Chapter 25 - Renji, What Is Your Dream?
In the vast forest of Bika, on an abandoned altar, Renji stood laughing wildly because he had found the fruit.
The Goro Goro no Mi!!
He admitted that there was an element of gambling in his decision, but he had won the bet!
Though it was hyped as a god-tier fruit early on, later on, it was often compared unfavorably to the Mera Mera no Mi. But in Renji's opinion, the Goro Goro no Mi was far superior—much more versatile. If Enel hadn't been defeated so quickly, and if his physical combat skills weren't garbage with no mastery of Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki, then Luffy probably would have died on Skypiea.
Enel was somewhat similar to Kizaru, though inferior to him in all aspects. But Renji knew the path he needed to take—he wouldn't make the mistake of thinking he was invincible just because he had the Goro Goro no Mi. He wouldn't focus solely on developing the fruit's power while ignoring Haki.
[Ding! You have altered Enel's life trajectory, changing the story. Congratulations! You have earned a lottery draw!]
Taking a Devil Fruit could grant a lottery draw?!
He felt that altering the storyline in the One Piece world seemed much easier than in the Naruto world.
[Naruto Renji]: [WTF? That counts as changing the story?]
In Naruto, his actions involved saving Shisui or preventing the Uchiha massacre.
But now, in One Piece, simply taking a Devil Fruit counted as a change?
[Mundane Renji]: [I guess so? After all, Enel was an early-stage mini-boss, so this could indirectly alter Luffy's fate.]
Thinking about it, Enel really did give the Straw Hat crew a tough lesson on Skypiea.
And considering the importance of this event, earning a lottery draw seemed fair.
[One Piece Renji]: [Ahem, let's just draw the prize. Doesn't matter if it counts or not—just give me Advanced Armament Haki!]
[Naruto Renji]: [Yes, yes, I love Advanced Armament Haki! With it and my Susanoo, who could kill me?]
[One Piece Renji]: [Alright, let's draw!]
He suppressed his fantasies. If he ended up with a useless ability, it would be hilarious.
[Ding! You have used one lottery draw. Congratulations! You have obtained: Life Return.]
This ability?!
It wasn't as good as Advanced Armament Haki, but it was still quite decent.
A pleasant surprise.
With this power, he could replenish his energy instantly after a big meal, essentially recovering to full strength.
Not only that, but he could also control his body with his will.
Though it was a support ability, it was undeniably useful.
Even Luffy later relied on it multiple times to recover.
One Goro Goro no Mi plus Life Return…
The Goro Goro no Mi could shock him back to life, and Life Return had similar effects. Combined with the fruit's mobility, his survival ability was now maxed out.
With that in mind, Renji took a bite of the Goro Goro no Mi.
Immediately, his face twisted in discomfort.
[Holy crap… this tastes like actual sh*t…]
Though he had never eaten sh*t, he was sure this was a taste he'd never forget.
But he didn't have time to dwell on the disgusting flavor—his body was already changing.
Without hesitation, Renji grabbed his sword and slashed at his own hand.
Instinctively, his body transformed into electricity, and arcs of lightning crackled along his arm.
He proceeded to test out various moves, but at his current level, the strongest ability he could manage was Judgment of God. As for unleashing 30 million volts, he wasn't capable of that yet.
[This is harder than I thought… and there's no way I'm putting drums on my back like Enel.]
Renji mused to himself. Enel could get away with that look, but if he did the same, the chat group would never let him live it down.
Enel's drums were used to store energy and reduce his ability's consumption.
[One Piece Renji]: [I've eaten the Goro Goro no Mi. If any of you want to test it, feel free. But man, this thing is harder to control than I thought—I can only use Judgment of God so far.]
[But on the plus side, my Observation Haki has instantly leveled up from Intermediate to Advanced! Now it even has an electromagnetic detection effect. The entire Bika Island is within my perception… it's kind of unsettling, actually.]
