Chapter 3
Renard sat on a beach chair on the pier and lazily strummed his guitar. Even just his lazy strumming sounded like high-quality music. Next to him sat Mimikyu under its Pikachu disguise with its little stuffed head bobbing from side to side as it happily listened along and watched people going about their lives.
He was still sticking around Orange Town for a couple of reasons.
First and foremost, he was waiting for Nami to show up. He'd found the chart for the Grand Line on Buggy's ship and now had it in his pocket, safe and sound. Along with the rest of Buggy's treasure, which wasn't much, was stored on his sloop. She would come for it, and he wanted to be there waiting for her with it in hand so he could convince her to join him.
Secondly, the people of Orange Town had asked him to stick around for a while longer to protect them. They'd even gone so far as to offer to not only send someone to fetch the Marines, but to help him get enough food to keep him fed. Hence why he was lazing around strumming his guitar instead of going out fishing for his breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
While he sat around lazing, Libra had found a small book store and picked out a few books to read. It turned out she was something of a bibliophile. Who knew? He sure as hell didn't, since he did his best to leave her privacy intact when they bonded. He liked her taciturn personality and didn't want to do anything to ruin the feeling of 'mystery' she had going for her. Somehow that would be so much less fun!
Fun was very important to him now. With the points system abolished, a huge motivation for him to take up bounty hunting had been reduced. Reduced, but not eliminated. He was sure he could still get feats from capturing pirates, but there was no telling what rarity they would be. Going after them for their actual bounties was still worth it, though, as he most definitely needed the money. Mostly for food.
He really needed to deal with that curse. One would think gender swapping would be the most annoying curse, but he honestly didn't mind it. Needing to eat multiple times his weight in food on a daily basis, on the other hand? That was a complete pain in his ass, and it needed to go. The odds of getting either seemed pretty low, especially since he had no idea what category they were in. He expected them to be either Abilities or Traits, with Traits seeming the most likely.
Or, he could 'devour' five rare items, which seemed a LOT easier to pull off. Different items could also come in handy. He pulled out the cell phone 'Long Lost Delivery' from his inventory. He didn't have to worry about losing it or his Lightsaber since the update. He looked the phone over with a frown. If it had been a rare item, it would have at least had some use for him.
He moved to put it away but paused. The description of the phone said they could find any item he lost, but did he have to possess it before it was lost? He shrugged and called the stored number. It rang once before it was answered. The voice on the other end was deep and grizzled, “Speak.”
“I've lost a small treasure chest that contained a very special fruit. It's round-ish, covered in swirls, and has a T-shaped stem.”
There was a moment of silence, then the line went dead.
He looked at the phone, which had apparently completely lost power, shrugged his shoulders, and stuffed it back into his inventory. If that worked, it would be fucking amazing. Somehow, he didn't think it would otherwise that single item would be the most powerful thing he owned.
He set his guitar back in its case and snatched up Mimikyu to cuddle the adorable little mind-melting monster. Hopefully, the villager sent to fetch the Marines would take his sweet time. Time enough for Nami to show up, at least.
-----Line Break-----
As he was stepping out of the inn, someone bumped into him rather roughly. He looked down as a soft, feminine voice said, “Sorry!”
He watched the 'apologetic' young woman with orange hair continue walking down the street with a large smirk. Well, that was one way to be introduced to Nami, by getting robbed by her. He gently patted the pocket that he'd kept Buggy's map in and felt it was empty. He looked up at Mimikyu sitting on his shoulder, “She's good.”
Just as Nami turned a corner, he blitzed down the street in the opposite direction. He arrived at the pier in moments and smirked when he saw a small boat with a little cabin on it sitting at one of the docks. He hopped aboard and stepped into the cabin so he was out of sight.
He didn't have to wait long for an excited Nami to return to her boat and begin examining the map. Renard let her do so for a minute or two before he quietly opened the cabin door, then lounged against the frame with a casual air, “You know...” Nami eeped loudly, and looked up at him in surprise, “... stealing from people is a crime.”
She snatched up the rolled-up map and held it to her chest, “I don't know what you're talking about! What are you doing on my boat? Get off!”
Renard chuckled and pointed at the map she was clutching to her breast, “That belongs to me. You stole it from me when you bumped into me a few minutes ago.”
Nami dropped all pretenses and glared at him, “I need it.”
Renard snorted, “That's nice, but it belongs to me, and I need it to get to the Grand Line so I can hunt pirates for their bounties.”
Nami frowned, “You're a Bounty Hunter? What are you doing in a small town like this?”
“Not that it's any of your business, but I had info on Buggy the Clown being in the area. So, I waited here, and when he arrived, my partner and I took him down along with his entire crew. Ask anyone in town about me, and they'll tell you that.”
She stared at him in surprise, “You caught Buggy the Clown?”
He nodded, “We did. The Marines just picked him and his crew up yesterday.”
“Mimikyu!”
Nami looked at the ragged puppet on Renard's shoulder, “And that's your partner?”
Renard looked at Mimikyu and smiled, “I met Mimikyu here after taking out Buggy. My original partner is a woman named Libra. Not that it's any of your business.” He held his hand out, “Map, please.”
Nami jerked her gaze away from Mimikyu and looked at Renard. She was clearly very reluctant to give up the map. She bit her lip before her eyes lit up, “If you're going to the Grand Line, you'll need someone to navigate, right? I'm the best navigator in the world! Take me with you and give me a cut of the bounties, and I'll navigate for you.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her for a long moment. While he seemed calm and aloof on the outside, on the inside, he was jumping for joy and doing cartwheels. Finally, he gave a single nod, “If you prove your worth, I don't have a problem with that. While I'm no slouch at navigation, I wouldn't mind someone better than me taking over the role.”
He held his hand out toward her, “Map first, though.”
Nami scowled but, reluctantly, held the map out to him. Renard stepped closer and accepted the map from her. He noticed that he was only about a head taller than her. He stuck the map back in his inner jacket pocket and smiled, “Follow me. Libra and I were planning to head out for our next bounty today anyway. She'll be at the bookstore waffling over which books to buy for the journey.”
He hopped off the boat and walked toward town with Nami following behind him. As they walked, she asked, “Who are you going after next?”
Renald chuckled, “I'm after that loser fish-man Arlong.” He ignored how Nami stiffened and continued, “Granted, much like Buggy, he's a weaker target than I usually go after. But then, after hunting much stronger pirates in the North Blue, what can be expected of the East Blue, the weakest ocean of them all?”
Nami was worried and decided to dig for more information, “You're from North Blue?”
