Reno turned toward the voice. A Navy warship with a distinctive dog-shaped figurehead sped toward the port. On the deck, Vice Admiral Garp, clad in his Justice cloak, roared with fury.
Beating up the grandson, and now the grandpa's here for revenge?
Reno smirked, commanding the island cloud to lift the Going Merry higher into the sky. "Garp, I'm off! Next time I see Luffy, I'll give him a warm welcome!"
"Brat, you think you can escape?!" Garp bellowed. "Bogard!"
His aide, Bogard, understood instantly and handed Garp a cannonball.
Garp seized it and hurled it with force. Fist Bone Meteor!!
One of Garp's signature moves. Countless pirates had fallen to this attack. The solid cannonball streaked through the air like a black meteor, breaking the sound barrier as it shot toward Reno. Its power far surpassed a warship's main cannon.
Garp crossed his arms, brimming with confidence.
"Old man, you won't give up until you hit the Yellow River."
Swish!Chopper!!
Reno drew his blade in an instant, slashing outward. A golden wave, dozens of meters long, tore through the air, infused with refined Armament Haki, slicing the incoming cannonball clean in half.
"Hahaha, Garp, until we meet again!"
With a burst of laughter, the Going Merry soared into the sky and vanished.
"Damn it!" "How does this kid know Golden Lion's moves?!"
Garp stared at the disappearing ship, his expression shifting. Having clashed with Golden Lion countless times, he recognized the sword technique instantly. Could Golden Lion be pulling strings from the shadows, training a disciple to wreak havoc?
"Vice Admiral Garp, what now?" Bogard asked quietly.
"Get me the Den Den Mushi. I need to report this to Sengoku."
…
On the Going Merry's Deck
"Captain, who was that guy?!" Nojiko asked, still shaken. That cannonball had homed in on Reno like it was locked on.
"Just an ordinary Navy Vice Admiral," Reno said casually. "Sort out the supplies we bought. I'm going to check on Tashigi."
After giving the girls instructions, Reno headed to the cabin.
…
Inside the Cabin
Tashigi sat dejectedly by the bed, her spirit broken. The thought of never working with Captain Smoker again, of never being a Navy officer, made her want to cry. Even if she had a chance, she didn't dare escape. That devil had warned her—if she ran, he'd go back to Loguetown and kill Smoker. Having seen Smoker crushed under Reno's foot, she knew he could do it. She couldn't let Smoker die because of her.
Makino gently comforted her, but it had little effect. Sighing helplessly, she looked up as the door opened and Reno stepped in.
"How's she doing?" Reno asked Makino quietly.
Makino glanced back and shook her head. With a knowing look, she left the room.
Reno approached Tashigi softly, noticing the tears streaming down her pretty face and her swollen eyes. He sighed inwardly. Honestly, he didn't want to use such crude methods. But what choice did he have?
With dozens of plot-relevant beauties, each with different identities and allegiances, Reno wasn't delusional enough to think they'd fall for him at first sight. Nor did he have the time to woo them all slowly. So he followed his tried-and-true method:
Step 1: Snatch the beauty onto the ship, by any means necessary.Step 2: Comfort her.Step 3: Teach her "navigation techniques."Step 4: Claim the reward and live happily together.
The standard four-step conquest plan.
"Stop crying. I'm not really going to kill Smoker," Reno said, his voice breaking the silence.
Tashigi's face paled, and she scrambled back.
"Am I a devil or something?" Reno said with a wry smile.
Tashigi nodded stubbornly. "You are a devil. You kidnapped me and threatened to kill Captain Smoker."
"Let me correct you—I did take you, but I never intended to kill Smoker," Reno countered.
"I don't believe you," Tashigi shot back, hugging her knees defiantly. She couldn't forget the terrifying image of Reno from earlier.
Reno: If I said it was an act, would you believe me?
"Heh," Reno chuckled, shaking his head. The glasses girl was surprisingly fun when riled up. Still, he explained patiently. "Think about it. With the gap in our strength, if I really wanted Smoker dead, wouldn't I have done it already? And I could've still taken you afterward."
Tashigi froze, blinking. It… kind of made sense.
"Then… why go through all this trouble?!" she demanded. Threatening, intimidating—what was the point? She was just a cute girl! If he was going to take her anyway, why not just do it? No one could stop him.
Reno faltered. He'd done it to cut her ties cleanly, to stop her from constantly thinking about escape. But…
"Actually, my real goal is to get your help."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tashigi frowned, confused. What could she do?
Reno put on a pained expression. "You know I'm a pirate. Sometimes I can't help doing bad things, like today. What I need is someone with a strong sense of justice to keep me in check, to stop me when I go too far. And you, Tashigi, are that righteous Navy officer. If you help me turn over a new leaf, wouldn't that be a huge achievement?"
Tashigi was stunned, completely buying it. That… makes so much sense! Sacrificing herself to save countless civilians—what an accomplishment! Why hadn't she thought of that?!
Reno smiled lightly. "So join my pirate crew, beautiful Miss Tashigi."
"Okay." Tashigi nodded instinctively.
…