Chapter 5
Reanrd was about halfway through modifying Mr. 5's body to suit his desires when he heard Nami shouting his name. He quickly ejected from his new body, transformed back into his own, and made his way to the deck to see what the commotion was about. He wasn't worried about the mindless body of Mr. 5 going anywhere or doing anything. Upon arriving, he came across a scene that made him want to laugh.
Nami was standing near the tiller and looking a little concerned but not overly scared or worried. Rachnera looked smug and a bit condescending. Mimikyu, currently in a pink bunny costume, had her puppet head tilted to the side curiously. Igaram was staring with a look of worry and fear on his face. Lastly, Vivi looked extremely upset.
All of them were staring at the thing that really surprised Renard, something he'd forgotten in his excitement to modify Mr. 5. He found himself staring at a victim of Rachnera's delicious ability to wrap anyone up in silk rope shibari in an attractive manner, hanging from the arm of their main sail.
Nico Robin.
Rachnera had clearly caught her off guard and wrapped up her nice and tight. Her arms were forced behind her back and locked in a slightly awkward position, incidentally preventing Robin from crossing her arms and using more of her Devil Fruit's power. It also, subsequently, pushed her breasts forward so far that they looked like they were on the verge of popping out of her purple cowboy-themed vest that had left lots of cleavage on display to begin with.
If she struggled too much, she might really pop out of her top.
Even her legs weren't spared as they were tied up in such a way that left them bent toward her hands and spread wide open, while another rope went between her legs and pushed her skirt all the way up to her waist. This left all of her long legs on display and gave everyone a clear view of her purple lacy thong. The entire display left her with her back bent backwards, with her hands and feet almost meeting behind her, and her entire body on display as much as possible without stripping her naked.
The single most attractive part of the whole scene, though? The absolutely furious blush of embarrassment on her regal and mature face. Robin was always portrayed as a cool beauty. Calm, collected, always having or seeking the answer, that was what he remembered of Robin from the show. Seeing her blush like a maiden from embarrassment hit that gap moe aspect that was just breathtaking.
Renard was not ashamed of how long it took him to drag his eyes away from the exquisite piece of art hanging on his ship and focus back on the moment, “Someone want to explain what's going on?”
Nami spoke first, “We don't know who she is. She just appeared out of nowhere.”
Rachnera picked up from there, “So I wrapped her up nice and tight while Nami called for you. Though I think our newest arrivals know who she is.”
Igaram spoke first in a serious tone, “She is Miss All Sunday, the second in command of Baroque Works and the partner to Mr. 0, Crocodile.”
Vivi spoke next, “We followed her to find out who Mr. 0 was.”
Renard listened and nodded. Normally, he was sure Robin would have joined the conversation, but he could see something beneath the mortification of her current capture and erotic position, fear. She was completely and thoroughly captured. While she could summon some of her limbs without having to cross her arms, it was a small number and not nearly enough to help her escape from her current predicament.
He walked around until he was in full view of Robin and looking up into her blue eyes, “Hello, Nico Robin.”
Robin's fear instantly ratcheted up a few notches. Being captured as Miss All Sunday was bad. Being captured as Nico Robin on a legitimate bounty hunting ship was much worse. She did her absolute best not to let her fear show, but she couldn't hide anything from Renard. Between Expert Biology and Principle of Life, he was an expert on reading biological responses from people. No matter how good someone might be at hiding their emotions, there were always signs, and he would never miss any of those signs.
He crossed his arms over his chest, “You've put me into a bit of a bind here. See, I prefer to hunt actual criminals. If we ran into each other before I knew you were Miss All Sunday, I would have let you go without complaint.”
That earned gasps of shock from Igaram and Vivi. His crew, on the other hand, only looked mildly curious at his statement.
He continued, “Only a moron would believe the bullshit stories spread about how you, as an eight-year-old child, destroyed an entire island. Even with a powerful Devil Fruit, such as the Goro Goro no Mi, I doubt a child could destroy an entire island. So, obviously, you were wanted for some other reason, and I'm not amenable to helping the World Government achieve any of their goals.”
His eyes narrowed, “But then I found out about the current bullshit you're into. Tell me, are you actively trying to live up to the reputation the government saddled you with? Actively helping Crocodile actually destroy an entire country?”
There! A flash of shame that she quickly buried under false confidence. He knew that Robin really wasn't a bad person. It was simply circumstances and twenty years of being on the run that had pushed her into going so far just to get a look at the Poneglyph, to prove the deaths of her friends, her family, weren't a waste.
“So, tell me Nico Robin, why are you so willing to live up to the reputation the government saddled you with and destroy Arabasta?”
She stared at him, stubbornly silent.
Renard just smirked, “You can tell us, or I can use my Devil Fruit to take over your body and read your mind to find out anyway.”
He could see the fear his statement caused her. It wasn't just this secret she had. If he really could do as he said, he would gain access to forbidden knowledge. The same knowledge that earned her a bounty of seventy-nine million Belly as an eight-year-old child. Slowly, the resistance drained out of her, she slumped, as best she could, and hung her head, “Crocodile and I are after the same thing, but for different reasons, the Poneglyph hidden by the Arabasta Royal Family.”
Vivi and Igaram both looked confused. Igaram spoke first, “I've heard of no such thing being hidden by King Cobra.”
Robin stared at him, “You're not part of the royal family. Why would they tell you something they've sworn to keep secret?”
Vivi defended Igaram, “I've never heard of it either!”
Robin fought the urge to roll her eyes, “You're a child. I'm sure the king would have told you when you were older and less likely to blurt it out to everyone.”
Renard interrupted, “What is so important about this particular Poneglyph?”
Robin sighed softly, “Crocodile thinks it contains the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton. I'm hoping it contains some of the lost history of the Void Century.”
