Chapter 171 - Old John: My Brother and I Are Heart-to-Heart, Yet He Plays Mind Games with Me?
Naruto Renji: [Speaking of which, hasn't the era of the three legendary pirate empires begun in your world?]
It seemed that after Rocks' death, the pirate world had become increasingly turbulent.
Ambitious figures began emerging one after another. But then again, with the Rocks Pirates dominating the seas, even the Roger Pirates had been forced to flee.
Roger had found no foothold in the New World.
Now that Rocks had been dead for quite some time, this era certainly wasn't short on ambitious individuals.
One Piece Renji: [Yes, it has begun. I've finished reforming Wano Country, so I'm preparing to explore the outside world.]
This time, Renji planned to go alone without bringing his pirate crew.
Mainly because he didn't want to expose that Wano was under his control yet.
Wano served as a natural barrier for him. With it in place, he could develop his strength here safely.
Following Rocks' downfall,
the New World entered an era dominated by three great pirate empires. Whitebeard, Roger, and Golden Lion stirred the New World into chaos.
Meanwhile, the Marines entered a period of rapid development. After battling Red Count, Red Count gained fame across the seas but was subsequently captured by Garp and imprisoned in Impel Down Level 6.
This was followed by Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral, though he temporarily declined the position.
The Marine's original candidates for Admiral were built around Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr.
Unfortunately, Garp once again rejected promotion to Admiral rank. Zephyr resigned after his family was killed by pirates, dedicating himself to training countless new recruits.
Two of the three Admiral positions remained vacant, so Sengoku naturally refused the promotion.
At the same time, three monstrous rookies emerged within the Marines: Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
The powerhouses from the anime were now making their appearances one by one.
"Old John, still haven't found that idiot Kaido?"
Renji stretched lazily. He'd lost track of how long that idiot Kaido had been gone. Ever since Kaido told him he was leaving to form his own division, the man had simply vanished.
They still hadn't found him. Renji even seriously suspected Kaido might have been captured by the World Government for experimentation.
"No idea. That guy's hiding somewhere. Could he be backing out?"
Captain John shook his head. He knew full well about the agreement between Renji and Kaido.
If Kaido just ran off, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Damn it!
He never should have let Kaido take the Yamata no Orochi form. He could have sold that Devil Fruit for a fortune!
Money was desperately needed now!
The gold Renji obtained from Skypiea was nearly depleted.
Establishing factories, transforming Wano, recruiting crew members—all required funding. After all, Wano prohibited its people from plundering. What else could they do but produce their own resources?
The initial stages required massive investment. He had to import equipment bit by bit, renovate land, open farmland—all costing money.
Captain John felt that following Renji made him less of a pirate and more like a national finance minister. Instead of hunting treasure, he now calculated how to boost GDP, ensure people had money, and could afford food.
Still, he enjoyed this lifestyle. He loved treasure but didn't necessarily need to steal it. Wano's quality of life kept improving. Once their products could be exported, they'd have endless wealth.
Not to mention Wano's abundant Sea Prism Stone—that would be a goldmine!
This made Captain John even more convinced that choosing Wano as their base was an incredibly wise decision.
"He wouldn't back out. That guy doesn't want to leave the crew; he wants to take my captain position. If he runs, what happens to the captaincy?"
Renji wasn't worried about Kaido fleeing at all.
The man had his pride. Before defeating Renji, he'd never run. Plus, Kaido was still growing stronger. If his power increased, he'd definitely seek Renji out.
Most likely, he really did go to form his own Beast Pirates division.
Renji grew curious. If Kaido actually succeeded in turning the Beast Pirates into a division later, their crew would become quite formidable—though still lacking in top-tier combat power.
At present, while Ginny had eaten the Gale-Gale Fruit, she wasn't skilled in combat. John's strength was at a mid-tier Warlord level. Bartholomew Kuma would become powerful later, but it still wasn't enough. To replicate and surpass the Rocks Pirates, they needed more formidable fighters.
"You really aren't worried at all. That guy Kaido is from the Oni tribe and ate the Uo Uo no Mi."
