It was as if an invisible eraser had wiped him from existence—leaving only a cold, echoing voice on the path leading to Arlong Park.
"Everyone, the time for reckoning has come—The Reaper has come to collect!"
A gunshot split the silence.
Bang—!
But humans who rely solely on their eyes could never hope to hit an invisible foe—especially not when Ren possessed the Single Tomoe Sharingan.
He had already predicted the twitch of Captain Nezumi's finger on the trigger and sidestepped just as the bullet whistled past him harmlessly.
"What's going on? He disappeared!"
"Is it some kind of Devil Fruit!?"
"That guy's a Devil Fruit user!"
The Marines, veterans of violence across the seas, weren't new to strange phenomena. They quickly pieced together what was happening—a Devil Fruit user was targeting them.
But that realization didn't help them much.
If they had been elite, well-trained Marines, they might have noticed that Ren's invisibility wasn't perfect—he still had footsteps, still stirred the air as he moved.In theory, there was a chance to fight back.
But these corrupt, lazy Marines? They had no such discipline.
Ren's eyes grew colder as he approached.He didn't bother using his gun—the sound would alert the Fish-Men in nearby Arlong Park.
According to his plan, that place was supposed to first witness a grand display of fireworks… then be trampled by a beast.
As for these Marines—He could handle them himself.
[Character Template Switch: Third Calabash Brother!]
[Indestructible Vajra Body!]
[Strength: G → F++ → E!]
[Agility: H- → F!]
[Endurance: G → F++ → E!]
His stats skyrocketed. Golden sigils rippled beneath his skin, radiating raw, terrifying power.
The Marines panicked.They drew blades and aimed rifles but had no idea where to shoot.
Ren seized the opening. Wielding his Doran Blade, also coated by the Invisibility Potion, he lunged forward and slashed.
The nearest Marine was decapitated instantly, his head sailing into the air before crashing to the ground.
With a flick of Ren's wrist, the blood flew cleanly off the blade. Then he charged into the crowd—swift, precise, merciless. Every strike was an efficient execution, every movement a rhythm of death.
Beheading.
Throat-slitting.
Heart-stabbing.
Gut-tearing.
Whatever worked best, he used without hesitation.
It was as if a murderous wind howled through the formation—Marines dropped one by one, dying without ever seeing their killer. Some tried to fire, only to realize the more they tried to shot, the faster they died.
Finally, one of them panicked, dropped his rifle, drew his sword, and—ran.
They were all in it for money anyway. That man was clearly here for their superior. No point dying for someone else's sins.
And so, an absurd scene unfolded. When the slaughter ended, over ten corpses littered the ground.
Only Captain Nezumi, kicked onto his back, remained—his once-proud soldiers had fled, abandoning their commander like rats from a sinking ship.
"Come back, you idiots!" Nezumi roared, lying sprawled in the dirt. "You think you'll get away with leaving me here? You'll all be punished for this!"
But abandoning one's superior in battle was a crime the Navy would never overlook. Those deserters would face investigation—and likely execution.
"Scream all you want," Ren's icy voice echoed down the path, "No one's coming to save you."
A sharp sound followed—the ring of steel cleaving through metal. Nezumi's pistol was sliced clean in half. The severed barrel clattered to the ground, pounding like a hammer on his heart.
"Who are you!? Why are you attacking the Navy!? If you kill me, the Marines will hunt you down to the ends of the world!"
He shrieked, waving his saber wildly, panic twisting his features into madness.
But to someone like him, who had long forgotten how to fight, even flailing was useless.
A moment later, an invisible hand caught the blade in midair.
The 180-second timer ticked down to zero. The invisibility faded—revealing Ren's golden-patterned fingers gripping the steel until it cracked under sheer pressure.
He stared down at the trembling man, eyes glowing scarlet. "First time meeting in person, Captain Nezumi. Do you still remember a boy named Keya?"
"You—!"
Nezumi's pupils contracted. Rage flared, then died beneath a wave of dread. He stumbled back, shaking.
"You already killed my nephew! You've had your revenge! Why won't you leave me alone!?"
Ren's voice was like ice. "If it weren't for your silent approval, that filth Nezuro could never have ruled that island's underworld. If not for your interference, the townsfolk wouldn't have been too terrified to even protest."
His Sharingan gleamed, tomoe spinning lazily. "And you took Nezuro's bribes, didn't you? A man who feasts on blood money doesn't get to call himself innocent."
"We—we can talk!" Nezumi stammered, trembling but desperate to live. "If you think I've wronged you, I'll kneel and apologize! I'll give you all the money I took! Please—if you kill me, the Navy will brand you a murderer! You'll never find refuge anywhere in the East Blue!"
Ren tilted his head, a cruel smirk tugging his lips. "Have you forgotten, Captain Nezumi? I'm already a pirate—one worth a whole hundred Beli bounty, thanks to you. This world's 'order' never had a place for me to begin with."
Nezumi froze, then babbled frantically, "I can fix that! I'll revoke the bounty! We can negotiate, there's no need to destroy both our futures—"
"No need," Ren interrupted coldly. "I only came here for one thing—"
He stepped in close, golden veins blazing under his skin. His hand turned into a blade and pierced straight through Nezumi's chest.
"—To see what color your heart really is."
"You…!"
Nezumi's scream died in his throat. Darkness swallowed him as the cold hand of death dragged him down.
Ren withdrew his blood-soaked arm, a still-beating heart pulsing in his palm. He examined it, expression unreadable.
"…Looks just like mine," he murmured. "But it's rotten black through and through."
With that, his fingers crushed the heart into pulp. Blood splattered the ground.
Then, with a clean swing of the Doran Blade, Ren severed Captain Nezumi's head.
He didn't look back. He turned toward the orange grove and walked away.
The earlier gunshot had echoed once—but to Arlong's pirates, it would sound like a Marine's weapon. After all, the Marines had fired once already. No Fish-Man would investigate that.
Unless a full-scale battle erupted, Arlong's crew would stay put. That cunning bastard knew how to feign ignorance when it suited him.
As Ren advanced, he heard voices ahead—villagers from Cocoyasi, led by Genzo, approaching from the other side of the path.
(End of Chapter)