East Blue.
Inside the Marine base of Loguetown.
"That guy… he's still alive? This time, I'll make sure to arrest every last one of them!"
Smoker crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes filled with a fierce glint as he stared toward the far horizon of the sea.
It had already been half a month since the incident where the Red-Haired Pirates attacked Loguetown.
Thanks to the skilled doctors at the branch base—and his own tenacious will to live—he had recovered from the brink of death.
If it hadn't been for the fact that the Red-Haired Emperor's killing intent had been aimed solely at Ren, and that Smoker himself had only been struck incidentally by a Haki-infused punch, he probably wouldn't be standing here at all.
Once he'd recovered, Smoker had returned to the Loguetown branch to resume his duties—only to immediately receive new orders from Marine Headquarters.
Monitor the movements of the "Demon" Ren, and report all findings at once.
And because the one who delivered that order was Vice Admiral Garp himself, Smoker knew it was no joke.
That man—the one who had turned the entire East Blue upside down—was still alive.
More than that… he was thriving.
For reasons of internal politics, Marine Headquarters had chosen to suppress any news of Ren's survival.
The only confirmed intel came from a few days ago:
The Demon Pirates had made a move on the Beist Islands, annihilating a local pirate nest.
After collecting the bounty for the raid, they had gone on a massive shopping spree—buying up supplies, furniture, even provoking a conflict with another pirate group… and wiping them out as well.
Too strange.
A pirate crew staging traps on islands, killing other pirates just to make money for food and furniture?
Was that what pirates were supposed to do!?
Smoker didn't understand—but he was sure of one thing: those bastards had to be captured.
"Bwahahaha! I'd like to see that happen myself."
Vice Admiral Garp's booming laughter echoed through the office as he slouched comfortably on the sofa.
The voyage from the Sixteenth Branch to here had taken him barely ten days.
"Vice Admiral Garp, I can handle this myself."
Smoker turned toward the legendary Marine hero, his expression complicated. "Why aren't you staying in the Sixteenth Branch? Shouldn't you be cleaning up the filth there—the corruption and abuse of power under the Marines' own name?"
"That sort of work isn't for me," Garp replied casually. "I already handed everything over to the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau."
"The Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau?" Smoker sneered. "I've been reporting that corruption to them for months. Every single word I sent vanished without a trace.
It's as if that bureau doesn't even exist. But now that the Sixteenth Branch has been destroyed by Ren's revenge—and Captain Ryan handed over every scrap of evidence himself—they suddenly appear?"
"Hey now, don't go taking that fire in your heart out on me," Garp said, digging lazily at his nose. "If you've got a grudge, take it up with Tensei.
But I already told you—you're not gonna get the chance to confront a guy like him while you're stuck down here at the bottom."
Then Garp's eyes shifted slyly. "Also, you might want to remember something—if it's just you, you might not be able to handle that boy.
He's beaten emperors' men, survived an encounter with Red-Hair, and slipped through my hands.
You sure you can handle someone like that on your own?"
"Um… will the Demon Pirates really come here?"
Tashigi's soft voice broke the tension. The beautiful swordswoman held her sheathed katana tightly against her chest, trying to appear composed—but Garp's very presence made her nervous.
After all, he was a living legend.
"They will," Smoker replied coldly. "Loguetown is the only supply point before the Grand Line. No matter where in the East Blue they set out from, or how much they stock up, they'll have to stop here for provisions.
Otherwise, the Demon Pirates won't even make it to Reverse Mountain."
Then he gave Garp a pointed look. "And besides… Vice Admiral Garp isn't really in Loguetown right now."
"Eh?!"
Tashigi blinked in confusion, staring at the living, breathing Garp sitting right there.
"Bwahahaha! What he means is that I came here all on my own—snuck off and ran all the way here by myself!"
Garp laughed heartily, flicking the bit of debris from his finger. His gaze turned sharp with amusement. "You know, Smoker, I'm starting to think you should switch posts.
How about it? Why not come be my adjutant? I'll train you personally!"
"We'll talk about that after I catch Ren."
Smoker didn't reject the offer, but his eyes clouded with a complicated emotion as he rested his hand over his chest.
He could never forget how powerless he'd been before the Red-Haired Emperor—how even a single punch had nearly ended him.
Even a proud man like Smoker had to admit: he needed to grow stronger.
"I see," Tashigi murmured suddenly, realization dawning. "That's why there are fewer Marines patrolling the streets—but so many more undercover operatives around town."
But at that exact moment—
Twenty nautical miles outside Loguetown, the Enlightenment brushed past the outer waters without stopping.
Not even glancing at the only supply point on the route, she headed straight for Reverse Mountain.
"Hey, Ren, are we really not going to restock at all?"
At the helm, Nami asked anxiously.
