Chapter 185 – Hawkeye and Isshō Join, Hancock: That Day I Met My Angel!
"What do you think?"
Renji did not answer Isshō's question directly. For him, there was no right answer.
Did he want to become the new Celestial Dragon?
He did not.
But once he took that step, everyone would exalt him, push him onto that throne, and the cycle would repeat. Nobles could never truly vanish.
Just like with his crew—if they succeeded, would Kaido and the others not become the new "Twenty Kings"?
"I do not know," Isshō said calmly. Many things in this world were never fixed. Besides, he was only a passing drinker in a tavern; how could he impose his will on another?
"You do not seem like a pirate."
Lowering his head, Isshō sipped his drink. He had no answer—and perhaps there was none—but from the beginning, he had felt that Renji was different from the pirates he knew. Pirates were greedy and ambitious; he sensed none of that from Renji.
"I never said I am a pirate," Renji said. "I merely went to sea, and they branded me with a bounty. To the World Government and Marines, I am a pirate. But compared to others, I am a savior."
It was all a matter of perspective. No rule said pirates must be greedy or wicked. The label "pirate" had been forced on him.
"That's true. Everything I know about you came from newspapers," Isshō nodded. All his knowledge came secondhand, from rumors and headlines.
The papers were filled with stories of Renji's so-called crimes. But meeting him in person, he found Renji completely different.
"If you overthrow the Celestial Dragons," Isshō asked, "how will you deal with the pirates of today?"
He did not dwell on whether Renji might become a new Celestial Dragon. That was far from certain. Who could know if Renji would even succeed? The World Government had stood for eight hundred years for a reason.
In Isshō's view, the world's chaos came from two sources: the Celestial Dragons and the pirates. The Dragons were filth—but among pirates, there was even more.
He had seen it countless times—pirates landing on islands only to burn, kill, and steal.
"Some pirates are forced to sea," Renji said, "but most are driven by desire and evil. If it were up to me, I'd kill that part of them completely, leaving only those who truly seek adventure."
In truth, most pirates were just scum.
Pirates did not produce—so where did their food come from?
From robbery.
They robbed treasure, women, anything they desired. They lived off plunder. Even those who robbed other pirates were simply stealing what thieves had already stolen.
A pirate was nothing but a thief—romanticized by stories.
"Can you kill them all?"
"No," Renji said. "It must be paired with reform. And if one day, all islands were gathered into one continent, there would be no pirates."
Then it would become the age of mountain bandits.
"Sig… this grand age as you wished," Renji murmured.
"Such power—can a mortal achieve it?" Isshō was stunned by Renji's vision. If he truly united all islands, perhaps the world would indeed be free of pirates.
If every island were connected, what would be left to plunder?
"Five hundred years ago," Renji said, "there was a giant demon named Oars. He carried entire islands he liked. If he could do it, so can we."
Oars' legend still lingered. He could move islands at will.
And that was much like what Joy Boy had once tried to do.
In his letter to Fishman Island, Joy Boy had apologized—for failing to fulfill his promise—to bring Fishman Island to the surface so they could live on land.
He failed.
Perhaps the D Kingdom had once been one vast land, shattered by Im's ancient weapon. Or perhaps Joy Boy had been moving islands toward the Great Kingdom, only to be stopped by Im and others.
Whatever the truth, Joy Boy's dream inspired Renji. He too wanted to gather all islands together, so that piracy would end forever.
"You will offend two great powers," Mihawk interjected.
If Renji truly did this, the first to turn against him would be the pirates.
Once all islands were united, how could they sail and rob again?
Not all would oppose him, but many would.
The second would be the World Government. Breaking the current world order was something they would never allow.
He would offend everyone, and the chance of success would be small.
"But if you succeed," Isshō said softly, "you will change the world itself."
"Changing the world sounds exciting," Mihawk murmured, glancing at Renji, considering whether to accept his invitation.
Bad experiences had made him cautious, but Renji's vision had meaning. To be part of that change—perhaps it was worth it. Yet first, Mihawk had one goal to finish.
"I'll join your crew," Mihawk said seriously, "but first, I must fulfill my dream."
Renji smiled. "Agreed."
He knew Mihawk's dream—to challenge every swordsman alive. To fight them all, and to win.
His future crew—Kaido, Barrett, Mihawk, Kuma, and himself—would shock the world when they appeared together.
Then Renji looked toward Isshō. If Isshō joined, their lineup could crush Marine Headquarters single-handedly.
"I can feel your intent," Isshō said quietly. "You want to invite me. But I am only a blind man."
Though his words sounded like refusal, Isshō was already thinking.
He wanted to join, but he feared whether Renji would remain true to his ideals.
"Blind in sight, not in spirit," Renji said. "You have strength—why not use it to change the world?"
"I can go with you and see your land," Isshō said. "But that does not mean I am joining."
He wanted to see Renji's domain—to judge him by his deeds, not words.
Renji had vanished for years; surely, he had built something by now. Isshō wanted to see for himself.
"Of course, you're welcome," Renji replied with a grin.
Once Isshō arrived, he knew the man wouldn't leave.
Renji had poured everything into reviving Wano, transforming it from deep poverty to prosperity. Even Oden had stepped aside willingly. When Isshō saw it, he would understand—Renji truly was different.
Isshō was a man of principle. He had joined the Marines to help people, to abolish the Seven Warlords system, and to protect civilians.
One banquet had gained Renji two admiral-level allies.
A pity, though—the reward hadn't triggered yet. Perhaps it would once they officially joined.
