CHAPTER 15 — The First Spark of Curiosity
(13 April, S.C. 1510)
The forest smelled of dew and damp wood as Ren walked along a narrow dirt path. Birds chirped overhead. A cool breeze brushed past the trees.
Ren carried a small basket Makino had given him.
Today wasn't a trip with Kiro or a wild chase with Luffy.
Today… he was searching.
Searching for something he couldn't fully explain.
A feeling.
A question.
A spark.
Makino had noticed it first.
"You've been thinking a lot lately," she said last night.
Ren simply nodded.
He had been absorbing everything around him — tools, berries, herbs, nets, wood, cooking techniques.
How things worked.
How things fit together.
How the world functioned.
Because this world felt different.
The air.
The energy.
The reactions.
Ren didn't know it yet, but he was taking his first steps toward becoming the scientist he would one day grow into.
At the Creek
Ren reached the creek where Kiro had taught him about fish. The water was clear, running gently over smooth stones.
He kneeled and dipped his fingers into the stream.
Cold.
Refreshing.
Alive.
Ren stared at the rocks beneath the surface.
Some were sharp.
Some smooth.
Some had odd colors mixed inside them.
One stone caught his eye — a strange reddish-brown one.
He picked it up.
"…Iron?"
He tapped it gently against another rock.
Clink.
A faint metallic sound.
Ren's eyes widened.
This was iron ore.
Not refined, but the same raw material that civilizations used for tools, weapons, inventions.
His heart beat faster.
A question formed:
"If this is iron… can I extract it?"
He didn't know how.
He didn't have a furnace.
He didn't have tongs, bellows, or high heat.
But he had curiosity.
And curiosity was the first tool any scientist needed.
He placed the ore into his basket.
Plant Observations
Ren wandered deeper along the creek, stopping upon seeing a cluster of plants with serrated leaves and yellow flowers.
He touched one gently.
"…This looks like antiseptic grass."
In his old world, he'd learned basic first-aid from TV, books, and school before life went downhill.
He plucked a leaf and squeezed it.
A small amount of gel oozed out.
Ren rubbed it between his fingers.
Sticky but soothing.
"This could help with cuts."
He gathered a few.
Next, he found blue moss growing on an old log.
He poked it with a stick.
The moss shimmered faintly when the sunlight hit it.
Ren blinked.
"What are you…?"
He didn't know it yet, but this was the early version of a Dawn Island fungus with mild antiseptic and cooling properties.
He collected a small clump carefully.
A Strange Reaction
Ren reached another patch of forest filled with brittle brown plants.
He crushed a dry leaf between his fingers.
Immediately, the dust puffed out — much more than expected.
Ren coughed. "Ugh—too fine."
He sniffed it.
Earthy.
Dry.
Smelled like old wood.
Ren touched the powder to water in the creek.
The powder clumped instantly — forming a sticky paste.
Ren stared.
"…This could seal cracks in the shed."
He tested it on a rock.
The paste hardened faster than expected.
"Interesting."
He collected more.
Luffy's Entrance: Scientist's Nightmare
Ren turned around—
And Luffy was already behind him.
Upside-down.
Hanging from a tree.
"REN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Ren nearly threw his basket into the creek. "LUFFY?! How did you find me?!"
Luffy flipped and landed beside him. "I FOLLOWED YOUR FOOTPRINTS!"
Ren stared at the ground.
There were no footprints.
Ren sighed. "Of course."
Luffy rummaged through Ren's basket. "WHAT ARE THESE?! ARE THEY SNACKS?!"
Ren yanked the basket away. "NO!"
Luffy paused. "Then what?"
"…Science."
Luffy blinked. "What's that?"
Ren opened his mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
"Science is… learning how things work."
Luffy gasped. "LIKE HOW MEAT WORKS?!"
Ren sighed. "No."
"HOW DO PIRATES WORK?!"
"No."
"HOW DO FISH SCREAM?!"
"Luffy fish don't scream."
"They scream in their hearts."
Ren covered his face. "Please leave."
Luffy pouted. "But I wanna help!"
"You helping is the opposite of helping."
Kiro arrived, breathless. "Ren! Luffy ran off again—"
He spotted the basket. "What's that?"
Ren hesitated. "Things from the forest. Plants. Rocks. Powder."
Kiro raised a brow. "Why?"
Ren looked down at his basket.
"…I want to understand this world."
Kiro waited, listening quietly.
"I want to know how the water makes plants grow, how minerals form, how fire changes things… I want to learn how everything works here."
Kiro smiled proudly. "That's… pretty cool."
Luffy held up a bug. "THIS BUG IS SCIENCE!!!"
Ren slapped the bug away. "LUFFY—"
Ace Watches From Afar
As Ren, Luffy, and Kiro walked back toward the village, Ren felt it again.
Eyes.
From the trees.
He stopped and looked to his right.
There — partially hidden by branches — Ace watched them.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Curious.
Suspicious.
Observing.
Ren had the Ore, plants, and powder tucked safely in his basket.
Ace's eyes flicked to the basket.
Then to Ren.
Then he vanished quietly.
Kiro didn't notice.
Luffy was busy chasing butterflies.
But Ren… Ren saw it.
Ace noticed him.
Even if only a little.
Ren's First Experiments
Back in Makino's backyard, Ren set up:
a small metal bowl
a piece of flat stone
some water
the ore
the sticky powder
the moss
the antiseptic leaves
Makino peeked out the window. "Ren? What are you doing?"
Ren didn't look up.
"Science."
Makino sighed affectionately. "Don't blow anything up."
"No promises."
Luffy shouted from the yard, "CAN I BLOW UP SOMETHING?!"
"NO!"
Ren crushed the ore gently on the stone.
Red dust formed.
He added a drop of water—
It darkened, forming a rust-colored smear.
"Okay… so it is iron."
Next, he mixed the powder with more water.
It formed a thick brown paste again.
He applied it to a crack in a wooden plank.
Makino gasped as it hardened quickly.
"That's… useful," she whispered.
Ren smiled.
For the first time, he felt it truly:
He wasn't just surviving.
He was building something.
Something of his own.
The first seed of his future scientific empire…
started with a bowl, some leaves, and a handful of rocks.
Nightfall
Ren wrote in his notebook:
Iron ore identified
Forest plant with gel → antiseptic
Blue moss → cooling effect
Brown powder → quick-drying sealing paste
Luffy interference: extreme
Ace observation: confirmed
Goal: learn how everything works
He closed the notebook gently.
Ren whispered to himself—
"This is just the beginning."
The stars shimmered over Windmill Village.
A new chapter of Ren's life had officially started.
End of Chapter 15 — (13 April, S.C. 1510)