[138] Ren's First Sanctuary
[2200 Words]
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The fish-man stood tall, his massive body and carefully sculpted muscles in full display before a scowling Nojiko. His dark blue skin gleamed under the sunlight. His arms and legs were adorned with golden bracelets, giving him the aura of a warrior from the depths. His strong tail extended behind him like sharp shark fins, while his eyes glared menacingly as he looked at the frail humans compared to him: "What are you staring at, you weak human?!"
The fish-man growled angrily, displaying his blatant prejudice, as his loud voice drew the attention of the nearby fish-men, Ren, and the rest of the crew.
"B-Bell-mere… you…"
Nojiko looked at Bell-mere, whose body trembled slightly as if recalling some bad memories. Rage simmered in her heart, and she was about to do something crazy—slaughter every fish-man there—but she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
It was Ren who had reached her instantly. His expression was gentle towards Nojiko, yet there was an icy coldness in his gaze as he looked at the arrogant fish-man.
Then he looked at the other woman:"No need to worry, Bell-mere..." He knew the woman was struggling with post-traumatic stress; she had died at the hands of a fish-man, experienced that dreadful feeling, and now here she was, facing another fish-man who was threatening her in the land of her killer.
"What are you weak humans babbling about—" The fish-man was about to finish his sentence when he abruptly stopped, a look of shock on his face.
*Swish!*
Nami had already reached him, drawing her sword and slashing his neck with a quiet fury. His head fell to the ground, followed by his massive body.
In one second or less!
That was all Nami needed to decide the fish-man's fate, so without hesitation, she ended his miserable life without any consideration of the consequences.
He had reminded Bell-mere of the worst moments of her life—her death—and killing him was the kindest thing Nami could do.
"A-a murder!"
"Run!"
"Where are the guards?! Someone's been killed here!"
"A human k-killer!"
Chaos erupted among the fish-men, and the crowd that had been watching the drama scattered like headless chickens, but the ones responsible for this chaos remained calm in their place.
"This should quickly attract King Neptune's attention," Ren muttered, instructing his crew to relax and wait for the "visitor."
Unfortunately, it seemed that Ren would not be enjoying the company of mermaids after what had happened.
Not much time passed before a large group of individuals dressed in the royal guard uniforms of Ryugu Kingdom arrived in a hurry.
In the sky, Ren and the others noticed a giant whale that appeared to be swimming through the air, heading toward them with several notable figures aboard.
'Here they come,' Ren thought, looking at King Neptune standing on the whale. Neptune had a serious expression on his face as he looked at Ren.
He wasn't alone; several guards were with him, along with his three sons and the Minister of the Left.
"Welcome, Warlord, to my kingdom. I wonder what brings you to our island?"
Neptune got straight to the point, ignoring the headless fish-man corpse.
The guards were on alert, and everyone could feel the tension in the air.
This was natural, as who didn't know the man with blue hair standing before them? This was the newly famous warlord, one of the killers of Whitebeard—the Black Death, Ren!
Known for his overwhelming strength that allowed him to stand against Whitebeard and fight alongside the admirals, as well as his defeat of the first division commander of the now-disbanded Whitebeard Pirates, and his victories over the former warlord Crocodile and many other accomplishments.
"Hello, King Neptune." Ren smiled amicably, looking at the large merfolk who had quietly landed on the ground.
Neptune was puzzled about how Ren knew his name, but he soon replied, "Hello… Black Death? I'll just call you that, then."
"You can call me whatever you like, as for my purpose on Fish-Man Island… I can't reveal it here." Ren looked at Neptune, expressing his desire to discuss his purpose privately, away from the public eye.
King Neptune fell into deep thought, pondering what Ren could want from their island. What would make him risk such a dangerous journey to Fish-Man Island, other than to reach the other half of the Grand Line?
A long silence ensued as Ren's crew grew bored, looking around at the sights of Fish-Man Island and its citizens.