Not only had he gained two new abilities, but his overall strength had also skyrocketed from Vice Admiral level to mid-tier Warlord level, just one step away from Elite Vice Admiral rank.
When he first started, he could barely hold his own against a Rear Admiral. Now, in just one adventure, he had taken a massive leap forward.
Renji was beyond satisfied with this outcome.
[Naruto Renji]: [Holy sh*t!! Your Goro Goro no Mi plus Observation Haki is totally OP! I just detected Zetsu spying on the Uchiha. Damn, this thing consumes a lot of energy, but I can even see what the Third Hokage is doing at home! Hell, I've got all of Konoha under surveillance!]
This ability was leagues above anything else. The Goro Goro no Mi was truly broken.
He couldn't even understand how Enel lost to Luffy—aside from blatant plot armor making Enel dumber.
If Enel had just kept his distance and bombarded Luffy from afar, the entire island would've been destroyed. Sure, Luffy was immune to electricity, but falling from that height would have been instant death.
Plus, Luffy couldn't even keep up with him. Yet, for some reason, Enel chose to fight him in close combat.
And despite having top-tier Observation Haki, he still got hit by Luffy. Later, the Admirals always preemptively used Logia intangibility to dodge attacks.
[Zombie Renji]: [Yeah, I just tried the intangibility effect—this ability is amazing!]
[Zombie Renji]: [The heavens have fallen, the yellow sky rises. In the year of the Jiazi, great fortune to the land. Thunder god, grant me power!]
[Mundane Renji]: [I can't use any of this… I wanna cry. Starting today, I need to train my stamina!]
Everyone else could use it, but every time he tried, he would get dizzy and feel like passing out immediately.
He realized that if he didn't train his stamina, he would always be just an ordinary person in this world.
With Logia intangibility, he could definitely survive in the world of Detective Conan.
[Zombie Renji]: "The Lightning Element is great. I'm preparing to go down the mountain to accumulate merit, everyone!"
Originally, he only had Foundation Establishment cultivation, so he had never dared to go down the mountain.
Mainly because the world was simply too chaotic these days. With zombies running rampant, demons and monsters were not something a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him could handle.
So, he had been lying low on the mountain all this time. But it wasn't like he didn't want to go down the mountain—now that he had the opportunity, Renji naturally wouldn't let it slip by.
Changing the plot, huh?
Then of course, he had to go to Renjia Town.
[Monster Renji]: "What a pity. There doesn't seem to be much plot I can change here right now. It's still too far from that era. Ah, whatever—I'll go beat up Sesshomaru first."
Perfect timing—he had a novel ability, and using it to fight Sesshomaru was just right!
Right now, Sesshomaru was still young, the perfect time for "education." Once he grew up, Renji might not even be able to find him. So, while the little brother was still small, he'd beat him up as much as possible!
[Pirate Renji]: "Then I'll take my leave too. I still have to report back!"
His time was running short.
Following the direction of the Log Pose, Renji returned to the first island he had visited after reaching Skypiea. Then, using the power of the Goro Goro no Mi, he flew down through the sky.
As he gradually approached the ground, he caught sight of Captain John, who was hugging his bottle of rum and snoring loudly. A flicker of emotion passed through Renji's eyes—this guy was actually still waiting here for him.
Well, as repayment, he'd make sure John didn't die in God Valley.
During the God Valley Incident, Captain John and Silver Axe had died there, only to be later turned into zombies by Moria.
Ochoku, on the other hand, survived and took over Hachinosu, though he was eventually killed by Blackbeard, who then seized the island.
The rest of them all became major powers in their own right. After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, every one of them stirred up storms in that era.
!!!BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion instantly startled Captain John awake, causing him to spill the unfinished rum in his hand. "Who the hell is it!? Can't a man get some sleep!?"
Glancing around at the pitch-black surroundings, Captain John flew into a rage.
