Chapter 546: The Embryonic Form of the Persecution of Justice Plan
Everyone stared blankly at the shop door, a heavy silence falling over the dining room. Even the notoriously stoic Hawk-Eye looked visibly stunned. Synchronizing the temporal flow between entirely different dimensions was actually this simple? Was he just winding up a cheap pocket watch?!
Yakumo Yukari stared at the door with a completely blank expression. When connecting the worlds, there was absolutely no magical fluctuation or spatial distortion. Synchronizing the time of two distinct universes is an astronomical feat that completely shatters the fundamental laws of reality, and it was handled... just like that?!
Ren tilted his head, looking completely unbothered by their existential shock. You can just understand it like this. After the door opened, the customers in that world suddenly realized their clocks were running a bit fast, so they manually adjusted the hands back. Doesn't framing it that way make it much easier to accept?
Yakumo Ran blinked her golden eyes slowly. While that analogy is certainly easier to digest, why do I suddenly feel like the concept of time itself isn't such a big deal anymore?
The rest of the room nodded in unison. Boa Hancock quickly stepped forward, her eyes sparkling with renewed anticipation. So! Mr. Ren! Does this mean that one day passing over there is now equal to one day passing here?!
Ren shook his head. Of course not. If we manage to gather four customers who possess time-controlling abilities, we can adjust and synchronize the temporal flow freely. But if we fall short of that number, the shop can only accommodate twelve customers at a time, and the synchronization rate is based strictly on the number of time-controlling individuals currently present. Since two have arrived so far, the time flow is only synchronized by half.
Hancock let out a soft sigh of disappointment, but a glimmer of hope remained in her eyes. Before this, she had been forced to endure agonizingly long stretches of waiting between his visits. Now, at the very least, the gap would close much faster. This was an absolute victory. That was how the Pirate Empress firmly convinced herself.
Lucifer tapped her chin thoughtfully. In that case, Nami can stay here for quite a long time. Hooray for us.
Ren nodded in agreement. Exactly. Under these new conditions, Nami shouldn't have to rush her navigation studies either. She can take her time.
Hawk-Eye let out a quiet sigh, tossing a heavy pouch of currency onto the counter. Is that enough to cover the bill?
More than enough, Ren replied smoothly, catching the pouch. Do you need to take anything specific back with you?
Hawk-Eye paused, his sharp gaze drifting toward the kitchen. Those fresh bayberries, and a portion of that hotpot base. Why exactly is the tomato flavor so incredibly rich?
Because it has a specialized, highly concentrated tomato sauce blended directly into the broth, Ren explained. I'll pack a whole set for you to take back.
Perona floated nearby, her gothic umbrella resting on her shoulder as she pouted with obvious disappointment. Ah? We have to leave already...?
Zoro crossed his arms, his voice dropping into a low, gruff register. What, you actually want to stay here?
Mainly because you, this loudmouthed monkey, are currently occupying the same space! Perona shot back, glaring at the swordsman. Beautiful maidens and uncivilized monkeys simply cannot live under the same roof!
I am not a monkey!!! Zoro roared, a vein popping on his forehead. Hey! You little...
Negative Hollow!
A translucent, ghostly apparition shot out from Perona's hand, passing straight through Zoro's chest before he could even draw a blade.
Yakumo Yukari and the rest of the powerful women in the room froze, watching the scene unfold with deeply strange expressions. Zoro instantly collapsed to his knees, his hands pressing flat against the floorboards. His head hung low, a dark aura of absolute despair radiating from his body as he cried out in a pained, utterly miserable voice.
I'm a useless, pathetic monkey... I can't even practice my swordsmanship properly... I should just be reborn as a sea cucumber...
Everyone watched Zoro's devastating self-deprecating breakdown from the sidelines, collectively swallowing hard. Reimu Hakurei pointed a trembling finger at the kneeling swordsman. That... what exactly does your Negative Hollow do?
Perona twirled a strand of pink hair around her finger, answering with casual cheerfulness. It just makes people incredibly negative! It strips away all their will to live!
Hancock stared at the broken man on the floor, her voice dropping into a deeply serious tone. This is far too negative...
The entire room nodded in silent, terrified agreement. Perona tapped her chin, looking around the shop with a mischievous glint in her eye. I think it's perfectly fine. Does anyone else want to try taking one? I personally think the results are quite interesting!
No! Absolutely not! the crowd shouted in perfect unison.
Not a single person in the room dared to claim they could resist the psychological effects of that skill. Just imagining themselves getting hit by that ghost felt genuinely terrifying. The sheer humiliation of groveling on the floor and spouting depressing nonsense would be too much; they would probably never be able to show their faces in public again.
