Chapter 160 — The Day Everything Happened at Once
S.C. 1511 — Early March
Hidden Island — Training Grounds
The morning wind felt pleasant.
Ren wished the day would stay this peaceful.
It didn't.
Because today became too productive, too chaotic, and too noisy… all at once.
---
1. Sword Training — Interrupted Immediately
Ren stood in the clearing, wooden practice sword in hand.
"Flow stance," he whispered.
Shift of the foot.
Lowered center of gravity.
Breath deep.
He swung—
CRACK!
A stick hit the back of his head.
"HA! Snuck up on you!!" Luffy yelled triumphantly.
Ren closed his eyes.
"Luffy… I sensed you. I just chose to ignore you."
"Then you let me win? EVEN BETTER!"
Luffy was ecstatic.
Kiro stood behind him, facepalming.
"Luffy, he's training."
Luffy nodded seriously.
"…So am I."
He threw another stick.
Ren caught it mid-air with two fingers.
Luffy froze.
"…Teach me that."
Ren sighed. "Finish your chores first."
"NOOOO!" Luffy fell dramatically on the ground.
Zemo walked over and sat on Luffy's back.
"TRAITOR!!"
---
2. Multi-Target Telekinesis Practice
Ren floated a set of needles, pebbles, and a metal ring.
Kiro watched with clipboard in hand.
Subordinates watched from a distance.
Luffy watched from extremely close distance.
Zemo watched everything.
Ren focused.
One needle rotated.
Two pebbles drifted upward.
The ring hovered—slightly shaky.
"Good… stable," Kiro muttered.
"CAN YOU JUGGLE THEM?"
Luffy shouted directly in Ren's ear.
Everything dropped.
Ren rubbed his temples.
"Luffy… please. Quiet."
"Okay," Luffy whispered loudly. "Sorry."
That whisper was NOT quiet.
Ren tried again.
This time he added movement:
needle → forward
pebble → left
ring → loop
His telekinetic field stretched thin.
But controlled.
Kiro scribbled. "Better balance. You're improving."
Luffy poked a floating needle.
It fell.
Ren stared at him.
Luffy shrugged. "It was shiny."
---
3. Simultaneous Science Work — Chaos Unlocked
Back at the lab, Ren set up:
• alloy samples in the furnace
• catalyst solution heating
• microscope calibration
• battery testing
• telepathic sight reading insects Zemo caught
The lab hummed with activity.
Kiro and the subordinates assisted.
Luffy… caused trouble.
A lot of trouble.
"DO NOT TOUCH THE RED FLASK," Ren said.
Luffy nodded.
Then immediately reached for the red flask.
Kiro grabbed him by the back of the shirt.
"No."
"BUT IT LOOKS LIKE FRUIT JUICE!"
"It's acid," Ren reminded him.
Luffy dropped his hand instantly.
"Oh."
Zemo brought a lizard for analysis.
Luffy screamed.
"REN THE LIZARD IS SMILING AT ME—IT KNOWS MY FEARS."
Ren didn't look up.
"It's a normal lizard."
"It has EMOTIONS!"
"It's a lizard, Luffy."
Ren continued working while telepathic noise from forest animals buzzed faintly.
He filtered it out with practiced ease.
---
4. Shooting Practice — Precision Needed, Not Provided
In the afternoon, Ren and Kiro set up targets.
Luffy insisted on silently observing.
He failed.
"REN WHAT IF YOU SHOOT A BULLET SO FAST IT GOES AROUND THE WORLD?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"That's not how physics—"
"BUT WHAT IF IT IS?!"
Kiro sighed.
Ren fired.
Perfect shot.
Telekinesis nudge.
Bare shift to the left.
Good.
Then—
Zemo barked at a squirrel.
Luffy ran after the squirrel.
And Ren nearly shot the tree because both idiots ran in front of the line of fire.
Ren lowered the rifle.
"Training's done for ranged weapons."
Kiro nodded. "…Yes. For everyone's safety."
---
5. Evening Run — Everyone Tires Except Luffy
Ren gathered the group for the daily exercise:
Subordinates
Kiro
Zemo
Luffy (uninvited but present)
They jogged along the coastline.
Ren paced steadily.
Kiro pushed himself.
Subordinates sweated heavily.
Zemo stayed perfectly synced.
Luffy ran laps around everyone while shouting:
"FASTER! FASTER! YOU'RE ALL SO SLOWWWW!!"
By the end:
Subordinates collapsed.
Kiro lay face-first on sand.
Zemo dug a hole to bury his head in.
Ren stretched calmly.
Luffy declared victory over a race no one was competing in.
---
6. Makino's Reaction
When they returned to Foosha, Makino stood outside the bar with her hands on her hips.
"You all look exhausted. Ren, what did you make them do?"
Ren opened his mouth.
Luffy spoke first.
"REN MADE US RUN AND TRAIN AND FLY THINGS WITH HIS MIND AND SHOOT STUFF AND—"
Makino blinked.
"…Fly things?"
Ren shook his head quickly.
"He means I was juggling pebbles."
Makino narrowed her eyes.
"Ren, you're burning yourself out. Rest today."
Ren nodded respectfully.
Luffy whispered, "She's scary when she's nice."
Makino heard it.
"LUFFY!"
Luffy fled.
---
7. Quiet Ending — Not Really Quiet
Back at the island base, Ren collapsed on his chair.
He ran calculations in his mind.
He reviewed sword forms.
He listed lab results.
He analyzed telekinesis improvements.
His brain was still fast.
Still sharp.
Still pushing forward.
Zemo curled beside him.
Kiro checked on him before leaving.
"You okay?"
"Just tired," Ren said.
"Your 'tired' is everyone else's 'dead,'" Kiro muttered.
Ren chuckled softly.
Today was a mess.
A productive mess.
And tomorrow would probably be the same.
---
End of Chapter 160