Couldn't he even rest in peace?
"Sorry about that, John. My apologies for disturbing your sleep."
As the dust settled, Renji slowly stepped out of the crater and shrugged at Captain John. Though he felt a little bad for interrupting the man's rest, time was running out. If he didn't return soon, he'd be disqualified, and the position of captain would fall into Kaido's hands—something Renji absolutely did not want to see.
Speaking of Kaido, in the original story, that guy had probably challenged the other captains too, though most of those fights likely ended in failure, right?
Hearing the familiar voice, Captain John rubbed his eyes and stared at Renji in disbelief. "I damn well thought you were dead! You're still alive!? I was just about to pack up and leave tomorrow!"
His words instantly wiped away any lingering warmth Renji had felt.
So much for being moved that John had waited for him—turns out this bastard had just assumed he was dead!
"Oh, my dear brother, you know how it is. As captain, I have to go back for that competition. If I don't return, I'll lose my position. And if I do go back, it won't be for the captaincy—it'll be to tell everyone you didn't run away. You died!"
"Then just shut the hell up!"
Renji was even more speechless now.
So, in John's mind, he was either a deserter or a corpse? Was there no in-between?
Seeming to sense Renji's displeasure, Captain John slung an arm around his shoulder like an old friend. "So? What did you do up there?"
Since Renji wasn't dead, and he'd mentioned before leaving that he had a reason for going to Skypiea, John was naturally curious. What had he been so determined to do up there? Had he hidden some treasure?
At that thought, Captain John's eyes lit up. "Renji, buddy, don't be so stingy. If you wanted to stash treasure, you could've just asked me! We're brothers—I'd keep it safe for you! How about this? Tell me where it is. It's not like I want it for myself, but if you got killed, your treasure would just go to waste. If someone else took it, wouldn't that be even worse? Better me than some stranger, right?"
Clenching his fists to suppress the urge to punch him, Renji listened to John's words, his grip tightening slightly.
Treasure!?
Was this guy's entire life just about treasure?
Had he died in God Valley because he'd been too busy looting to retreat, only to get killed by the Marines, the Holy Knights, or Roger himself?
"Old John, if you keep this up, you'll die because of treasure one day."
For the sake of the fact that John had waited for him, Renji chose to endure it one more time.
Patience!
"You don't get it. Being broke is a headache! Who doesn't sail the seas for treasure?"
"Whitebeard!"
"Besides him!"
"Charlotte Linlin!"
"Renji, are you fucking messing with me!?"
Captain John finally snapped.
Was this guy deliberately trying to piss him off?
If either of those two was normal, he'd eat his hat!
One wanted sons, the other wanted to birth an entire pirate crew. Seriously, what kind of life goals were those?
Though Whitebeard hadn't yet started recruiting sons left and right, spouting "become my son" at everyone he met, John still knew about his dream.
As for Charlotte Linlin—well, she might as well have thrown away her title as the Rocks Pirates' number one beauty.
"I'm just reminding you. If you stay obsessed with treasure, you'll die because of it sooner or later!"
Renji shrugged as he spoke. Captain John, however, fell into deep thought before nodding. "You're right..."
Seeing his attitude, Renji nodded in satisfaction, inwardly pleased that his "Talk no Jutsu" had improved. Though it wasn't on par with Naruto's, getting John to reconsider his obsession with treasure was already a win.
But before he could revel in his success, John promptly added, "In that case, I should hide my treasure even better and collect as much as I can before I die!"
"Just go to hell with your treasure!"
Renji rolled his eyes. Now he understood why John had said those things earlier—this guy hadn't changed at all. If anything, he'd doubled down.
So treasure was his life, huh?
"Renji, everyone sails the seas for a reason. What's your dream?"
Glancing at Renji, Captain John shook his head, brushing off the advice. This was his dream, after all. If he died for it, so be it—he was willing!
(End of Chapter)
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