In his previous life, he'd only ever seen such things in grim news reports about the northern borders of Myanmar. Never had he imagined that this kind of business existed in the world of One Piece as well.
Thinking back, it seemed that his predecessor—the body's original owner—had taken his own life out of fear. Fear that he couldn't repay his debts and would have his body parts "reclaimed."
In his memories, Captain Nezuro's clients had also been based overseas.Could they be connected somehow?
But then again, organ transplants shouldn't even be possible in this era…
Should I ask?
Ren's gaze shifted toward the corner by the door.
There, a man in a white coat was kneeling on the floor, both gloved hands raised.
He looked normal enough—except his gloves were far too red.
So red they hurt the eyes. So red that Ren felt an instinctive urge to pull the trigger.
Perhaps sensing that killing intent, the man stammered in panic, shouting,"I'm a doctor from the Bloodhand Gang! I was only following orders! You can't kill me! If I die here, the Bloodhand Gang will never let you go!"
Habitually, the man resorted to threats.
He had noticed that the two before him had reacted emotionally to the corpses around them—and those corpses had all been his handiwork.
Begging would be useless, so he could only rely on intimidation.
"I just want to ask you a question," Ren said calmly, unmoved by the threat.If he actually cared about offending them, he wouldn't have caused this mess to begin with.
"Do you know a man called Nezuro—or as some call him, the Godfather?"
"..."
The doctor froze for a moment before replying hesitantly,"From… the Sixteenth Marine Branch, right?"
Excellent. So this man was one of the buyers of his predecessor's "spare parts."
What a small world.
"Zoro."
Ren suddenly turned toward the swordsman, who stood frowning with barely contained anger."Mind working overtime?"
He didn't bother mentioning the scum they'd already executed—Zoro wouldn't care anyway.
No Marine presence here meant the island wasn't under Marine jurisdiction.Even a massacre wouldn't trigger a bounty notice.
That was the difference between allied and non-allied nations.
The East Blue was vast, but not everyone enjoyed the Marines' protection.
"...I won't be your hired killer," Zoro said, eyes narrowing as his hand tightened around a sword hilt, "but this time, I'll act on my own will."
Even after years of wandering the East Blue, this was the first time he'd seen depravity like this.
Call it pity for his fellow man, or shared rage between predators—either way, he couldn't suppress the fire in his chest.
"Is that so? Good. We're heading in the same direction then."
Ren stepped through the doorway, his finger brushing the trigger of his silver Desert Eagle, the muzzle lifting slightly.
"Wait, I can surrender! I… I'll repent for my sins! Look!"
The man grabbed the silver cross hanging from his neck, babbling,"I'm a believer! God will punish my sins!"
His mind was already unraveling, his words spilling out in incoherent desperation.
Ren didn't bother correcting him. He simply looked at the man once, expression unreadable, and then raised the gun.
"Forgiveness belongs to God. My job is just to send you to meet Him."
Bang!
A flash of light, a sharp report—the bullet tore through the man's skull, bursting it like an overripe watermelon.
He collapsed lifelessly, just another corpse among many.
Ren spared him a single cold glance before turning away.He didn't bother interrogating further or looking at the other victims.
The One Piece world was thrilling in stories—but when fantasy became reality, one could see the mountain of corpses beneath the legend.
This world was inherently dark. Chaos, sin, and slaughter were its natural state.
Ren felt neither surprise nor sorrow.He only cared about what he had to do.
"This is only the beginning," he murmured. "Tonight will be a festival for the good."
Zoro didn't quite catch his words.
Later, Ren and Zoro located Jick's treasure—a hidden chamber.
Inside, they found ledgers packed with records of extortion, robbery, and murder.
The final entry documented the miserable man from upstairs:he had lost everything at the Bloodhand Gang's casino—money, wife, daughter, and even himself, all "reclaimed" as payment.
The parts weren't for transplants at all.
They were for the Bloodhand Gang's banquet—for some "prove yourself" performance.
The method: live consumption.
Even after finding the truth, Ren felt nothing but disgust.
From earlier intel, he knew the Bloodhand Gang was the largest syndicate in Cuckoo Town, originally founded by retired pirates.
Compared to the small-time thugs he'd faced before, these pirates were far more vicious.
You could tell by their gear alone—Jick's group had only a few flintlock pistols, and they could barely shoot straight.
The four goons who had followed Nami were all armed, but they hadn't realized how dangerous Ren was until it was too late—only one of them had managed to draw his gun before dying.
The gang had over a hundred members spread across several nearby islands.
That didn't sound like much, but every single one was a former pirate.
They formed the gang's core, using local subordinates like Jick to control smaller towns and islands.
And Cuckoo Island was their largest base.Because of the annual "Gathering," all branch leaders were currently assembled here.
From what Ren learned, these key members were staying throughout Cuckoo Town.
That tavern earlier? One of their lodgings.
Which meant things were about to get messy.
But—"Who cares? Tonight's the good guys' carnival."
Ren smiled grimly. He'd pay them a personal visit and deliver the "gifts" of the righteous.
But before that, he had one more task—a new round of Dimensional Roulette.
While Zoro kept watch outside, Ren spent a moment inheriting Jick's remaining assets.
Two million Beli vanished into the roulette's glowing interface, and his balance flickered.
{Chip Balance: 20,300,000}
In real currency, that was a fortune—enough for a man to live out the rest of his life in peace.
But to Ren, it was fuel—resources to become stronger.
For the good men's carnival tonight, he'd need all the power he could get to send those villains to hell.
"Now then—my turn!"
The VIP roulette spun seventy-nine times, the notifications cascading down like a waterfall.
{Draw Result – One pack of Cigarettes}{Draw Result – Teacher Aoi's Limited Edition Album (XX Ver.)}{Draw Result – Malay Kris}{Draw Result – Explosive Tag ×1}{Draw Result – Explosive Tag ×2}{Draw Result – Sharingan}{Draw Result – Explosive Tag ×2}{Draw Result – Explosive Tag ×1}{Draw Result – Health Potion ×1}
A pile of glowing orbs materialized into solid items at Ren's feet.
But instead of excitement, he stood there dumbfounded.
Wait—what did he just see?
Sharingan!?
Ren immediately checked the pile of items—nothing.Then he realized something and quickly opened the light-screen interface.
(End of Chapter)