Chapter 149: [148] Emotional Reunion
Chapter 149: [148] Emotional Reunion
[2700 Words]
[Five Days Later.]
In a place surrounded by white clouds, towering in the clear blue sky, there floated a silent island above Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line.
Sky Island had undergone substantial changes in the past few weeks since the Black Death became the god of Skypiea. Under his guidance and thanks to the efforts of his devoted followers, numerous new buildings were constructed.
The purpose of these buildings was simple: to train a new generation of fierce fighters.
This wasn't just ordinary training-it was the teaching of Haki to anyone whose physical strength had reached the level required to learn Armament Haki!
The same applied to Observation Haki; anyone who met the requirements could be trained in both types of Haki by specialized Haki instructors.
And where did these instructors come from? They were none other than the Four Priests of Pegasus: Gedatsu, Satori, Ohm, and Shura.
After consuming the Pegasus Warrior elixirs, the four priests underwent a radical transformation and unprecedented growth in strength, enabling them to awaken their Armament Haki!
As for Observation Haki, known as "Mantra" on this floating island, they had long been familiar with it.
Elsewhere, far from these training facilities, in the holiest and grandest place in Skypiea-the Temple of the God, built atop the giant Jack-a captivating scene unfolded.
A man with long blue hair and piercing blue eyes sat calmly. His eyes seemed capable of piercing through space itself, seeing the infinite stars scattered across the universe.
He wore a simple black kimono, but from one glance, it was clear that the kimono was crafted from the finest wool. In truth, it was still his eternal garment, capable of transforming into any shape.
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
His finger tapped gently on the armrest of his golden throne, and Ren appeared to be in deep thought.
'Miss System, there are many things that need to be added to my status.'
He communicated mentally with the mysterious entity that resided somewhere, and soon heard a soft voice in his mind.
[Indeed, Master. Would you like to see your status?]
'Oh, you're oddly polite today,' he chuckled internally, bracing himself for the scolding that would likely come next.
[W-What do you mean! I've always been polite! You're the rude one! Your whole family is rude!]
It seemed that Miss System's mood was worsening, so Ren had to endure her reprimand for a few minutes until she calmed down.
[Sigh... What an inconsiderate host.]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
'But isn't a system supposed to be incapable of anger? Isn't that correct?' Ren pointed out her little fib.
[T-That's... I'm an exception! Yes, that's right, I'm just an exception!]
'Sigh... Alright, alright. Show me my status.' After teasing his gentle system for a few moments, Ren requested to view his status.
And sure enough, Miss System did not delay, and soon, a new message appeared in front of him.
¶[Name: Konabar Ren.]
¶[Age: 27 years and 8 months.]
[Height: 2.35m (7.71ft).]
[Status: Stable.]
¶[Title: Black Death.]
[Bounty: 240 million .]
¶[Physical Strength Level: 118,000 (S).]
¶[Devil Fruit: Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi).]
¶[Devil Fruit Evaluation: ***** (top-tier Devil Fruit), (Medium mastery).]
¶[Skills: [Tempest Kick (medium)] - [God of Weapons (low)] - [Sniping (high)] - [Shave (medium)] - [Moonwalk (medium)] - [Finger Gun (medium)] - [Iron Body (low)]-[Life Return] - [Swordsmanship (medium)] - [Divine Massage] - [Spirit's Summoning] - [Hell Eyes (low)] - [Underwater Breathing] - [Cold Heart] - [Sperm Control] - [Lemon-Flavored Sperm] - [Voice of All Things] - [Omnilingual].]
¶[Haki: Armament Haki (Advanced mastery) - Observation Haki (Advanced mastery) - Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate mastery).]
¶[Bloodline: None.]
¶[Girlfriends: Nojiko, Nami, Conis, Angelina, Angela, Mikita, Robin, Kaya.]
¶[Crew Members: Nojiko, Nami, Kaya, Tashigi, Mikita, Vivi, Robin, Zala, Kalifa, Leila, Shirahoshi.]
¶[Fleet Commanders: Daz Bonez (First Division), Silver Drak (Second Division).]
Many things had happened over the past five days that he and his crew spent on Fish-Man Island before returning to Alabasta and then traveling to their other base on Sky Island. Perhaps the most notable event was Shirahoshi's request to join Ren's crew.
He had intended to invite her anyway, but the girl was so enthusiastic that she begged her father for permission to sail with him.
Neptune eventually agreed after several days of Shirahoshi's pleas. But why did he agree? Ren knew the reason; it was likely because of the Devil Fruit that Shirahoshi had eaten, granting her the ability to shift from her hybrid form to a human form.
The girl felt more comfortable in her smaller human form when she was outside because of
this.
But what did this have to do with King Neptune agreeing to let Shirahoshi join his crew? It was because her true form was unknown!
She had been confined to her room since childhood, so how could anyone recognize her? Especially someone from the upper seas.