Old John muttered. He couldn't understand why Renji gave Kaido such lenient terms.
"The Oni tribe's physique..."
Come to think of it, that wasn't so frightening. Renji seemed to possess it too—and not just the Oni physique. He also had Blackbeard's and Big Mom's physiques. Viewed this way, even without eating another Mythical Zoan, he could easily suppress Kaido with just Haki. Kaido's physique excelled in recovery; Big Mom's "Iron Balloon" was superior for defense!
This wasn't Renji's current concern. He had a more pressing issue to address.
"Old John, Wano's about to run out of money soon, isn't it?"
Wano's resources were depleting rapidly. Though they had executed many nobles and confiscated all their assets,
money remained Wano's most urgent need.
The country previously had zero industrial foundation. Nobles exploited commoners who couldn't even afford food, surviving only through subsistence farming.
No wonder Kozuki Oden earned deep admiration after teaching farming and construction techniques. It showed how severely Wano had been oppressed.
Centuries of isolation left Wano backward, with nobles monopolizing everything.
People were either exploited or forced into villainy.
Renji had eliminated the uncooperative nobles and villains. Now, Wano stood in ruins awaiting rebuilding.
"That look in your eyes is all wrong!"
Captain John saw Renji's expression and his heart sank. Something felt terribly off!
Don't look at me like that!
Every time Renji looked at him this way, it meant trouble.
"Old John, I have a high-risk—no, an angel investment plan. Want to hear it?"
Elbaf's gold reserves were substantial, but Renji had been pouring everything into transforming Wano.
Unlike Kaido, he wasn't recklessly reshaping Wano but genuinely rebuilding it. Many facilities required massive gold investments.
Funds were draining fast. Even with Elbaf's gold, continuing at this rate would likely exhaust their reserves.
Plus, the incoming attack helicopters and various weapons—
he'd need to establish production lines for all of them later.
Everything cost money.
So where could he get funds without money?
Wasn't there someone right in front of him?
"No money, no life!"
Old John recognized Renji's mischievous look immediately. Especially now with his blatant words, John turned to flee immediately!
What a joke!
What promises had Renji made when recruiting him to the crew?
He'd sworn not only to leave John's treasure untouched but also to hand all future loot to John for management.
It was precisely this promise that convinced John. Combined with his brotherhood with Renji, he brought his talents from the Rocks Pirates to Renji's crew.
But this was completely different from what Renji had promised! Not only had he seen no treasure, but now Renji was trying to swindle him—clearly eyeing John's personal wealth.
"Old John, we've already invested so much of Elbaf's gold. Later, our weapon factories can sell arms. Sea Prism Stone will fetch high prices too. Similarly, our future light industrial goods and luxury products can dominate global markets.
We're just short on funds now. If you invest a little, won't rivers of money flow into Wano later?"
Renji grabbed John's shoulders, halting his escape attempt. His tone carried a hint of temptation.
They were just one crucial step away from success—surely he wouldn't abandon everything now?
Besides, he wasn't just selling John empty promises. If these plans materialized, the profits would be real.
Hearing Renji's words, John swallowed hard. He knew full well the immense potential of Renji's projects.
Wano, once destitute, was now prospering internally.
The products and concepts emerging made Captain John want to crack open Renji's skull to see where he got all these ingenious ideas.
Making money was truly just a matter of time.
"John, didn't you once say you wanted to swim in treasure? With these ventures, building a golden swimming pool or a golden amusement park would be child's play!"
Renji continued. Captain John admitted he was tempted.
Why did he collect treasure?
Wasn't it for the joy of accumulation and the pride of building a treasure museum?
With money, he wouldn't need to plunder—he could simply buy what he wanted.
Old John was a civilized man! If he could buy it, he wouldn't steal... unless he was broke. Then he'd steal!
"Renji, you're my dearest friend! How much do you need?"
Captain John's throat tightened. Finally, he decided to invest.
After all, hoarded treasure didn't generate wealth. Investment multiplied money—a lesson Renji himself had taught him.
Money wasn't saved—it was made!