Silence reigned, only broken by the sound of the sloop slicing through the ocean. Renard finally broke it when he asked, “Are the lives of a million people worth getting a look at the Poneglyph? Are you really willing to become what the government labeled you, a country destroyer?”
Robin looked fired up and ready to argue with him until the shame took over. He could see the moment she realized just how far she had fallen in her pursuit of the Poneglyphs. Her whole body sagged, as all the fight went out of her again. He barely heard her ask, “What am I supposed to do now? I've spent my whole life in pursuit of finding the Poneglyph.”
Renard smirked, “You keep moving forward, but you do it in the proper fashion.” When she looked at him curiously, he turned to Vivi, “Princess Nefertari Vivi, I have a proposal for you.”
Vivi, clearly confused, looked at Renard and asked, “What kind of proposal?”
He gestured to Robin, “In exchange for Nico Robin turning against Crocodile and explaining everything she knows of his plans, you promise to take her to the Poneglyph after the war is averted and Crocodile is dealt with. My crew and I will hunt down Crocodile regardless, but if you make this deal, we could get a lot of information that would make the process significantly easier.”
Vivi bit her lip while she glared at Robin, clearly deep in thought. Igaram, wisely, chose to stay silent. This was a decision only the princess could make. Vivi walked around until she could look Robin directly in the eyes, “How can I trust you or anything you say?”
Renard spoke up first, “If she lies, I'll know, and I will not let her get away with it.”
Robin looked at Renard with some concern, but then turned to Vivi and answered for herself, “I only want to read the Poneglyph. How that happens doesn't matter to me. If you promise to let me read it, I will tell you everything I know.”
Vivi stared into Robin's eyes silently for over a minute before she scowled, “Fine, but I swear, if this is a trick, if you lie, I will find a way to make you pay. The damage you have done to my country is inexcusable, but I understand that Crocodile is the worse threat. Tell us everything you know.”
Robin wiggled a little and ignored the way the rope between her legs ground into her crotch in a pleasant manner, “Do you think I could be let down?”
Rachnera pouted, “But you're some of my finest work! Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay up there for a little longer?”
The blush on Robin's cheeks was nearly nuclear as she wiggled a little to try to get some relief from the strain on her muscles due to the pose. She only ended up rubbing the ropes against herself in a way she didn't even want to think about, “I feel I would be much more comfortable on my own two feet.”
Rachnera looked over to Renard who gave her a nod. She sighed and quickly cut Robin down and lowered her to the deck. Robin quickly smoothed her skirt down to give herself her modesty back. As if her doing so would erase the fact that everyone there had a clear view of her skimpy panties for the last half hour or so. She liked to use her sexuality as a weapon, hence her outfit, but in this case, it had clearly been turned against her.
Once she finished fixing her clothes back to their proper places, she looked at the group around her. She sighed and began speaking, “I don't know all of Crocodile's plans. We don't trust each other. Our partnership is more out of necessity than anything else. I needed him to get to the Poneglyph, and he needs me to read it and tell him where Pluton is. There is no trust between us.”
She crossed her arms and struck a pose with her hip cocked to the side. No longer being tied up made her feel a little more confident in herself, “What I do know is what he has done and what he plans to do in the near future.”
So, Robin explained everything she knew from the earliest Dance Powder 'accidents' to his plans for the civil war to break out soon. She included Crocodile's plans to use Baroque Works infiltrators in both the Rebels and the Royal Army to make sure nothing can stop the war once it starts, and to help raise tension until it starts. She ended with the plan to frame Cobra for an attack on his people using Mr. 2's Mane Mane no Mi.
Renard thought over everything that Robin had said. With her switching sides, it opened up a lot of options for them, and he felt he had a good plan. He looked at everyone, “Alright, here's what we're going to do. Robin, you're going to return to Arabasta as expected and continue to work with Crocodile.”
Vivi went to protest, but he cut her off by talking louder, “You're also going to fake Igaram's death, then smuggle Igaram back into the country.” His gaze moved to the man in question, “Igaram, your job is to head to the palace to inform King Cobra of everything you've learned. Additionally, I want you to work with other loyal people to quickly, AND QUIETLY, weed out members of Baroque Works from the Royal Army.”
Robin chimed in, “Baroque Works agents always have something with the company name on them to prove their allegiance. Look for clothing, small items, or even tattoos.”
Renard nodded in agreement and continued, “Keep King Cobra calm and don't let him do anything that might tip Crocodile off that we're onto him. We have time, but if he gets suspicious, he might act sooner than we can handle.”
Igaram accepted his role with a nod. Renard continued, “We will very publicly sail with Princess Vivi. Robin, be sure to let the Croc know about us so we become his focus. As long as he thinks he's in control, there shouldn't be any issues. In the meantime, we'll head to Little Garden, where Robin said Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek are currently. We'll take them down, then use the Eternal Pose Robin has to get to Arabasta.”
Vivi nodded in acceptance, “Then we head to Yuba to talk to Koza and prevent the rebels from attacking.”
Robin spoke up, “The rebels are no longer in Yuba. Crocodile has been hitting Yuba nonstop with sandstorms, so they moved to Katorea.”
Vivi perked up, “So, if we land at Nanohana, we'll be only a short journey away from them!”
Now, Vivi looked excited. They talked a little more and came up with their full plan. Robin even explained where the Spider's Cafe was, so they could possibly hunt the remaining officer agents there.
Renard soon led Robin to the side of the ship where her large turtle Banchi was waiting for her and Igaram. She looked at him for a moment as if she wanted to say something. She clearly chose not to and instead shook her head and casually jumped down onto the turtle's shell, where a nice setup awaited her. Igaram joined her, and the two peeled off to go in a different direction.