He nodded, “Yeah. I hunted quite a few pirates there and decided I needed a change of pace. So, I came to East Blue to relax and pick on a few weaklings for giggles.”
“Y-you think Arlong, a pirate worth twenty million, is a weakling?”
Renard nodded calmly, “Well, yeah. He's got nothing on Kain Darius, or Vance Liora both of whom I took down.”
Nami had never heard of them, so she asked, “And they were strong?”
Renard nodded, “They were the captain and first mate of a pirate crew. Liora, the first mate, was worth thirty million. Kain was the captain, a Devil Fruit user, and worth thirty-eight million.”
While she was shocked by their values, something else caught her attention, “Devil Fruit? Those are just myths!”
Renard chuckled, “Man, this place is weird. Only the East Blue would think something like a Devil Fruit is a myth.” Nami bristled at the perceived insult, but he continued, “You should open your mind more if you plan to go to the Grand Line. While not everyone has one there, a lot of the stronger Marines and pirates do.”
Nami was shocked at that information. She couldn't help asking, “Seriously?”
Renard nodded, “In fact, not just myself, but Libra and Rachnera both have Devil Fruit powers as well. I think Mimikyu might too, but there's no telling with her.”
Yeah, he found out that Mimikyu, despite being a ghost, was a she. That had been a surprise. He hadn't summoned Rachnera yet, but he was planning to shortly. He'd told Libra about her already, so Libra wouldn't be surprised to meet her.
Nami stared at Renard in surprise, “You and your whole crew have Devil Fruit powers?”
Renard nodded, “Yup. Libra can control Gravity in small areas. Rachnera... well, I'll leave her as a surprise.” He smirked at the upcoming prank, “As for me, I can turn into a puddle of goo that can bond with people and make them stronger. Or, if they're a lot weaker than me, I can take control of them.”
Nami frowned, “That sounds weird.”
Renard snorted, “A lot of Devil Fruits are weird. I know of one that lets the person turn into a jacket! Or another one that lets the user turn their hands and feet into wheels to ride train tracks.”
Nami stared blandly, “That's... beyond stupid.”
He nodded in agreement, “Yup. But then there's the scary ones like the Goro Goro no Mi that lets the person become and control lightning. It's considered an invincible Devil Fruit because of the sheer power it grants people who eat it.”
As he explained the Goro Goro no Mi to Nami, they arrived at the bookstore. He led the way in and stopped next to Libra, “Libra, it's time to head out. I'd like for you to go with Nami here...” He gestured to Nami, “on her boat around the coast to where The Seeker is waiting.”
Libra looked up from the book she had been reading and nodded. Renard turned to Nami, “Stick with Libra, and I'll meet you on our sloop.”
Nami looked between Renard and the gorgeous woman he'd just introduced as his partner, “Uhm... okay?”
Renard chuckled and left the bookshop. Once he was outside, he looked at Mimikyu on his shoulder, “Hold on!”
He took off at his fastest speed and arrived where the lifeboat for The Seeker was pulled onto shore. He worked as fast as he could to get the lifeboat back onto the deck of the sloop. He expected it would take a little longer for Libra and Nami to arrive since Libra wouldn't be in a rush to leave the bookshop. He also smirked at the idea of Nami trying to weasel information out of the taciturn Libra.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, then he summoned Rachnera Arachnera. Rachnera was an Arachne, which meant that she had the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a giant spider. Her human half was that of a gorgeous woman with short lavender hair that covered the right side of her face. Rather than just two eyes, she had six pupil-less monochromatic eyes and sharp, pointed teeth. Her arms from the shoulders down were covered in armor-like carapace down to her long fingers with gauntlet-like plating and sharpened points.
The lower half of her body, starting at her humanoid buttocks, was a massive black spider body adorned with a large skull design on her abdomen.
Her attire consisted of a revealing halter top with shoulder-less sleeves that revealed the bottom half of her rather impressive breasts, and a black and gold loincloth with a slightly-frilly white trim, which is the typical folk costume of her tribe.
She looked around before her gaze landed on Renard, “Hello, Master.”
The lilt she put on the word 'master' sent a shiver down his spine. He cleared his throat and gave her a bright smile, “No need to call me that, Rachnera. Just call me Renard. Welcome to a new world and a new adventure hunting pirates! Do you know what's going on?”
Rachnera nodded, “I do. I was given all the knowledge I needed to survive in this world. I assume that, given my inhuman looks, I will be pretending to have one of these Devil Fruit things?”
He nodded, “It's safer than claiming you're a member of the Mink tribe since they're all mammalian, and I am unaware of any insect-related races in the world."
Rachnera lowered herself down so she no longer towered over him. With a sultry, teasing smile, she reached out and dragged her sharp index claw along his jaw, “I'm looking forward to spending time together, Captain.”
He felt another shiver go down his spine at her teasing, which only prompted her to grin wider at her successful attempt. She moved back to give him space to recover. He shook his head and then smiled, “The last two members will be joining us soon. I just wanted to summon you before one of the locals joined the crew.”
She nodded in acceptance and looked around, “You know, I've never done much sailing before, this should be fun.” Her smile turned coy, “With plenty of pirates to practice my... skills on.”
Renard laughed as he imagined just how many pirates Rachnera would be tying up in embarrassing bondage poses. He almost felt bad for what was about to happen to some fish-men.
Rachnera scuttled about the ship to explore it while Renard stayed on deck for a moment to check for Libra and Nami. He was tempted to ask Rachnera to make a new Pikachu costume for Mimikyu, but he didn't feel right asking her to get to work minutes after summoning her. So, it could wait a little bit for her to get settled in first.
He made his way below to his cabin and pulled out the map he had for the East Blue and began charting a course for the Conomi Islands, where Cocoyashi Village was located. He was certain he could crush Arlong pretty easily at this point, so it shouldn't take too long to deal with him. No, the issue was Captain Nezumi, the literally rat-faced bastard of a Marine who worked with Arlong. He didn't want to get slapped with a bounty because Nezumi lied to the Marines about him, as he did for Luffy. Without Nezumi, it might've taken Luffy a lot longer to earn a bounty since the guy tended to just crush other pirates.
“KYAAAAAAAAA!”
He paused and looked up toward the deck of the ship, “Nami's here.”
Upon arriving at the deck, he paused and took in the entire scene laid out before him. Libra was off to the side, looking confused. Mimikyu was happily swaying her stuffed head back and forth while sitting on Rachnera's shoulder. He wondered when Mimikyu had left him to follow her. Rachnera, meanwhile, was looking at her work with the pride of a craftsman.
Said work?