By the time the ghostly effect finally wore off, Zoro's entire body seemed to have turned a sickly, traumatized grayish-white. This was exactly why he was now deeply afraid of dealing with women. Who could possibly endure psychological warfare like that? It was a complete loss of dignity.
Ren sighed, pouring a cup of warm tea and sliding it across the counter. Zoro, I can understand your frustration, but looking at the state of you right now... In any case, as a master swordsman, you need to build up a stronger mental fortitude.
Zoro let out a long, exhausted sigh, accepting the tea. I know. I'm usually not this fragile, but... Shopkeeper Ren, you really are amazing at handling interpersonal relationships so flawlessly. I just don't get it.
Ren offered a calm, understated smile. It's nothing special, really. I suppose it just comes down to being completely sincere with people.
I am perfectly sincere! Zoro argued, his pride flaring up again.
Lucifer's mouth twitched as she leaned against the counter. Sincerity is one thing, but being a dense, unromantic blockhead is another entirely. Those are two completely different concepts, you meathead.
Perona nodded repeatedly, thoroughly agreeing with the demon. Zoro sighed heavily, coming to the firm conclusion that women were simply too difficult to understand. He pulled open the dimensional door and stepped back into his own world. Hawk-Eye gave a polite nod to the room and turned to follow him. Perona lingered for a moment, looking around the warm, inviting shop with deep reluctance, but she finally gritted her teeth and floated through the doorway.
Lucifer sighed, watching the door close. It really must be hard for a girl like Perona to live with those two aggressively boring guys, but that ghost power of hers is indeed far too outrageous.
Ren rested his chin on his hand, a dangerous spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. I am actually very curious about how certain people would look if they were hit by that Negative Hollow...
Women are naturally imaginative creatures, and the moment those words left his mouth, every single woman in the room immediately assumed he was talking about them.
Reimu chose to remain completely silent, shrinking back into her chair to reduce her presence to zero. Yuuka Kazami gave Ren a deeply annoyed, piercing glare. In her mind, Ren always enjoyed pushing her buttons, taking a sadistic pleasure in seeing her composed facade break down every single time they interacted.
Yakumo Yukari gritted her teeth, her mind racing with indignant thoughts. 'This man is simply too much! He explicitly said he wanted to take me on a proper date, but all he is actually thinking about is how to trick me into humiliating myself! He will never win my heart in this lifetime at this rate!'
Yakumo Ran, the usually composed nine-tailed fox, harbored even more dismal thoughts. Her mind was entirely consumed by the terrifying idea that if Ren actually managed to win over Lady Yukari, wouldn't her own daily life as a familiar become absolutely miserable?! She could already vividly imagine her tragic future of being teased endlessly by him. But then, thinking of the endless supply of grand, world-class meals he cooked, Ran decided she could probably endure the humiliation.
Compared to the internal panic of those four, Hancock directly slammed her hands on the table and shouted. Does Mr. Ren truly have such unique hobbies...? If it pleases you, as long as it is Mr. Ren asking, this concubine will gladly endure the ghost!
Everyone else in the room had obviously grown accustomed to ignoring Hancock's dramatic outbursts. Lucifer, thoroughly annoyed by the tension, reached over and patted Ren's shoulder. Who exactly are you thinking of? Based on my deep understanding of your personality, your thoughts are definitely focused on someone with a massive, unbreakable ego. You want to see a huge contrast.
Ren tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. Hmm? Is there anyone in our circle who wouldn't display a huge contrast if they suddenly lost all their confidence?
At these words, everyone paused for a second, their previous paranoid thoughts immediately confirmed. Lucifer sighed, crossing her arms. Alright, stop playing games and just tell me directly. Who is it?
Justice, of course, Ren replied smoothly.
Hearing that name, Lucifer froze for a split second. Then, a wicked, brilliant smile spread across her face. As expected of you! If Justice, who is always so blindingly confident and relentlessly awesome, suddenly became a depressed, negative mess... I am genuinely curious what kind of pathetic things she would say!
Ren nodded, pouring himself a cup of tea. Exactly. That is precisely what I was thinking. It should be a very interesting spectacle.
Lucifer threw her hands up in exasperation. You should have said so earlier! Do you know how great it would have been if I had called Justice down here today?! Just thinking about the missed opportunity makes me angry! That woman actually holds the secrets to my darkest history! The next time Perona comes to the shop, I absolutely must make her shoot Justice with a Negative Hollow!
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