Zoro had wanted to refuse, but Ren offered him far too much.
Besides, those scumbags really weren't good people—and they had even been using his name to stir up trouble.
Without another word, Zoro turned and strode toward the small building. "Those bastards dare use my name? It's time they paid for their crimes!"
The swordsman kicked open the door with unstoppable force, twin blades flashing as shouts of confusion erupted from inside.
It sounded like a string of firecrackers going off—within seconds, thugs were flying out the windows, crashing into walls, or hanging half-stuck in the frames, heads drooping lifelessly.
"Lively as always. Knew Zoro wouldn't disappoint," Ren remarked lazily, chewing on gum. He stepped back a few paces, raising his silver Desert Eagle and aiming it at the back of Jick's head. "Don't move. Stay still, and you might live through this."
"Y-Yes, sir…"
Bound with his arms twisted behind his back, Jick squirmed on the ground like a caterpillar, eyes brimming with tears as he listened to the pounding inside the building.
Every crash echoed straight into his heart.
It was like a helpless husband tied to a chair, forced to watch his wife betray him right before his eyes.
Agonizing.
Zoro's strength was unquestionable. These petty thugs, not even worthy of being called pirates, stood no chance against him.
In no time at all, he had cleared the first floor and stormed up to the second.
The second-floor hallway—his battlefield—shook violently. Windows shattered one after another as several goons were sent flying out of the building.
Some crashed onto the ground, others got stuck in windows, and a few lay groaning in the corridor.
Jick stared with bloodshot eyes, his heart sinking deeper with every blow.
It was clear his men wouldn't stop the pirate hunter. In the end, everything he'd built would be wiped out.
All his years of effort—ruined by a single mistake.
And the man who caused it all watched with amusement, a faint smile on his lips. For a moment, Jick couldn't even tell who the real villain was.
Robbing rich young masters had always felt satisfying. Spreading one's name was supposed to be glorious.
Shouldn't those two pleasures together make him even happier?
So why… had everything gone so wrong!?
Just then—urgent footsteps echoed through the night.
Not one set, but several—rushing down the alley beside the small building.
Enemies?
Ren's eyes narrowed as he activated two abilities in rapid succession.
[Buff State: Blessing of Arrow Avoidance!][Magic Trick: Crosshair!]
A surge of energy swirled around him, forming an invisible barrier that deflected incoming projectiles.
Then his vision flashed—an ominous crimson crosshair appeared before his eyes.
Snap!
Ren snapped his fingers. A burst of flame shot forward, striking the approaching figures.
The firelight illuminated several startled faces before the explosion lit up the entire street for an instant.
At the front was none other than Nami, whom he'd seen earlier in the tavern. Behind her were several vicious-looking men armed with swords, their necks tattooed with ferocious ghostly visages.
The thugs in the rear slowed, squinting against the blaze to gauge the situation.
But Nami only ran faster, sprinting straight for Ren. The heavy bag strapped to her back didn't seem to slow her down at all.
Her orange hair whipped back in the gust, revealing her pretty face. She threw herself into Ren's arms, pointing frantically at the men behind her.
"Darling, it's them—they're trying to kill me!"
Darling?
That meant… husband?
They're together!
The four pursuing thugs froze for a beat before realizing the truth.
"She's got backup! Kill him and take the treasure back!"
"Don't kill the girl! The boss said she has to be brought back alive—he wants to interrogate her personally!"
"Shit—it's the Bloodhand Gang! Run, damn it!"
At the same time, Jick—the "caterpillar"—managed to lift his head and shout hoarsely, "Those bastards used to be pirates! Worse than me! They'll kill without blinking!"
His desperate cry drew the gang's attention. The thugs glanced over, faces twisting in confusion.
Wait—wasn't that the boss's adopted son?
He called the boss "father" every day, swore he'd be the man's loyal dog—yet now he was tied up like a worm, glaring at them like enemies?
"What the hell is going on?"
"Who cares! The treasure comes first! Kill them and grab it!"
"Take out the man! Don't shoot—if we hit the girl, we're dead!"
Their recognition didn't slow them down.
The four thugs charged forward, blades flashing. They fanned out to block every possible escape route, careful not to use their flintlocks for fear of hitting the woman their boss had marked.
"The times have changed, old man."
Ren raised his gaze, eyes cold as death.
The crimson crosshair hovered, locking onto its first target.
The silver gun lifted—
—and the slaughter began.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Muzzle flashes split the night as bullets screamed through the air. In an instant, three of the sword-wielding thugs dropped, lifeless.
The supersonic rounds tore through their bodies, shredding their insides like a blender.
They fell without a word—dead before they hit the ground.
The last thug froze in terror, fumbling to draw his pistol.
Ren's eyes were icy. He loosened his arm from around Nami's waist and let his hand fall to the hilt of his blade.
As the woman darted aside, he slid the silver Desert Eagle into the holster at his belt.
Then—he lunged forward!
Cold steel sliced through the night. The thug's flintlock roared, the muzzle flash illuminating his twisted face—
Shunk!
Blood sprayed like a fountain. The man clutched his slashed throat, eyes wide with disbelief as he stumbled and fell backward.
Expressionless, Ren dragged his long blade closer, raising it high—then drove it down.
The tip pierced through the man's chest, snuffing out his final breath.
The dying thug's empty eyes stared up at Ren, as if trying to etch his killer's face into memory.
Ren said nothing.
He simply watched in silence as the light faded from those eyes.
It wasn't his first kill. When he tore out Nezuro's trachea, the scene had been far bloodier—but that had been fueled by vengeance.
He'd shot plenty of pirates since then, but killing with a gun and killing with a blade felt entirely different.
That pirate he nailed to the Gus's deck—Ren had deliberately avoided looking at the corpse afterward, doing it only to make a point.
Strictly speaking, this was his first time killing after fully preparing himself.
Watching the life drain away right before his eyes.
No hatred. No gain. No debt of blood.
Only self-defense—and an unflinching strike.
He was teaching himself to adapt to this world.
Because ever since he'd seen his new trait—[Wanderer Beyond Worlds / Rider of Fate's Tide]—and accepted the bounty poster Zoro had given him.
Ren had known: he would never again live a peaceful life.
So he saved a bullet—choosing instead to shatter the chains binding his own heart in the wildest way possible.
No questions. No hesitation. Only the kill.
Gradually, the turmoil inside him ebbed away.
And in that calm, Ren found the result he'd been seeking.
(End of Chapter)