Compared to someone like Zoro—whose loyalty was absolute, to the point that betraying his captain would be no different from killing him—Or someone like Urouge—who seemed ready to offer his very heart without hesitation—They were fundamentally different.
Of course, only Nojiko, as an elder sister, would think this way. She wasn't too sure what Nami herself thought. If she were to guess…
'As long as Ren's fine with it, then whatever. As long as he doesn't bother me at night. Oh, and don't forget—I'm the official one here.'
Yes, that was probably how Nami would think.
As for Ren… well, he clearly wasn't the type to reject Vivi. Most of the time, whenever Vivi tried copying Nami's wardrobe choices, he would still watch with interest—only to be scolded by Nami afterward.
'If I'm not mistaken,' Nojiko mused, 'Ren probably has a fondness for Vivi too. Or rather, the same kind of mysterious, deep-rooted connection he seems to share with Nami and me. It's like… even when we first met him, it already felt as though we'd known each other for years, only meeting again today after a long time apart.'
Nojiko sighed softly, her gaze seeming to pierce through the wooden walls toward where Vivi rested inside.
'Well, it's fine this way. The three of us taking turns every day—it's actually a good thing. At least Nami will have more time to chase her dream, and I'll have time to train myself.'
"Born! It's born!!"
A sudden shout erupted from the cabin.
Nojiko froze, almost thinking she'd misheard it. But a moment later, she realized—
Sas had simply shouted the wrong word in excitement.
The young weather scholar was practically glowing with joy, staring at the man lying on the deck floor as though he'd discovered treasure—Cavendish, newly revived.
"Teacher! Did you see that? I actually performed a successful real-world application!"
Gone was Sas's usual calm demeanor; now he was feverishly recording notes on the patient he'd just brought back to life.
Cavendish blinked groggily as the man hovered over him.He wanted to resist but found his strength completely drained.
His eyes darted about—Through the window, he saw a vast sea of white clouds.
This wasn't the ocean. At least, not the one near Jaya Island. He wasn't in Mock Town anymore!
What the hell? Shouldn't his other personality have gone on a rampage and dragged him into battle?
He was supposed to be hunting down that man—Ren—and taking his head! But now? How was he supposed to find him?!
The thought made him thrash weakly—Only for the strange doctor to pin him down and straddle him in manic excitement.
'Wait! What the hell are you doing?! Get off me!'
Cavendish's eyes widened in horror as the doctor's hands roamed all over him.
He knew he was handsome—Women adored him, and even men occasionally wanted to… "cross swords" with him.
And that "swordplay" came in all meanings of the word.
"G-gh…" Cavendish managed only a broken groan before his vision went white.
Ten minutes later—A new patient emerged: a bandaged mummy, with only a pair of dazed eyes peeking out.
Sas, clutching his medical notes, threw away the last strip of bandage and nodded in satisfaction.
On the floor, Cavendish stared blankly at the ceiling.
He had just been thoroughly touched by another man—So zealously that the doctor might as well have flayed him open out of sheer curiosity.
Thus,when Ren entered the cabin, the first thing he heard was a furious, despairing roar—
"NO MALE FANS!!"
…What?
Ren blinked in confusion, glancing at Sas.The latter merely shrugged.
"Probably a side effect of the treatment. Honestly, the fact that he's alive at all is already impressive."
Ren nodded. "Fair enough. Thanks for your help, Dr. Sas."
"Ah, no need for that title. I'm just an ordinary weather scholar," Sas said modestly. "This was my first field assignment, actually.If not for my teacher wanting to test me, I wouldn't even get to pilot the weather ship for you."
After leaving a few post-treatment notes, Sas exited with his files.
Cavendish's fear was unnecessary; the doctor had only been focused on his medical work.
Ren thought for a moment, then sat down in front of the "mummy. "When their eyes met, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha!"
"What's so funny?!"
Cavendish came to his senses, realizing there was someone else in the room.Understanding his situation, he glared weakly, too drained to do much more than snap.
"Is that how you talk to your savior?" Ren teased, lifting a brow.
"…Fine, my apologies, benefactor. Can you at least tell me what happened?"
Ren leaned back casually. "How should I put it… You know about Marine Admirals, right?"
"Marine Admirals? Of course! Someday I'll surpass them all—make the whole world remember my name! Don't you know who I am? I'm a hundred-million-class pirate—a man of immense power!"
