Chapter 4: The Name Wano Country Is Awful
Haki was definitely something he needed to learn.
Although his strength after awakening his Devil Fruit ability was not weak—perhaps even stronger than Oden's current level—his Reception Magic relied on physical stamina. If his own strength was insufficient, the Reception Magic could be dispelled quickly during battle.
Reception Magic could also enhance his strength in a normal state. For example, Ren estimated that his current strength was roughly comparable to Luffy when he first set sail, or perhaps slightly weaker.
Beyond that, there was another matter most transmigrators into the world of One Piece could not avoid: collecting Devil Fruits.
Reception Magic could receive more than just one devil.
"What's the situation in Ringo right now?" Ren asked.
"Ringo?" Although Semimaru did not know why Ren was asking, he still answered truthfully. "Ringo is also ruled by the Shimotsuki Clan. The current daimyo of Ringo is Ushimaru."
Ren nodded.
When he had watched the anime, his impression of Ringo was merely a sparsely populated land of ice and snow. At present, however, this frozen land was far from the desolation it would have in the future.
He asked this because he wanted to determine whether Yamato's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit might be located in Ringo.
Yamato's Devil Fruit was the Ookuchi no Makami, the legendary guardian deity of Wano. Considering that Kaido likely obtained it within Wano and that its abilities leaned toward ice, Ren believed it was most likely to appear in Ringo.
Of course, these were only guesses.
"Do we have enough manpower? I plan to collect Devil Fruits."
"Our manpower isn't particularly abundant," Semimaru replied without hesitation. "But if you need Devil Fruits, my lord, we can prioritize that over other matters for now."
Hearing this, Ren shook his head.
"There's no need. Let's focus on the important matters first." He walked to the edge of the room, slid open the shoji door, and looked at the scenery outside.
Devil Fruits were important, but they were not a necessity for him.
Although Reception Magic had no limit on how many entities it could receive, different Satan Souls could not influence or stack with one another. Compared to that, improving his own strength was far more important.
"Wano Country… this name is unpleasant," Ren said as he stepped outside.
He had briefly considered several other names, but in the end, the one he preferred was Inazuma.
Time was pressing.
Ren remembered that Oden had pacified Kuri roughly 2 years after leaving the Flower Capital. He had to race against him and seize every second to train.
With that thought, he dispelled the Reception Magic and withdrew from his Yamata no Orochi form.
After exiting that form, his appearance changed little. The shadows at the corners of his eyes faded, and the chilling aura around his body disappeared.
The hem of his clothes, which had been altered by the awakened ability, also returned to normal.
Ren immediately began training.
What he needed to do now was seize every second.
Originally, he had planned to ask Semimaru to prepare some ordinary wild beasts for him to receive. As the strongest Satan Soul within Reception Magic, he was capable of receiving ordinary animals.
Aside from humans, nearly all other life forms could be received by him.
Naturally, the stronger the target, the greater the difficulty. Otherwise, Ren would do nothing but attempt to receive Zunesha.
However, seeing Semimaru nearly out of breath, he decided to wait until Orochi returned and have him handle it instead.
That evening, Orochi returned from the daimyo's mansion.
Upon seeing Ren, he immediately displayed fervent excitement, respectfully kneeling to the ground. "Orochi greets my lord."
Orochi was astonished by Ren's human form, and Ren was likewise surprised by Orochi's changes.
In Ren's memory, Orochi had always been that grotesque figure with a square face larger than his body. Now, although his head remained large and ugly, his body had become exceptionally robust, tall, and upright.
"Hm. My name is Ren," he said.
"Yes, Lord Ren."
"Orochi, I heard you've been training continuously for the past year and have grown quite strong?"
"I wouldn't dare claim great strength," Orochi replied respectfully while kneeling. "But to make you the Shogun of this country, I must temper myself for you and be ready to offer my life at any time."
Ren could not help but marvel at the power of the Serpent's Seal of Yamata no Orochi. It could fundamentally alter a person's character.
Unfortunately, it was useless against true powerhouses.
Although Orochi had grown much stronger, his innate talent limited how far he could go.
"In that case, Orochi, when you have time, teach me how to use Haki," Ren said.
In truth, Orochi's Haki was only at an introductory level, but that was enough. Once he crossed the threshold, the rest could be refined through training and battle.
"But Lord Ren, you don't need to push yourself so hard," Orochi said earnestly. "I will be the blade in your hand, Semimaru will be your shield, and Muzemi will devise strategies to seize this country."
"You need only wait for us to offer everything to you. How could we let you suffer?"
"Strength is necessary, Orochi," Ren replied, shaking his head. "If my strength were sufficient, I could become the master of this country right now."
"Moreover, this world is not limited to Wano. Don't let your vision be confined here."
Ren spoke calmly.
Although he had no ambition to rule the world, as the era progressed, the existing order would inevitably collapse, and Wano would be drawn into the global vortex.
Despite his dislike of Oden as a person, he shared the belief that Wano would eventually need to open its borders.
"Orochi," Ren continued, "within the next few decades, a vortex capable of overturning the world will emerge."
"Only with sufficient strength can we firmly establish ourselves in this world forever."