Nami hanging from the main mast in a complex bit of shibari rope work made from Rachnera's spider silk. He paused where he was and took it all in. Rachnera did amazing work, and he had to admit, the way she wrapped Nami up really showed off how well developed Nami's body was.
When Nami spotted him, she started screaming through the gag Rachnera had given her while staring at him accusingly. He thought she looked rather cute with a combination blush from embarrassment and flush from anger. It was very obvious that Nami wanted to be let down. As much as he thought she really spruced up the place as a decoration, he turned to Rachnera, “I think you can let her down now.”
Rachnera gave an exaggerated pout, “Are you sure?”
He chuckled, “Yeah, she's going to be our navigator. After we finish cleaning up the East Blue, we're heading into the Grand Line for bigger targets. We'll need someone with better navigation skills than mine if we want to survive on those waters.”
Rachnera huffed in mock disappointment and had Nami released from her bondage in seconds. Nami immediately ran away and hid behind Libra. She pointed accusingly at Rachnera, “What is that?!”
Rachnera actually winced and looked a little morose at Nami's question. Renard jumped in immediately, “Hey! SHE is Rachnera, and SHE is a member of this crew. I warned you that everyone on the crew had a Devil Fruit power. Rachnera's is the Kumo Kumo no Mi, Model: Steatoda Nobilis. It's what allows her to appear as she does, and I wouldn't have her any other way.”
Nami looked slightly embarrassed while Rachnera was looking at him with some appreciation. He looked around the crew, “Now, let's try this again.” He gestured to Rachnera, “She's Rachnera Arachnera.” He pointed to Mimikyu on Rachnera's shoulder, “That's Mimikyu.” He gestured to Libra, “You sailed here with Libra.” He pointed at himself, “And I'm Renard.” He gestured to Nami, “Everyone, this is Nami, and she will be our navigator going forward.”
Everyone greeted Nami in their own way. He walked over to her and handed her the rolled up chart in his hand, “I've plotted our course.”
Nami took the map and looked at their destination. Seeing it was the Conomi Islands, she paused and looked at Renard with a hint of concern, “Are you sure you want to go there? Arlong is no joke. He's really strong and has killed everyone who stood up to him.”
Renard snorted, “Arlong is a pathetic little coward and racist who came to the weakest sea after becoming a Grand Line dropout. He might be stronger than the average human, but you want to know something interesting?”
Nami looked at Renard with something akin to a mixture of shock and denial, but she asked in a soft voice, “What?”
He looked her firmly in the eyes, “Do you know who the strongest pirates in the world are?”
She shook her head, “No...”
“They're called the Yonko, the four emperors of the sea. They rule the second half of the Grand Line. They are Big Mom, Red-Haired Shanks, Whitebeard, and Kaido. All of them have bounties in the billions. Do you know what all of them have in common?”
Nami shook his head, her eyes wide at the very concept of a pirate having a bounty in the billions. He stared firmly into her eyes, “All of them are human.” Nami gasped, and he continued, “Whitebeard was a rival to Gold Roger, and he's currently known as the strongest man in the world. He leads an army of thousands of pirates.”
He gestured around them, “Tell me how that compares to Arlong, who hides in the weakest sea and terrorizes innocent villagers.”
Nami looked dazed as she tried to process the information that Renard was giving her. He didn't say anything else since there was no point. Words wouldn't truly change Nami's outlook, but actions would, and his actions would prove how weak Arlong really was in the grand scheme of things.
He led her to the tiller and smiled, “You're in charge while we're sailing. I'll go hoist the anchor, you tell us what else to do!”
Nami numbly nodded, but quickly got into her role and soon had them working the ship like a well-oiled machine while she guided them. None of them noticed when a large pink bird flew overhead with a young man caught in its beak.
-----Line Break-----
Renard looked through the spyglass and smiled at what he saw on the horizon. They'd been at sea for a few days, and everyone had gotten into something of a rhythm. They'd been taking their time, in no rush to arrive at their destination. The only hiccup, aside from Nami taking a couple of days to get used to Rachnera's appearance, was Nami's incredulity at how much Renard could eat. Comparatively, she took seeing him change into a woman the first time they got caught in the rain rather easily.
He called out, “Nami! Head for the ship on the horizon! I want some good food!”
Nami blinked before she laughed, “Alright! I've never been to Baratie before!”
Renard nodded to himself. He was looking forward to trying Sanji's food. Since he wouldn't be sailing with Luffy, this would probably be the only chance he got to do so. Maybe Luffy would show up while they were there. Or maybe not. Who knew?
As they got closer, he grew more excited. The others were interested, but no one really knew all the details as he did. He and Rachnera had talked about the information the Gacha gave her when she was summoned. It turned out that it gave her a lot, but it was only stuff the average well-traveled person would know about the current world. Nothing that he knew about the future of the series or the main characters was included.
Soon enough, they were pulling up to the uniquely fish-shaped boat that was the Baratie Floating Restaurant. After docking, they all disembarked.
“Mimikyu!”
Mimikyu danced excitedly on his shoulder as they walked to the door. Rachnera had taken the time to make her a brand new costume that looked phenomenal in its replication of Pikachu's look. Apparently, Pokémon was a series in her original world that had only fallen out of favor after the monsters appeared in public, so she knew what Pikachu looked like. Naturally, Mimikyu was ecstatic over its new look.
Nami had quickly gotten over her fear of Rachnera's looks when she'd seen just how high the quality of her work in silk was. They'd become fast friends over fashion, even dragging poor Libra into their talks. Aside from Nami's initial freak out, no one else on the crew had any issues with Rachnera's appearance. Hell, Libra was used to the far more eccentric looks of her fellow celestial spirits.
Everyone getting along made Renard extremely happy. Though he was realistic, he was ready to beat the hell out of anyone who gave Rachnera a hard time over her looks.
As they stepped through the doors into the restaurant, the murmur of quiet voices dropped to nothing as everyone stared at them. Or more specifically, they stared at Rachnera. Renard reached out and took one of Rachnera's hands into his and continued to lead her into the dining room.
It started with one woman screaming, then another, before all of them were screaming about the monster invading the restaurant. Just as Renard was about to shout at them all to shut up, a much louder and gruffer voice than his own beat him to it.
“SHUT UP! IT'S JUST A WOMAN WITH A DEVIL FRUIT!”
There was a moment of shocked silence before the ignorant masses began chattering among themselves about seeing a 'legendary' Devil Fruit power with their own eyes.
Renard turned to look at the man who'd shouted everyone into silence, Zeff, the owner of Baratie and adoptive father of Sanji. Zeff was an older man with blond hair, a glorious braided mustache, a peg leg, and a truly impressively tall chef's hat.