Renard returned to his cabin and resumed his work on Mr. 5's body. His body now, he supposed. He decided that while he would be cloning himself, he could also make some changes. For a start, he kept the body's original height of six feet five inches. He also kept the original age, adjusting the body to look how he would look at age twenty-four.
Every other aspect was changed to match himself while keeping the Bomu Bomu no Mi's power intact. While not a crazy-powerful fruit, it was still a really nice paramecia with a good deal of power. It also had the bonus effect of improving his weaknesses against fire and sound. It didn't eliminate them, sadly, but it helped a fair bit. Thanks to that, he wouldn't be getting forced out of the body very easily by those weaknesses.
He also used the Principle of Life to make modifications to the body to make it stronger, faster, and more durable. He couldn't do anything too crazy, sadly, as just thinking of some of the things he wanted to do gave him a splitting headache that only went away when he stopped thinking about it. Despite that, he managed to weave carbon nanofibers into his bones and muscles to enhance them, increase the efficiency of the digestive system, and modify the brain to put out larger amounts of neurochemicals for him to feast on.
It took him several hours of work, but when he was done, it was perfect. He looked at himself in the mirror and grinned. With no living mind inside the body, he didn't have to coat it to control it. He could puppet the body from within. This hopefully had the advantage of making him immune to his gender swapping curse since his real body was hidden inside and would never get wet.
Additionally, he'd lowered the intensity of his Gluttony curse with the modifications he made to the brain. It wasn't a cure, and he would still need to eat a lot, but he estimated he would only need half as much food as before. It was still five times normal, but that was more manageable.
He hoped. For all he knew the curses would adapt so only time would tell.
He made his way back out onto the deck, where his appearance drew quite a bit of attention. Mimikyu was the first to come up to him, bouncing along inside her classic Pikachu costume. He had no idea how the little Pokémon did it, but Mimikyu seemed to change outfits at the drop of a hat. The head of the puppet tilted to the side curiously, “Mimikyu?”
Renard knelt down and grinned at his favorite familiar, “Hey Mimikyu, it's still me, just made my life a little easier, is all.”
Rachnera spoke up and asked what everyone else clearly wanted to know, “What did you do?”
He picked up Mimikyu and set her on his now broader shoulders, “Well, you all know I took Mr. 5 alive, right?”
They nodded.
“Well, he was a criminal with no redeeming qualities, so I wiped his mind from his body. With that done, I remade the body to match my original form while I exist in my changed state within it.”
To prove his point, he held his hand up and conjured a black tentacle that transformed into a tiny version of his head when he coated someone. He spoke from the new tiny head hovering over his palm, “With no conscious mind in the body, I have full control of both without having to fight for control. It lets me use the full power of the altered form without having to bond with another being with their own mind. It also let me make lots of improvements to the body to make it better.”
Nami moved closer and looked him over, “What did you do?”
He moved the tiny head back into his body, spoke like a normal person, and activated his Byakugan. He'd been able to make them function more like the Sharingan in that when the eyes weren't active, they looked like his normal eyes, but the moment he activated them, they switched to the nearly pure white eyes of the Byakugan while the veins around his eyes bulged from the extra blood flow.
“For example, I improved my eyes dramatically. I call it the Byakugan. When activated, it allows me to see all three hundred and sixty degrees around me at once and even through objects out to a range of fifty meters. That will only grow larger as I gain more experience with it.”
He deactivated his Byakugan, already feeling some strain in his eyes from those few moments of usage. He rubbed his eyes in annoyance but didn't let it get to him too much. He just needed practice to make them better. He could also slowly tweak his body to better handle the eyes over time.
The best part of what he'd done was not just being able to use all of his Klyntar powers, but also being able to share his powers with the body he was bonded to. That meant his favorite ability was now pulling double duty to improve his base body and his puppet body. Man, Conditioning was by far the best thing he'd pulled from the gacha thus far! He loved it even more than Principle of Life.
Conditioning made him stronger as if he were working out twenty-four seven. Klyntar added his strength to his hosts, making the host stronger. Sharing Conditioning with his host at the same time meant that both of them were getting stronger together, multiplying their gains and improving the speed of improvement dramatically.
If he spent the next year just sitting around doing nothing or occasionally practicing with his sword, he could probably surpass the level of an Admiral.
Obviously, that would only be in the physical department. Admirals also had their devil fruits and Haki going for them, so he'd probably still get his ass kicked if he fought one. All that meant was that he needed to train on top of Conditioning. Which would just accelerate his growth even more.
So awesome!
He spent some more time with his crew, telling them about his modifications and showing them that he still had the power of the Bomu Bomu no Mi. Once they were satisfied, he made his way to the galley and began cooking everyone's dinner.
-----Line Break-----
Renard sat next to Nami, patting Mimikyu's stuffed head while Nami controlled the tiller. They'd arrived at Little Garden and were sailing down its river while looking at the things on the shore. A giant Tiger greeted them at one point, scaring the hell out of Nami. Renard just chuckled at her reaction. She was still a bit of a scaredy cat, but he was working on that.
Unfortunately, he couldn't build her a Clima Tact, so unless he won one from the Gacha, she wouldn't become a weather wizard in this timeline. That left the question of how to make her stronger. He wasn't sure yet; something from the Gacha or the proper Devil Fruit might be what she needed. Until then he was teaching her Muay Thai so she could handle herself, at least somewhat.
Thankfully, she wouldn't need to do much fighting. Between himself, Mimikyu, Rachnera, and Libra they had combat pretty well covered.
Eventually, they found a nice spot and docked the ship. Renard looked at everyone, “Alright, the ship should be safe even with no guard. The only living people here are Mr. 3, Miss Golden Week, and the giants Dorry and Brogy. If you'd prefer to stay on the ship until we're done, that's fine. It shouldn't take me very long to hunt down our targets and take them down. If you plan to explore, try and grab some meat for the ship, yeah?”
