CHAPTER 27 — The Tides That Teach
📅 11 May, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
📍 Foosha Village Docks
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The morning air smelled like salt and seaweed as Ren walked toward the docks with a small notebook in hand.
The storm had left the sea unsettled, but the fishermen were already preparing to head out.
Mr. Wolt spotted Ren first.
"Well, look who's up early! You here to sell salt already?"
Ren shook his head.
"No… I came to learn."
The fishermen exchanged amused looks.
"Learn what?" one asked.
Ren pointed toward the boats.
"Tides. Currents. Bait patterns. Net design. Anything you can teach."
Old man Higgins laughed.
"You talk like a grown man in a child's body."
Ren didn't respond. He simply opened his notebook.
Mr. Wolt scratched his chin.
"…Alright. Follow me, kid."
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PART 1 — THE SEA IS A TEACHER
The men showed Ren the basics:
✔ how the currents bend near the cliff
✔ how moon phases affect fish movements
✔ why net weights differ by season
✔ how bait smell spreads underwater
✔ how wind direction changes catch success
Ren listened carefully—absorbing everything.
At one point, he knelt by a bucket of baitfish, staring intensely at their scale pattern.
Higgins coughed.
"Uh… Ren? You okay?"
Ren didn't look up.
"The oil layer… spreads unevenly. If I apply pressure here—"
He squeezed a tiny amount of fish oil onto the water.
The oil spread out like a thin film.
"If concentrated, this could attract fish more effectively."
The fishermen went silent.
Then Wolt burst out laughing.
"This kid's going to steal all our jobs!"
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PART 2 — A TRAP LIKE NO OTHER
Ren spent the afternoon sketching a new design:
bamboo funnel shape
weighted stone entry
fish-oil-coated bait-holding stick
narrow exit to prevent escape
rope-release mechanism
Kiro leaned over Ren's shoulder.
"…You sure that thing isn't a weapon?"
"It's a trap."
"For fish or for humans?"
"Fish."
Luffy tried climbing into the trap.
Ren yanked him out.
"STOP GETTING INTO EVERYTHING!"
"But it looks FUN!"
Ren sighed.
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PART 3 — TESTING THE DESIGN
Mr. Wolt decided to test Ren's trap at the rocky outcrop.
They set it underwater.
Ren crouched, watching ripples.
Kiro crossed his arms.
"If it doesn't work—"
"It will," Ren said confidently.
Five minutes passed.
Ten.
Then Mr. Wolt gasped.
The trap was swarming with fish.
At least twice what they normally catch in an hour.
Higgins dropped his pipe into the water.
"I'll be damned… this kid's a gold mine!"
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PART 4 — A BUSINESS BEGINS
By noon, Ren had made five traps.
The fishermen bought them immediately:
5 traps × 5,000 Beli each = 25,000 Beli
Ren blinked when he felt the weight of the coins in his pouch.
"…That's too much."
Wolt shook his head firmly.
"No. It's too little. But we're testing your genius. Next batch will cost more."
Ren bowed his head.
"Thank you."
Higgins patted him.
"You earn it, boy."
Luffy whispered loudly to Kiro:
"REN IS BECOMING RICH!!"
Kiro smirked.
"As long as he doesn't forget us."
Ren rolled his eyes.
"I live with you two idiots. I can't forget."
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PART 5 — NIGHT REFLECTION
In his shed, Ren wrote:
> Fishing Trap Mark I:
Success rate ×2.3
Needs durability upgrade
Village relations: stronger
I'm learning from them… but they're also learning from me.
He paused.
His mind moved faster than before.
Connections forming between ideas quicker.
Salt… traps… airflow… clay… herbs…
Patterns emerging.
Ren touched his temple.
Something inside him was growing.
And he didn't know if that was good or dangerous.