"Your Majesty… I don't think Black Death has bad intentions..." whispered the Minister of the Left, who stood beside King Neptune, in a low voice.
"You're right… Fish-Man Island is under the flag of the World Government, and attacking it would mean his warlord title would be stripped… But what if he doesn't care about that title?"
The Minister of the Left fell silent for a moment, his expression complex as he considered Neptune's words.
"Father, may I have a word?"
Fukaboshi suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of Neptune, the Minister of the Left, and the other princes.
"What do you think, Fukaboshi, of Black Death's intentions?" Neptune spoke in a low voice. They were far from Ren and assumed that their conversation would not be overheard. But how mistaken they were… Ren was hearing everything thanks to his Observation Haki.
"As the Minister of the Left mentioned... I don't think he has ill intentions. Otherwise, why hasn't he started his attack from the moment he arrived? He hasn't killed anyone except that person over there… who was likely one of the extremists who hates humans…"
"I understand, Jamon~." Neptune replied, finding his son's reasoning logical. He prayed in his heart and decided to take a gamble.
"Guards, escort our guests to the Ryugu Palace, Jamon~" Neptune signaled to the guards, and his words were exactly what Ren had been waiting for.
"You won't regret your decision to listen to me, King Neptune." Ren looked at him and ordered his crew to follow.
....
Meanwhile, in the depths of the sea, meetings and discussions were taking place far from the eyes of the world above the surface, where matters were heating up even more, especially in the Sabaody Archipelago.
A curfew had just begun, with over 99 hours left before residents could freely leave their homes.
Dozens of ships and warships were anchored at the ports of the Sabaody Archipelago. If anyone saw them, they would assume that a Buster Call had been issued on the archipelago.
"His head was blown off, you say?" A tired voice spoke through the Den Den Mushi held by a tall man wearing a yellow suit, with the white Marine cloak draped on his back.
"Yes, Sengoku-san… and there's no sign of those with black cloaks…~" Kizaru replied in his usual tone.
"That's impossible! Someone would have seen them if they'd left the Sabaody Archipelago… Either they're still there or—"
Sengoku was about to finish his sentence, but Kizaru interrupted: "I know what you're thinking, Sengoku-san… but unfortunately, that's not true. I've checked with all the ship coaters, and they all said they didn't coat any ships today, especially for pirates…"
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent before letting out a tired sigh: "In any case… you must stay there until the curfew ends! The World Government is furious about what happened, and no doubt I'll be reprimanded again! Damn it!"
Sengoku groaned before cutting the line immediately. "That's terrible~ that's scary~" Kizaru seemed to mock rather than genuinely fear, in contrast to his words.
....
In the Holy Land, the capital of authority, Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle.
*Bam!*
An angry hand slammed the wooden table, which seemed to be made of the finest wood in this world, shattering it.
"This is blasphemy against us!" Saint Topman Warcury shouted angrily, then looked at the other elders in the room and continued, "Is there really no way to prevent this from spreading?!"
"Calm down… anger will get us nowhere." Saint Marcus Mars looked at the enraged Topman Warcury , then continued, "The news has already spread throughout the Sabaody Archipelago… and no doubt the public will tell everyone they know about this major incident… I mean those on other islands through the Den Den Mushi!"
"The death—or rather, the murder—of a Celestial Dragon is not an everyday occurrence, and with the way those scum hate us, there's no doubt they'll spread this news like wildfire…" Saint V. Nusjuro growled, a controlled fury simmering beneath his cold expression.
"Enough of this. The news will spread, but we won't stand idly by. We will destroy anyone we suspect of being behind this…" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stood up from the sofa, his gaze seeming to pierce through the world beneath the Red Line.
"We'll show the world what happens when the World Government is angered." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter Said in a cold tone.
.....
"You want to place Fish-Man Island under your flag?" King Neptune looked at Ren in astonishment.
