Hearing Luffy's name, Makino was stunned for a moment, then asked in pleasant surprise, "Really? Are you also a good friend of Luffy's?!"
Speaking of Luffy, Dadan and the others also became interested, looking at Reno with anticipation.
As expected of Luffy, he had just set sail and already made a good friend.
Reno looked at Makino with a half-smile and shook his head. "I know Luffy, but that doesn't mean we're good friends."
"If we meet again, I might just kill him with my own hands."
This calm sentence instantly plunged the tavern's atmosphere into a strange silence.
Makino's expression changed slightly, her smile completely vanishing.
Smash!
Dadan shot to her feet, smashing the wine bowl in her hand to pieces, and glared angrily at Reno.
"Brat, I watched Luffy grow up! You dare cause trouble for him?!"
"If you don't make things clear today, don't even think about leaving!"
Sensing that something was wrong, the underlings all stood up, adopting a posture ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"Dadan, calm down."
Makino, at the side, quickly grabbed Dadan's arm, preventing the conflict from escalating further.
Makino walked up to Reno, her voice sincere. "Sir, Luffy does indeed like to cause trouble, but he is not a bad kid."
"If he has offended you in any way before, I apologize to you on his behalf. Please, don't hold it against him."
Her voice was gentle, her emotions genuine.
Truly a caring big sister.
Reno felt a stir in his heart.
A completely different flavor from Nami.
The part about killing Luffy just now was, of course, a lie he made up.
But Reno truly had no good feelings for Luffy.
Not to mention the Impel Down incident.
It seemed there was a rule in the pirate world.
Anyone who got involved with Luffy, no matter what evil deeds they had done before, could be justifiably whitewashed in the end.
A typical example was the fish-man Hatchan.
He followed Arlong, tyrannizing people for eight years, persecuting countless civilians, his crimes overflowing.
In the end, Nami forgave him, and he even became friends with the protagonist's group?!
How absurd!
Of course, although Reno disliked Luffy, he had no intention of fighting him to the death.
The premise was that the other party didn't provoke him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't mind making the so-called Sun God fall prematurely.
As for being afraid?!
No matter how awesome the Nika Fruit was, could it be more awesome than his system?!
Looking at Makino pleading for Luffy, the corners of Reno's mouth curled up into a satisfied arc, and he smiled.
"I came here to find you."
"As long as you join my pirate crew, I can choose not to make things difficult for him."
Makino looked at Reno with a complicated expression, momentarily falling into a dilemma.
If she agreed, she would have to leave the village she had lived in for so many years. She had a deep-seated fear of pirates.
As for Shanks?!
It was only after getting along for a long time that they came to understand each other's character.
But Reno, who knew what his nature was?!
But if she refused, she was worried that Reno would really make a move on Luffy.
With Sabo gone, she really couldn't bear to see Luffy make too many enemies.
Dadan, who was already on the verge of rage, said nothing more and directly stood in front of Makino, saying in a deep voice:
"You've gone too far, brat!"
"Do you know who protects this place?!"
The fierce-looking underlings at the side immediately grabbed their weapons and surrounded Reno.
Don't be fooled by their smiles in front of Dadan and Makino.
As mountain bandits, not a single one of them was a pushover.
"You dare act wild in here, I think..."
"Noisy!!"
Along with a cold snort, a terrifyingly powerful aura suddenly erupted from Reno's body.
An invisible force swept out at an extremely fast speed, instantly enveloping the entire tavern.
Crack~
Crack~
Tables and stools collapsed in an instant, cracks split across the floor, and the air itself seemed to hiss.
Thud~
Thud~
Dadan and the others, who bore the brunt of it, rolled their eyes back and collapsed. A dozen or so people fell to the ground in disarray, their postures as unsightly as could be.
"Dadan! Everyone?!"
Makino covered her mouth in astonishment, her face filled with terror.
What was happening?!
"Huh, I'm fine?!"
"Wait, I'm fine too?!"
Nami looked at Makino in surprise, then looked at herself.
The two women were unaffected, which was naturally the result of Reno's deliberate control. Otherwise, everyone would have collapsed.
"Dadan?!"
Recovering from her panic, Makino immediately ran to Dadan's side to check on her condition.
"Don't worry, they just fainted."
Reno's explanation made Makino sigh in relief.
As long as their lives weren't in danger, it was fine.
"Now, can you accept my invitation?!"
"If you refuse again, I can't guarantee what will happen next."
"My patience is limited, and your earlier actions displeased me."
Coercion. For Nami, it had been temptation. In short, it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.
Reno's casual words made Makino feel as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar.
She couldn't just watch as Reno harmed Dadan and the others.
After a long moment, Makino finally looked up, her voice choked with emotion. "As long as you don't harm Dadan and the others, I am willing to join your pirate crew."
Clap, clap.
"A smart decision." Reno looked at Makino, a smile returning to his face.
"Let's go. On to the next destination."
Reno casually reached out with both hands, wrapping them around Nami's and Makino's slender waists.
Nami was already used to this and just rolled her eyes at Reno.
The warmth spreading from her waist made Makino's body stiffen. He's already making a move?!
She suddenly had an ominous premonition.
If Nami knew what Makino was thinking right now, she would definitely give her a thumbs-up.
Congratulations, you guessed right.
She was about to fall into Reno's demonic clutches.
But Nami was also secretly relieved. With Makino joining, she could finally get a chance to breathe.
...
Several hours after Reno left.
Dadan and the others gradually woke from their unconscious state.
"Makino! Where's Makino?!"
Dadan shouted, but Makino's figure was long gone from the tavern.
No need to guess, she was definitely taken by Reno.
"That bastard!!"
"Boss, what do we do now?!" her second-in-command asked.
Dadan wore a fierce expression and said viciously, "Go contact Garp. Tell him to catch that brat."
<><><><><><><><>
~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
~# Add to Library!