— — — — — — —
At the port, aboard Renzo's yacht.
Today, Renzo and the gang took Kaya and her family out to sea for some fishing and relaxation.
"Hey, Kuina!"
Zoro nudged Kuina and nodded toward Renzo, who was off in the distance telling stories and making Kaya laugh.
"You think that guy's got a thing for that little lady Kaya?"
"Shut it! How would I know?"
Kuina growled, chomping aggressively on the meat in her hands like she was imagining it was Renzo's arm. Her eyes didn't leave him for a second.
"Looks like it to me!"
Zoro nodded to himself like he'd cracked some great mystery, then (foolishly) turned to Kuina again and said, "Didn't he used to be into you? What, is he dumping you now and falling for someone else?"
BAM!
A split second later, Kuina decked Zoro with a clean punch, knocking him flat on his back.
"WOWWW!"
Zoro clutched his head, whining in pain. "What the hell, Kuina?! You're hitting the wrong guy! I'm not the one ditching you! If you're gonna hit someone, hit Ren—"
WHAM!
Before Zoro could even finish, Renzo appeared out of thin air beside him and casually kicked him—lightly, of course—sending him flying over ten meters and straight into the sea with a huge splash.
SPLASH!
The kick didn't hurt much—Renzo had pulled his strength—but it was enough to send Zoro skipping like a stone across the water.
"Blu-blub—pffft! Renzo, you jerk!! That was way too much!"
Zoro flailed around in the water before managing to surface, shouting and waving his fists from the sea in protest.
Cliff and his wife exchanged glances and couldn't help laughing at the chaotic scene.
"You brat! You think I'm just gonna stand by and watch?" Renzo shouted back, rolling his eyes.
Then, with a chuckle, he handed Kaya—who'd been giggling in his arms—over to Kuina.
"Take care of Kaya for me for a bit, will ya? I'm gonna go fish for real this time."
He gave Kuina a quick wink… then another one at Kaya, and walked off casually.
The two girls just looked at each other in silence, a bit stunned.
— — —
Meanwhile, in the Mental Space…
After syncing memories, Pirate Renzo was bragging to Demon Slayer Renzo about his heroic moment rescuing Kaya.
"You wouldn't believe it! Kaya's super close to me now. Her dad's even thinking about setting us up! Hehe!"
Pirate Renzo wiggled his eyebrows proudly.
Demon Slayer Renzo gave him a deadpan look. "Dude, what is wrong with you? She's like… how old again? You're getting ahead of yourself."
"For all you know, a few years from now, she won't even remember you. It's not like you're staying on Syrup Village forever, right?"
"Hmop!"
"No way she'd forget me!" Pirate Renzo shook his head confidently.
"Anyway," Uchiha Renzo cut in, "that technique from Kuro, you picked up this time? Not bad! I think I can integrate it into my 'Godspeed' technique—create a stealth version of it."
For a shinobi, something like that could be insanely useful. He figured he could refine it and even teach it to Kurenai and the others.
"Heh! That's exactly what I was thinking too! I've already got a working prototype. Just give me a few days and it'll be polished! You guys should try it out!" Pirate Renzo gave Uchiha Renzo a big thumbs-up.
"Kuro's skill is solid," Demon Slayer Renzo nodded in agreement. "But when are you going to get your hands on the Navy's six powers techniques—especially Life Return? I'm super interested in that one."
"Right? I think that technique could totally help accelerate digestion, reinforce the body, stuff like that."
To him, Life Return was the model of a superhuman body technique. But to master it, you'd have to train your body to its absolute peak—and gain total control over every inch of it.
Different worlds really did have their own unique treasures, huh?
"Exactly," Uchiha Renzo agreed. "I've wanted that skill for ages. With your current strength—and the new hypnosis skill—you shouldn't have much trouble getting it, right?"
Pirate Renzo nodded. "Yeah, I'll head to the Grand Line solo soon. Also, I'm thinking of checking out Sky Island while I'm at it."