Even if there were a wanted poster of her, Neptune was relieved because, at worst, she would return to Fish-Man Island and transform back into her giant mermaid form.
Would anyone associate her with a human pirate? Of course not!
Thus, Shirahoshi now had two identities: as a Mermaid Prince of Fish-Man Island and as a
pirate in the Crew of Sin.
Even though she thought of pirates as people who roamed and had adventures...
Oh, and there was one more thing-Shirahoshi hadn't yet discovered that her mother's spirit
had been revived.
Robin had done an excellent job of hiding this from her.
However, it was to be revealed to her soon because she had already become a part of his crew.
Anyway, after arriving in Alabasta, Ren visited Silver Drak and Daz Bones, who had gathered there in the desert of Alabasta with forces exceeding 20,000 pirates.
Though most of them were mere cannon fodder.
Daz Bones had received the reward that Ren sent him through Silver Drak, which naturally consisted of Armament and Observation Haki scrolls, an energy potion, along with Moonwalk
and Shave.
Thus, he had a good conversation with Daz Bones, who swore not to disclose anything,
trembling under the renewed awe his captain inspired in him.
Ren also hypnotized him, just as he had done with Silver Drak.
Secrets are important, after all, so I have to be a bit careful, don't I? Ren thought to himself.
Daz Bones also introduced him to two promising young recruits who were teenagers under 18. One was named Lenny, and the other was called Mugen.
They were talented youths.
Ren knew they had consumed the Devil Fruits he had left for Daz Bones. These fruits were the
Black Metal Fruit of the Paramecia type, consumed by Lenny, and the Logia type, The Green
Acid Fruit that Mugen obtained.
Originally, these two fruits were in Garp's stock; he had found them after decades of sailing the dangerous waters of the New World, but he had to hand them over to Ren to retrieve Luffy
about a month ago.
Staring at the system interface, Ren fell into deep thought: 'Some skills have been added, and the Crew Members, Girlfriends, and Division Leaders tabs have been updated...'
Two days ago, he spoke to Kaya and officially added her to his harem, so the system regarded
her as one of his companions.
As for how he convinced Kaya... well, that was after several rounds of lovemaking, which left many indecent marks on her body.
Then, his gaze fell on the Devil Fruit section, where he saw his mastery level.
His mastery had reached an intermediate level after consuming the scroll he had acquired a
few days ago.
His Devil Fruit powers had grown significantly, with details to follow.
Other than that, there was nothing else of particular interest.
"Lord Ren, are you comfortable?" A soft whisper reached his ears-it was none other than
Angela, the beautiful maid, gently massaging his shoulders.
"There's no doubt Lord Ren prefers my services more!"
Another alluring voice came from another girl, who looked like an older version of Angela. It
was her elder sister, Angelina, who pressed her ample chest against his back and wrapped her slender arms around him.
Ren felt aroused by all the softness surrounding him, so he glanced away from the system
interface.
[Hmph, indulging in debauchery again, you perverted lord.]
He ignored Miss system's grumbling, who, despite saying that, continued watching Ren as he
spent hours with Angela and Angelina.
[Several hours later.]
Ren was no longer in the Temple of the God but in Elsama, specifically in the dimension.
"Oh, Ren-sama! You've finally returned!" Shirahoshi in her human form was the first to greet
him with a gentle smile.
Ren wondered what she would think if she knew what he had been doing a few hours earlier.
The maid girls, whom he left in a mess with fluids filling their bodies, were witnesses to the
previous divine encounter.
Pushing aside his stray thoughts, he patted her head, "Hello, Shirahoshi, are you getting used to things here?"
He asked as they walked toward the grand house within this dimension. "Mmm! Everyone here is so kind, and I love this magical dimension~" Shirahoshi laughed. Previously, when she first arrived, she was quite shocked like every girl who entered this place for the first time, but she quickly grew fond of this island.
She also enjoyed swimming in the ocean surrounding this island, although it wasn't very
deep, it was enough for her.
"Shirahoshi's mood had changed a bit from her usual self. Ever since she saw natural sunlight, sailed on the open seas, and flew in the sky aboard Elsama, she was no longer the same crybaby without reason.
'But she'll probably cry soon enough,' Ren thought to himself, anticipating her reaction upon
seeing her deceased mother.
"Follow me, Shirahoshi; I have a surprise for you."
'A surprise?' the girl asked in a soft voice, tilting her head in curiosity.
Ren didn't respond but continued walking towards the house where his crew members were
gathered.
It was his house, but it seemed the girls had grown accustomed to being there, and he didn't
mind it.
Even though the island was medium-sized by One Piece world standards, enough to build a small town, so each crew member could have her own house...
He decided to leave the matter for the girls to decide and to choose the design that suited
them.
His train of thought was interrupted as he saw a group of girls engaged in different activities.
Nami and Nojiko were peeling some oranges while chatting with Bell-mere about women's topics, though a slight blush was visible on Bell-mere's beautiful face. Ren decided to respect their privacy and not eavesdrop on them.