That got some laughs. Vivi was still utterly shocked at how much food Renard could pack away. Which, thankfully, had dropped. Unfortunately, it was only by about thirty percent rather than the fifty he'd hoped for. Still a great help, but not great enough.
The ½ curse had also worked through his meat-suit as well and changed it to match his sex. Which meant all the men he'd possessed in his female form had become women. It just never showed because the curse left with him, and they turned back into males. He'd just never paid close attention before. It all felt the same when possessing someone.
It should also be said that his twenty-four-year-old female self took her already attractive looks to a whole new level with that little bit of extra maturity. Bigger bust, thicker thighs, slightly darker hair that glittered in the sun, and slightly darker blue eyes that seemed to smolder even when she wasn't doing anything special.
If teenage female Renard was a bombshell, older female Renard was a nuke.
Renard jumped off the ship with Mimikyu following and landing on his shoulder, “Mimi! Kyu.”
He patted Mimikyu on her stuffed head, “Sure, you can come.”
Did he really understand Mimikyu? Eh, kinda sorta but not really. He was mostly guessing.
He left with Mimikyu and briefly activated his Byakugan to see further afield all around him. It was this skill that would help him find Mr. 3's hideout. He was also keeping an eye out for any potential Devil Fruits just laying around. Little Garden seemed like a perfect place for a fruit or two to have gotten lost in time. Not too many people seemed to leave the island alive. Especially since it took a full year for the log pose to reset.
That meant the island didn't get explored regularly as a more populated one would. That meant it could be decades before a Devil Fruit located on Little Garden could be found by someone. Hell! For all he knew, there were ancient Devil Fruits hidden here that hadn't been found in hundreds of years.
Unlikely, but he could hope! And that hope was why he used his Byakugan to scan his surroundings around, above, and below himself.
It was over an hour later before he spotted anything remotely interesting. Buried about ten meters below the ground at his feet was a chest filled with gold coins. The metal chest looked seriously rusted, so there was no telling how long the gold had been down there, but it was definitely a long time!
He pulled out his shape-shifting tool and soon had a nice shovel at hand. He'd tried to make an excavator, even a small one, but it had refused, so it apparently did have some limits. Well, it wasn't an issue. He chewed through the ground rather rapidly thanks to his high strength. It only took about twenty minutes to dig down to the chest. After that he just collected the coins and absorbed them into his Klyntar body. He'd pull them back out later so Nami could roll around on them.
By his count, there were ten thousand coins in the chest, with each weighing roughly thirty grams. That was roughly three hundred kilograms of gold he'd just recovered.
“Wow, that Stack of Gold Bars roll really was common as fuck.”
“Kyu?”
“Don't worry about it.”
He collected the last few coins and turned to leave.
[Feat Achieved! Your First Buried Treasure! +1 Silver Item Gacha Ticket]
“Eh, roll it.”
[ROLLING!]
[Bag of Endless Coins, Rare Item, A bag that produces 1,000 gold coins every day.]
“... You're being sarcastic, aren't you?”
Naturally, he got no response to his question. He left the bag in his inventory for now. He'd give it to Nami later to see the look on her face when he gave her access to INFINITE WEALTH. If that didn't do it for Nami, he didn't know what would.
-----Line Break-----
Renard walked through the jungle, tossing a strange fruit up into the air and catching it. With his Byakugan active and focused on a small house made of white wax. He could see two figures sitting inside, drinking tea and chatting. It looked like they weren't ready to go after the two giants just yet. Which was perfect for him.
He caught the strange, fleshy colored banana bunch once again and stared at it with minor disgust. He'd found it at the base of an ancient-looking tree about an hour ago, and just looking at it still pissed him off. It was the Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Earthworm. He was tempted to smash the thing, but refrained because, once again, it was worth at least a hundred million Belly. He didn't have to tell people what Zoan it was.
Thinking about how excited he'd been to get it... on the bright side, he'd gotten a Gacha roll out of it. Remembering that brought at least a small smile to his face.
-----Line Break-----
[Feat Achieved! First Wild Devil Fruit Collected! +1 Platinum Item Gacha Ticket.]
“Roll that baby!”
[ROLLING!]
[Grimoire of Wind Magic, Elite Item, Black Clover - A book containing the secrets of Wind Magic from the Clover Kingdom, allowing its users to learn and utilize Aeromancy.]
-----Line Break-----
On one hand, an Elite item was kind of low for a Platinum roll where Epics were possible, and Legendary was rare but possible. On the other hand, he literally could NOT think of a better thing he could give Nami to make her stronger. He felt like he was getting a bit too lucky, and something was going to happen to make him suffer soon.
Or... He looked around while thinking that he could REALLY use something to help Vivi get stronger so she could protect herself better.
He looked at Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week once more through the walls of the wax house, and wondered if he should get more backup than just Mimikyu...
“Alright, Mimikyu. When I blow open the door, I want you to attack the girl and knock her out, okay?”
“Kyu! Mimikyu?”
“Well, I'd feel bad hitting a girl. Besides, I'm a better match for Mr. 3 since my Devil Fruit counters his. Not to mention my Lightsaber that will cut through his wax like butter.”
“Kyu Mimi?”
“I'd suggest using Shadow Sneak followed by Wooden Hammer.”
“Mimikyu!”
“Atta girl! Alright, on three. One.” He stepped closer to the door, his Byagukan still locked on the unaware pair. He whispered, “Two.” Mimikyu hopped off his shoulder and to the ground. He finished, “Three!”
He lashed out with a front kick that slammed into the door and detonated like a stick of dynamite. The explosion blasted the door right off its wax hinges and into the room. Mimikyu vanished, sinking into a shadow and quickly traveling across the ground until she was behind Miss Golden Week.
