"Hey, look, that person…"
On the Sabaody Archipelago, a group of people pointed at Ren, clearly having recognized his identity. Those who operated in the first thirty areas were mostly not good people — to thrive here, you needed sharp eyes.
Ever since leaving the Rip-off Bar, Ren had switched to his Rumble Soul form. Standing there, he was like a coiled thunder dragon — restrained yet brimming with immense power.
Ren adopted this form entirely to avoid unnecessary trouble. Forget the dark forces — even the Marines' spies would report this news upward, which should at least restrain those Celestial Dragon fools.
"No way, how would a figure like that show up in a place like this…"
"Maybe they got the wrong person. Or-or maybe it's just someone who looks similar."
These small-time thugs who had never seen the wider world only knew Ren's reputation. They didn't understand just how strong a man worth over four billion really was, and were still whispering among themselves.
It was only because Ren didn't care about such things. If someone with a hotter temper had been there, these people would already be dead.
"There's no mistake — it's definitely the Raiden Shogun!" A man in a duck-billed cap hid in a corner, drenched in cold sweat. He swallowed hard, picked up his Den Den Mushi, and reported in a hoarse voice, as if he'd swallowed needles. "Report. The R-Raiden Shogun has appeared in Area 5… now heading toward Area 4."
This man was actually a Marine spy. Although the first thirty areas were basically lawless, that didn't mean the Marines completely ignored this place. Intelligence gathering was the one thing they never skipped.
"The Raiden Shogun? Really?"
The voice from his Den Den Mushi immediately grew urgent. The Den Den Mushi's face even broke out in a cold sweat. Even through the device, you could feel the fear from the Marine officer on the other end.
"Why would the Raiden Shogun appear at the Sabaody Archipelago? There's no record of his leaving Inazuma's waters!"
In the Marine base at Area 70, several Marine officers were visibly panicking. The hand holding the Den Den Mushi trembled as they paced back and forth in the office.
It wasn't his fault for being spineless — with a figure like this, the slightest move could trigger a terrifying war. Even at the foot of the Red Line, if this person truly had some plan, a mere Marine Vice Admiral couldn't bear the responsibility!
"What should we do now? What should we do now?"
"Vice Admiral, shouldn't we report to Headquarters first?" a subordinate suggested.
"Right, you're right! Contact Headquarters immediately!"
…
"Buru buru buru, buru buru buru… gacha."
Through this chain of reports, Ren hadn't even reached the auction house when the Den Den Mushi phone in his pocket started ringing.
Ren pressed the answer button, and the Den Den Mushi phone's face transformed into a slightly aged visage.
"Raiden Shogun, what are you doing at the Sabaody Archipelago?" a stern voice came through.
"I thought it was someone else, but it's you Five Elders. What's the matter? Just appearing at the Sabaody Archipelago makes you this nervous?" Ren mocked.
He naturally had the Five Elders' number. In fact, both the World Government and the Marines each had a dedicated Den Den Mushi line for him. After all, Inazuma conducted considerable trade with both sides.
But Ren had expected Kong or Sengoku to call, not the Five Elders themselves. It seemed concern for the Celestial Dragons' safety had made them overly anxious.
The Five Elders ignored Ren's sarcasm and said sternly, "This is not a place for you to run wild. If you don't want the World Government to formally declare war on Inazuma!"
"Let's skip the war talk. I'm just taking a stroll. If you're really worried, tell your parasites raised into uselessness to stay out of my sight for a while. That's better for everyone," Ren sneered.
If it truly came to war, with Inazuma's current strength, they wouldn't necessarily fear the World Government — but it was completely unnecessary. Inazuma was still in its period of growth, and going all-out against the World Government at a time like this would be pure loss with no gain.
But that didn't mean Ren would back down from the Five Elders. Even if he called the Celestial Dragons parasites to their faces, the Five Elders could do nothing about it. The World Government wouldn't start a war over a single sentence.
"Best be so!" Another voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"We'll send people to watch you. Don't try anything!"
"Gacha!"
The old men spoke one after another, then immediately hung up without giving Ren a chance to respond. They weren't masochists — knowing Ren wouldn't say anything nice to them, why stick around to get scolded? Were they sick?
After hanging up, Ren tossed the whole matter to the back of his mind. His opinion of the World Government was even lower than the Marines'. He couldn't be bothered wasting words with them. As for the Five Elders saying they'd send people to watch him — he cared even less.
He hadn't planned to do anything here anyway. And even if he did, no random person they sent could keep tabs on him.
But interestingly, even the World Government chose to back down, yet some short-sighted fools still came looking for trouble over reputation.
"That guy is Inazuma's Raiden Shogun? He doesn't look like much," a massive pirate, nearly six meters tall, watched Ren from afar with a cruel grin.
"That guy's war machines caused us no small amount of grief! Now we've run into the man himself — how can I not settle that score!"
"Captain, that guy's a pirate with a bounty over four billion! Maybe we shouldn't provoke him?"
"Idiot! Inazuma's weapons are sold all over the world. At that scale, even if you tied a dog to the leader's chair, the bounty wouldn't be low. Got it?"
"R-right…"
This rookie pirate crew clearly hadn't been beaten by a Warlord yet, or their vision wouldn't be so narrow.
"Captain! That guy is looking this way!"
Just as the pirate captain was bragging, one of his crew members trembled violently and hissed in a strained whisper!
The others quickly looked over and met a pair of cold eyes.
"He must have spotted us!" the others panicked.
"I-idiot, we're so far away — how could that guy know what we're saying!" The tall pirate immediately retorted, but clearly he was starting to panic inside too.
That man's eyes were simply too terrifying!
[
Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you today because I need to be completely honest — things are genuinely tough right now, and I cannot keep going without your help.
My financial situation is the worst it has ever been. I am struggling to stay afloat, and every bit of support matters more than I can put into words. I do not say this lightly, but I really need your help as much as you can give.
Despite everything, I am still posting 5 chapters every single day across all my active fictions. That is a relentless schedule, and I am pouring everything I have into making sure you never have to wait. I love doing this, and I do not want to stop — but I cannot do it alone for much longer.
If you have been reading and enjoying the work, please consider supporting me. I have structured the tiers to give you incredible value in return:
Adventurer — $3/month
- 20 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
Warrior — $7/month
- 40 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
Immortal — $10/month (Best Value)
- 60 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
- Access to character images and visual references
- Bonus side stories and exclusive content
Special Note: On top of the early access above, every tier receives 150 chapters across all fics per month — a massive library of content waiting for you no matter which level you choose.
Important: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30% fee due to Apple/Patreon policy, and payments are delayed by 2–3 months. Please subscribe through your browser so more of your support reaches me when I need it most.
I am not asking for charity — I am asking because this is what keeps the daily chapters coming, what keeps the stories alive, and what keeps me from drowning right now. Even $3 makes a real difference. If you cannot subscribe, sharing my work with even one person who might enjoy it helps more than you know.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for your time. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for even considering it.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]