ren doubted that Marine Headquarters would dare to publicize such intel—especially with Red-Hair having just left the East Blue.
A Yonko returning to the East Blue for the second time was something neither he nor the Marines wanted to see happen.
Still… that didn't mean they'd let him go. Pursuit was inevitable. For all he knew, Garp himself might be the one chasing him next.
And as the saying goes: To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.
If he wanted to run, he needed a proper ship first.
The pirate ship Zoro had taken barely held together—it worked, but just barely.
In the Age of Exploration, having a good ship was everything.
So Ren decided to use this rare downtime to finally deal with the Flying Dutchman.
'Alright then, time for a spin of the roulette.'
He laid out the plan and began his next move.
{Token Balance: 200,000,000}
He lit a cigarette with the Silver Lucky Lighter. Goddess of Fortune's Blessing—activated!
The silver roulette began to spin, casting ten brilliant streaks of light.
{Obtained – Redstone Intelligence Core}
{Obtained – Advanced Decomposition Machine}
{Obtained – Field Generator}
{Obtained – Thunder's Protection}
{Obtained – Corn Cannons ×3}
{Obtained – Corn Cannons ×3}
{Obtained – Electrocution}
{Obtained – Healing Pod}
{Obtained – Sapphires ×9}
{Obtained – Pseudo–Dragon Talisman}
The light settled, and in Ren's hand appeared an octagonal gray stone engraved with a crimson dragon.
"A talisman? But it says pseudo?"
[Pseudo–Dragon Talisman]
Origin:Jackie Chan Adventures
Type: Magical Artifact
Description: A modern mage once discovered a real Dragon Talisman and extracted part of its power to create a controllable, replicable version imbued with flame magic.
Normal flames reach 800°C; bursts can exceed that.
Abilities include: Flamebearer, Summon Flame, Fireblade Armor, Flame Jet, Flame Pillar.
Flamebearer: The user becomes immune to the talisman's own flames and moderately resistant to external fire.
Summon Flame: The user can consume energy to cloak themselves in fire.
Fireblade Armor: Flames form armor and weapons according to the user's imagination; superheated air can repel blades and bullets.
Flame Jet: Fires a compressed stream of high-energy flame from the palm, covering 8–10 meters in front.
Flame Pillar: Summons a fiery pillar underfoot with a 3-meter radius.
Cost: Fire Element Energy
Note: When low on energy, it can be recharged by leaving it in flames.
"Plenty of abilities, but limited potential—not weak, not strong either.
Useless for me, but perfect for Nojiko. It'll patch up her weakness."
He made a note of that and continued examining the loot.
Nine large sapphires—originating from the Don't Starve world. According to their description, they could evolve Chester into Frost Chester—but only under a full moon.
That was fine. Chester's nine inventory slots had long felt cramped; an upgrade to twelve would be welcome.
Next—
[Healing Pod]
Origin:Scissor Seven – Kingdom of Stuart
Type: Technological Device
Effect: Built-in energy battery and adaptive charging plug. Automatically detects and treats common injuries such as fractures, internal bleeding, or external wounds when powered.
Cost: Electricity
"Alright… our crew's been lacking a healing option anyway. Not bad. The power source might be a problem though."
He focused on the "adaptive charger" note, then stored the glowing pod away.
[Corn Cannons ×6]
Origin:Plants vs. Zombies
Type: Fantasy Weapon
Effect: Draws sunlight to generate ammunition and auto-targets enemies. Each shell packs enough power to level a three-story building. However, the shells fall vertically—meaning slow attack speed. After each shot, it must recharge by gathering sunlight again.
Cost: Sunlight
"Kinda niche, but not bad. Quantity makes up for it."
He thought for a moment. He could mount all six on the Flying Dutchman and integrate them using a One-Time Skin: Mechanical Style.
Next prize—another one fit for ship integration.
[Redstone Intelligence Core]
Origin:Minecraft / Unknown Dimension
Type: Rule-Type / Programming Artifact
Effect: Created from research into mass-producing Iron Golem armies. Grants basic intelligence to connected golems, allowing them to follow simple commands for labor or combat.
Cost: None
"Combat units, huh?"
Ren was intrigued. Most of the loot this time seemed to match his ship-upgrade theme.
And the next prize continued that pattern.
[Field Generator]
Origin:Tech Dimension
Type: Defensive Field Technology
Effect: After charging, it deploys an invisible repulsion field that deflects external projectiles like shells or lasers within a 50-meter diameter.
Cost: Energy
Note: Can use Mana Crystals as substitute fuel.
"Hmm… subtle, but useful. A defensive buffer for the ship.
Though if I ever face Garp himself, no amount of repulsion will help. Still, it's better than nothing."
He rubbed his chin and tossed the glowing sphere into the Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum for storage.