Nearby, Nojiko directed the Iron Knights to raise the sails, while Zoro leaned casually against the rail, polishing his swords.
Ren sat cross-legged near the foremast, not even looking up. "No need. If I'm right, that old man Garp is probably waiting for me in Loguetown. We'd have no chance against him right now.
As for supplies… that's easy."
He opened the Dimensional Roulette, instantly conjuring a pile of food.
"Oh! That thing again, huh? If we've got enough of this, we'll be fine for a while," Zoro said, intrigued as he picked up a bucket-shaped container covered in strange, unreadable symbols.
Back when it was just the two of them, this was how they'd filled their stomachs.
Now that Nojiko was aboard, it had been a while since he'd tasted it—and he actually missed it.
"Wait, your Devil Fruit can create food now? What about water?" Nami asked, stepping over with her massive map in hand after locking in their course.
"Of course," Ren replied calmly. The numbers in his retinal display flickered:
{Remaining Tokens: 1,000,000}
A second later, the deck filled with an assortment of food and water—cakes, rice, canned drinks, barrels of water—everything imaginable.
"That's amazing, but…"
Nami crouched beside him, smiling sweetly as she pinched his cheek. "Shouldn't you at least explain what kind of Devil Fruit power this is? So we don't have to keep asking silly questions that you think are obvious?"
"There's really not much to explain," Ren said with a shrug. "As long as I've got money, I can get whatever I need.
It's like gambling—you spend the cash, and if you're lucky, you get what you want. If not… you lose it."
He'd summarized the Dimensional Roulette neatly, disguising it as a mysterious Devil Fruit ability.
"But… aren't Devil Fruit users supposed to be weakened by the sea?" Zoro asked curiously.
"How do you know that?" Ren blinked.
"It was in that Haki Training Manual you gave me," Zoro said, his tone thoughtful. "It mentioned Logia-type users—those who can transform into natural elements.
They can only be hurt by the sea, Seastone, or Armament Haki. Smoker, the guy in Loguetown who turns into smoke, must be one of those, right?"
He spoke with a keen analytical edge—and impressive memory. "But if I remember right, you don't seem affected by seawater."
Zoro had personally seen Ren jump into the sea to bathe—without a hint of weakness.
"There's no need to hide it," Ren said after a pause. "It's true. I'm not affected by seawater or Seastone."
He decided it was better to tell them now—so that if he ever fell into the ocean mid-battle, his crew wouldn't recklessly dive in after him.
"Truly unique," Zoro muttered, but didn't pry further.
They were comrades, not interrogators. Everyone had their own secrets.
"I'll move these supplies to the storage hold," Nojiko said, approaching the mound of food and water.
"Put them in the general storage area—they don't need refrigeration," Ren instructed, watching her direct the Iron Knights to haul everything below deck.
The Enlightenment's steam engine provided steady electricity, so even the cold storage room was running smoothly now.
Thanks to that, both Nami and Nojiko could enjoy hot showers anytime they wanted.
Ren somehow always happened to pass by the corridor on those occasions—"accidentally" overhearing or running into Nami or Nojiko as they stepped out in bathrobes.
The difference was…
Nami would roll her eyes and walk past without a word.
Nojiko, on the other hand, would ask gently if he was hungry—and since Ren could never be sure which kind of "hunger" she meant, he'd just chuckle awkwardly and retreat upstairs.
Thinking about it now, Ren turned to Nami. "When will we reach Reverse Mountain?"
"At this pace? A little over two days," Nami replied, studying the glowing symbols on the giant map and cross-referencing with her own charts.
With the Baratie Restaurant's logbook and the navigation charts they'd obtained from Quint Island, her skill as a navigator made the journey effortless.
Finding Reverse Mountain was guaranteed.
Her only concern was the current itself—according to the records, the upflow current leading onto the mountain was unbelievably violent.
She hesitated, then voiced her worry. "That current sounds really dangerous. Think your powers can help?"
"The raging upcurrent, huh?" Ren murmured, recalling the massive stream that had carried ships up into the Grand Line.
Yeah… that was going to be tricky. One mistake, and they'd be smashed to pieces.
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Don't worry. I'll handle it when the time comes."
"Alright. I'll trust you."
Nami stretched lazily, her arms arching high above her head—revealing a glimpse of her smooth, pale waist.
Ren instinctively glanced her way—and quickly pinched his nose to stop a rising nosebleed.
Today, Nami wore a pink top and shorts even shorter than usual. Her sunlit skin was dazzlingly bright.
"Keep an eye out for any signs of Reverse Mountain—or anything unusual. I'll be in the Weather Garden," she said, striding away.
She didn't mind Ren's gaze at all. In fact, she was used to it.
Besides, she wanted him to look.
Every time she changed outfits, she'd watch for his reaction.
If he didn't react enough… that outfit wouldn't be making a second appearance.
(End of Chapter)