"Don't be so nervous. I'm sure this secret isn't news to you. Consider it a token of goodwill from me."
Ren slowly took control of the conversation, studying the Revolutionary Army commander with a hint of amusement.
"To be honest," Ren continued, "I expected your leader himself to appear here. Monkey D. Dragon."
"…He's busy."
Karasu didn't mention that Dragon was actually nearby. Having recovered from the shock, he was already preparing to get things done.
"Now that Crocodile's dead," Karasu asked, "what about the deal?"
"Simple," Ren replied, smiling faintly. "We continue. Only the target changes. You can reach Bartholomew Kuma, can't you? I'd like to have a word with him—regarding Bonney's debt. The rest of the trade can wait."
"You're not afraid we'll just stiff you?"
"I have things you people want. More than one, in fact.
For example—Nico Robin wants the location of the next Poneglyph. But she no longer has the leverage to bargain with me."
"I'll have to report this," Karasu said after a long pause. "In that case… let's begin the trade."
"As you wish."
Ren shrugged, lifting his Den Den Mushi wristwatch to make a call.
He told Robin to bring Bonney up. The main talk was nearly done anyway.
"Bonney."
When Karasu saw her, his cold, sharp eyes softened at once.
Kuma was a good man, and few in the Revolutionary Army had anything but respect for him.To Karasu, Bonney was his old comrade's daughter.
"...Who are you?" Bonney asked hesitantly, glancing between Ren and the masked man.
She already suspected that her father had once been part of the Revolutionary Army, but she'd asked for proof before trusting anyone—afraid of being deceived. She just hadn't expected it to be confirmed this quickly.
"Karasu, commander of the Revolutionary Army. Bounty: four hundred million Beli," Ren explained. "For reference, Crocodile's was eighty-one million."
He spread his hands casually, watching Bonney's expression shift. "You're fired. The debt issue is between me and your father now. Whether you'll actually get to see him by going with them—that, I can't guarantee. Decide for yourself."
Truthfully, Ren doubted Bonney would find Kuma so easily. Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit made him incredibly mobile, and as a Warlord of the Sea, his status alone complicated things.
In theory, he could see Bonney anytime he wished. But the story of her "search for her father" was destined to be long and painful.
Ren didn't know the details, but he understood one thing—the process wouldn't be smooth.
Out of honesty, he still gave her the choice.
"...Thanks," Bonney said softly after a moment. "But I trust them."
Though hesitant, she ultimately chose Karasu. Compared to Ren—the man who'd beaten her—she trusted her father's comrades far more.
"Then goodbye."
Ren didn't try to stop her. Frankly, getting rid of that bottomless glutton eased the Enlightenment's supply burden by half.
"So then, is it my turn?" came Robin's voice, calm and measured.
"Now that the Baroque Works incident is settled," she said, "we can move on to our next transaction."
Ren stood, heading for the door. "I'll step out for some air. You two talk freely."
As the door closed, Karasu inclined his head seriously toward Robin. "An honor at last, Light of the Revolution."
Ren didn't eavesdrop. Neither Bonney nor Robin mattered much to him anymore. Bonney's usefulness had run its course, and Robin's only true value was her ability to read Poneglyphs.
But Ren wasn't interested in the Void Century. History, after all, was written by the victors. No matter how brutally the World Government censored it, he simply didn't care.
His ideals were bound to clash with the world's order. Since his path would inevitably be paved over the corpses of those in power, what meaning was there in digging into the past?
If he failed, everything would fade into oblivion. If he triumphed, he would write history.
Nothing more, nothing less.
When he descended the stairs, few people remained.
The senior agents were all out handling missions—there were fewer of them now, so their workloads had doubled. Robin had temporarily reinstated a Mr. 5 to speed up the destruction of Baroque Works' core structure.
For reasons Ren didn't bother to guess, Robin had also assigned Galdino a strangely delicate task.
With that man's intellect, he'd probably figure it out once it was too late.
But none of that mattered.
With Crocodile dead, the organization's foundation shattered, and its true leader gone, Baroque Works was finished.
Anyone still causing trouble would be handled—by Ren personally, before departure.
"Yo, done already?"
Zoro stood on the second floor, sweating as he trained with a dumbbell.
"Yeah," Ren replied. "What's up?"
"Talked with Robin," Zoro said, wiping his brow. "I asked her to assign me the toughest missions from the leftovers—so we might return later than planned."
He explained earnestly; after all, Ren was captain, and missions came from his orders. If he was taking on extra work, he had to give a heads-up.
It also showed something else—Zoro was pushing himself harder.
"You feeling pressured?" Ren asked with a slight smile.
"This time, I barely did anything," Zoro admitted quietly.
His meaning was clear.
Despite his rapid progress, against Crocodile he had only managed one slash. Ren had shouldered nearly all the burden.
Even if the captain was supposed to fight the strongest foes, Zoro couldn't tolerate his own weakness.
"I get it," Ren said finally. "Go early, come back soon. Oh—wait."
A sudden thought struck him. "You're not going alone, are you?"
"…No. Robin said she'd send someone with me. I just do the killing part."
Zoro blinked, puzzled by the captain's sudden urgency. After all, he was the guy who once asked strangers for directions mid-fight.
"Go on," Ren muttered, twitching his lips, too tired to comment.
After Zoro left, Nami and Nojiko came to say goodbye as well—they had their own assignments, to be finished as quickly as possible. Cautiously, they'd decided to act together as a duo, which was exactly what Ren preferred.