He walked over to them with his peg leg plonking on the ground. He gave Rachnera a bland look, “Was it necessary to come into my place and scare half my guests with your transformed state?”
Rachnera shrugged, causing her half-covered breasts to bounce noticeably. It was a miracle they didn't just fall out of her top for the whole place to see, “I don't have much control over it, so I'm always in this form.”
Zeff huffed, “I see. Well, come on in. Someone will come get your order soon.”
He led them to a large table where everyone but Rachnera took a seat. She just crouched down low to the floor until she was level with everyone else. People kept glancing at her, but she didn't let it bother her. At least they weren't still screaming or running away while screaming.
Renard didn't even bother looking at the menu; he already knew what he wanted, and he mentioned it to the table. Instead, he had his head on a swivel, looking for a specific head of blonde hair. It wasn't long until Sanji came out of the kitchen to deliver someone's dish to them. It seemed like they'd arrived shortly after all the waitstaff quit.
After dealing with the customer, Sanji spotted Nami, and it happened. He came twirling over with hearts in his eyes, dropped to his knees in front of her, delicately picked her hand up, and stared at her, “And what can I get for you, mademoiselle? Anything you want! Just name it!”
Nami, instantly spotting an easy target, began acting all demure and shy. She touched her cheek with her free hand, “Well, if you insist, I'll take one of everything.”
“Your wish is my command!” Sanji immediately twirled around and knelt down to stare up at Rachnera, “And for you, lovely lady?”
Rachnera actually blushed a little since Sanji hadn't even hesitated in the slightest when it came to talking to her, “The same.”
He wasn't finished, though, and went to Libra next, “And you, madame? The same?”
Libra, ever the mute, nodded.
Sanji leaped to his feet and twirled away while shouting, “Worry not, beautiful flowers! I shall return with your food at once!”
Renard chuckled and shook his head in amusement. If he hadn't been expecting it, he might have been insulted by Sanji completely ignoring him. But since he did expect it, the girls had ordered perfectly. He wanted to try everything, but he also needed that much food to actually feel full. He expected this to be the most expensive meal of either of his lives.
It wasn't long before Sanji came back out of the kitchen bearing several trays of food that he started setting around their table. The entire time he set plates down, he complimented the girls on their beauty, earning some indulgent smiles from them.
The scent of the food was heavenly. Renard reached for one of the plates, only for Sanji to glare at him, “Hey! This isn't for you!”
Nami placed a hand on Sanji's shoulder, “It's alright, he's paying so he can have a little.”
Sanji instantly caved, “Anything for you!” Then he glared at Renard, “Only a little!”
Sanji left to prepare more food for their table, allowing everyone to dig in, “Hey, Nami, when he comes back, could you order a parfait with lots of fruit for Mimikyu?”
“Sure!”
Renard smirked, knowing exactly how to play Sanji made dealing with him easy. Just have Nami relay everything, and he would be putty in her hands.
Everyone dug in and enjoyed the food immensely. Even Mimikyu loved the simple parfait Sanji prepared. Renard had to admit, Sanji's food was amazing! The best food he'd ever eaten. Even better than the highest quality dishes he'd eaten as Saint Montclair Renard. Sanji had a serious talent for cooking, and Renard was beginning to regret not trying to steal him from Luffy. On the other hand, in small doses, Sanji was alright; living with him nonstop would be a bit much.
They spent hours at Baratie, mostly because Renard never seemed to stop eating. He could probably out-eat even Luffy at his hungriest.
Eventually, the food stopped coming, and the bill came. Renard was not the least bit surprised by the number of zeroes on it and placed a large wad of ten thousand Belly bills on the table. While Renard was tempted to stick around for a few days and enjoy the great food, he most certainly could not afford to.
Sanji wept crocodile tears as they all left. Renard couldn't blame the guy. While there had been some decent-looking women in Baratie eating meals, none of them matched up to Nami, Libra, or Rachnera.
Soon enough, they were back on the ocean and sailing toward the Conomi Islands once more. Everyone noticed how Nami's mood moved in a downward trajectory as they got closer and closer to their destination.
-----Line Break-----
It took a few more days of lazy sailing before the Conomi Islands appeared on the horizon. Nami stared blankly at the islands before she addressed the others, “I don't want you all to die. Please, just drop me off and leave. Please.”
Everyone gave her soft smiles. Renard stepped closer to her, “Nami, I realize that Arlong might seem like a monster to you, but he's really not that strong.”
“You don't understand! He murdered my mother!” She slapped her hands over her mouth while tears formed in her eyes.
Libra stepped up next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rachnera crossed her arms under her breasts and looked furious on Nami's behalf. Renard stepped close to her and looked down into her eyes, “Tell me.”
Nami broke down and told him everything. How Arlong murdered Belle-mere, how he charges everyone money to live, and how he kidnapped her, forced her to join his crew, and to draw maps for him. Lastly, she explained his promise to sell her Cocoyahi Village for one hundred million. At some point, as she explained, Renard wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug and let her release all of her anger, frustration, and fear out on his chest. By the time she finished, everyone, even Mimikyu, looked angry on her behalf.
Nami desperately wiped tears from her eyes while she looked up into Renard's, “Please, I don't want you to die.” Her gaze turned to Rachnera, “I don't want anything to happen to you, Rachnera-nee.” Her gaze moved to Libra, “Or you, Libra.”
“Mimikyu!”
She giggled wetly at the cheerful call from Mimikyu, “Or even you, Mimikyu.”
Nami's gaze turned to Renard, “Please. Please just leave and forget you ever saw me or this island. If anything happened to any of you...”
Renard gently touched her chin and made sure she was looking firmly into his eyes, “Nami. No. The moment you agreed to join my crew, you became a crewmate, a nakama, family. Family fights for family, and, if necessary, dies for it. Arlong is going to be made to pay for what he did not just to you, but to your family, too.”
Nami stared into his eyes, and he swore that he could see just the smallest bit of hope building in her gaze. He stepped back from her and smirked while taking on his commanding air as Captain, “Nami, take us into Cocoyashi Village.”
Nami, tear streaks still on her cheeks, gave a jaunty salute, “Aye aye, Captain.”
While Nami turned back to manning the tiller, Renard faced Libra and Rachnera but addressed Mimikyu as well, “If you see a fish-man, you make them pay.”
He got nods from all three, along with a serious-sounding, “Mimikyu.”
It wasn't long before Nami pulled up to the small docks for the village. As they got off, she turned to face them, “We should go meet my sister first.”
Renard shrugged, “If that's what you want.”
