Ren intended to plant Orochi's Mark on those people, not with any real intention of controlling them, but more importantly to prevent them from acting under his banner, pillaging and burning.
Although he was defined as a pirate by the Marines and the World Government, he was not the kind of person who would target ordinary civilians. It was one thing to rob other pirates, but preying on common folk was just contemptible.
On the other hand, this would also prevent the Marines and other factions from seizing the opportunity to plant their own agents among them.
Shutendouji took the small snake and, seeing Ren rise as if he were about to go along as well, couldn't help but ask, "You're coming too, sir?"
"After all, they're the ones planning to follow me. It's only right to take a look, especially since not all of them are total scum," Ren said. "Have them gather on Rishiri Island first. I'll be there shortly."
"Understood." Shutendouji nodded, cradling the small snake in his hands and leaving.
Ren left the hall with Yukiko, intending to take a bath.
"Yayoi, you come too. You'll be coming with me to Rishiri Island later," Ren said.
"Yes, Lord Ren!" Yayoi nodded and followed him, while July behind them waved her hands and shouted loudly.
"What about me? Me? I wanna go too!"
"July, stay behind and continue your training," Ren said without turning back, leaving July alone on the ground, tears streaming down her face. July hadn't had a proper rest in a while. Since gaining her ability, her training intensity had increased significantly, and her strength might soon be rivaling Mina's.
...
On the coast of Rishiri Island, hundreds of pirate ships were docked. Most of them looked filthy and disheveled; after all, they were pirates. Only those who were doing well for themselves cared about hygiene.
"That bucket guy told us to gather here, but he's nowhere to be seen himself."
"'Raiden' himself doesn't seem to be here either. Damn it, there's a limit to how much you can look down on people!"
Several thousand people had gathered on Rishiri Island, and since they were all criminals from the sea, few had good tempers. They could barely accept being made to wait by Ren, but they were far from peaceful with each other.
"You ugly bastard, what are you staring at?"
"Who the hell are you calling an ugly bastard!"
"You shorty, don't step on my toes!"
...
Just a short while after Shutendouji left, the place was on the verge of becoming a battlefield. Pirates from different regions couldn't stand the sight of each other and quickly drew the swords at their waists, preparing to fight.
"They're nothing but a rabble," Shutendouji shook his head. Even when he was a bandit on Head Mountain, this lot was better behaved.
"Lord Shutendouji, aren't you going to stop them?" a Kairouki samurai in heavy armor, seeing that Shutendouji was just watching the commotion from the sidelines, couldn't help but ask. "If this continues, a real conflict might break out."
"It's fine. This is also the master's intention. We're not just any cats and dogs who can join up. This is a good chance to see their strength first," Shutendouji said, reaching for the sake flask at his waist. He was about to take a drink but then thought better of it and put it back down.
Due to the incident of being exiled to the Guardian Forest, he had learned his lesson. Quitting alcohol was out of the question, but he could endure and wait until all his affairs were settled before drinking, so he wouldn't have to worry about making a mistake.
"There are some decent fighters among these people. This is a good opportunity to gauge their strength," Shutendouji said. Another reason was that among the two thousand-plus pirates from the New World, there were more than a few with bounties in the tens of millions. It would be difficult for him alone to suppress so many of them, even if he did manage to injure the few Kairouki present.
Besides, there were likely spies planted by other factions.
Regarding their act of planting spies, Shutendouji knew that Ren didn't mind at all and was, in fact, quite pleased. After all, once these people were in, they would be controlled by Orochi's Mark and would become pawns against their own masters.
...
"What on earth is that guy thinking? Just leaving us hanging like this?"
In the crowd, four people gathered in a corner, their sharp eyes scanning the noisy masses. This group was as steady as a boulder in a river. If one looked closely, one would notice that there were quite a few small groups similar to them.
"Who knows. In any case, don't forget our mission," the man leading them said expressionlessly.
"Mr. Garo is no fun at all..." another woman laughed. She had been about to say something else, but she was interrupted by a man whose appearance was an eyesore.
"Hey now, aren't there two beauties here?" The man was nearly three meters tall, his belly bigger than a water jar. His mouth was full of black, missing teeth.
He was dressed quite handsomely, but it was a strange, mismatched look, like a hairless monkey from Mount Emei dressed in a suit.
This man's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he stared at the two women. He walked over on two legs thinner than his arms, and it was a mystery how such spindly legs could support his weight.
"How about it? Wanna come play with me, big daddy? I'm way better than your two male companions here. Once 'Raiden-sama' takes a liking to me, you'll all rise with me."
"Get lost!" The woman who had spoken first glared, pinching her nose and roaring in disgust.
This arrogant attitude instantly annoyed the pirate.
"My bounty is ninety million! Hawks! It's your honor to follow me!" he roared, and his breath emitted a nauseating smell. The four of them took a step back in unison.
"Kurisu," the leader, Garo, gave a look to the blonde woman, indicating she should handle the nuisance herself.
"Tch!" The woman called Kurisu said in annoyance. She was short with her golden hair tied in twin tails, a rare flat-chested girl in the pirate world.
"You bastard, ready to die?" The killing intent in her eyes was almost becoming tangible, but the fool opposite her still didn't seem to have caught on.
"Move it, you stinky brat. The one I've got my eye on isn't some flat-chested girl like you!" Hawks cursed, and his gaze then locked onto the other woman, who had red hair and a stunning figure.
"Pfft." That woman covered her stomach and laughed.
"Flat-chested???" Kurisu's eye twitched. The Haki within her surged forth like resentful threads, her nails sharpened, and fine, short fur began to grow all over her body.
"You're dead, you bastard! I'm going to rip all your limbs off!"
Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard.
"A... an ability user?" Hawks's pupils contracted, but they quickly relaxed. It was just a Zoan ability user; it wasn't like he'd never seen one before.
[
Hey everyone,
I hope you're doing well. I'm writing this with a heavy heart because, for the first time in over two years of creating content for you all, I've been hit really hard financially.
I've always tried to keep things running smoothly—updating regularly, posting daily, and even putting out bonus chapters on Patreon. But right now, I'm in deep trouble trying to manage my education expenses on top of everything else.
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