"Oh, really? Fine then, you stay here and guard the ship—I'll go have a nice little chat with Captain Saren."
Ren instructed Zoro to stay behind on the ship with the reward money, preparing to negotiate a lucrative deal with Captain Saren.
The harvest this time was only part of what he'd expected. Alvida's bounty alone was worth quite a fortune—and on top of that, this ship required at least twenty crew members to operate!
Right now, the Gus was bustling with activity. Most of the crew were busy cleaning up the bloodstains left on the deck after the battle.
The pirates' corpses had already been tossed overboard to feed the fish. The most dangerous one—Alvida—was bound tightly with heavy iron chains.
The sailor responsible for tying her up even hesitated for a moment before tending to her injuries.
It wasn't out of compassion—everyone on the ship had heard Mr. Ren order them to keep her alive.
Because of all that, none of the elegantly dressed men and women could be seen on deck anymore.
They had all hidden in their cabins, too afraid to show their faces or inform anyone of what was happening.
Only one person was an exception—the nobleman Sir Becks, who was now animatedly arguing with Captain Saren while the swordsman Span stood protectively by his side.
"He can't stay on this ship! The Fish-Men will come after us if he does! What? Your opinion doesn't matter! I'm the one who really owns the Gus! Don't forget, Saren—you work for my father!"
Becks's voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Naturally, that included Ren, who had just quietly stepped onto the deck.
With a faint smile, Ren drew his silver Desert Eagle and casually interjected, "Yo, isn't this Sir Becks? Had your meal yet? If not, how about a taste of my bullet?"
The air on the deck instantly froze solid.
"Y–You… Don't come any closer! I'm a noble of the Goa Kingdom!" Becks shouted, retreating behind Captain Saren.
His other bodyguard had been injured in the earlier fight and was now below deck for treatment.
Otherwise, Becks might've dared to act arrogant again—but even with Span present, he didn't have the courage to provoke Ren.
After all, his legs had turned to jelly during the battle, and he'd seen everything with his own eyes.
The infamous Alvida, who had destroyed over a dozen merchant ships and driven three trading companies into bankruptcy, was supposed to be incredibly powerful.
Yet, she hadn't even lasted three rounds against that "pirate hunter."
What scared Becks even more was that the pirate hunter was clearly following this "lowborn"—no, Ren's—orders. And Ren himself possessed formidable strength… perhaps even the power of a Devil Fruit user.
That was enough to shatter any arrogance he had left. Even a noble must bow before overwhelming power on the open sea.
"Yes, yes, Sir Noble," Ren said with feigned politeness, glancing coldly at Captain Saren, who seemed ready to speak. The barrel of his gun dipped slightly. "I'm just curious—where does this hostility of yours come from? Why say I can't stay aboard?"
"I—I don't have to explain anything to you!"
Sensing that Ren was trying to reason with him, Becks stiffened up slightly, emboldened by his own words.
"How could there be no need?" Ren smiled, his expression harmless—but his tone icy cold. "You see, telling us to leave the Gus is the same as throwing us into the sea. And out here, the only nearby island is a lonely speck of land."
He took a step forward, his voice calm but chilling.
"If you plan to be so ruthless… why not consider this from another angle?If Zoro could defeat Alvida and destroy her entire crew—what makes you think we couldn't do the same to all of you and just take this ship for ourselves?"
He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth curling."Between us struggling to survive at sea… and you being left with no escape—I prefer leaving others with no way out."
The entire deck went deathly still. Several sailors who had been eavesdropping trembled.
Offend a pirate-hunting duo? Be slaughtered to the last man?
What kind of nightmare was this?!
Some of them were already wishing they could strangle that idiot noble on the spot.
"Calm down, calm down! Mr. Ren, I swear I'll never follow Becks's orders! It—it was just a joke!"Captain Saren was sweating profusely, waving his hands as he stammered for an excuse.
If it were anyone else, he might've already sold them out to save his own skin.
Becks, behind him, didn't dare to speak anymore. The murderous aura radiating from Ren was suffocating.
"Is that so? Then I'll need an apology, because that 'joke' wasn't funny at all."
Ren's eyes glinted sharply, his gaze stabbing into Becks like a blade.
The noble shuddered and immediately bowed his head, shouting, "I'm sorry! I—I shouldn't have said that!"
All that arrogance from before had vanished; he now looked like a scolded child who'd just been slapped by his parents.
"Good. A wise man knows when to yield."
Ren nodded with satisfaction, then smiled faintly as he aimed his pistol squarely at Becks's chest."So now, why don't you tell me the real reason? What exactly is behind all this hostility?"
At first, Ren had thought the man was simply annoyed at them for being on deck, but after hearing Span's earlier words, there was something deeper.
Most importantly, the word Fish-Men had come up more than once.
"Sir Becks," Captain Saren cut in with a warning look, "you'd better not drag our guests into this. If anything happens to the Gus, your father will be implicated too."
"I—I just think you're dangerous," Becks stammered. "You'll bring us trouble! Especially after you killed Alvida—people will talk.
Once word spreads, those Fish-Men will take notice. If they find out we helped you, the company will suffer! They'll attack our ships, sink them, and blackmail the merchants!"
"Fish-Men?" Ren frowned. This was the third time he'd heard that word.
"Yes, Fish-Men!" Captain Saren clapped his hands as if he'd just realized something."Mr. Ren, you probably don't know—your picture's already appeared in the local paper.
The Arlong Pirates are saying… you're an escaped slave. They've placed a fifty-thousand-Beli bounty on your head.
Fish-Men are often unreliable, but their bounties still carry weight."
"The Arlong Pirates…" Ren muttered, momentarily speechless.
It seemed the troubles caused by his body's former owner were far from over.
Thinking it through, it made sense. His escape must've enraged the Arlong Pirates. To make an example, they issued a bounty.
Otherwise, how could Cocoyasi Village remain so oppressed—its villagers too afraid to flee?
Even his former self had only avoided punishment because of his "cousin" in the Marines.
After all, Marine Branch 16's Captain Nezumi had maintained a long-standing deal with Arlong for years.
"…I see."
After a moment of silence, Ren's expression shifted.
He eyed the fearful Becks and the anxious Captain Saren, then said calmly, "Captain Saren, how would you like to make a big profit?""
Then he turned toward the trembling nobleman. "Sir Becks, do you want fame?"
"Huh?"Both men were dumbfounded.
But they quickly understood what Ren meant.
In short—Ren was offering to sell Alvida and her pirate ship to them.
Or, more accurately, to the merchant company behind the Gus.
(End of Chapter)