She nodded and led their eclectic little group through the center of the village. They naturally earned quite a few looks and not a few gasps at the sight of Rachnera. Though thankfully, none of the people there shouted, screamed, or did anything truly negative as a result of her unique looks. It might have something to do with living under vicious fish-men for nearly a decade.
The only person he recognized was Genzo, but given his brown police uniform, the myriad number of body scars, and the pinwheel in his hat, he was hard to miss. He watched them from beneath the brim of his hat, but didn't approach or say anything to Nami.
They soon left the village and were on a dirt trail that led to a large grove of tangerine trees with a small house. Standing in the doorway of the house, clearly waiting for them, was Nojiko, Nami's older sister.
Nojiko had light blue hair, blue eyes, a tattoo covering her chest and right arm that stood in contrast to her tanned skin. She was wearing a beige tank top that showed some cleavage, and that even with no blood relationship they shared some things in common regardless, a pair of blue pants, and sandals.
She looked her sister up and down before stating, “Nami.”
Nami gave a small, but genuine, smile at the sight of her sister, “Nojiko.”
Nojiko looked at the people behind Nami, even raising an eyebrow at the sight of Rachnera, but not otherwise commenting. Nami quickly introduced everyone to Nojiko, prompting the elder sister to say, “Well, you're welcome to come in, but...” She looked at Rachnera and somehow looked embarrassed as she said, “Though I don't believe you will fit inside. Sorry.”
Rachnera waved it off. She was rather large, after all. Everyone stepped inside while Rachnera stayed near the door while kneeling down. Frankly, the house was small enough that it didn't keep her from being part of the conversation, or even very far from the table.
Nojiko looked at her sister, “So, what's going on?”
Nami looked nervous, “Captain Renard here has come to rid us of Arlong. He's a bounty hunter and was coming for Arlong anyway. I just happened to meet him.”
Nojiko sighed and looked at Renard with something akin to pity, “You should give up on taking Arlong's bounty. No amount of money is worth your life.”
Renard snorted, “Man, Arlong has done one hell of a good job running his propaganda campaign.” He gave Nojiko a bland look, “Arlong is a small fish. Tiny. Weak. Pathetic. Sure, he seems strong to someone with no training, but to a real fighter, he's a complete wimp. I've already taken bounties worth nearly twice as much as him.”
He leaned back and smirked, “Quick rundown. The four strongest pirates in the world, the Yonko. All humans. The Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the Three Admirals, all capable of destroying an island on their own, even Garp the Hero, are all humans. The Shichibukai, the seven strong pirates who work for the Marines, six are human, and only a single one is a fish-man. Hell, one of them is even a woman. So, out of the seventeen recognized 'strongest' on the sea, sixteen of them are humans.”
Normally, he wouldn't have stressed that one of the shichibukai was a woman, but he felt it helped make the point since women were generally considered weaker than men in the world.
Nojiko stared with her mouth open. Then she asked, “Seriously?”
Renard nodded, “Seriously. Man, you folk here in East Blue are really out of the loop on current events. Arlong is a weakling with a superiority complex and a racist. There is literally nothing special about him. He's not even strong among his own kind!”
Nojiko sighed and crossed her arms under her breasts, “That makes us sound like a bunch of weaklings.”
Renard shrugged, “It takes a lot of hard work and effort to get strong, but anyone can do it if they have the drive. I have that drive, and I've been using it to take down pirates plenty stronger than that little guppy.”
Nojiko looked to Nami, “Do you believe this stuff?”
Nami shrugged, “I don't know. But he did take down Buggy the Clown, who had a bounty of fifteen million.”
Renard sighed, “Just... Can we get this over with? I feel like you all need to have your eyes opened to the wider world. I can talk until I'm blue in the face, but I don't think you'll believe anything I say. So, let me show you.”
He climbed to his feet, picked up Mimikyu, and walked toward the door. Rachnera stood and let him out with Libra quickly following behind. Nami scrambled to her feet and stepped outside, “I'll show you the way.”
Nojiko watched them go with a frown. Maybe they should do something...
-----Line Break-----
Renard stared at the large gate leading into Arlong Park. He smirked and looked down at Mimikyu, “Hey, Mimikyu, you wanna knock for us?”
“Mimi?”
“Mimikyu, use Shadow Ball!”
“Mimikyu!”
Renard held Mimkyu as the dark/fairy-type began to gather darkness into the shape of a ball in front of it, “Mimiiiiiiii”
The ball grew bigger as Mimikyu took the time to gather more and more power, “Kyuuuuuuuuuu!”
Mimikyu fired the massive ball of dark energy directly at the gate. Nami stared in open-mouthed shock as the black ball of ghost energy slammed into the gate and detonated with a massive amount of force. The pair of doors were blown completely off of their hinges and went flying into the interior of Arlong Park, causing shouts of confusion from the fish-men within.
Renard led Libra and Rachnera into the park while the dust cloud from the explosion dissipated. They found Arlong, clearly angry, sitting on a beach chair while other fish-men stood around. Kuroobi, a ray fish-man, and Chew, a smelt-whiting fish-man, stood at the forefront. Arlong growled from his chair, “And who the hell are you supposed to be?”
Renard plastered on a bright smile, “Hi! I'm Renard, and I'll be bounty hunting your pathetic guppy ass, Arlong. Nice to meet you!”
Veins instantly bulged on Arlong's forehead while his pupils dilated from sheer rage. His webbed hands curled into fists, crushing the arms of his chair. Before he could act, Kuroobi stepped forward, “There's no need for you to do anything, Arlong. We'll take care of this.”
Kuroobi, Chew, and the octopus fish-man Hatchan all stepped forward. Renard glanced over them before looking at his crew members, “I'll let you all pick who you want to fight. But first, Libra, if you would deal with the trash?”
Libra nodded and raised her hands, the golden scales dangling from them. With an exhale, she lowered her hands, and dozens of gravity wells roared to life and crushed half of the fish-men in the yard into the ground without any resistance. Another lift and drop of her hands had the other half crushed into the ground as well. The force of her gravity spells had increased enough that every fish-man she targeted had their own personal crater to lie in.
Arlong scowled from his chair, “A Devil Fruit? You think a pathetic little trick like that matters to someone like me?!”
Despite his words, Renard could see a hint of apprehension, or perhaps fear, in Arlong's eyes. More importantly, Nami could see it too, and it shook her to her core. For the majority of her life, Arlong had been this massive, unstoppable monster that featured in all of her worst nightmares. Yet, here he was, showing fear toward Libra's power.
Renard chuckled, “Oh, Libra could squish you as easily as she squished your little yes men. But your ass is mine. So, just sit there, relax, and WAIT YOUR FUCKING TURN!”
