However, the moment Peshakiss saw Klin strike, the urge to retreat instantly bloomed in his heart. Having survived on the high seas for several years, he knew that anyone who could casually launch flying slashes was a powerhouse—not someone a bottom-feeder who only bullied the weak could afford to provoke.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ren Kurogane moved.
Ren clenched his fist, and black Armament Haki flowed like liquid over his hand, eventually concentrating into a dense, vibrating sphere that resembled a cannonball.
"Hah!"
With a thunderous roar, Ren threw a punch. Faint sparks of black lightning flickered in the air!
The Armament "cannonball" slammed directly into Peshakiss's face. Immediately after, the contained power detonated. An unstoppable shockwave erupted across the pirate ship, tearing through the deck and hull like a hot knife through butter, reducing the entire vessel to floating scrap.
Peshakiss and his entire crew rolled their eyes and sank into the depths of the ocean.
Seeing this, Grey and Blue stared with wide eyes, their faces masks of pure disbelief.
"The Captain... is he really that strong?" Blue managed to choke out.
Beside him, Grey's shock transitioned into a wide grin. "As expected of the Captain. His strength is truly terrifying!"
Hill had followed Ren for years and had seen his progress firsthand. Thus, after Ren threw that punch, her only thought was that Ren actually knew how to hold back.
Klin gave Ren an elegant, gentlemanly bow and smiled. "My dear Captain, surely you wouldn't expect a gentleman like me to jump into the sea with you?"
"Huh? Do gentlemen have rules like that? How useless."
Klin's eye twitched as he silently began peeling off his high-end formal coat.
Seeing this, a mischievous smirk crossed Ren's face. He turned and shouted to the other two, "Blue, Grey! Into the water! Time to salvage the loot!"
First battle, total victory!
Back on the ship, the crew stared at five chests of treasure with gleaming eyes.
"That guy actually had this much money? He must have done a lot of evil! Truly a lot of evil!" Grey condemned the pirates fiercely, though his eyes never left the gold for a second.
"Alright, move the treasure into the hold. We keep moving!" Ren commanded.
Grey and Blue carried the chests away, while Ren went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of cola, and downed it in one go. Klin went back to fix his image, changing into dry clothes to restore his elegance.
During their long voyage, the following day, a newspaper dropped onto the deck of the Starsea.
"Captain! You've been bountied! A first-time bounty of 50 million Berries! Incredible!" Blue howled, drawing everyone's attention.
"It's not just the Captain! Mr. Klin has a bounty too! 30 million Berries!"
Ren hurried over to look at his own wanted poster and broke into a grin.
"Hahaha! To celebrate our bounties, let's have a banquet!" Ren roared with laughter.
"I think you just wanted an excuse for a banquet!" Hill teased.
"This is our first bounty, and it's already 80 million combined. We'll definitely be targeted by bounty hunters from now on," Grey noted with a hint of worry.
"Relax! Just bounty hunters, they're nothing!" Ren patted his rock-solid biceps. "Your Captain is very strong! So don't worry about it!"
Looking at Ren's confident smile, the crew felt a sudden sense of peace. It was true—the Captain's strength was barely human. Even if bounty hunters came, they'd just be extra delivery; how could they possibly stand against him?
Two days later, guided by the wind, they encountered their first island since setting sail.
Leaving the ship at the pier with Klin and Blue on guard, Ren, Hill, and Grey went ashore.
"I need to buy ingredients, so I won't be joining you two~" Grey gave Ren a knowing wink and left with a chuckle.
Ren sighed at the old man's antics, but Hill took his arm and smiled. "Come on! Let's see where your wind has brought us."
The town wasn't particularly wealthy, but it was tidy, with rows of small Western-style houses and stone-paved streets that kept their boots from getting muddy. Ren browsed the shops, buying snacks here and there. Hill wasn't very interested; the kingdom they came from was far more prosperous. To her, this place felt a bit poor and backward, and she wouldn't have come if it weren't for Ren.
During their stroll, they learned the island was called Minglian Island, and the town was Qinglian—a place famous in the area for being quite impoverished.
"Let's buy some booze and head back," Ren said after an hour.
"Fine, but I want fruit juice!"
"Deal!"
They headed toward a bar they had seen earlier. Just as they reached the door, the sound of fighting erupted from inside.
"Hahaha! Kid! A weakling like you can't be a pirate!"
"Yeah! Carrying a sword taller than yourself—do you even know how to use that thing? Hahaha!"
The mocking laughter inside was piercing. Ren pushed the door open, ignoring the crowd of pirates staring at him, and walked straight to the bar. "Owner, five barrels of good ale and two barrels of coconut water."
The owner nodded and hurried to the back. Ren then scanned the room. A group of pirates in rough clothes were leering at him and Hill.
However, Ren's gaze didn't linger on them. Instead, it fixed on a man sitting in a chair, drinking quietly. He carried a sword taller than himself, wore a fluffy spotted hat, and had tattoos on his fingers.
Trafalgar Law. Ren hadn't expected to run into a future Supernova here. Moreover, Law was currently alone; it seemed he hadn't formed his own crew yet.
Sensing Ren's gaze, Law turned his head, his eyes meeting Ren's. He gave a soft smirk and spoke for the first time: "I didn't expect to run into such a dangerous individual here."
Ren walked over to Law and smiled. "Are you alone? Want to become my comrade?"
Law, who had been wondering if Ren was there to pick a fight, froze. He hadn't expected an invitation to join a crew!
Before he could respond, however, the pirates in the bar couldn't hold it in. They burst into fits of belly-aching laughter!
"Hey! Kid! You really plan on recruiting a stick-figure like that?"
Because Ren was heavily muscled and physically imposing, they hadn't dared to mock him directly. But seeing him try to recruit a scrawny kid like Law made them lose their respect for him.
"Yeah! Though the kid looks pretty soft... I guess some people have 'special' tastes for that sort of thing? Hahaha!"
Ren originally intended to ignore them, but the noise was becoming unbearable. He frowned slightly, and an invisible pressure erupted from his body!
BOOM!
As the aura swept through the room, the noisy pirates collapsed one by one, unconscious before they hit the floor.
"What? The same as that guy!" Law's eyes widened in shock, his gaze toward Ren now filled with absolute gravity.