Chapter 147: Sweep, Luffy! (Patreon)

Loguetown, Marine Base.

Smoker put down the Den Den Mushi, his brow furrowed.

He took a long drag from his cigar, then made another call. "Send Tashigi to see me."

He walked over to a map of the East Blue and studied it carefully.

A moment later, Tashigi arrived.

She looked at Smoker in front of the map and asked, "Smoker, you called for me?"

Smoker didn't take his eyes off the map. Cigar in mouth, he said, "Marine Headquarters just called. Captain Morgan of the 153rd Branch has been killed."

Tashigi paused, then exclaimed in shock, "Another Marine captain? Who did it?"

Smoker pulled a photo pinned to the map and tossed it to her. "This guy."

Tashigi caught the photo and looked at it. When she saw Ren Kurogami's youthful face, she stared in disbelief. "Are you sure? He's so young. How could he kill a Marine captain?"

Smoker took another drag. "He's killed more than one."

Tashigi blinked, then quickly caught on. "You mean... Captain Nezumi was also killed by him?"

Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Whether it was him or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Headquarters has decided it was."

He turned to face her. "Headquarters ordered me to set out immediately and pursue him."

"I'll leave things here in your hands while I'm gone. I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

Tashigi nodded. "Understood."

Loguetown sat at the junction of the East Blue and the Grand Line. Not only was its location strategically important, it was also the Marines' most important base in the East Blue. Someone had to stay behind.

Since Headquarters had specifically assigned Smoker to pursue Ren, Tashigi, whose strength was second only to his, was the best choice to hold the fort.

Soon, a Marine warship departed from the harbor.

…

Time flew by. Three days had passed since Ren killed Captain Morgan.

On the deck of the Death, Ren was sparring with Zoro.

Zoro assumed a stance with his two swords crossed, his voice low.

"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"

With that, he charged at Ren with explosive speed.

Ren's expression remained unchanged. Ryūjin Jakka flashed forward in an ultra-fast slash as he called out lightly,

"Ryūjin Jakka First Form: Sweep!"

CLANG!

Ren's blade struck directly at the crossing point of Zoro's swords, forcibly stopping his Oni Giri before it could be completed.

Having his technique interrupted like that was an extremely unpleasant feeling for Zoro.

Then Nami's voice rang out.

"You two! Come eat!"

Ren withdrew Ryūjin Jakka.

Zoro put away his three swords as well.

He was frustrated.

Just three days ago in Shells Town, Ren's swordsmanship had been inferior to his.

The very next day, when Zoro challenged Ren again, his swordsmanship had already become comparable to Zoro's.

Today, it was even worse. Ren's swordsmanship had already begun to suppress him.

That rate of improvement was truly outrageous.

Still, Zoro was the type to grow stronger with every setback.

The faster Ren improved, the stronger his fighting spirit became.

He decided then and there to double his training from today onward. As long as it wouldn't kill him, he'd train as if it would.

Meanwhile, Ren quietly opened his status panel.

Over the past three days, Ren had raised the Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni Character Template to Level 13 and unlocked Ryūjin Jakka's first form, Sweep.

Sweep was a pure high-speed slash that didn't require Shikai.

At the current stage, Sweep was already faster than Oni Giri, which was famous for its speed.

As Ren's level continued to rise, Sweep would become even faster.

Because the weather was good, they had lunch on the deck.

Nami's cooking was quite good. Although she couldn't compare to Sanji, the dishes she prepared were still delicious.

During the meal, Nami spotted a News Coo in the sky and waved it over.

Soon, the News Coo landed.

Nami bought the latest newspaper.

Before she could even open it, a bounty poster fell out.

She picked it up and let out a gasp.

"Ren, you've got a bounty!" She placed the poster on the table.

Ren and Zoro leaned in to look.

The photo on the poster had been taken without his knowledge in Shells Town.

The name on the poster still showed only a single name.

"Ren."

The bounty was set at 50,000,000 Berry.

Zoro stared at it in surprise.

"You're Ren?"

Ren and Nami looked at him, confused.

After Zoro explained, Ren and Nami immediately understood.

It turned out Ren had already been wanted before.

The previous bounty poster most likely lacked a photo and his full name because the villagers of Cocoyasi Village still wanted to protect Ren.

THUD!

A sudden impact shook the ship.

Nami's expression changed slightly.

It was obviously the sound of the ship colliding with something.

Out on the vast sea, nothing was more frightening than damage to the hull.

She immediately went to inspect it.

At the same time, from the barrel that had collided with the Death, a pair of hands suddenly burst through the lid, stretched out to grab the Death's railing, and launched a body high into the air.

The figure crashed down, smashing the dining table and scattering all the food Nami had worked so hard to prepare.

Ignoring everything else, the newcomer immediately began wolfing down the food.

The sudden turn of events left both Nami and Zoro stunned.

Ren, however, looked at the newcomer with a strange expression.

The iconic straw hat and red vest.

There was no mistake.

The newcomer was none other than Luffy.

Ren truly hadn't expected to meet Luffy under these circumstances.

After stuffing every bit of food into his stomach, Luffy patted his belly, still wanting more.

"That saved me. I almost starved to death..."

Then he grinned at Ren and the others.

"Thanks for saving me!" Nami had already recovered.

A smile filled with thoughts of Berry spread across her face.

"Don't mention it. As long as you pay."

"The food you just ate was made from extremely rare ingredients and prepared by a master-level chef. That'll be one million Berry."

"As for the table, consider it a complimentary gift."

Luffy's jaw dropped.

"H-how much!?"

"O-one million Berry!?"

Nami nodded with absolute certainty.

Luffy swallowed hard.

"I... I don't have any money."

Nami's smile grew even wider, as though she had expected that.

"That's fine. You can work to repay your debt. Once you've paid it off, you're free to leave."

Luffy was dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected that he would end up having to work off a debt right after setting sail.

Zoro looked at Nami with a hint of horror before turning to Luffy with a trace of sympathy.

He knew the truth, but he wasn't about to speak up for Luffy.

Otherwise, today's Luffy could very well be him tomorrow.

He silently resolved that no matter who he provoked in the future, he would never provoke Nami.

Ren, meanwhile, found it somewhat amusing.

He had already guessed Nami's intention.

She had probably noticed Luffy's unique qualities and, wanting to help Ren recruit a new companion, deliberately pulled this little stunt.

She never truly intended to make Luffy work off the debt.

She simply wanted an excuse to keep him around for the time being.

Then she could observe whether Luffy was suitable to become a companion.

If he proved to be a suitable companion, she'd find a way to recruit him.

If not, she'd simply let him leave.

As for whether Luffy would cooperate... That wasn't her problem to worry about.