The stimulant effect surged through his veins almost instantly.
Ren felt his entire body ignite with heat, as if molten magma had been poured into his flesh, spreading from between his legs and flooding every limb. His skin flushed crimson, cracking open in faint golden fissures that glimmered like molten metal.
Brilliant golden light pulsed from within, wrapping his entire body in a dazzling aura.
Snap—!
[Magic Trick: Snapfire!]
With a crisp snap of his fingers, a burst of fire erupted from thin air, slamming into the face of the nearest pirate. The searing flames made him scream and stagger backward, clutching at his charred face.
"Come on then—let's fight till the end!"
Ren's golden-lit eyes glinted with murderous intent. He gripped his straight blade tight and slammed shoulder-first into the next pirate.
Sparks burst from the impact, the blade bending and nicking under the force as it struck flesh. The pirate stumbled backward, only for the blade to plunge through his chest a heartbeat later, pinning him to the deck.
"Ahhh!"
As the dying scream faded, Ren spun and raised his arm, his sword slashing out again with a metallic ring that echoed like steel striking stone.
Another pirate—his face scorched black—barely had time to flinch before Ren's knuckles smashed into his temple. The middle finger joint struck like a hammer; the man's eyes rolled red as he crumpled to the floor.
The battle ended so abruptly that every surviving pirate froze, the last shred of courage in their hearts turning to ice.
"Who else!?"
Ren yanked the blood-stained sword from the deck and planted it upright before him.
His piercing gaze swept over the trembling pirates—each glare sharp as a blade driven into their souls.
"Run!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but in an instant, the crew of the Gus scattered, leaping overboard in panic.
Staying meant certain death; diving into the sea at least offered a sliver of life.
"It's... it's over…"
Captain Saren collapsed onto the blood-soaked deck, barely conscious. Surrounded and injured, he had been on the verge of defeat—until this "employer" of his revealed his true colors.
In just one ruthless slaughter, Ren had broken the pirates' morale completely.
"Captain, don't forget our deal."
Ren's calm voice cut through the tension as he walked past, his blade still dripping scarlet onto the deck. The oppressive air around him was suffocating.
"I–I know…"
Saren swallowed hard, his gaze flicking toward the weapon hanging from Ren's waist.
He'd seen it before and assumed it was some kind of toy, which was why he hadn't forced Ren to leave it in his cabin along with that strange crossbow.
Now, thank the heavens he hadn't.
"There won't be... any trouble, right?"
"None. But if you're worried, you can prepare my payment right away."
Saren nodded rapidly. The money wouldn't be a problem—the Gus's funds were meant for situations exactly like this. After all, the ship's real purpose wasn't trade—it was to ferry bored nobles on pleasure cruises.
And when it came to nobles, safety came first.
"Good."
Ren nodded, heading off to a quiet corner to reload his weapon.
He wasn't fast—ten or so seconds passed before he finished reloading and set the gun to ready mode.
He wasn't a trained soldier, after all, which was why he avoided reloading mid-battle.
If only I had a Desert Eagle with infinite ammo... this thing packs a serious punch.
Ren holstered the silver Desert Eagle, pausing by one of the corpses to inspect it.
The front muzzle was small, but the back end's opening could almost fit two fists.
He recalled PS's teasing voice: "What do you even need that for? Planning to hunt elephants?"
By theory, a pistol of that caliber should have absurd recoil—impossible for a normal person to handle without training.
Yet whether it was when he first fired it or now, Ren felt no real difficulty.
It was like... playing a video game. After a few tries, his hands just knew what to do.
Three hundred million FPS dreams... Could my "Dimensional Roulette" have drawn from that fantasy world?
Ren mused, still trying to unravel the secrets of the Dimensional Roulette.
Meanwhile, the Gus crew cleaned the deck, tossing corpses into the sea. Some patrolled the lower decks for any hiding pirates, while others boarded the enemy ship to salvage what they could.
Ren hesitated, then followed them aboard.
Unlike the wide merchant ship, the pirate vessel's deck was cramped, littered with cannons and... bodies.
Blood ran like small crimson streams across the planks.
Holding his nose, Ren frowned and leaned closer—only to realize many of those "corpses" were still barely breathing.
Zoro had struck them down but hadn't bothered finishing them off. He'd simply charged deeper into the ship.
"Mr. Ren… what should we do?"
A Gus sailor in uniform asked tensely, eyes locked on the groaning pirates. Too many of their own comrades had died in this ambush—no one wanted to show mercy.
"Judging their sins is God's work," Ren said flatly, glancing at the silver cross glinting on the sailor's chest. "Your job is to send them to Him."
Heh. Come to think of it, the world of One Piece did have religion—like that weird straw doll priest...
"Thank you," the sailor said gratefully. Technically, this pirate ship now belonged to Ren as spoils of war, so its prisoners were his to deal with.
"I'm going to find Zoro. You handle the rest."
Ren turned and left as the sound of blades plunging into flesh echoed behind him.
He followed the narrow passage below deck and eventually found Zoro in the lower cabin, wiping blood from his swords.
"All done?"
"Anyone who got in my way, yes. The rest—I don't know," Zoro replied bluntly, his expression calm as ever.
"Then let's not waste time. Come on—to the captain's quarters."
Ren rubbed his hands in excitement. Taking over a pirate ship meant one thing—treasure.
Plus, that unconscious Alvida could be sold off to Captain Saren later.
And the ship itself had value. In this era of the Great Pirates, even a half-broken vessel could fetch a decent price.
All in all—a massive profit!
"Yeah."
Zoro sheathed his swords and took the lead.
But as they climbed back to the upper deck, they stumbled upon something unexpected.
A group of Gus sailors had surrounded a young boy with pink hair, hands raised in surrender. Captain Saren stood nearby, frowning uncertainly.
"Captain Saren? What's going on?" Ren asked curiously.
"Mr. Ren, I came to fulfill our agreement," Saren said quickly, forcing a polite smile as he stepped forward and offered a large leather case.
"Hold on."
Ren opened it without ceremony and counted the bills. Satisfied, he handed it to Zoro, who accepted it with mild exasperation.
He really was turning into the guy's bag-carrier.
"And what's his deal?" Ren asked, nodding toward the pink-haired boy.
Koby. A familiar face from the original story.
An early character—one of many who debuted around the same time but were later written out as the plot advanced.
(End of Chapter)