Protecting them forever wasn't an option. They needed to grow—and a week-long mission was a good start.
Finally came Vivi, her expression a mix of disbelief and hesitation, with Pell silently beside her.
"…Did you really kill him?" Vivi asked softly.
Ren countered, "Do you think Crocodile could've survived that kind of attack?"
Vivi involuntarily recalled that thunderbolt—a divine judgment descending from the heavens—and shook her head.That kind of strike would have obliterated half the royal palace even from the outskirts.
"Then you'd better start preparing," Ren warned lightly, then left to find Mr. Hound.
He'd need the journalist's cooperation for his next step—but precautionary measures were necessary.
Time passed quickly.After her talk with Karasu, Robin had evidently gotten the answers she wanted and resumed working.
Clever as ever, she framed Crocodile's death as the result of internal collapse within Baroque Works. To the remnants, that was the truth.
And thanks to their compromised intelligence network, the news was contained entirely within Nanohana.
Until Ren gave the word, no one could spread the story beyond the city limits.
Of course, that wouldn't last forever. Given enough time—say, two weeks—accidents always happened. Robin wasn't omnipotent.
Ren expected that. His plan was to stay only twelve days. Then he'd head for the next destination—his chosen place.
By then, Mr. Hound would have finished his task.
In the meantime, Ren was busy seizing Crocodile's assets.
Robin had promised six hundred million Beli in a week. Four hundred of that Ren had already spent; theoretically, two hundred million remained.
In practice, Robin's aggressive asset liquidation netted five hundred million. By day twelve, her estimate climbed to 1.3 billion Beli.
About four hundred million would be lost in rapid conversions—but it was still a fortune.
Ren divided five hundred million carefully:
One hundred million as bonuses and debt repayment for his crew.
Another hundred million as public funds—Bonney's appetite had nearly bankrupted their kitchen.
A third hundred million went into expanding and maintaining the Iron Knights, his mechanical soldiers.
Not just because they looked cool—Ren planned to build a true micro army.
In the One Piece world, power often lies in individuals. But that doesn't mean numbers are useless.
The Marineford War itself had proven that even ten thousand soldiers could wear down monsters.
In this world, Haki was the backbone of strength—granting immunity to bullets and absurd offensive power. Yet even Haki users could fall if weakened and swarmed.
Otherwise, Big Mom wouldn't have coveted Germa 66's clone army so much.
An army, therefore, had value.
Ren's enemy was the World Government—an empire spanning oceans.He couldn't topple such an order with a handful of companions.A standing army was inevitable.
And between humans and machines… he trusted machines more.
The Iron Knights were a start.
Admittedly, part of it was just that Ren now had too much money. When you're rich enough, even building armies sounds like a hobby.
Still… it all depends on luck. Let's see what the Golden Roulette gives me.
Ren sat cross-legged on the Enlightenment's third floor, preparing his next draw.
He began with a Sea Offering—casting an Ender Pearl into the swirling water.
Don't disappoint me, he muttered.
He'd noticed that frequent offerings drained his stock of rare items, so he reserved them for key moments.
[Sea Offering: Weak Success!]
[Not impressive, but fine—I'll let you pass this time.]
[Fulfillment: Activated!]
Ren made his wish, lit a cigarette with his Lucky Lighter—he didn't smoke, but ritual mattered.
Goddess of Fortune's Blessing—Activated!
{Draw Result – Barracks Module}
{Draw Result – Observation Haki Aptitude}
{Draw Result – Mutated Elytra}
The final prize materialized—a finger-length artifact shaped like golden insect wings.
Its description intrigued him, reminding Ren of the Totem of Undying: Steve's Tear still in his inventory.
[Mutated Elytra]
Origin:Minecraft / Unknown Dimension
Type:Rule-Type Equipment / Bio-Alchemy Construct
Effect: Created by an unknown entity combining Elytra, multiple enchantments, and forbidden techniques.
Upon equipping, grants four traits—Adaptive, Kinetic Conversion, Energy Conversion, and Eternal.
Adaptive: The Elytra merges with the user's body, forming an auxiliary energy core integrated into the user's life circuit. It can store excess power and channel it into other abilities.
Kinetic Conversion: Continuously draws energy to accelerate flight, reaching up to 300 meters per second—nearly supersonic—though control becomes exponentially harder at high speed.
Energy Conversion: Absorbs ambient or personal energy to manifest and reshape the wings, allowing the user to define their form and color and materialize energy-based attacks.
Eternal: Forged from the foundation of an unknown "rule" study, this Elytra cannot be destroyed by conventional matter or energy.
Cost: None.
Ren drew in a sharp breath. Even without thinking too hard, he knew this was insane.
If "Steve's Tear" could serve as a resurrection item, then an indestructible artifact from the same dimension wasn't surprising.
Maybe the only reason the Elytra showed up in the Golden Roulette at all was because of that unbreakable property.
"Well, it's… useful, I guess," Ren murmured, studying the glowing panel.
Four wings to six—did that make him a six-winged angel now?
Either way, his mobility was about to skyrocket.He could already boost short-term speed using bursts of Qi—but not anywhere near the sound barrier.
At three hundred meters per second, he'd be just shy of breaking it.
As for long-distance flight… he'd never tried.
Because, frankly, Ren was a man with self-awareness.
(End of Chapter)