"Huh?" Demon Slayer Renzo gave him a weird look. "Why Sky Island? At this point in the timeline, hasn't Enel already eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? You think you can just… extract it or something?"
Pirate Renzo shrugged with a smirk. "You never know till you try, right?"
"I could try analyzing Enel using the Dōjutsu: Omniscience—break down the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, maybe even understand the core of what Devil Fruits really are."
"And after that," he added casually, "I could kill Enel. See where the fruit would be restored after his death."
This wasn't just a random thought—Pirate Renzo had read tons of One Piece fanfics in his previous life, and he had plenty of wild ideas to test.
Honestly? He didn't think it was impossible.
And if it worked? If he really managed to break down the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and recreate it using his Fantasy Creation Cheat?
He could strip out all its flaws. Maybe even make a stronger, upgraded version. Or apply that to other Devil Fruits.
That would be a game-changer.
"Let's go for it," Uchiha Renzo said, a little fired up himself. "No harm in trying. Honestly, it's about time we took that step. Who knows how long these opportunities will even last?"
Then he turned to Demon Slayer Renzo and asked, "Still haven't found the Blue Spider Lily?"
"Nope," Demon Slayer Renzo sighed, shaking his head. "Give me a bit more time. I've increased the number of scanners a hundredfold. I'm confident we'll get a hit soon."
It's not like he wasn't anxious about it. Something that important? The sooner they got it, the better.
— — —
In the Hero World, KonoSuba - inside Hero Renzo's villa…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A loud voice blared from the outside speakers:
"Attention, citizens of Axel! The annual Cabbage Migration is about to begin!"
"The Adventurer's Guild has issued a new mission: Capture the Migrating Cabbages! Reward: 10,000 Eris per cabbage!"
"All interested adventurers, please sign up immediately! That is all!"
The announcement repeated three times before finally cutting off.
"Wait, WHAT?! Cabbage catching? 10,000 Eris each?!"
Aqua, who had just been lazing around the living room, shot up like a rocket.
"What kinda quest is this?! What the heck is a 'Cabbage Migration'? Don't tell me these things can move? And are we talking about actual, literal cabbages here?!"
Kazuma stared at Renzo, Megumin, and the others, completely baffled.
Aqua had the same confused expression and turned to look at them too.
"Uh…" Darkness finally spoke up. "Actually, cabbages do move around here. It's a local specialty in Axel!"
"They say when they ripen each season, the cabbages instinctively migrate north to avoid being eaten. Eventually, they wilt and die up there. It's just how things work around here."
Then, without waiting for a reply, Darkness clasped her hands together, cheeks slightly flushed, and added, "Ahh… Just imagining being charged by a stampede of cabbages... what a feeling… Mmm..."
Renzo: "..."
Kazuma: "..."
Megumin: "..."
Girl. You're beyond saving.
"WE'RE DOING THIS. We have to! That's 10,000 Eris per cabbage! This is my big money-making moment! Let's go, go, go!!"
Aqua grabbed Renzo by the arm and started dragging him toward the door.
"Alright, alright! Calm down! No one's gonna steal your cabbages! The event hasn't even started yet! Luna definitely built in a buffer period so everyone has time to prepare."
Renzo looked at her like she was some kind of walking wallet vacuum.
Honestly, they had made decent money over the last six months.
But Aqua? She was a damn financial black hole.
She blew through money like it was cursed—sometimes without even knowing how. She'd even racked up debts more than once.
Renzo had long since given up trying to reason with her.
You can't exactly argue logic with a complete idiot.
"Wait for us!!" Kazuma called out. "Boss Renzo! This time I'm gonna score big! I swear I'll pay you back what I owe! Hahaha!"
Megumin and Darkness followed right behind.
Soon, the whole gang had made it to Axel's East Gate.
It was already packed—hundreds of adventurers were gathered, all ready for the same mission.
Clearly, nobody wanted to miss out on this big money-making opportunity.
.
.
.