The West Blue.
During the early days of the Great Age of Pirates, this region was known for its chaos. Yet in the middle of this turbulent sea, a small wooden boat drifted, carrying just one person. That alone was rare.
Naturally, quite a few pirates decided to make their move on Ren.
Looking at the pirate crews bearing down on him, Ren could only sigh helplessly. These people wanted to snatch anything they saw.
Without hesitation, Ren drew his Imperial Arm, Murasame, and unleashed a slash. A flying blade of energy tore across the sea, splitting the waters apart along with the approaching ships.
The pirates of the West Blue had never witnessed such a sight. Terrified, they scrambled in panic, some turning their ships around to flee, others leaping straight into the ocean.
For those who jumped, it was the right choice. In the next instant, the ship was cleaved cleanly into two halves.
Ren sheathed his blade and made no move to chase them down. He had no particular interest in the West Blue's pirates.
Grance Island.
This island was infamous throughout the West Blue. Even pirates rarely approached it, for it was a haven of the mafia. Their firepower alone was more than enough to deter pirate raids.
Because of this, Grance Island became a gathering ground for all sorts of people—crooks, mercenaries, merchants, and wanderers alike.
Ren docked his boat at the shore. With his blade strapped at his waist, he stepped onto land without sparing a glance at the mafia men observing him from the shadows.
Bang.
A gunshot rang out.
Ren drew his sword in a flash, slicing the bullet cleanly in two with a casual swing. He muttered to himself, "Now I see… not being recognized is actually troublesome."
The mafia gunman froze in disbelief. To him, a person shot was supposed to die—this defied all reason.
"Go! Tell the boss right away!" someone shouted in panic.
Before they could move, Ren suddenly appeared in front of them, his figure vanishing and reappearing like a phantom.
"Excuse me," he said calmly, "can I ask you about someone?"
The sound of nervous gulps echoed around him. None of them could comprehend what they were seeing. Was this man even human? A monster, perhaps?
"Well?" Ren tilted his head. "Could I get an answer?"
"W-Who… who are you?" one of them stammered, his voice shaking in fear.
"I'm looking for a woman," Ren said evenly. "Her skin is a little tanned, she has black hair, and she should be around sixteen years old. Have you seen anyone like that?"
"Yes!" one of the men quickly replied. "She works at an underground tavern."
"The location?"
"Th-There! Go that way, then turn into the first alley," the man stammered, pointing as he spoke.
"Alright, go back and report." Ren said, not even looking back as he walked toward the place the man had mentioned.
The first alleyway was hidden, a place where people coming and going were mostly from the underworld. That was the nature of West Blue.
Ren pushed open a door. Inside was quiet and dim. Everyone dressed in black, wearing hats—faces hard to recognize. No wonder the Devil Child, Nico Robin, chose to hide here.
The girl at the bar trembled slightly when she saw Ren's figure, but quickly composed herself. "Sir, would you like something to drink?"
"Devil Child, Nico Robin. I need you." Ren spoke bluntly.
His words drew the attention of everyone present. Several pulled out bounty posters to compare, their eyes lighting up. This was seventy-nine million berries—right in front of them.
"Mr. Ren, I'm afraid I can't leave with you." Nico Robin glanced around as the tavern owner stepped out.
"So I misjudged you before. Brat, get out. This is my tavern." A fat man glared at Ren and barked.
"I don't have much patience." Ren drew Muramasa.
The moment the blade left its sheath, a chill ran through the room. Everyone instinctively knew—they must never be cut by that sword.
Ren swung lightly a few times. In an instant, pieces flew across the tavern. The air thickened with blood. Ren stood calm, while Robin's expression turned grim.
"What… is this?!" A man screamed. He had only lost an arm, yet collapsed dead moments later.
Those who suffered wounds met the same fate, dying swiftly in eerie fashion.
Nico Robin raised her hands. "Traitor of the World Nobles, former Celestial Dragon, Donquixote Ren. Bounty: 4.8 billion berries. What do you need from me?"
"The sole survivor of Ohara. My future empire needs a piece of the puzzle—and that's you." Ren sheathed his sword.
"Puzzle? You want me to uncover the truth of history?" Robin immediately guessed, since her only value lay in reading the Poneglyphs.
Ren shook his head. "The truth doesn't matter. As long as you can read them, that's enough."
"Is there a Poneglyph you need me to decipher?"
"It's not exactly an explanation. Just follow me and you'll understand soon enough."
Ren turned and walked out of the tavern.
Nico Robin bit her lip and followed.
With someone like him around, she felt both extremely safe and extremely endangered.
Ren's goal was simple—to spread the word that the so-called Devil Child could read the Poneglyphs.
By doing so, he would subtly change the perception of the world, and then rewrite history itself.
After all, there were very few who could read the Poneglyphs.
And if no one could verify the truth, then whatever he said would become the truth.
That was why Nico Robin was such an important piece of his puzzle.
His next step was to track down the Revolutionary Army, rumored to have appeared in the West Blue.
"So you're the one who dared to provoke my family."
Before long, a group of men in suits stood before Ren, guns aimed at him.
"Provoke? I only got rid of a few pests. How is that provoking anyone?" Ren said calmly.
Bang—
With a wave of the leader's hand, the men in suits opened fire, unleashing a storm of bullets toward him.
"Sigh… it's troublesome when people haven't even read the news about me."
Ren drew his blade and gave it a light swing.
In that instant, bullets, gunmen, even the buildings in the distance—were all sliced apart in one strike.
He suddenly found himself missing the days of the Grand Line, where everyone who saw him would back away.
Unlike here, where endless pests kept crawling up to challenge him.
Nico Robin swallowed hard.
She hadn't seen it back in the tavern, but now she could truly feel the overwhelming power of a man worth 4.8 billion.
"Monster…"
The other gang members who witnessed the scene scattered in terror.
At their speed of spreading news, it wouldn't be long before no one on this island dared to cross him again.
Among those who saw everything was Capone Bege, a future Supernova.
His face was pale as he stared at Ren.
From his perspective, under such heavy fire, Ren should have been dead.
But with a single swing of his blade, he had nullified every attack.
For the first time, he felt the urge to set out to sea. Staying here felt like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
Assassinating these gang leaders brought him no sense of accomplishment.
But Ren… if he could kill someone like Ren, without a doubt, he would instantly become famous across the world.
"What's wrong?" Nico Robin noticed Ren turn his head and asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just some ambitious people around." Ren's Observation Haki picked up a trace of malice. After his single strike earlier, someone had taken an interest in him. He already knew who it was.
Robin glanced toward the spot Ren had been looking at. There was no one there, but she didn't press further. When living under another's roof, the less you speak, the longer you can stay hidden.
The two of them soon reached the shore. Before them was a small boat, just big enough for two people. Robin's voice trembled slightly. "We're going out to sea… on this?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Ren leapt onto the boat.
The boat swayed under the added weight, and Robin's heart tightened. As a Devil Fruit user, small boats like this always felt unsafe.
But when she met Ren's gaze, Robin gritted her teeth and jumped aboard. To her surprise, the boat steadied. Without delay, the two of them set sail, heading toward the next island.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24