Finally—
[Advanced Decomposition Machine]
Origin:Dungeon Fighter Online
Type: Rule-Type Tool
Effect: Disassembles any object and extracts its energy essence into Colorless Small Crystals. The stronger the item, the more crystals produced—though some energy loss occurs in the process.
Note: Colorless Crystals have high adaptability.
"They even have this? Maybe I can explore the DNF swordsman path someday. Interesting note there—might even work as a power substitute for Mana Crystals or electricity."
Ren let his mind wander, then focused back on the spell-type prizes.
[Thunder's Protection]
Origin:Magical Dimension
Type: Magic
Effect: Grants the user divine protection of thunder. Allows manipulation of surrounding lightning:
Full interference within 20 m (create lightning).
Partial control within 50 m.
Minor directional influence within 100 m.
Cost: 2 Mana Crystals (or Colorless Crystals as substitute)
"Quite strong… but costly. Still, the shared resource system between items is fascinating."
[Electrocution]
Origin:Magical Dimension
Type: Magic
Effect: Marks 1–10 targets as Enemies of Thunder. Both natural and artificial lightning will be drawn to strike them.
Cost: 1 Mana Crystal
"Looks like I'm turning into the Son of Thunder at this rate."
Ren chuckled and ended the draw, satisfied with the haul.
Lightning and storms were, after all, one of his main power systems—until Thunder Breathing and Qi Cultivation advanced further, magic could still serve him well.
Afterward, he didn't neglect his training. At sunrise he practiced Purple Qi Rising from the East, taking in a mouthful of morning energy each day—curing his laziness completely.
He also used the Vitality Pills from earlier draws to speed up his Qi foundation, aiming to complete it within forty-nine days.
Today marked day eight.
After absorbing his morning Qi, eating breakfast, and training his Thunder Breathing Technique, he began preparing the ship.
He placed the bottled Flying Dutchman in water—instantly, it expanded into a full-sized three-masted vessel, roughly three times the size of the Pipi Shrimp.
At the island's shipyard, Ren led the remodeling work himself. He added three extra crew quarters and started installing the new components:
Nami's Weather Plantation, Zoro's training arena, Nojiko's large kitchen, Iron-Farm machine, Field Generator, Redstone Core, Iron Golems, a black-orb refrigerator crafted from the Magical Clima-Tact, lighting and heating systems, storage rooms, and more.
The Flying Dutchman quickly filled with intricate devices and facilities—its functionality and comfort both maxed out.
After all, there were only four of them.
The three extra rooms remained empty, waiting for future crew to decorate.
And all of this—completed in just three days.
The cost? Every last bit of the crew's shared funds, plus the ships they'd seized earlier.
As the saying goes, money makes even ghosts work. There were no ghosts here, but plenty of people willing to earn some.
By the end, the shipwrights of both island shipyards were half-dead from exhaustion—but the job was done.
When everything was ready, Ren stood before the completed ship as it drifted along the island's coast.
He activated One-Time Skin: Mechanical Style.
A wave of silver-gray light and the roar of gears and steam enveloped the vessel.
A strange, omniscient perspective filled Ren's mind—like God Mode in creation view, letting him reshape the ship freely.
All the rushed workmanship and rough patches vanished in moments.
Structures shifted and merged seamlessly, each unnecessary detail perfectly re-integrated.
When the light faded, what stood before them was a silver-gray three-masted ship armored in steel, its matte hull glimmering faintly under the sun.
Cloud-like vapor patterns and interlocking gears adorned its sides.
The transformation was complete. The Flying Dutchman name no longer fit.
"Let's call her—The Enlightenment."
Ren turned to the others. "What do you think?"
"Not bad."
"Sounds good."
"You're the captain—it's your call."
Nami, Nojiko, and Zoro gave their approval and looked up in awe at the reborn ship.
Zoro boarded first, heading straight for the training area.
Nami used the Milky Road from her Magical Clima-Tact—summoning a stretch of Sea Cloud like those from Skypiea—to lift them aboard.
She went to inspect her Weather Plantation, while Nojiko hurried off to her grand new kitchen.
Ren stepped onto the deck last, gazing across its vast expanse—and what caught his eye first were the armored figures.
They looked like knights of iron: bodies clad in metallic plating with gear engravings, steam vents, and vine-like ornaments.
Crimson light glowed in their eyes, and every movement exhaled steam and the click of gears.
Their long arms had been reforged into proportionate limbs—each wielding a massive broadsword as wide as a door.
They weren't like Iron Golems anymore; they were a full aesthetic evolution.
Ren examined one up close and noticed exhaust vents along its blade.
He could almost picture it in action—steam bursting from the vents as the golem swung down, shattering its enemy with one strike.
Given the Mechanical Style upgrade, that made perfect sense.
Ren placed his hand on the armored knight's chest, calling up the system screen to inspect it further.
(End of Chapter)