— — — — — —
"The Black Bullet world's Varanium Metal is actually pretty great! It's strong, flexible, and conducts energy really well. Should give my Gundam a serious upgrade!" said Gundam Renzo, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, it's solid," Uchiha Renzo nodded. "We should run some tests to see how well it handles chakra. If it's good enough, we could totally replace chakra metal with this for gear and the chakra transmission system in my Gundam."
Chakra metal was decent in conductivity, sure—but way too brittle. This new Varanium Metal had way better stats across the board.
"I'll try mixing some into my Nichirin Blade later," added Demon Slayer Renzo. "Now that the man-eating demons are gone, those blades aren't really needed anymore. Might be time to rethink the whole material thing. The Scarlet Crimson Ore we've been using is weak in both strength and flexibility. Honestly, if it weren't for demon slaying, no one would even bother using it in swords."
"Agreed," Pirate Renzo chimed in. "This Metal Varanium seems even better than the stuff I use. More importantly, it channels energy like a dream. When I get back, I'm gonna forge a full Varanium Metal katana and see how it performs."
"Alright, I think we've covered enough today. Everyone can head back and keep working on breaking down Sage Chakra. The sooner we figure it out, the sooner we can merge it into Origin Power. I'm out!"
With that, Pirate Renzo exited the consciousness space.
The rest of the crew gradually left too, until only Apocalypse Renzo, Gundam Renzo, and Dark Renzo remained, deep in discussion about the Gastrea Factor.
— — —
In the world of One Piece—
"Captain! We're about 300 nautical miles from Syrup Village!"
"Also, there's a pirate ship about 150 miles ahead near a small island. Flag shows it's the Black Cat Pirates—or what used to be the Black Cat Pirates!"
Pirate Renzo had just returned to consciousness when Red Queen reported in.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So Kuro faked his death and snuck into Kaya's household, huh? Trying to weasel his way into her family's fortune."
"What's Kaya's family situation right now? Did our scanners pick anything up?"
He really hoped he wasn't too late.
In the original story, it was never made completely clear—just that Kaya's parents supposedly died of illness.
But Renzo always found that fishy.
Kuro had faked a shipwreck and collapsed outside Kaya's mansion. They took him in, gave him a job, and over time he became their butler—scheming in the shadows to steal their wealth.
Not long after, Kaya's parents mysteriously died one after the other.
Even Kaya herself became weak and constantly ill.
If that's not a textbook case of inviting a wolf into your home, what is?
...
"Reporting, Master!"
Red Queen projected a hologram showing the current state of the mansion.
Kaya's parents were in bed, sickly and pale.
It didn't look good.
If they didn't get help soon, they probably wouldn't make it.
Meanwhile, Renzo spotted Kuro—now going by the name Klahadore—dressed in a neat suit, glasses and all, playing the perfect gentleman.
"So it's already this far along, huh? Red Queen, let's hit the Black Cat Pirates first. Wipe them out, then head to Syrup Village."
"Understood!" Red Queen responded, altering the ship's course.
"Renzo! Are we almost at the next island yet?"
Zoro ran up, swinging his swords excitedly.
"Hmm?"
Renzo gave him a side-eye. "What did you just call me?"
"N-nothing! Of course I meant 'Senior Brother'! Ahaha..." Zoro laughed nervously.
Crap! That slipped out way too fast!
Bonk!
Renzo smacked Zoro on the head with a haki-coated fist, leaving a big lump. "That's what you get for not learning!"
Ignoring Zoro's offended puppy-eyes, Renzo continued, "Yeah, we're almost at the next island—but we're not going there just yet. I found a low-tier pirate crew nearby. You and Kuina are gonna use them for today's training. Go get ready."
"Oh?"
Zoro perked up. Instead of annoyed, he looked even more hyped. "A real pirate crew, huh? Are they strong? Not another group of nobodies, right? That'd be lame!"
Lately, he had been getting a lot stronger. His swordsmanship had already come a long way. With the help of breathing techniques and internal energy training, plus a diet stacked with Sea King meat, he was growing at lightning speed.
He was even shooting up in height—already 1.2 meters tall.
"Don't worry, there are a few solid fighters among them," Renzo said with a grin. "If you and Kuina aren't careful, there's a real chance you could lose."
"Hmph! I'm not gonna let my guard down!" Zoro huffed. "I'll go all out and crush that bunch of scummy pirates!"
He waved his sword excitedly and ran off to get ready.
"Kuina! Kuina!" he shouted. "We've got a fight coming up! A real pirate crew is on the horizon!"
Meanwhile, Kuina was meditating in the lounge, opened her eyes and walked over, opening it to find an excited Zoro rattling off what Renzo had told him.
"Oh?" Kuina raised an eyebrow. "More opponents, huh? Got any intel on them?"
"Didn't ask!" Zoro replied, shaking his head. "But Renzo said there are a few decent ones in the bunch. Let's go! I can't wait! Let's make this a contest—whoever takes down the most wins!"
Kuina chuckled. "Fine by me. Like I'd be scared of you. You've never beaten me once, remember?"
Up to now, the two of them had sparred more than 3,000 times.
And their battles weren't limited to sword duels. Whether it was enemy kills, training exercises... even fishing competitions, Zoro turned everything into a rivalry.
Kuina never turned him down. Crushing Zoro in every category was kinda fun, and honestly, it felt good.
Of course, she also challenged Renzo a lot more frequently. He always held back, but even then, she never once won. Still, she learned a lot each time, which made her even more eager to fight again.
The yacht sliced through the waves, speeding toward the Cat Pirates. It covered the 100+ nautical miles in under ten minutes.
"Captain! Strange yacht spotted headed this way!"
Back with the Cat Pirates, a lookout shouted to acting captain Jango.
"Looks like they're headed straight for us!"
Jango, sporting heart-shaped sunglasses, leapt from his recliner. "Can you tell who they are?"
He rushed into the captain's quarters and grabbed a telescope. One look and he cursed under his breath.
"Damn! They're coming in hot! And that yacht looks... way too fancy. No way those are just regular folks!"
"Everyone! Battle stations, now!" he shouted.
The pirates scrambled, grabbing weapons and lining up on the deck.
"Should we go meet them head-on?" one pirate asked.
"No," Jango said with a serious look. "That yacht is way too elegant. Better we wait here on the shore. Let's just hope they're not too powerful... or we might be in serious trouble."
If that yacht's speed was anything to go by, they might not even get a chance to fight back.
.
.
.