Renard blitzed across the room at his highest speed and drove his fist into the surprised face of Mr. 3, where it exploded with a fair amount of force. Mr. 3 was blasted out of his seat and slammed into the steel-hard wax wall of the little house. He stuck to the wall for a moment before slowly sliding down to the ground, unconscious.
At the same time that he was punching Mr. 3, Mimikyu rose from Miss Goldenweek's shadow and swung her wooden tail with a lot of force. A solid 'THUNK!' rang out as she clocked the young painter. Miss Goldenweek's eyes rolled up in the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.
The next moment, Renard learned a flaw of the Byakugan, or rather his use of it. If he focused too hard on something, he would lose sight of what was around him. He learned this when he heard a loud 'Click!' and expanded his vision to see an otter and a vulture that had just landed on the windowsill. The large vulture was aiming a pair of machine guns right at him. The click he heard was the hammers being cocked back.
He acted at the exact same time that the first shot was fired. A thick mass of biomass flew out of the side of his body and formed itself into the shape of a shield. The shield failed to block the bullets, but it did drastically slow them thanks to his Tough Skin trait applying to it since it was, technically, part of his body. That, combined with the body sharing the same trait, caused the bullets that got through to hit his body with only bruising force.
“Mimikyu!!”
An explosion went off as Mimikyu used Shadow Ball against the otter and scored a clean hit on the furry little mammal. This drew the attention of the vulture to Mimikyu and got the suppressive fire removed from Renard. He took the offered respite and drew Yubashiri in one smooth motion. He stepped forward, the slightly long blade of Yubashiri gliding through the air as he swung it right at the vulture's neck.
While Renard ended the vulture, Mimikyu used Shadow Sneak to get behind the otter that was picking itself up off the ground. The next moment, a shadowy appendage that looked like a clawed hand made of pure darkness slipped out from beneath Mimikyu's puppet and slashed the Otter's back into ribbons.
The otter and vulture both hit the ground at the same time, dead.
“Well! That was a surprise!”
“Kyu!”
He shook it off and quickly made his way to where Mr. 3 was unconscious. He was the much bigger threat of the pair, so he needed to be handled quickly. Renard placed his hand on Mr. 3's head and used a tentacle to slip into it without harming the man. Just a gentle bit of poking here and there put Mr. 3 into a coma that he wouldn't naturally wake up from.
It would have been better if he could have just imprisoned the man, but without Seastone cuffs, there was literally no way he could imprison the man permanently. That was an issue he seriously needed to fix. First chance he got, he would see about robbing a Marine ship of a few pairs. Or, at the very least, find a Marine ship with a Seastone-coated bottom and break a few pieces off. He didn't need huge amounts to lock prisoners up. A little shard embedded into a pair of cuffs so it touched their skin would be more than enough.
He conjured up two thick tentacles out of his back and used one each to grab Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week. He turned to make his way back to the ship, only then looking at the alerts from the Gacha that had come in.
[Feat Achieved! Captured Galdino (Mr. 3)! +1x Random Gold Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Captured Marianne (Miss Golden Week)! +1 Random Gold Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Killed the Unluckies (Mr. 13 and Miss Friday)! +1 Random Silver Gacha Ticket.]
He smiled broadly as he looked at his rewards. He was a little curious if he would have gotten a Gold ticket versus the Silver one if he'd captured, rather than killed, The Unluckies. It would make some sense if that were true, even the Marines lowered the reward for a bounty by thirty percent if the target was dead.
“Roll the Silver ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Ghost Blade, Common Item, Dark Souls - A sharp and long dagger wielded by the ghosts of New Londo, the curse on this blade allows it to wound spiritual beings(does not inflict soul damage on living beings).]
He stared at the result with a slight frown. That might come in handy, but... he wasn't sure how. At least if he ever came across a spiritual being, he had a way to deal with it? Well, until then, it could stay inside his inventory.
“Roll a Gold ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Shusui], Rare Item, One Piece - A masterpiece sword once wielded by the mythical samurai Ryuma, this sword's blade has permanently blackened from absorbing Ryuma's hardening over time. This sword is nigh unbreakable, sharper than a razor, and is an excellent conductor of energy.]
“Oh fuck you! Now I feel like an absolute dick for buying Yubashiri! Is this a copy or the original?! Are there now two copies of Shisui running around? Ugh Fuck off and roll the last Gold ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Flood, Rare Ability, Allows you to create and release extreme volumes of water from your body. Even at a basic level, it is enough to flood a building. With training, you can flood entire streets and towns. Doesn't grant control over the water created.]
“So, what you're trying to say is Fuck Crocodile because this is basically like a perfect counter to him. Also, FUCK YOU! I already had a plan that would have worked just fucking fine!” He sighed, “So much for wanting to help other people having an influence on rolls.”
His plan for dealing with Crocodile was pretty simple. Stick a tentacle into the ocean, suck up a thousand gallons of so into his Klyntar pocket dimension, then use tentacles to spray Crocodile as needed. In short, he basically already had the Flood ability.
It was just as well. He'd need to take off one of his current abilities in order to swap Flood in. Klyntar was now permanent. If, for some reason, he got dropped down to only having a single ability, he would be picking Klyntar. Second, Conditioning, he was never EVER removing that, no matter how strong he got. There was no telling how strong a One Piece body could get! Just look at people like Garp. He had limited time he could spend on training to get stronger and his strength was monstrous. Just how strong would Renard get if he kept Conditioning active for a DECADE?! So, he was never removing it.
His last slot was more flexible. Grue was great, and he was sure he could use it against Crocodile to score an easy win when combined with his stored water. Still, he'd be willing to swap Grue for something better. He just didn't have something better. No way in hell was he swapping it for Flood.
He sighed and shook his head. Three roles, three losses. Well, technically, Shusui wasn't a loss, but it felt like one!