As Renard said those last four words, a palpable aura of menace radiated off of him so strongly that even Arlong could feel it from where he was sitting. Arlong's eyes shrank to pinpricks as he focused on Renard to the exclusion of all else. Sweat rolled down his brow while his heart raced. Then he realized he was actually afraid of the human before him, and all of his fear turned to rage.
“Chew! Karoobi! Hatchan! KILL THEM!”
Chew's lips pursed just before he launched a small ball of water with the speed of a bullet directly at Libra. Mimikyu took exception to that and leaped from Renard's arms and directly into the path of the bullet of water. She firmly gripped the piece of wood that made up her tail and swung it like a bat. There was a loud crack as she destroyed the water bullet, “Mimikyu!”
Chew scowled and fired off another water bullet, this time aiming for Mimikyu directly. The result was the same, Mimikyu smashed it with her wooden tail, “Kyu! Mimi!”
Mimikyu charged toward Chew, causing the fish-man to frown in confusion at the very small, yet surprisingly agile and potentially strong... doll? Whatever it was, he was going to kill it. If shooting it wouldn't work, he'd crush it with his bare hands. He balled his hands into fists and prepared to punch the stuffing out of the toy.
Mimikyu wasn't about to play nice. She rushed forward and used Play Rough. Thick white smoke, surrounded by golden stars, blanketed and blinded Chew. She vanished into the smoke around him, where the sound of something solid hitting something fleshy rang out repeatedly. The smoke didn't last long, but when it faded, it revealed Mimikyu standing on the chest of a beaten, battered, and bruised Chew.
“Mimikyu!”
She slammed her stick down one final time right on Chew's forehead so hard that Chew's head hit the concrete ground of Arlong Park with enough force to crack it.
There was absolute silence as everyone stared at tiny little Mimikyu standing on Chew's chest, victorious in their battle. Renard grinned proudly while lesser minds failed to comprehend what they were seeing.
“Good job, Mimikyu!”
“Mimi, Mi, Kyu, Mimikyu!”
Mimikyu struck a pose on the unconscious Chew, bathing in the praise of her trainer. Then she hopped off of Chew and ran back toward Renard. That broke the silence.
“What the HELL?!” Nami shouted while staring at Mimikyu in absolute shock.
Renard chuckled at her expression, “Did I forget to mention Mimikyu here is super strong?”
“YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING!! How is that cute little doll so strong?!”
Renard laughed while the remaining fish-men tried to comprehend what had just happened. It was so ridiculous that even Arlong failed to get angrier; he was just baffled. Renard looked at Libra and Rachnera, “Who wants to go next, and who do you want to fight?”
Rachnera pointed at Hatchan, “I want to go eight on eight with him.”
Hatchan pointed at himself with all six of his arms, “Me?”
Rachnera moved closer to Hatchan with a wicked teasing grin that was completely lost on the simple minded man, “Shall we play?”
Hatchan tilted his head in confusion, “Play? I thought we were fighting?? What game do you want to play?”
Rachnera paused, then slowly turned to look at Renard, “Is he serious?”
Renard shrugged, “Hatchan is... special.”
Rachnera's eyes widened slightly as she understood, “Ah, I see.”
Nami swallowed and spoke up softly, “Rachnera-nee, please go easy on him. He's... not so bad.”
Hatchan wiggled his arms around, “So, what are we gonna play? When are we gonna play?!”
Rachnera looked almost sad about what she was about to do to him. She sighed and then moved. It was over in moments. Rachnera tied Hatchan up in a massive, elaborate shibari setup that had his six arms forced into elaborate poses.
Hatchan blinked in confusion and looked himself over, trying to figure out what had just happened. He tried to move, then began grunting as he tried to use even more force. After a long, drawn-out struggle, he finally sagged, “I'm stuck.”
Rachnera playfully nudged his head and pushed him over. Renard looked directly at Arlong, “Two down, one to go. Then it's your turn.” He glanced at Libra, “You're up.”
Libra glanced at Kuroobi, who scowled fiercely, “Your petty little trick won't work on me!” He took a pose with his legs braced and his fists at the ready, “I won't be so easily crushed!”
Libra tilted her head curiously, then casually raised her arm and flicked her hand. Kuroobi braced himself for the oncoming gravity and was appropriately surprised when no crushing weight came. Instead, he shot into the air like a rocket as Libra reversed his gravity and sent him flying into the sky.
There was a moment of shocked silence where the high pitched screams of Karoobi could be heard getting further and further away.
Arlong glared hatefully at Renard and his group. He climbed to his feet, breathing heavily in his rage at the embarrassment of his men all being defeated so easily. His eyes focused on Renard like a laser, “You are going to PAY for this.”
Renard calmly took his jacket off and held it out to Rachnera. She'd made it for him, and he didn't want it to get ruined. He calmly walked toward the seething Arlong while cracking his knuckles loudly. As soon as he got close to Arlong, the fish-man lashed out in his anger.
Wanting to see where he really stood in strength, Renard didn't try to dodge or trick his way out of the incoming attack. Instead, he simply raised his arm in a proper block and took it head-on. He grunted from the force of the impact, his arm going slightly numb. It hurt some, but the minor pain was easy to ignore. More importantly, the blow didn't push him back or feel like it was out of his league.
With that covered, Renard twisted his body and counterattacked with an uppercut straight to Arlong's chin. Arlong's mouth snapped shut with enough force to shatter his teeth and send him staggering back a couple of steps. Renard clenched and unclenched his fist a few times. His knuckles stung a little, and it was clear his blow wasn't as powerful as one from Luffy that could send Arlong flying.
Well, he couldn't have everything.
Arlong reached into his mouth and pulled out what remained of his teeth, only for a whole new set of dagger-shaped pearly whites to appear in their place. He grinned at Renard, “Knock my teeth out all you want, it won't accomplish anything!”
Renard shrugged, “It makes me feel good. In fact...”
Renard launched himself toward Arlong with all the force he could muster, his feet cracking the concrete floor from the force. Arlong's eyes barely had time to register Renard's movement before Renard's fist slammed into the side of his face. The blow twisted Arlong's head and sent blood and broken teeth flying.
Renard didn't rest on his laurels and pursued Arlong. He slipped beneath Arlong's hasty defense and drove his knee into Arlong's stomach hard enough to fold Arlong in half. Renard took advantage of Arlong's position to drive his elbow into the back of Arlong's head. The powerful blow sent Arlong crashing to the ground face-first.
Renard made some distance and gave Arlong a moment to collect himself from the ground. Arlong's fingers curled against the concrete, digging into it and cracking it. He pushed himself to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth. He finally straightened and threw his head back to roar, “YOU INSIGNIFICANT HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS HUMILIATION!”