He tried to lift his chin arrogantly… only to nearly topple over in his bandage cocoon.
Ren caught him before he fell and continued, "Well, here's the thing—You launched a direct charge against the Marine Admiral—Aokiji, Kuzan.
Honestly, when I first heard about it, I was impressed. Not everyone's got the guts to take on an Admiral head-on."
"…What?"
Cavendish's eyes widened in disbelief.
Was his other personality that reckless? No—of course it was. That monster had no shred of reason left. It was the whole reason he'd been exiled in the first place.
But still—why the hell would a Marine Admiral show up in Paradise?! That made no sense!
'What in the Grand Line's name…'
Ren watched him sink into existential crisis. If their roles were reversed, he'd probably doubt it too.After all, meeting a Marine Admiral wasn't something that just happened.
If Admirals patrolled Paradise every day, the pirates in the New World would've long banded together to destroy Marine Headquarters.
But, well… Kuzan did have a certain "weakness" named Nico Robin.
Cavendish, however, had his own interpretation.
"I see!"
He blinked rapidly—the only movement his bandaged body allowed.
"It must be that I was too strong! I forced a Marine Admiral to appear himself! Hmph, losing to an Admiral isn't too shameful. What a pity I didn't get to find him."
"Him?" Ren asked, curious.
"You don't need to know. That's pirate business." Cavendish puffed his chest—or tried to."Tell me your name, benefactor. I'll repay you. Treasure, status, influence—whatever you want. The life of Cavendish is worth a fortune!"
Ren chuckled. "You sure about that?"
Cavendish sighed faintly, the arrogance fading from his tone. He knew the truth.
His other persona must have gone berserk somewhere, run into trouble, and somehow bumped into an Admiral.
No doubt about it—he was just putting on a brave face now. Even Vice Admiral Onigumo had beaten him before; there was no way an Admiral came just for him.
More likely, Kuzan had been on some other mission and simply crossed paths with his berserk self.
Still—surviving an encounter like that meant he was strong, right?
But if that was the case, then Ren was probably dead by now. As much as he hated to admit it, Ren was formidable—anyone who could take down a Warlord of the Sea had to be. Yet if Ren had faced Onigumo, he'd have been crushed.
Most likely, he was already shackled on a Marine ship bound for Impel Down.
Unless…
Could he intercept that ship himself?
Sure, he couldn't beat Onigumo—but an escort ship? That he could handle! He could rescue Ren, let him show his face again, and then defeat him publicly—perfect for his reputation!
That thought lit a new fire in his eyes.
"You seem trustworthy enough, since you saved me. Can you tell me—how far are we from Jaya?And in Mock Town, was there a pirate named Ren captured by the—"
"I'm Ren."
The words cut through his sentence like a blade.
Cavendish froze, blinking twice.
His first thought was—same name. Just a coincidence.
But as he lifted his gaze to study his "savior's" face… it all clicked.
He had seen that face before. Not often in the newspapers—since those always showed the six-winged angel clad in radiant armor, trampling the Warlords of the Sea.
But he'd stared at that bounty poster enough times—He'd even stabbed holes through it out of spite.
The black hair. The crimson eyes. The sharp, defined features.
"You're—Ren!!"
The realization hit like lightning. Cavendish screamed, leaping three feet into the air—then promptly slammed back onto the floor with a thud.
This time, Ren didn't bother catching him.
Creak.
The door opened again—Sas peeked in with an exasperated frown. "Hey! Stop moving! You almost died once already. If you mess yourself up again, Mr. Ren, you'd better not tell anyone I didn't save him properly!"
Ren grinned. "Don't worry, Sas. I'll make sure to emphasize your contributions in my report."
"That's… a bit much, honestly." Sas scratched his cheek with a shy smile."Oh—by the way, the weather ship's almost at our destination. About half an hour out from the coordinates."
"Good. Looks like this trip's about to end."
Ren nodded. Once Sas left, he turned back to the stunned Cavendish, smiling faintly.
"Alright then. Let's talk about your repayment, shall we? After all, I did save your life, Cavendish.
By the way—you were asking about me earlier. What exactly did you need from me? Got some unfinished business?"
"…"
Cavendish's face went pale beneath the bandages.
How the hell was he supposed to answer that? That his reason for being like this… was because he'd tried to take Ren's head?!
No way out of this one. His death flags were practically glowing above him.
(End of Chapter)