At the mention of Luffy's name, Makino froze for a moment before asking excitedly, "Really? Are you one of Luffy's good friends?!"
The mention of Luffy also piqued Dadan and her crew's interest, and they looked at Reno expectantly. As expected of Luffy—barely out to sea and already making friends.
Reno gave Makino a cryptic smile and shook his head. "I know Luffy, but that doesn't mean we're good friends." He added calmly, "If we meet next time, I might just kill him myself."
His flat words instantly plunged the tavern into an eerie silence. Makino's expression shifted, her smile vanishing.
Smash!
Dadan shot to her feet, shattering her wine bowl and glaring at Reno. "Kid, I raised Luffy myself. You dare cause trouble for him?!" "You're not leaving until you explain yourself!"
Sensing the tension, Dadan's crew stood up, ready to throw down at the slightest provocation.
"Dadan, calm down," Makino said quickly, grabbing her arm to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Stepping in front of Reno, Makino spoke earnestly. "Sir, Luffy does tend to cause trouble, but he's not a bad kid." "If he's offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf. Please don't hold it against him."
Her voice was gentle, her emotions sincere. What a caring big sister.
Reno felt a stir in his heart. She was a completely different flavor from Nami.
His earlier claim about wanting to kill Luffy was, of course, made up. Truth be told, Reno didn't have much fondness for Luffy. Putting aside the Impel Down incident, there seemed to be a rule in the One Piece world: anyone connected to Luffy, no matter how heinous their past crimes, could get a free pass and be redeemed.
Take Hachi, for example. That Fish-Man spent eight years terrorizing people alongside Arlong, committing countless atrocities. Yet in the end, Nami forgave him, and he even became friends with the Straw Hat crew?! Absolutely ridiculous!
That said, while Reno didn't like Luffy, he had no intention of going out of his way to kill him. As long as Luffy didn't provoke him, that is. If he did, Reno wouldn't hesitate to make the so-called Sun God fall early.
And fear? No matter how powerful the Nika Fruit was, could it compare to his system?!
Looking at Makino pleading for Luffy, Reno's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "I came here for you." "If you join my pirate crew, I won't make things difficult for him."
Makino looked at Reno with a conflicted expression, torn. Joining meant leaving the village she'd lived in for years. Plus, she had an instinctive fear of pirates. Shanks? That was different—she only warmed to him after getting to know his character over time. But Reno? Who knew what kind of person he was?!
On the other hand, if she refused, she worried Reno might actually go after Luffy. Sabo was already gone—she couldn't bear to see Luffy make more enemies. (They didn't yet know the truth about Sabo.)
Dadan, already on the verge of exploding, stepped in front of Makino without hesitation. "Kid, you're crossing the line!" "Do you know who runs this place?!"
Her crew grabbed their weapons, surrounding Reno with menacing glares. Sure, they laughed and joked with Dadan and Makino, but they were mountain bandits—not a single one was a pushover.
"You dare cause a scene here? I'll—"
"Noisy!"
With a cold snort, a terrifying aura erupted from Reno. An invisible force swept through the tavern at lightning speed.
Crackle! Crackle!
Tables and chairs collapsed, the floor split with cracks, and the air itself hissed.
Thud! Thud!
Dadan and her crew's eyes rolled back, and all dozen of them collapsed in a heap, their poses as graceless as could be.
"Dadan! Everyone?!" Makino gasped, covering her mouth in shock. What just happened?!
"Huh? You're fine?!" "Wait, why am I fine?!"
Nami looked at Makino in surprise, then at herself. The two women were unaffected because Reno had deliberately controlled his power. Otherwise, everyone would've gone down.
"Dadan?!"
Snapping out of her shock, Makino rushed to Dadan's side to check on her.
"Don't worry, she's just unconscious," Reno said.
Makino sighed in relief. As long as there was no danger to their lives, she could relax.
"Now, will you accept my invitation?" "If you refuse again, I can't guarantee what'll happen next." "My patience is limited, and their behavior already annoyed me."
A blatant threat. With Nami, it was bribery. With Makino, it was coercion. In the end, black cat or white cat—as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
Reno's casual words sent a chill through Makino. She couldn't stand by and watch him harm Dadan and the others.
After a long pause, she looked up, her voice trembling slightly. "As long as you don't hurt Dadan and the others, I'll join your pirate crew."
Clap, clap!
"Smart choice," Reno said, his face breaking into a smile again. "Let's go. On to the next destination."
As if they were old friends, Reno wrapped his arms around both Nami and Makino's waists.
Nami, used to this by now, just rolled her eyes. Makino, however, stiffened at the warm touch on her waist. He's already making moves?! A sense of foreboding washed over her.
If Nami could hear Makino's thoughts, she'd give her a big thumbs-up. Congrats, you're right.You're about to fall into Reno's clutches.
Still, Nami secretly rejoiced. With Makino joining, her "reception duties" might finally get a break.
…
Several hours after Reno's departure, Dadan and her crew began to wake from their unconsciousness.
"Makino! Where's Makino?!" Dadan shouted, but the tavern was already empty of her presence.
No doubt about it—she'd been taken by Reno.
"That bastard!"
"Boss, what do we do now?!" one of her lackeys asked.
Dadan stomped her foot, seething. "Contact Karp. Tell him to catch this punk!"
…