Renji chuckled inwardly. It seemed his recent "ideological education" of Captain John had been effective.
Staying in Wano was fundamentally about changing their mindset.
John was easier to reform due to his personality, but the other three were different.
Ivankov was relatively malleable. Kuma was a saint, and Ginny wasn't far off. Fortunately, his ideological work had been effective—they now embraced his vision.
Tenshi was even easier to fool; the woman had been thoroughly charmed since their first meeting.
"Old John, we're brothers, right?"
"Of course!"
Old John threw an arm around Renji's shoulders, sincerity flashing in his eyes.
Brothers!
Absolutely brothers!
They'd climbed Skypiea together!
(Though Renji did the climbing while John just watched.)
"Then Old John, just give me all your treasure?"
John had previously transported all his treasure to Wano.
Renji once wondered why Buggy remembered Captain John's treasure so vividly.
Now he understood—it rivaled Elbaf's gold! Just how much treasure had this man amassed?
Was Roger's "One Piece" actually yours?!
"Damn it!!!"
Captain John's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd expected Renji to ask for a quarter at most. He planned to haggle and settle for a fifth. But this—Renji wanted to carve out his heart!
My brother and I are heart-to-heart, yet he plays mind games with me?
"John, think big! We need vision! I told you before—money isn't saved! I won't take your money for nothing. When we profit, you'll get dividends!"
Renji spoke, subtly observing John's reaction.
John was tempted, but surrendering all his treasure felt like tearing out his own heart.
Yet Renji's words echoed: Money isn't saved.
"Renji, level with me. Will you run off with my treasure?"
Old John took a deep breath. Though it sounded foolish, he needed Renji's answer.
After all, a scammer wouldn't admit to scamming. He sought reassurance—a sign that Old John was willing to trust. This was his life's savings!
"Have I gone mad? Why would I abandon all this?"
"...Fine. Take my treasure. But you must turn it into profit for me! If you fail, I'll send ten ugly women to assassinate you!!"
Captain John gritted his teeth. He'd treat this as an investment.
But afterward, Renji had to make him money. If he gambled away an investor's capital, John would never forgive him!
"Old John, don't you trust me?"
"Trust? Of course I trust you! Who else is my best brother?!"
Captain John decided: if Renji dared betray him, he'd drug him and deliver him to Charlotte Linlin!
"By the way, Old John, I'm leaving Wano in your hands for a while. I'm preparing to depart."
"Off to stir up trouble in the outside world, eh?"
Captain John's eyes gleamed with an "I-knew-it" expression.
He refused to believe Renji would stay idle in Wano while such chaos brewed.
"Mhm. If Whitebeard and Golden Lion can do it, why can't I?"
As the Marines' most wanted man, his sudden disappearance sparked endless speculation.
Some claimed he'd been captured and imprisoned in Impel Down Level 6. Others said the Celestial Dragons had executed him for his crimes. Or that he was too scared to show his face.
Whatever the theory, all agreed Renji met a bad end. That, he couldn't tolerate!
"True enough. Nowadays, everyone chases the title of Pirate King to reach Laugh Tale. Nothing like our time!"
In their era under Rocks, they fought the Celestial Dragons. Now, every pirate wanted to be Pirate King. Captain John grew nostalgic.
"Isn't this pirate slaughter exactly what those World Government bastards engineered?"
Come to think of it, they'd likely leaked the existence of the Road Poneglyphs or even crowned "Pirate Kings" before.
The World Government thrived on chaos. Combined with Renji's massacre of the Celestial Dragons, they now sought to eliminate powerful pirates.
As pirates flooded the seas, Marine recruitment couldn't keep pace. Soon they'd struggle to control even the first half of the Grand Line.
"They've always manipulated the world. Sadly, we're just players in their game."
Captain John took a swig of rum, his eyes clouded.
They weren't rule-makers—just players forced to follow pre-written rules.
Did they not know?
Of course they knew. But the World Government exploited pirates' greed, turning them against each other to control the world.
"Rules are meant to be broken, Old John. So Wano is in your hands. If I don't leave soon, the world will forget me!"
(End of Chapter)
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