Instead of attacking Renard, Arlong ran into the building. There was a sound of crashing before Arlong came back out, wielding his massive saw-toothed sword, Kiribachi. Arlong aimed the sword at Renard, “I am going to cut you to ribbons and feed you to the fish!”
Renard rolled his eyes and plucked the small metal tube from his waist and held it in one hand with a smirk, “I suppose this will work to take care of you.”
Arlong snorted, “And what's that going to do?”
Renard hit the activation switch, releasing the dark blue blade of the Lightsaber with the classic snap-hiss, “It's going to kill you.”
Arlong roared, feeling insulted that Renard thought the tiny thing in his hand could stop Kiribachi. With a roar of rage, he charged at Renard and slashed at him with Kiribachi. Renard, now a skilled swordsman thanks to Adept Blade Weapon Mastery, was easily able to intercept Arlong's sword with the plasma blade of his Lightsaber. As anyone with the proper knowledge would expect, the Lightsaber cut through Kiribachi with extreme ease.
Renard didn't stop there; he took advantage of Arlong's shock and moved in closer. His blade lashed out twice in rapid succession, which was followed by two thumps as Arlong's arms fell to the ground. Both were cleanly severed with the stumps cauterized so he wouldn't bleed out. Renard might have been exaggerating about killing Arlong.
The whole world seemed to freeze for a moment as everyone took in what had happened in the last few moments. Then the screaming began. Arlong fell to his knees and stared at his new stumps in horror while he screamed his lungs out.
Renard calmly disabled his Lightsaber, walked over to the kneeling Arlong, and slammed a fist into his head hard enough to render him unconscious. It only really worked with a single blow because Arlong was in no mental state to fight against the welcoming darkness.
There was silence once more before it was broken by the sound of crying. Renard and everyone looked to the source and found Nami, collapsed to her knees, and crying as she stared at her defeated nightmare. Renard calmly holstered his Lightsaber and walked over to where Nami had collapsed. He knelt down in front of her, gave her a bright smile, and reached up to wipe away a tear, “Now comes the best part.”
Nami hiccuped but managed to ask through her tears, “What?”
Renard grinned wickedly, “Taking him in for the bounty!”
Nami's tears were instantly replaced with Belly signs. She jumped to her feet and ran over to Arlong before she realized he was too heavy to lift on her own, “Come on! Hurry up and carry my bounty!”
That got laughs out of everyone. Renard chuckled and walked over to grab Arlong by his nose to drag him along. He glanced at Rachnera, “Mind tying the others up for me? We'll grab the sloop and swing around to pick up the others. I want to drag Arlong through town so everyone can see him. Libra, Mimikyu, stick around in case anyone wakes up.”
Rachnera chuckled and had a sadistic look in her eyes as she looked at the unconscious fish-men on the ground. He turned to Nami and grinned, “Let's spread the news, shall we?”
Nami got a sadistic look eerily similar to Rachnera's and nodded eagerly.
The reaction of the villagers to the sight of an armless Arlong being dragged through the center of town by his nose was something else. It started with shock. The locals couldn't comprehend the things they were seeing. The cognitive dissonance of seeing the monster they'd spent years terrified of being treated like that broke something in them.
Then they recovered, and the cheering began. People ran around spreading the word until everyone was standing on either side of the main thoroughfare watching Renard, Nami, and Arlong as they walked to the dock. People were so excited by what they were seeing that they couldn't even think to ask any questions.
Renard casually tossed Arlong onto the deck of The Seeker, then climbed aboard with Nami. They quickly got the boat underway and headed toward Arlong Park. Nami walked over to Renard, where he was working the tiller. She placed a hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes, “Thank you for everything.”
Seeing how serious the moment was, Renard didn't just dismiss her thanks flippantly. Instead, he nodded and gave her a warm smile, “As I said, you're family. Though I suppose the question becomes, do you want to stick with us now that you don't need money so desperately?”
Nami didn't even hesitate, “With Arlong gone and Cocoyashi finally free, I can fulfill my dream, making a map of the entire world. So, I want to stick with my new family.”
[Feat Achieved! Defeated Arlong and Freed the Conomy Islands. +1x Gold Gacha Ticket]
[Feat Achieved! Majorly Derailed Canon. +1x Special Advantage Legendary Gacha Ticket]
He wondered what the hell 'Special Advantage' meant, but he'd find out later. Now was most definitely not the time to roll them. He gave Nami a bright smile, “Then, once again, welcome aboard, Navigator Nami.”
She gave a playful salute, “Glad to be aboard, Captain!”
-----Line Break-----
It didn't take much time to reach Arlong Park and load up all the captured fish-men. Rachnera was highly efficient when it came to restraints, that was for sure. Once loaded, they quickly made their way toward Marine Base 16, Nezumi's base. It wasn't very far, so it only took a few hours to arrive.
They were met at the docks by a Marine in a basic uniform, “Halt! What business do you have?”
Renard leaned over the guardrail to call back down, “We've come to turn in pirates and a bounty!”
“What bounty!?”
Renard's lips curled into a cruel grin, “Arlong!”
There was a moment of quiet before the shocked Marine asked, “A-arlong? The fish-man?”
“That's right! Him and all his little guppy friends!”
The Marine looked panicked before shouting, “Wait right here!”
Renard smirked and thought back to the rolls he'd made on the way to the Marine base. What he was about to do would be so much easier with his most recent gains.
-----Line Break-----
“Roll the gold ticket for a trait.” He'd chosen to try for a trait since he didn't have any yet.
[ROLLING!]
[Lich, Rare Trait, Race Change - You are Lich, a Caste of Undead specialising in Necromancy and Dark Magic, not the phylactery kind. Although rather weak physically, you have increased energy reserves and nigh-unlimited stamina, as the only thing you need to sustain yourself with is your own Energy reserves. You are capable of studying magic more easily and have increased Darkness and Necromancy affinity. In addition, you can naturally use [Lesser Necromancy] to raise your own Undead Servants.]
[Reroll or Keep?]
'Huh, so that's where race changes were. Well, no way in hell he was keeping it. Reroll!'
[ROLLING!]
[Thick Skin, Uncommon Trait, Your skin is way denser and tougher than the average person's, and it is very smooth and nice to touch. This toughness scales with your physical stats, being able to serve as natural armor at higher levels.]
While not ground breaking, more durability was always a nice thing to have. One Piece bodies were already pretty durable, so adding more seemed pretty nice. It would also grow stronger as he did so, which was even nicer.
'Okay, roll the special advantage legendary ticket for an ability.'
[ROLLING!]