"Think about the ever-growing pirates instead. Renji cannot be viewed through ordinary eyes," Tsuru said coolly, reminding the others.
Now was not the time to focus solely on Renji. Roger's final act had unleashed a wave of piracy that would haunt the Marines for years.
"That bastard Roger planned this from the start!!" Sakazuki's face darkened with fury. The Marines had been tricked—Roger had surrendered on purpose, using his death to ignite the Great Pirate Era.
"Deploy more troops. Everyone, redouble your efforts," Kong said. Suppression was impossible now. All they could do was capture as many pirates as possible and slow the chaos.
Everyone agreed, even the usually relaxed Garp. Only Borsalino sighed inwardly—he just wanted to clock in and go home.
"As I said before—we need intelligence on Renji. Without knowing his movements, we are always passive," Tsuru said.
Intelligence. Every time, that was their weakness.
Renji's abilities were a mystery—his plans unknown, his base hidden. He was in the shadows while they stood in the light.
With such strange powers, capturing him was impossible—so information became crucial.
"Undercover?"
Kong understood Tsuru's intent. But sending agents was risky, and Renji might not even accept them. He hesitated. In this new Great Pirate Era, there would be too many pirates for the Marines to handle.
Before Tsuru could continue, a Den Den Mushi rang.
Kong frowned. He already guessed who it was.
"Kong," came the cold voice of Saturn. "It seems the Marines have thoroughly botched this. Nothing to say?"
They had waited days before calling. Kong had reported the incident earlier, but they had told him to wait for their decision.
"I will take responsibility," Kong said.
"Easy to say," Mars replied sharply. "With such consequences, what responsibility can you take?"
"Kong, this was your failure. There will be punishment. Also, prepare to pass your position to Sengoku. But first, Sengoku must complete a task," Saint Peter said coldly.
"What task?"
Kong was surprised; it seemed too simple.
"Ohara. We found two ships from Ohara researching history. You know what that means."
The call ended.
Researching history was a capital crime. CP had found the ships and captured their scholars. Now the Marines would move.
A Buster Call.
Kong understood. Ohara—the Island of Scholars—had to fall. Even if it meant public backlash, the Five Elders wanted the Marines to act.
"Troublesome indeed. Ohara must be erased," Saint Warcury said.
Roger's final words hadn't just sparked the Great Pirate Era; to reach the Final Island, one needed to read the ancient script. Ohara was the key—and thus had to die.
"Indeed troublesome. That damned Roger left us this mess even in death," Saturn said bitterly.
They would not punish the Marines too harshly now—they still needed them. And even then, the Marines might not be able to hold the line.
"Erase Ohara first, then focus on Renji."
"But we have no intelligence."
"Then find it. Have CP search the world. He cannot hide forever."
Even without a plan, they would hunt him. Renji had been active lately—there would be a trail to follow.
But first, they would handle Ohara.
The scholars had to die. As long as no one could read the ancient language, no one would uncover the secrets of the Final Island.
"Sir Renji, are we almost there?"
"Almost. I just don't understand why you insist on traveling by ship," Renji sighed.
He had offered to use Kamui to take Isshō directly, but Isshō refused—he wanted to travel by sea. In Loguetown, Mihawk had left to pursue his dream, and Isshō had chosen to follow Renji to Wano.
"I want to know you better, Sir Renji," Isshō said quietly.
Along the journey, he asked many questions, hoping to understand Renji's heart. The more they talked, the more certain he became—Renji was exactly as he seemed.
Life was not about reaching the end quickly. The scenery along the way mattered most.
"Fine—but Isshō, perhaps don't know me too well."
"Why?" Isshō asked.
"Because I don't like being understood too deeply by men."
"I see," Isshō nodded solemnly. "In truth, I don't like men either."
How could he say that with a straight face? Renji nearly laughed.
"Sir Renji, ahead seems to be a chance to do good," Isshō said suddenly.
"Your Observation Haki is impressive," Renji replied, surprised.
He himself had the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, enhancing his senses, but Isshō—without such powers—could detect so far away. Then again, the Gravity Fruit could summon meteors from the heavens; precision required powerful perception.
"A blind man having a few special skills is normal," Isshō said. Without sight, one must rely on other senses—his Observation Haki was only natural.
"This might be interesting," Renji said, activating his own Haki.
He sensed the people aboard a distant ship—a slaver's vessel—and among them, three girls. He froze for a moment.
The Boa sisters.
As their small boat neared, the pirates on the slaver glared menacingly, though one cursed in disappointment.
"Only two? One's ugly, but the pretty white-faced one should sell for a fortune!"
Seeing Renji and Isshō approach, they sneered. They had only caught three sisters so far—this would add to their profit.
"B-Boss, maybe we should leave!"
"Leave? I am Bloody-Hand John! Bring the ship closer!" the man barked. Run? What a joke!
"But boss—that's the enemy of the gods… Renji!"
The underling's voice trembled. If his captain wanted to die, why drag them with him? Could they ever capture that man?
"Who?! Who did you say—"
Before John could finish, lightning struck, turning him to ash.
Renji did not waste words on scum like that.
He turned to the ship's dark cell.
A sliver of light broke through as he opened the door. Boa Hancock squinted instinctively—she had forgotten what sunlight felt like.
Since her capture, she had struggled, then despaired. Escape was impossible. Hearing her captors talk about selling them, guilt and sorrow consumed her. If not for her, her sisters would not have suffered this.
"It's over. You're safe now."
A warm voice spoke beside her ear.
Through the light, Hancock looked up at the man before her—and in that moment, she thought she saw an angel.
(End of Chapter)
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