Ace and Yakumi exchanged a look and stopped what they were doing. They climbed up a low earthen slope nearby and looked into the distance. Oz Jr. set down his massive stone hammer and sat down obediently beside the small slope.
As the three of them were peering out, a curious voice rang out from beside Ace and Yakumi.
"What are you three doing here?"
Hearing the voice, Ace and Yakumi turned around to see Ren.
"Lord Ren, good day."
"Big Boss, what brings you here?"
Ren looked at the two men before him, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes. Ace was wearing overalls and a hard hat, carrying a shovel in his hand. Yakumi was dressed similarly, though he had a massive mesh net slung over his shoulder. Their strange attire was quite outside Ren's expectations.
He then looked at Oz Jr., who was gripping his heavy hammer, and the unusually flat ground below. He realized what the three of them were doing in the Yellow Springs. The scene before him looked exactly like a construction site.
"Are you... laying a foundation?" Ren asked, seeking confirmation.
Yakumi nodded. "Lately the seas have been calm, and there haven't been any incidents involving the deaths of powerful individuals. So, I took advantage of this free time to come over and tidy up the Yellow Springs."
"Didn't you want to build a city here, My Lord? I thought I'd scout out a few locations with good terrain first. It will make things much easier when the time comes to actually start building."
Yakumi's voice was calm, but he was secretly delighted. 'To put in effort on a whim and have the top boss happen to see it... this is the kind of thing that makes a man feel good.' Yakumi could already see his future career prospects brightening.
Of course, he didn't forget his colleagues. "Ace and Oz Jr. saw I was working alone and came to keep me company. Right now, we are relocating the souls in this area and leveling the ground."
Ren surveyed the nearby landscape. This area was situated in a basin, surrounded by high mountains on all sides. The terrain inside was flat and open, and the size was just right. Building a city against the mountains was indeed appropriate; they wouldn't even need to build city walls.
He nodded slightly. "Not bad. We will use this site to build the city in a while."
Ace and Oz Jr. wouldn't have thought of this; it must have been Yakumi who chose the spot. He was, after all, an elite of the Uchiha clan.
"I'm glad you are satisfied, My Lord." Hearing Ren's praise, Yakumi felt even better.
Ace asked curiously, "Big Boss, why did you suddenly come over? Is the Soul Society not busy anymore?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the black cat at Ren's chest. The unfamiliar Spiritual Pressure he had sensed earlier was coming from this cat. 'A cat with such strong Spiritual Pressure?' Ace tilted his head, a hint of confusion in his expression.
"Is this cat..."
"Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Yoruichi."
Ren scratched Yoruichi's chin and looked at Ace. "Ace, you should have seen her at the wedding."
Yoruichi extended a front paw and waved at Ace and Yakumi, then turned to wave at Oz Jr. "Yo, little ones! How are you doing?"
Oz Jr. opened his mouth, his voice booming with surprise. "A cat... is the Big Boss's wife?"
"That's impossible," Ace speculated. "It's probably some kind of ability."
Yakumi looked at Ren, then at the black cat on his chest, and hurriedly bowed. "To think it was Lady Yoruichi! Please forgive my rudeness for not recognizing you immediately."
When he used to travel back and forth to the Soul Society, he had heard clan members mention that the noble family Lord Ren had married into had rather... dusky skin. But looking at it now, it wasn't just dusky skin; it was as if the species had changed entirely! However, just as Ace said, it was likely a transformation from some kind of ability.
Ren said, "I came this time just to accompany Yoruichi and let her see the environment here. I didn't expect to run into you."
In his arms, Yoruichi's gaze fell on Ace, and a look of realization dawned on her cat face. "I remember now! I did see you at my wedding to Ren."
"At the time, you were eating and chatting with someone when you suddenly fell fast asleep. I remember it nearly scared everyone around you to death. They thought the food was poisoned! Then you just started eating and drinking again like nothing happened."
The incident had been so bizarre that Yoruichi remembered it clearly, and she recalled it the moment she saw Ace.
Ace rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Sorry, sorry! That's a bad habit of mine."
Yakumi, standing to the side, remarked, "That's more than just a bad habit. Normal people don't do that. I honestly think there's something wrong with your body."
When he first met Ace, he had been startled by this quirk. He had tried to persuade Ace to change, but the results had been quite discouraging. After knowing Ace for so long, he had gradually become accustomed to it. Having seen so much, he could only say that the people on these seas were all more or less a bit 'troubled' in the head.
The massive Oz Jr. nodded in agreement. "Ace does have that bad habit."
Ren took Yoruichi for a walk around the Yellow Springs. Yoruichi went from being curious at the start to losing interest quickly when faced with the repetitive scenery. She reached out a claw and hooked Ren's collar, tugging on it.
Ren understood immediately. After a brief chat with the three of them, he prepared to leave.
Before departing, Ren suddenly asked, "Ace, where has that younger brother of yours reached by now?"
Ace thought for a moment and said, "He has already reached Wano Country. I heard he was locked up in prison after challenging Kaido. He should be in jail right now."
"Wano Country!"
Ren was startled. 'How could it be so fast?' The last time he had seen Luffy and the others off at the Sabaody Archipelago was only a little over a month ago.
In other words, in such a short amount of time, Luffy had cleared Fish-Man Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou, and Totto Land to arrive at Wano. It was lightning fast.
When he used to follow the story, it took over ten years; thinking about it now, it was truly incredible. But since Luffy had reached Wano, then it was almost time to collect the souls of people like Kaido and Big Mom.
Seeing the slight change in Ren's expression, Ace asked in confusion, "Big Boss, is there something wrong with Luffy?"
"It's nothing." Ren paused, looked at the construction site and the tools in Ace's hand, and asked, "Your brother was locked up by Kaido. Aren't you worried?"
"Luffy has his own adventure. As someone who is already dead, I shouldn't interfere casually." Ace flashed a smile. "Besides, it looks like Luffy's companions are planning something. It's better if I don't disturb them, lest I mess things up."
"You certainly are free-spirited," Ren remarked.
He didn't linger any longer. Drawing his Zanpakutō, he casually sliced through space, setting the coordinates for the Sabaody Archipelago.
After bringing Yoruichi back, Ren said, "Yoruichi, once I've finished taking you around this island, we'll head back to the Soul Society."
He was about to take a step when he felt his collar being pulled again. Ren pulled Yoruichi out from his chest. "What is it now?"
"Mr. Serious, isn't your Zanpakutō's ability to tear through space and go to new worlds?" Yoruichi's amber eyes were sparkling, her excitement higher than ever before. "Can you show me how you do it? And while you're at it, let's go visit that new world!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]