"Alright, that was just a joke. If I were to run experiments, I'd do it on those damned pirates."
Ren waved a hand casually.
"R-Really?"Koby let out a sigh of relief, then another thought crossed his mind.
His captain always used words like those scum or damned pirates when referring to pirates.
But…
"But Captain, aren't you… a pirate too?"
"Pirate?" Ren arched an eyebrow. "Koby, I've never thought of myself as one. You only think I am because the Marines put a bounty on me. But—"
He suddenly smiled faintly, his gaze calm and sharp."—Why should a person let others define who they are?"
"Huh?" Koby blinked, confused.
Most pirates would be thrilled to have a bounty. He had never seen one so seriously deny being a pirate.
But wasn't being wanted by the Marines what made someone a pirate?
"Koby, maybe you don't get it yet," Ren said, his voice soft but cutting. "To me, the Marines have never represented truth or justice. They're nothing more than order."
"But… the Marines are justice! Everyone says so!"
Perhaps because the topic touched on his dream of becoming a Marine, Koby actually raised his voice. "I don't know why Captain Ren was given a bounty, even if it's only a hundred Beli… but if the Marines put one on you, you must've done something bad, right?"
"Oh? So that's what the Marines look like in your eyes. Fair enough."Ren didn't get angry. Instead, he gave a pitying chuckle. "Yes, Koby, I did kill someone, and that's why they put a price on my head. The one who issued it must've despised me so much he gave me only a hundred Beli."
He paused, his tone darkening.
"But I don't believe I committed a crime."
"If the world's laws can't deliver justice," he said coldly, "then from that moment on, personal vengeance becomes sacred and righteous."
He stepped closer, his eyes sharp as blades."Imagine this—an ordinary man is attacked by a thug. He defends himself and kills the attacker. When the judge declares him guilty of excessive self-defense, would you still think that's right?"
"...Ah." Koby was speechless. He didn't know what his captain's past was, but he had seen things like that before.Even on Alvida's ship, there had been people who became criminals because life left them no other choice.
"You're still too young," Ren said, patting his shoulder. "What you've seen is all filtered through propaganda—a rosy illusion. A caterpillar can't see the world outside its cocoon."
He smiled faintly. "If you can't understand now, then you'll get your chance soon enough."
"We're headed to Cocoyasi Village. There, you'll witness another side of justice."
"And if, after that, you still think the same way you do now—then I'll let you go, to chase the Marine dream you believe in."
He meant it.
Koby had potential—he was young, and his worldview could still be reshaped.But if he refused to see reason, Ren wouldn't hesitate to part ways with him.
Ren hadn't decided where his own path would lead, but one thing he knew for sure—a crew divided in heart and belief could never go far.
He'd tasted failure too many times before. He had no desire to taste it again in this new world.
At the side, Zoro didn't join the conversation. Instead, he crouched next to Chester, curiously poking the creature.
When he realized Chester wasn't hostile—and that Ren had indeed shown he could store and retrieve items from it—Zoro accepted it quickly.
"Does it need to eat? What do you feed it?" he asked.
"...No idea. It doesn't seem to need food. But I'm not sure—it's still new. We'll see. If it gets hungry, I'll deal with it then."
Ren was a bit caught off guard by the question but quickly came up with an answer.
He reached into Chester's mouth and pulled out a small vial of Health Potion. Uncorking it, he downed the liquid.
A soft green glow spread through his body, washing away much of his fatigue.
The strain from using the Sharingan had always been something he endured with the help of templates and medicine—but he knew that couldn't last forever.
Which meant it was time to deal with the Arlong Pirates.
Their last stop, Cuckoo Island, wasn't far from Cocoyasi Village.In fact, the Desire Compass seemed to lead them there deliberately.
"Fate, huh…"Ren murmured, eyes glinting coldly as he pulled out the compass.
"Show me a location where I can safely land near Cocoyasi Village."
Click.
The needle snapped around and fixed on a direction.
Ren smiled. He'd figured out how to use it—it wasn't exactly like the one from Pirates of the Caribbean, but close.
A degraded version, perhaps, yet easier to trick.He simply had to focus on what he desired most, repeat it silently several times, and the compass would respond accordingly.
'A nice little patch job'
The Arlong Pirates ruled over more than twenty villages, even covering sea zones that should've been under several Marine branches' jurisdiction.
The people there lived under brutal oppression—forced to pay outrageous "tribute" fees to the fish-men just to stay alive.
And yet, to the outside world…
—to the Marines—everything here appeared perfectly normal.
Under that illusion of peace, the Arlong Pirates drained the land dry, stealing its wealth, dignity, and lives to strengthen their rule.
The suffering villagers could only endure.Every day was a cycle of toil, theft, and desperation—doing whatever it took to scrape together enough money to keep their families safe for one more month.
They had long since accepted their fate, just like the townsfolk of Goose City.
Perhaps that was why the Arlong Pirates' headquarters at Cocoyasi Village had little in the way of defenses.
Ren's crew landed easily at a nearby bay.
The bay was crescent-shaped, its shore lined with tiered stone steps. A long-abandoned campsite stood nearby, overgrown and weather-worn.
Standing aboard the Pipi Shrimp, Ren gazed into the distance, emotion flickering in his eyes.This was the very place his past self had planned to flee from—naturally, it had the perfect setup for a single-masted ship to dock.
After Zoro and Koby finished unloading supplies, they followed Ren's orders and began setting up a new camp there.
When the work was done, Zoro brushed off the dust from his clothes and climbed the stone steps to the top of the bay.
Ren, still peering through a crystal telescope, asked without looking back,"Done?"
"Food, tents, and all the random stuff are set," Zoro replied. "So, what's the plan? If we're just gonna wipe out the Arlong Pirates, we don't need a base camp."
"You guessed right—but I have… other plans."
Ren lowered the telescope, eyes narrowing toward the distant outline of the village.
(End of Chapter)