They were currently in the guest hall inside Ryugu Palace. The hall was luxurious and adorned with the finest and most expensive furnishings, with several guards stationed at the entrance.
Ren and his crew had arrived here a few minutes earlier, unaware of the chaos occurring in the world above the sea. There was a rare peace in the Ryugu Kingdom.
'But this peace won't last without strong deterrence…' The blue-haired pirate looked at King Neptune and replied, "Yes, I see that Fish-Man Island faces serious challenges after Whitebeard's fall. No doubt you'll raise the flag of one of the Emperors sooner or later, and I don't think I'm much worse than the Emperors."
Ren wasn't being arrogant or anything like that; with his own strength, he could fight against the Emperors. Winning was still uncertain, but after consuming the Shock Fruit and advancing his Haki to higher levels, he was confident in himself.
Although his fleet was still somewhat small, his crew consisted of individuals with powerful and unique Devil Fruits. Alongside Haki, which each crew member possessed, it was a formidable strength as well.
After Ren's words, Neptune fell into deep thought, fully aware of his need to seek protection under the flag of a major pirate.
Although Fish-Man Island was nominally under the protection of the World Government, it had long been neglected, with promises and treaties ignored. Despite agreements forbidding the trafficking of mermaids and fish-men in slave auctions, the government turned a blind eye. Additionally, the island's remote location in the ocean depths made it challenging for others to reach, and historical tensions with humans prevented any marine bases from being established.
It took only ten minutes for King Neptune to reach a decision, after which he raised his eyes to meet Ren's, who appeared small compared to him.
"I…"
....
[One Day Later]
On Fish-Man Island, life continued as usual. The only noticeable change was a colossal pirate flag now flying from a towering building.
This flag was visible upon entering the island. Though relatively unknown a few months prior, it was now recognized worldwide by pirates, navy officers, and civilians alike.
The flag of the Sin Pirates!
[Image Here]
"I see… Thank you. Keep up the good work."
Ren stood by the window of the room designated for him on Fish-Man Island, ending his call on the Den Den Mushi.
His expression was cool, and from his recent conversation with Tashigi, schemes and twisted plans seemed to form in his mind.
"Garp and Luffy in the East Blue… I must hurry…" His voice was icy, his fists clenched tightly as his Conqueror's Haki infused his aura, forming ominous black lightning around him.
"The World Government, the Marines, pirates, the Revolutionary Army… I'll slaughter them all…" A crazed smile appeared on his face as he envisioned his unfolding plan, which had begun the moment he brought Fish-Man Island under his protection.
"But I didn't expect the World Government wouldn't be able to contain the news of the Celestial Dragon's death… Rehahaha, it's funny! What will you do, Five Elders? Destroy an island or two in a fit of rage? Rehahaha!" His laugh was quiet but tinged with madness and a hidden hatred for the true powers in this world.
*Knock, knock*
"Come in."
Ren resumed his cold expression and spoke in his usual tone.
"Captain Ren, is it time to return to Alabasta?" Robin entered the room, her steps steady, gazing at Ren calmly.
"No, not yet. There are still some interesting things here… and returning now wouldn't be wise. The World Government has lost its mind over what happened."
Robin detected a hint of mockery in Ren's tone. She understood the reference to the incident involving the Celestial Dragon's assassination.
"Interesting things? Like what?" she asked, watching as he responded, "The Poneglyph I mentioned to you earlier. It's time to see it."
"Oh! Right, but… will King Neptune allow this?" she questioned. Ren chuckled lightly and replied without hesitation, "If he doesn't, I'll force him to."
"Oh…" Robin knew her captain's personality, though she still found it a bit unsettling. However, she couldn't deny that his confidence, arrogance, and dominance… stirred her in some way.
"Follow me." At those words, Ren had already vanished from his spot, reappearing by the door, which remained slightly ajar.
"Ok, Captain~!"
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To be continued...
500PS= Bonus chapter.