Everyone turned to follow Reno's gaze—
And saw two figures walking toward them.
One wore a simple red vest and a very ordinary-looking straw hat.
He was grinning from ear to ear, flashing a full set of big white teeth. His whole aura screamed idiot.
The other had spiky green hair, a scar across his eye, and most notably—three swords strapped to his waist.
A three-sword style user. Rare.
They were none other than the Straw Hat Pirates' captain, Monkey D. Luffy, and his swordsman, Roronoa Zoro.
Reno's eyes narrowed slightly.
He thought they'd miss each other, but fate clearly had other plans.
Makino stiffened the moment she saw Luffy. Her fists clenched at her sides.
She still remembered what Reno had said back in the bar—that if they met again, he might kill Luffy.
She silently prayed things wouldn't escalate.
Luffy and Zoro were laughing about something as they approached.
And then Luffy's eyes lit up. "Makino?! Whoa! What are you doing here?!"
Makino gave Reno a quick glance before answering with a gentle smile.
"Luffy, it's been a while. I'm sailing now too."
"HUH?!"
Luffy's jaw dropped.
"Wait—you became a pirate too?!"
Even with Luffy's carefree personality, that was a shock.
He remembered her telling him not to become a pirate. That the world outside was dangerous.
And now here she was... on a pirate crew?
Makino nodded softly.
"We should get going," Reno said flatly, walking past them without another glance.
Nami and Kaya followed behind without a word.
Makino gave Luffy one last look, then turned and went after them.
She just needed to know he was okay. That was enough.
Luffy scratched his head, baffled.
When did Makino start acting so weird?
Unwilling to leave things unresolved, he stepped forward and blocked Makino's path.
"Makino! What's going on with you?!"
"Get lost."
The cold voice cut through the air like a blade.
Reno's eyes were sharp, his tone full of warning.
Luffy frowned. "What's your problem?! I'm just—"
BOOM.
Before he could finish, an overwhelming aura burst out of Reno, slamming down like a mountain.
Luffy staggered, struggling to stay upright under the crushing pressure.
"Luffy!" Zoro's eyes narrowed as he immediately reached for his swords.
But just as his hand touched the hilt, that same suffocating pressure descended on him.
Both of them were frozen in place, completely overwhelmed.
Even the air seemed to tremble.
Usopp, standing nearby, collapsed to the ground in sheer terror.
Did I miss something? When did things go off the rails?!
Luffy's head pounded. His mind went blank. Zoro's vision blurred.
Reno's gaze was icy.
He hadn't planned on bothering with Luffy, but the guy insisted on getting in his way.
He turned to Zoro.
More specifically—to the sword at Zoro's side.
Wado Ichimonji.
A Great Grade blade. Reno had been looking for a better weapon, and Zoro had one practically gift-wrapped.
His current sword? A junk blade he'd looted from a pirate ship. Barely decent.
As Reno moved to act, a strange aura suddenly flared up from both Luffy and Zoro.
Especially Luffy—his body trembled with an unknown force, like something deep within him was about to awaken.
"Hm?" Reno narrowed his eyes.
About to power up? Not on his watch.
He raised his blade.
SLASH. SLASH.
Dozens of sharp arcs of sword energy flew out, slamming into their chests.
Deep, crisscrossing gashes tore through their shirts, sending blood splattering across the dirt.
Before they even hit the ground, Reno vanished—
Then reappeared mid-air, slamming his palm into both their backs.
CRACK.
The force knocked them unconscious on impact.
He didn't even blink.
With a flick of his hand, he stored the Wado Ichimonji into the system's inventory.
Zoro could keep his other two—he only needed this one.
He didn't kill them, not because he feared them, but because of Makino.
Maybe she already cared about him more than Luffy,
But she'd raised the kid. If he died here, right in front of her…
She'd break.
And Reno didn't want that.
Besides, Luffy was never a threat to begin with.
With injuries this serious, they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
And it would be weeks before they'd cross paths again—if ever.
Makino sighed softly, then turned to Usopp.
"Please take care of them for a while, okay?"
"Uh… sure," Usopp blurted instinctively.
Makino gently took Reno's arm. "Let's go."
Reno smiled and nodded.
Nami and Kaya followed behind, hand-in-hand.
Only once Reno's crew disappeared down the road did Usopp finally snap out of it.
He clutched his head and groaned.
"Wait… why did I agree to this?! What do they have to do with me?!"
Damn it!
Kaya left. He got rejected from Reno's crew.
And now he was stuck with two unconscious dead weights.
He debated abandoning them.
But in the end, he sighed and dragged both of them back to his house, where he carefully tended to their wounds.