He could do that with Observation Haki alone, but even the 'Voice of All Things' skill had this
feature.
Speaking of that skill, Ren had managed, after a few days, to control the sounds he wanted to
hear and those he didn't.
It was quite strange listening to a conversation between birds or two trees that were hundreds
of years old... Apart from those three, Nami, Nojiko, and Bell-mere, Kalifa was working at a desk with
several papers filled with all sorts of nonsense and manual tasks that Ren was too lazy to do
himself.
As for where all this manual work came from? It was none other than his fleet, which was gradually growing.
This included the financial expenses required to house this large number of pirates, as well as weapons and ships.
Of course, Ren had planned for income sources a long time ago, which was why he left Vivi in Alabasta to handle some matters with her father's assistance.
Several different shops were successfully opened across Alabasta. These included carpentry, blacksmithing, weapons trading, and more.
Business was already booming, and he even had plans to expand to other islands in the Four
Seas and the Grand Line.
As for the New World, that was impossible for now.
This was due to the dominance of the Four Emperors... no, the Three Emperors, over the New
World and the islands there.
If he really wanted to establish his business in the New World, he would have to become the
new Emperor before Blackbeard did.
But that would make him lose his status as a Warlord.
The current prosperity he enjoyed was largely due to the Marines leaving him alone because
of his Warlord position. However, Ren had future plans to address this issue.
Leaving Kalifa, who was busy with piles of paperwork, he then looked at Mikita, who was
lounging on her sofa chatting with Zala.
Then there was his sister Leila, who approached him with a loving smile and asked, 'Brother-
it seems you were enjoying yourself~'
Her mischievous smile hinted that she knew what he had been up to before coming, but Ren wondered how she knew that. Was it because she had smelled him for a few seconds?
'But there shouldn't be any scent left, right?... Never mind, women are really strange when it comes to these things.'
He patted her head, then touched her chin and kissed her forehead.
'How about we enjoy ourselves together?' He looked at her face, which turned slightly red
from embarrassment. 'Moo~ you're teasing me again~'
As soon as she said that, she quickly ran off to avoid anyone seeing her tomato-red face.
Ren sighed and looked at Shirahoshi, who had been following him all along, watching everything with an innocent expression on her face. Then he looked at Robin, who was speaking to her mother, whose spirit was still in the ring.
Robin appeared as calm as usual, but a happy smile could be seen on her beautiful face.
"Robin, come here for a moment."
"Hmm?"
Robin, who had been talking with Olvia about the Poneglyphs and their contents, heard Ren's
voice and immediately approached him with a loving smile.
"I'm here, Captain-" She smiled softly, then noticed Shirahoshi behind Ren and sensed that
the ring containing Otohime's spirit was reacting.
Otohime was eager to see her daughter.
In fact, she had been like this ever since Shirahoshi boarded Ren's ship and became part of the
Crew of Sin.
But she had only observed her from afar, waiting for an opportunity to talk to her and reunite
with her little girl once again.
Well, maybe she was no longer as little as Otohime remembered, but she would always
remain her little girl in her mind.
Of course, Otohime wasn't surprised by Robin's human appearance after Robin explained
what had happened to her.
In reality, Otohime didn't think there was anything left that could surprise her after everything she had been through; she was supposed to be dead... yet here she was, just minutes away from meeting her daughter, whom she thought she'd never see again. "Queen Otohime, you may come out, "Ren said, anticipating the dramatic reunion between
mother and daughter.
!!!!!
Shirahoshi, who heard this name, was stunned, but her shock deepened when she saw a figure
emerge from the ring on Robin's hand!
And that figure was...
"M-mother-sama?!"
Shirahoshi cried out in a trembling voice, tears welling in her eyes. Her cry also drew the
attention of the other women, who just smiled at the touching scene.
"Fufufu- Finally, Shirahoshi-chan will reunite with her mother," Nojiko smiled, clearly
happy for Shirahoshi.
The other girls shared her sentiment.
'Captain Ren is amazing...' Vivi thought to herself, deciding she would ask Ren to revive her
own mother.
Girls like Robin, Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya understood better than anyone the emotions
Shirahoshi, now crying, was experiencing.
"Alright, alright, don't cry, my silly daughter-" Otohime felt a pang of sadness that she
couldn't physically touch Shirahoshi in her current spiritual form, but that didn't stop her
from trying to comfort her tearful daughter.
"M-Mother-sama! How... I don't understand anything---*sob*" Shirahoshi was utterly bewildered and wondered if this was all just a dream.
She was only 14 years old and had lost her mother at the age of six, never believing she would
see her again.
She didn't know how this was happening or how her mother appeared before her. She didn't understand anything, but she knew she was incredibly happy at this moment. The tears she shed now weren't the usual tears of sadness; they were tears of joy!
The joy she had missed for so many years.
To be continued....
900PS= Bonus chapter.