He started making his way back to the ship in a mildly annoyed mood. Even with all his gains, he didn't feel too thrilled.
Fucking Gacha.
-----Line Break-----
Renard stepped back onto the deck of the ship after securing Bentham and Marianne in the brig. The ship was actually empty, even Libra had left it to explore the island. He didn't mind, though it was getting to be about lunch time...
He looked over to where Mimikyu was sitting, “Do you want to come with me or stick around here?”
In answer, Mimikyu hopped over and scrambled onto his shoulder. Renard grinned and patted Mimikyu's head before taking off into the jungle. He activated his Byakugan and kept it on as he ran. His usage of it was already expanding his range of perception, letting him see just a little further than before. Right now, he was looking for something that might be worth eating.
It might be fucked up, in fact, it probably was, but ever since he'd seen his first dinosaur on the island, he'd wondered what it tasted like. The best way to find out? Hunt one down and give it a good cooking!
It didn't take him long to find a group of dinosaurs with long necks whose name he couldn't remember. Whatever. They were big and had an easy, vulnerable target! He drew Yubashiri and leaped high into the air. Light flashed off of Yubashiri's blade when he sliced through the air and cleanly severed the head of one of the smaller dinosaurs.
When it collapsed to the ground, the remaining members of the herd all ran away, leaving Renard with his catch. He held his hand out toward the two pieces of dino and shot out a tentacle that spread wide and sucked them into his internal storage space. Man that really did come in handy!
With the vast bulk of lunch, and probably dinner, secured, he turned around and made his way back to the ship. On the way, his Byakugan caught sight of Rachnera walking through the trees. He quickly changed course and made his way over to her. As he got closer, she turned and smiled at the sight of him, “Well, hello there, Master.”
He shuddered at that tone of hers again. One of these days, he would get used to it! He joined her as she continued on her way toward the ship, “So what were you up to?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “Just exploring. I have to admit, this place is pretty amazing. I never would have expected to see real, living dinosaurs!”
Renard nodded eagerly in agreement, “Right?! Now that I've seen them, the next thing to do is eat one!”
Rachnera gave him a look that could only be translated as 'are you serious?' or 'are you stupid?' Those two were surprisingly close to each other. Renard shrugged in response to her look, “What, I'm hungry and very curious about what dinosaur meat tastes like!”
A very unladylike snort was her response. He stuck his nose up in the air in mock haughtiness, “It's meat, therefore I must eat!”
She laughed at that comment, “What is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged, “It means I'm hungry and not thinking straight.”
She rolled her eyes, and when Rachnera rolled her eyes, she ROLLED them all. It was a very impressive amount of dismissal packed into a single gesture, “Whatever you say, Master.”
He shuddered at her tone, then mock glared at her, “Stop doing that!”
She gave him a fake innocent look, “Stop doing what, Master?”
He scowled at her and fought down his arousal. He didn't deign to answer her. He also knew she was only teasing. What he remembered of her, as little as that was, was that she was a tease and flirt, but would take a while before being genuine. Given how he'd seen most humans react to the arachne, he couldn't blame her for being a bit cynical and slow to trust. He could only hope his sincere treatment of her would help.
When they arrived at the ship, Rachnera went off to do something, maybe make some clothing. He didn't ask. He was more concerned with gathering a large quantity of dry wood. He had a massive dinosaur to cook!
-----Line Break-----
Renard sat in a chair playing his guitar, watching the sun set, and paying close attention to the huge leg of meat that was currently cooking over a massive bed of hot coals. Mimikyu was sitting off to the side, swaying her head to the music. Rachnera was nearby as well, using a pair of knitting needles to make something. Libra had come back about an hour ago and silently picked up a book to read. Nami and Vivi still hadn't returned.
He wasn't too worried. The most dangerous things on the island were only massive man-eating tigers and dinosaurs. Nothing they couldn't handle... They'd be fine, Karoo was with them. For a large, bright yellow duck, he sure could disappear into the background and not be noticed.
The ground shook slightly from a heavy impact, then again, and again. Renard activated his Byakugan and used it to look behind himself. There, at the edge of his visual range, a giant foot came down. A few steps later, and he could see the giant's legs, as well as Nami, Vivi, and Karoo walking next to the giant.
Everyone was paying close attention as the group arrived, and several of them got their first look at a real living giant. If he wasn't mistaken, the giant was Brogy... or was he Dorry? Shit, he couldn't remember.
“Gababababa! See?! I told you the walk back would be fine!”
Nami scowled and yelled up at Brogy, “Only because you scared away everything! If we'd tried to come back alone, we would have been eaten!”
Brogy shook his head and turned around to leave, “It was nice having company for once! Thanks for the booze and good luck on the sea!”
He stomped, or rather walked, back the way he came, leaving Renard and the others watching his departure. Finally, after Brogy was gone, Renard turned to look at Nami, “Have fun?”
Nami scowled fiercely, “We were scared out of our minds! We thought he was going to eat us!”
Vivi and Karoo both nodded enthusiastically in agreement with Nami. Renard scoffed, “Giants don't eat humans. That's just racist propaganda.”
He would know. It was the World Government that spread that propaganda to make normal people fear giants. They wanted giants to be shunned, so the only 'welcoming' place was with the Marines. Why else would any giant who joined automatically become a Vice Admiral? Well, aside from giants being extremely strong.
Nami glared at Renard, “How are we supposed to know that?! He just came stomping up to the ship and asked if we had booze, so we gave him everything! Then he dragged us to his camp, where we watched him eat an entire dinosaur! It was terrifying!”
“Well, while you guys were playing with the giant, I captured Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek. They're locked in the brig.”
Vivi looked exceptionally happy and relieved to hear that. It meant there were two fewer people working toward the downfall of her country. Nami tilted her head and asked, “What're they worth?”
