Chapter 159 — The Bullet Curve Test
S.C. 1511 — Early March
Hidden Island — Cliffside Shooting Range
The wind rolled across the clearing in soft waves.
Ren stood behind his rifle, hands steady, eyes narrowed.
But today wasn't about hitting a target.
Today was about bending a rule of physics.
Kiro carried a small crate of markers.
Zemo trotted behind, tail high.
Luffy… was eating a giant apple he had stolen from Makino's bar.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"Today we test something new."
---
The Experiment Goal
Kiro opened the notebook Ren had handed him earlier.
He read aloud:
"Objective: influence the bullet trajectory mid-flight using telekinesis."
Luffy blinked. "Influence what?"
Ren pointed at the rifle.
"I want to nudge the bullet after it leaves the barrel."
Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"Like making it dance?"
"…Something like that."
Luffy punched the air. "YEAH! Bullet dancing!"
Zemo barked in energetic agreement.
Kiro scribbled: Luffy excited — irrelevant variable.
---
Telekinetic Limit Review
Ren mentally repeated his telekinesis limits:
700 g — easy
1 kg — manageable
2 kg — heavy
2.5 kg — barely moves
3 kg — only shake
3.5+ kg — impossible
A bullet weighed only a few grams.
But moving an object at high speed was different.
It wasn't just weight.
It was force + velocity + timing.
Ren steadied his breath.
"Let's begin."
---
Setup
Ren placed a wooden board 40 meters downrange.
Not a target center — a line drawn on the left side.
He whispered:
"If I can pull the bullet one centimeter to the left… it counts as success."
Kiro nodded.
"Ready when you are."
Zemo sat, ears twitching intensely.
Luffy cupped his hands around his mouth.
"RENNNN DO IT!!"
Ren winced. "…Please don't shout during the shot."
"Oh. Sorry."
Luffy didn't look sorry.
---
Attempt 1 — Failure
Ren lay flat.
Breathing stabilized.
Trigger squeezed.
BANG!
His eyes locked onto the bullet—not literally, but mentally.
He stretched his telekinesis like a thin thread—
Tried to pull.
Nothing.
The bullet slammed into the original spot, unmoved.
Kiro called out:
"No change!"
Ren clenched his jaw.
"Again."
---
Attempt 2 — Slight Reaction
Ren steadied again.
BANG!
He pushed his telekinetic field forward, trying to "catch" the bullet's momentum—
A faint tremor grazed the bullet's outer field.
Zemo's ears perked.
Kiro squinted.
"…Maybe half a millimeter off center. Maybe."
Ren closed his eyes.
Half a millimeter wasn't visible.
But it was real.
He felt it.
A whisper of contact.
Weak. Fleeting. But present.
Luffy clapped loudly.
"You made it wiggle!"
Ren sighed. "Barely."
---
Attempt 3 — First Confirmed Shift
Wind changed slightly.
Ren felt it before seeing it.
Breath… steady.
Shot.
BANG!
This time he didn't try to grab the bullet.
He touched the air around it—
a gentle nudge, a sideways pressure.
Like guiding a falling leaf instead of dragging a rock.
The bullet shifted.
Kiro jumped. "WAIT—! Ren!"
They ran to the board.
The hole wasn't on the center.
It wasn't on the imaginary straight line either.
It shifted roughly 2 millimeters left.
Not much.
But visible.
Ren stared at it quietly.
He reached out and placed his fingers on the shifted hole.
"…It moved."
Kiro grinned. "You actually did it."
Zemo barked proudly.
Luffy yelled, "REN CAN BEND BULLETS!! REN IS A SUPER SHOOTER!! REN IS—"
Ren covered his mouth.
"Please don't yell that in the village."
---
Post-Training Analysis
Back at the lab that evening, Ren wrote:
Telekinetic Bullet Curve — Day 1 Results • Direct bullet manipulation = too fast
• Air-pressure influence = workable
• Max shift achieved: ~2 mm
• Requires:
– refined focus
– stronger telekinetic grip
– less wind
– better bullet shape
He tapped the pencil thoughtfully.
This wasn't flashy.
This wasn't powerful.
But it was progress.
Real, measurable progress.
Zemo curled beside him.
Luffy barged in and peeked over the desk.
"Make the bullet spin next time!"
Ren gave a tired smile.
"…One step at a time."
---
End of Chapter 159