It wasn't just the people of Wano who were stunned—Zoro himself was completely shell-shocked!
"What did you say? I'm a descendant of that Shimotsuki Ryuma?!" Zoro's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
He couldn't help but remember the dried-up zombie he had fought on Thriller Bark and the desperate duel they shared. Does that mean I personally cut down my own ancestor?! Even for a man as stoic as Zoro, this was a hard pill to swallow.
Ren chuckled and patted his shoulder: "Yeah. Frostbite Village in the East Blue was founded by samurai who left Wano decades ago, like Shimotsuki Kozaburo. You're a product of that village and you look exactly like Shimotsuki Ushimaru in his youth. If you're not Ryuma's descendant, who is?"
Zoro rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, Kuina's grandfather was indeed called an 'Old Samurai'..."
Once the citizens of Wano realized Zoro was of Shimotsuki blood, the resentment in their hearts vanished instantly. After all, if Zoro was Ryuma's kin, him holding the blade Shusuiwas an act of "inheritance," not theft. The crowd scratched their heads and eventually dispersed, leaving the matter at rest.
After things settled down, Ren returned to his room, feeling satisfied.
"Another good deed done. Feels great!" Ren beamed. Compared to making Zoro a "sword rack" for Enma, Shusui was far more suitable for him. If Zoro couldn't become the World's Greatest Swordsman without a specific cursed blade, then he wouldn't have been good enough anyway.
Just as he sat down, Yamato came to find him.
"Please take me to sea with you!" Yamato looked at Ren with intense sincerity. "Wano is back on the right track, and I want to see the vastness of the world for myself!"
Ren stared into her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Fine. You can leave with us when we head out."
"Awesome!" Yamato jumped for joy, and Ren felt a bit dizzy watching her... enthusiastic celebration.
"Stop, stop! Don't get too excited yet!" Ren interjected. He thought for a moment and added, "My ship needs Yamato, not a Kozuki Oden cosplayer. Do you understand what I mean?"
Yamato blinked, then grinned. "Ah! I get it! Honestly, I only said that stuff to piss off my shitty old man! Heehee!"
Hearing that, Ren breathed a sigh of relief and laughed along. "Hahaha! Turns out you're just a bratty kid after all!"
That evening, Ren gathered the crew and pointed to Yamato. "Yamato is one of us now!"
"I look forward to working with you all!" Yamato bowed, a wide smile on her face. The crew welcomed their new powerhouse, and a banquet broke out immediately.
A week later.
Luffy's crew had departed a few days prior. Wano was finally functioning properly, and Ren decided it was time to leave. He handed the nation's administration over to a man named Sakata Haikichi. There was no deep political reason—he just liked the name Sakata, and the man was kind and well-liked, perfect for leading Wano into a peaceful era.
I wonder if there's a version of me in the Gintama world? There has to be! I hope that me managed to find a reliable boss—or better yet, reborn as a Yato and just slapped the whole world silly!
Thinking of "fighting races" reminded him of Saiyans. If I could just get into the Dragon Ball world, I'd find a way to become a Saiyan and see the view from the top. Heh... becoming a Saiyan is only a matter of time! Hahaha! Gie-hehehe!!
On the deck, Yamato watched Ren cackling to himself, her head full of question marks. Hina smiled at her: "Don't worry about him. He probably just thought of something funny."
Leaving Wano, their target was Egghead. The weather remained bizarre—one moment it was pouring rain, the next fireballs were falling from the sky. Yamato was diligent, single-handedly protecting the ship from the fire rain, looking thrilled the entire time.
"This is so cool! Outside life is great!" She chugged a bottle of sake and laughed.
Two days later, Ren woke from a deep sleep and walked onto the deck. Only Law was on watch. In the distance, a city of steel and glass appeared. Giant robots, hologram projections, and automated vendors filled the skyline. A future metropolis, straight out of a sci-fi novel, stood before them.
Ren and Law went ashore. Ren wandered around like a tourist in a theme park, fascinated by the tech, while Law maintained his cool, high-cold facade. Before long, a figure in a trench coat and a mask appeared.
"This is Vegapunk Shaka," Law explained. "Think of him as a satellite—an independent consciousness linked to the main brain."
Ren smiled and reached out a massive hand. "Hello! My name is Ren. I have a favor to ask!"
BIG NEWS! The Emperor Ren has attacked Egghead and kidnapped the world's greatest scientist, Dr. Vegapunk!
The World Government issued a formal condemnation. Meanwhile, on the ship, Old Man Vegapunk and his six clones looked utterly helpless. They never expected that Ren's "favor" was for them to build a spaceship. Vegapunk had refused, claiming he didn't know how to build a spacefaring vessel, so Ren simply kidnapped him.
"Actually, this might be a blessing," Vegapunk mused. "Once the Government found out what I was researching, they would have killed me anyway. Is Ren actually saving my life?"
On the other ship, Hina was lecturing Ren. "Why did you kidnap him?! The World Government will never let this go!"
Ren laughed dismissively. "Relax. Even if we didn't take him, they were going to erase him soon. I'm just getting a head start."
While Ren was heading toward Punk Hazard to hunt down Doflamingo, in an entirely different universe...
"Kill them!"
"Exterminate the Wolf Tribe!"
In the middle of a chaotic battlefield, a young man looked around in pure terror.
"Wolf Tribe? White Tiger Tribe? I've crossed over into Super Ultra Force (Chao Shou Wu Zhuang)?! And I'm in the middle of a war?! You've got to be kidding me!!"