“Fifty-three million combined. But they're not the only thing I found. Thanks to my Byakugan, I was able to find a couple of other treasures.”
Nami's eyes instantly became Belly signs, and her attitude completely changed as she slid right up next to Renard and draped herself over him, “Treasures?!” She ran the tip of her finger in circles over his chest, “What treasures did you find me?”
Everyone else watching the scene either rolled their eyes or shook their heads at Nami's actions. However, Renard was silently chuckling to himself at the predictable action. He held his hand out slightly to the side and pulled the first object from his Klyntar pocket, “Well, I found a Devil Fruit. So that's worth a minimum of one hundred million. Maybe more, depending on how the auction goes.”
Nami snatched it out of his hand and cradled it like a baby, “Aren't you the most precious thing!”
Renard rolled his eyes, “Then I found a treasure chest buried here a long time ago.”
Nami's head whipped up to look at him so fast he was surprised he didn't hear something snap, “Treasure chest?”
Renard nodded slowly, feeling slightly afraid from the manic gleam in his navigator's eyes, “It contained a little over ten thousand coins that had to weigh close to three hundred kilograms. Give or take.”
Nami's eyes glazed over while she literally began to salivate at the sheer amount of wealth they now had. She sat next to him, rubbing her thighs together. Was... was she aroused? A quick glance showed that her headlights were definitely on. If she was that aroused by the gold he'd found, how would she react to the bag that produced thirty kilograms of gold on a daily basis?
A single year of emptying the bag daily would produce almost eleven thousand kilograms of gold. It was literally economy-breaking.
Maybe he shouldn't give it to her just yet... Also, he didn't want it to overshadow the next thing he pulled out, the Grimoire, “I also found this and think it would be best used by you.”
Nami jerked out of whatever fantasy she'd been lost in and looked at the thick book he was holding, “A book? Wouldn't that be a better gift for Libra?”
He considered and shrugged, “Maybe, but she already has her own magic.”
Nami's gaze turned flat, “Magic? You mean Devil Fruit power, right?”
He shook his head, “Nope.” He set the book down for the moment, “Libra can use magic, that's what her power truly is. So, yes, she could learn the magic in this book, which is wind magic, but it would be best if you learned it first to improve your strength. I also can't think of anyone else in the world who would be able to master wind magic better than you.”
Vivi sat to the side, wide-eyed as she listened to Renard. She didn't outright dismiss what he was saying. While she was still rather naive, she'd grown up in the Grand Line and seen some things while working with Baroque Works. She honestly wouldn't be too surprised to find magic was real. It would explain Devil Fruits, but she would need to see some proof to truly believe.
She piped up, “If Libra is really using magic, and not a Devil Fruit, she should be able to swim, right?”
Renard nodded, “And she can, though I think it might be a bit rude to ask Libra to jump in the ocean just to prove it.” He glanced at Libra, “It's up to her if she wants to or not.”
Libra let out a silent sigh and closed the book she'd been reading in the fading light of dusk. She stood and began stripping off her outfit, a loose silk skirt and a tight T-shirt, leaving her in just her bra and a thong. He glanced at Rachnera and saw her looking smug. Did she only make thongs for the girls' panties?
When she spotted him looking at her and glanced over, he gave her a surreptitious thumbs-up. That caused Rachnera to smirk and look even more smug.
Nami and Vivi watched as Libra calmly walked into the ocean next to the ship. In short order, she was treading water to keep her head, specifically her hair, from getting wet. She swam a little bit, then returned to the shore, where she collected a towel to dry off. Vivi stared in surprise. She'd seen Libra using her gravity powers, so she knew she had them. Seeing her swim proved she didn't have the most well-known Devil Fruit weakness.
Vivi looked at Nami, “It's true. If she had a Devil Fruit, she should have been drowning the moment the water rose past her thighs.”
Renard nodded and held the grimoire up and toward Nami, “This book will teach you how to use Wind Magic. Just imagine the possibilities! You would be in charge of which direction our ship goes! If you got strong enough, you could cast a spell and force storms to go away. Who knows what the limit of it could be?”
Nami gently reached out and grasped the book. She looked it over, then locked eyes with Renard, “If this is some sort of prank or trick, I will make you suffer.”
Renard smiled softly, “It's not, I promise.”
Nami held the book to her chest and looked to be in deep thought. He took that moment to turn the huge piece of meat on its spit to cook a different section. His rewards today might not have been the greatest or turned him into a living god, but at least he got something that could make Nami stronger without relying on an item or weapon. Once she learned the spells in the Grimoire, Libra could do the same. So could he, for that matter.
He began playing his guitar and singing softly; it was a lovely night.
-----Line Break-----
Renard stared at the gigantic gold fish surfacing in front of them. He'd completely forgotten about that guy. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with, “Nami, sail around the big guy, I'll make sure it can't find you.”
He took off at a run and leaped hard off the ship and into the air. He flew through the air for quite a distance, but not enough to reach the fish. It was fine, though. He threw his arm forward and launched a long, thin tendril out that snagged on the fish. He used it to reel himself in and land on top of it. He ran to its left eye while activating Grue to bind it. When he got close, he pointed his open palm directly at its pupil and detonated his hand in a powerful explosion that heavily damaged the eye.
The fish let out a deep bellow of pain and began to immediately retreat back into the water. Renard turned and began running before leaping off the sinking fish. Another long whip tendril let him draw himself back onto his ship.
He smirked at the gobsmacked looks on Nami and Vivi's faces. It was good to be him.
With that obstacle dealt with and the Eternal Pose for Arabasta pointing the way, it wouldn't take them too long to get there. While Nami guided them, he decided to put some effort into making himself stronger. He'd been fairly lazy on that front, but now was a good chance to work on gaining some non-gacha skills.
He moved to an open spot on the deck and began his training. It would be at least a week before they arrived at Arabasta, and he was going to put it to good use.
