Niril Royal Palace.
Ren and Hill stealthily slipped into the depths of the palace, evading the patrolling guards. After a thorough investigation, they finally located the King.
At this moment, King Siburo sat on his throne with a kind expression. Before him stood his two children: the blue-haired eldest son, Miral, and the black-haired second son, Giovanni.
King Siburo smiled at them. "In recent years, our country's development has been inseparable from your hard work. Miral handles foreign conquests, while Giovanni manages international trade. Thanks to your joint efforts, our Niril Kingdom has grown to its current state in just five years, even becoming a member nation of the World Government. We no longer have to live in fear."
Five years ago, this place was merely a lawless land plundered at will by pirates. Whether it was pirates or Marines, whenever they were short on cash, they would come here to squeeze out whatever meager resources remained before leaving the people to their fate.
However, that changed a few years ago when the Royal Family risked their lives to kill a group of pirates. From then on, the islanders found a backbone and crowned them as royalty.
Through several years of development and the family's relentless efforts, they finally earned enough money to pay the "Heavenly Tribute" to the Celestial Dragons, officially becoming a member nation and securing immunity from Marine aggression.
As for pirates, the small-time crews didn't dare raid them, and for the Great Pirates, the Kingdom would pay them off in advance to ensure they showed mercy. Moreover, as Miral's strength grew, any rookies entering the Grand Line who tried to cause trouble were simply delivering their heads—helping the Kingdom offset the burden of the Heavenly Tribute.
Hearing their father's praise, both Miral and Giovanni straightened their chests with pride. Though their current strength had surpassed their father's, the image of his towering figure stepping forward to protect them years ago was still vivid. Their admiration for him remained unshakable.
Listening to the conversation, Ren and Hill learned the story of the Kingdom's rise. The King had summoned them today specifically to further enhance his eldest son's combat power.
"This is the cultivation method for Haki that I purchased for a fortune while attending the Levely. Take it and train!"
The brothers excitedly took the documents and left, promising to supervise each other's progress. As their silhouettes vanished, the King finally let out a sigh of relief. He stood up, stretched luxuriously, and looked lazily at the sky. "Being King is exhausting. I really want to retire..."
After watching for a while, Ren and Hill began to find it boring.
"Let's go. This country doesn't have any dark secrets." Ren led his "wife" out of the palace. Along the way, Hill remarked, "This island has great luck, becoming a member nation in just a few years."
"It's the result of their family's hard work."
As they spoke, a figure blocked their path. The man wasn't particularly tall, had a head of white hair, and stood with his arms crossed—yet he drew a massive crowd of onlookers.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" "Aaah! Garp-san is on our island!" "You're so cool, Garp! Can I get an autograph?"
The residents swarmed Garp, creating a human wall so thick it was hard for him to move. Ren and Hill simply walked past him. Looking at the grinning Garp, Ren remarked, "I didn't expect the Navy to catch up so fast. I hope they don't cause trouble, otherwise, we'll have to fight again."
"Are you actually worried about a fight?" Hill teased.
"I'm not worried about fighting in general, I just don't want to fight now, and I don't want to fight Garp," Ren sighed.
"Why? Have you met him before?" Hill asked curiously.
"No, today was the first time," Ren laughed. "But I used to see him in the newspapers all the time!"
Garp and Sengoku were A-list celebrities in this world. Ten years ago, the World Government promoted their heroic deeds everywhere, even releasing manga about them, portraying them as the embodiment of Justice. This kept their popularity sky-high, which is why they still haven't retired in their seventies.
After wandering a bit longer, they ran into Gray and Blue, who were carrying heavy bags of supplies. Both looked serious. They slipped over to Ren's side, and Gray whispered, "Captain, I think we're surrounded!"
"Relax. Garp only has one warship; he can't surround us!" Ren remained composed, calming his partners.
When they returned to their docking spot, Law had already used his ability to move the ship to a hidden location, evading the Marine search. Seeing the group return, Law finally exhaled. "Get on quickly. I didn't expect to run into the legendary Marine here. If I hadn't reacted fast, I'd probably be a prisoner by now."
Ren laughed. "Don't worry. I just saw Garp; he didn't look like he was in the mood for a battle."
Once everyone was on board, only Klin was still missing. "Where did that guy run off to?"
"Who knows? But no rush. Our Log Pose hasn't finished recording yet. Even if Klin returns, we can't leave," Hill noted.
By nightfall, Klin returned dragging two massive wild boars. He tossed them onto the deck and grinned. "Is the recording finished?"
"Not yet," Hill replied. "I don't know how much longer it'll take."
If it wasn't done by tomorrow, Hill planned to ask around at the market. If the recording time was too long, they might have to play cat-and-mouse with Garp, which could escalate into a major battle—and Ren potentially killing Garp.
Ren, however, didn't think he would kill Garp. He had always liked the character, and seeing his actual achievements in the news over the years only increased that affinity. But if the old man comes looking for trouble... I'll just knock him out. He's at an age where he should be home in a rocking chair anyway.
The Brotherhood Space.
Ren (One Piece) closed his eyes and entered the shared mental space. Today, Ninja Ren's main body was still focused on "cultivating immortality" (Sage Mode training), while his Shadow Clones were researching Boruto's genes.
While research on the Jougan hadn't progressed much, it wasn't a total loss. Ninja Ren had discovered a highly active factor in Boruto's DNA—one with a form he had never seen before. It was extremely energetic and sometimes became "invisible." His clones had been testing it for months to figure out what it was.
Because progress was slow, he came to the space daily to consult with Scientist Ren. Pirate Ren walked over to listen in.
"It becomes invisible and acts up intermittently? Isn't that a Space-Time factor?" Pirate Ren interjected. "Go draw a vial of Minato's blood for a comparison experiment, and you'll have your answer."