[Probability Estimation, Legendary Ability, Worm Dinah - Allows you to view probabilities of whatever outcome you question, like the chance of you dying tomorrow, or the chance of finding what you want in a particular place. This ability is always accurate except for when dealing with matters related to blind spots.]
[Bankai – Minazuki, Legendary Item, Bleach - Minazuki is a Zanpakuto, a spiritual armament bound to the soul in the shape of a katana. The strength of this armament scales with the power of its user. With its Bankai unlocked, it has reached its most powerful state. When chanting its Bankai, it allows the user to cover the battlefield in a blood-like substance under their control that they can use to either enhance their attacks or to heal themselves and others. The potency of destruction and healing of the attack scales with the power level of the user. (Does not give spiritual energy, cannot be evolved)]
[Nemean, Mythical Trait, Race Change - You are the Nemean Lion, being able to switch between your base form and being able to reveal your Lion Form and in between. You possess indomitable physical stats and a nigh invulnerable skin even gods envy. Your skin grants you defense against everything, and I mean everything that scales with your physical stats. Even if it cuts space, even if it burns the soul, even if it curses you, even if it erases you from existence, it has to contend with your resilience and still gets its effects reduced if not outright negated, depending on the power of the attack compared to your defense.]
[Principle of Life, Divine Skill, You possess the knowledge of the creator when it comes to the field of Life and Biology. You know how to create, modify, and understand life. But this knowledge is too much for a mortal vessel, so the knowledge manifests as instinctive comprehension when it comes to all matters of life. The stronger you get, the more access you will get to the principle.]
[Evil Natural Water, Legendary Familiar, One Punch Man - An amorphous blob of water that has a pair of eyes sitting around inside of it, but the eyes are also just water and aren't weak points. This sentient puddle is very evil and is capable of sensing emotions. It can freely manipulate its body and any water it assimilates. It can freely assimilate all water it is in contact with. Including the world's oceans, and its strength increases proportionally to how much water it absorbs. The only way to kill it is by scattering a majority of its body with one overwhelming blow or vaporising all of its water.]
[CHOOSE ONE!]
Renard stared blankly at the massive list of impossibly tantalizing options. One from each category, with fucking LEGENDARY being the lowest rarity on any of the rolls. He even had a Mythical and fucking DIVINE to choose from!
Still, he quickly removed the Evil Natural Water familiar from contention. While it would be loyal to him, that didn't mean it wouldn't do evil things to people behind his back, and that was something he just couldn't risk. Especially since all the oceans of One Piece were actually connected, meaning it would have control over the vast majority of the world. It could be having fun drowning people in South Blue while Renard had it helping in the Grand Line. Just, no.
Probability Estimation was the next thing he struck off his list. While it was a form of precognition, it required asking the right questions to get the right information. He considered himself moderately intelligent, but he doubted he would be able to put that ability to the best use possible.
This left him with three amazing options. In the end, though, there was really only one choice he could make. Hating that he could only choose one option, he made his decision.
-----Line Break-----
They had to wait a few moments for Nezumi to come out of the base, and when the rat-faced bastard did come out, he brought half of the base with him. He had a slimy smile on his face as he addressed Renard, “You're the one claiming to have defeated Arlong?”
Renard bent down and grabbed something Nezumi couldn't see. When he straightened up, he threw Arlong's body over the side of the boat and onto the ground before the rat, “Caught him alive so I could get the full bounty!”
Nezumi and the other Marines all jumped back in surprise. Nezumi looked down at the mutilated body of Arlong and began to sweat. Renard calmly walked down the gangplank until he was standing in front of the still-shocked Nezumi. When Nezumi looked up at Renard, Renard acted. His hand snapped out and grabbed onto Nezumi's face. The next moment, he activated his Klyntar form and dove into the rat's body.
The moment he was inside of Nezumi, all kinds of ideas of what he could do to the man using the knowledge from his new Principle of Life skill flooded his mind. However, he was focused on one thing he wanted to modify about the bastard. If he could, he would smile as he used the knowledge coming to him to modify Nezumi's brain exactly how he wanted.
As soon as he was finished, he exited Nezumi's body and reformed in front of him. The whole operation took less than ten seconds, and the Marines hadn't noticed a thing, too distracted by Arlong. Renard leaned close and whispered to Nezumi, “Your men should take Arlong and the others to the prison while we go to your office.”
Nezumi nodded agreeably, “An excellent idea.” He turned to look at the Marines, “Men! Collect all the prisoners and take them to the base. I will deal with Mr. Renard myself.”
Renard looked up to the ship and pointed at Nami, “Nami, come along. You'll want to see this.”
Nami, confused about what was going on, nodded and followed along to see what was about to happen. The group of three made their way to Nezumi's office. Once they were inside and alone, Renard got to work, “Nezumi, process Arlong's bounty for me.”
Nezumi quickly got to work pulling out the appropriate amount of money. Nami watched, confused, then turned to Renard, “What's going on?”
Renard grinned, “In short, Nezumi here is my bitch. I reprogrammed his brain to think of me as the most important thing in his life. Any time he does as I say, he feels a great joy.”
Nami's eyes widened, “That's... I don't know what that is, but it's definitely amazing.”
“It's also only the tip of the iceberg. But more can wait for later.”
It didn't take long for Nezumi to count out the reward and pass it over, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Renard nodded, “Just one thing.” He pointed to the large snail creature on the desk, “Pick up the Den Den Mushi, call your bosses, and confess every crime you've ever committed to them.”
Nezumi nodded agreeably, “Sure thing!”
[Feat Achieved! Expose Marine Corruption. +1x Bronze Gacha ticket]
Nami's jaw dropped in shock. They watched Nezumi dial and wait for someone to pick up before they left the office. Nami was still processing what had just happened when they arrived back at the ship. Renard's call brought her out of it, “Cast off! We're heading back to Cocoyashi! It's time to celebrate!”
-----Line Break-----
AN
10.6k words
Man, that was fun to write! We got to explore some of Eat Blue, meet Sanji for a bit, and then kick the shit out of Arlong. My favorite part was screwing over Nezumi, though. It was also necessary, or Renard would have been labeled a pirate pretty quickly. Renard being labeled a pirate is inevitable. The Marines are too corrupt, and his background as a banished World Nobel pretty much guarantees it. I do have an idea for when it happens, though.
Anyway! I'm clearly having fun with this, and I've been able to focus on it pretty well, so I'm going to keep going. I already know what the general idea of where to go next is. It's also another chance for Renard to earn a massive roll. Not as big as that last one, sadly.
Speaking of, what do you guys think of the choice he made? Let me know in the comments!