-----Line Break-----
Renard stood next to Nami with her Byakugan activated. They were sailing through a cold fog, and it had shifted Renard to her female form, not that she minded. She lifted a leg of meat to her mouth and bit down while she continued to monitor the waters around them. Thanks to her eyes, she could provide Nami with the information she needed to navigate safely while being visually impaired.
They were getting close to Arabasta, maybe a few more hours or less. Even her Byakugan didn't have a range that large. Though she was happy to note that it had grown to nearly a kilometer, giving her a very useful tool to use. One she was very thankful for as she spotted a very unique ship heading directly toward them, clearly on the same route, but they were going in the opposite direction.
The ship had a swan figurehead, pink sails, and large paddle wheels on the sides. The paddle wheels likely made it a rather fast ship compared to most. On the deck of the ship, she could see a bunch of men and one of her primary targets, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. She grinned and made her way to the port side of the deck and calmly instructed Nami, “Turn just slightly to Starboard. There's another ship in the distance, and I want to pass it without being seen.”
Lucky for her, she didn't have to tell her crew to be quiet. No one on the crew was naturally loud. In fact, she was the loudest one since she tended to play music and sing songs to keep everyone entertained. At least when she wasn't training, she did.
A few minutes later, everyone could hear a lot of noise coming closer through the fog. Renard kept her eyes locked on Mr. 2 without blocking out her surroundings; she didn't want to make that mistake again! She saw nothing around them but the swan ship drawing closer. Even the water beneath their ships was clear, and wasn't THAT a nifty trick?
She could see that the rest of the crew were curious, but stayed quiet and just watched. Just as Mr. 2's ship came abreast of theirs, though it was over fifty meters away, she threw both of her arms forward and launched two tendrils of her biomass. The first wrapped around Mr. 2's waist, while the second wrapped around his head to blind and muzzle him. With a solid yank, she ripped the man away from his ship and reeled him in like a fish.
She could see and feel him struggling, trying to shout and fight his way through her biomass to get more air to breathe. She wasn't about to let that happen. Once Mr. 2 was on the deck of their ship, she quietly guided Nami through the fog to make sure they avoided the swan ship and Mr. 2's crew, who were now desperately shouting for him.
Renard dragged Mr. 2 below deck, still suffocating him in her biomass, and made her way to the brig. His Devil Fruit wouldn't help him escape, so a good set of tight cuffs would keep him locked up nice and tight, as well as prevent him from leveraging his strength to try and break out.
She wasn't just suffocating him and hoping for the best, though. She had her eyes active so she could keep an eye on his heart and make sure she didn't kill him. Given how weak his struggling had become, she didn't think he would last much longer.
By the time she got to the brig, his struggling had stopped, his heart rate had dropped, and it looked like he was unconscious. She opened a hole in her biomass and allowed him to breathe once again. At the same time, she chained him up thoroughly, especially his legs, since he fought mostly with kicks.
[Feat Achieved! Captured Bentham (Mr. 2 Bon Kurei)! +1 Random Gold Gacha Ticket.]
'Roll it.'
[ROLLING!]
[Skill Drain, Elite Ability, Worm Victor - Allows you to drain the skills of people through touch, for example, you can drain the swordsmanship skill of a swordsman to worsen their skill and improve yours, but your skill cannot exceed the one you are stealing so you can't become a sword god by absorbing the skills of 1000 basic swordsmen.]
Renard stared at her new ability, her eyes widening in shock at it. She immediately equipped it since it was her eighth skill and opened up the fourth slot. She immediately clamped her hand on Mr. 2's leg and tried to drain the power of his Devil Fruit.
Nothing happened.
She frowned and changed it to trying to steal his Okama Kenpo. Instantly, she could feel knowledge and muscle memory coming from Mr. 2. She quickly stopped because she didn't actually WANT the Okama Kenpo skill of Mr. 2.
So, it looked like she couldn't steal Devil Fruit powers, which means they probably counted as abilities, or possibly traits. Either way, that was a no-go. That begged the question, what did Haki count as? She was pretty sure Conqueror's Haki had to be a Trait since it was something you were born with. But Armament and Observation? Technically, anyone could learn those, so did that make it a Skill?
She needed a victim!
Unfortunately, the only people she could think of with the skills she wanted to steal were all significantly stronger than she was. As if someone like Garp would just sit still and let her drain all his skill at Armament Haki. She would have to see who she ran into and try to steal skills from them.
She put it aside, for now, and made her way back up to the deck. The fog was clearing, and they could all now see Arabasta in the distance. In just a few short hours, they would be docking at Nanohana and beginning their operations against Crocodile.
If everything was going according to plan, King Cobra should already be cleaning out the army of infiltrators, or even finished with it. Without Mr. 2, Crocodile couldn't frame King Cobra. However, they still needed to hunt down quite a few people. Hopefully, they could catch the majority of them at the Spider's Cafe in the next few days.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the approaching island. This was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done in any of her lives. She just hoped she was prepared enough, strong enough, and skilled enough to handle what was to come.
-----Line Break-----
Only 9.8k words, but this was a good spot to stop. The next chapter will likely cover most, if not all, of the Arabasta content.
So, what do you guys think? I had fun with it, and I SWEAR the Gacha is totally simping for Nami with those two rolls. The fact that he got limitless gold for finding buried treasure just made me laugh my ass off. I've been begging the gacha for one of the limitless food options it has, but nothing. Find treasure and BAM! Limitless gold.
As for where I got the Earthworm Zoan from? I asked Chat GPT for a random Devil Fruit idea, and that's what it gave me. It could have given anything, and I would have worked with it, but fucking worm after chicken? I think GhatGPT is building a farm or something.
Anyway, let me know what you guys thought! Your comments are my motivation.