A few hours had passed since Reno boarded Whitebeard's ship. After a brief chat with Marco, he still hadn't succeeded in securing a place to stay on the ship.
The Whitebeard Pirates' ship was steadily sailing towards a nearby island. They had initially been heading there, but upon encountering Roger mid-route, they diverted to check on him. After Roger and Reno boarded, they resumed their journey.
Reno had no idea that Roger had already smoothed the way for him to stay aboard. After his conversation with Marco, he lounged by the railing, basking in the sun.
"System, start the daily check-in."
[Ding! Day 1 check-in complete.]
[14 days remaining. Keep it up, Host!]
After completing his check-in, Reno began brainstorming how to extend his stay on the ship and, ideally, persuade Whitebeard to make a detour to Wano Country.
After all, there was no way Reno alone could rescue Oden from Kaido, that thick-skinned brute!
Initially, Reno had planned to visit Wano and assess the situation—rescuing Oden if possible or, if not, taking his future "little wife" Hiyori and escaping.
However, with the triggered check-in task aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, Reno was now considering how to convince Whitebeard to intervene. Seeing Wano's dire state, Whitebeard would surely step in, especially since Oden was once a crew member of his.
Oden hadn't technically left Whitebeard's crew—he had merely been "borrowed" by Roger. Therefore, calling him a Whitebeard Pirate wasn't entirely wrong.
As Reno was lost in thought, Marco approached him and asked, "Little Reno, I heard from Pops that you'll be staying on the ship. Is that true?"
Earlier, Marco had gone to report to Whitebeard upon reaching their destination. Whitebeard had told him about Reno's situation and asked him to gauge the boy's intentions, hence his question.
Reno looked up at Marco, his face a picture of confusion. "I don't recall telling Whitebeard I wanted to join your crew?"
Hearing this, Marco explained, "Roger suggested it. Didn't he tell you?"
Realizing what was happening, Reno immediately understood that this was Roger's doing.
But it suited him just fine—he had planned to stay for the check-in anyway. Roger had saved him the trouble.
With that, Reno turned to Marco and said, "I do want to stay for a while, but I'm not planning to join your crew. I've got things to take care of soon."
Hearing Reno's response, Marco wasn't upset—in fact, he felt relieved. If Reno had readily agreed to join, Marco might have suspected Roger had ulterior motives.
Reno's decision not to join the crew didn't matter much to Marco. After all, he was just a five-year-old kid.
Marco was primarily concerned about the possibility of Reno being a spy planted by an enemy. A child might seem harmless now, but as they grew, things could take a dangerous turn.
Satisfied with Reno's answer, Marco didn't ask how long he planned to stay. Instead, he said, "Alright, you can stay aboard for now. If you need anything, come find me. I've got work to do."
As Marco turned to leave, Reno called out, "Thanks a lot for letting me stay in the Whitebeard Orphanage!"
Marco, walking away calmly, almost tripped over himself at Reno's words. He raged inwardly, Damn you, Rayleigh! This isn't over!
Time flies by.
The next morning at dawn, the port was mostly empty. Near the shore, two figures—one tall and one small—seemed to be in conversation.
They were none other than Roger and Reno. Roger was preparing to leave early, and Reno had come to see him off.
After some conversation, Reno handed Roger a small knife. "This is for you. You're not the greatest person, but you've treated me fairly well. When your time comes, give me a call..."
"I'm just a nobody now, but I can handle things Rayleigh and the others might not be suited for."
Roger, puzzled by Reno's words, nonetheless accepted the knife. "Alright, I'll treat this as a farewell gift. When I'm on my last legs, I'll be sure to call you…"
"Haha, take care!"
With a hearty laugh, Roger boarded a small boat and sailed off, disappearing into the vast sea.
Roger didn't yet understand Reno's cryptic message. But when his illness worsened, and he set his plans in motion while his wife carried his child, he'd finally grasp what Reno had meant.
Watching Roger's boat fade into the horizon, Reno held a small Den Den Mushi in his hand and muttered to himself, "For how well you've looked after me, I'll take care of your family when the time comes. But if you don't trust me enough to call, don't blame me for not being loyal!"
The knife Reno had given Roger carried a spatial marker. If Roger contacted him, Reno could instantly teleport to his side and help his family find a safe haven.
With his space-based ability, such a task was trivial—a matter of minutes.
Looking around the port, which was sparsely populated, Reno decided there was no reason to linger and headed back to Whitebeard's ship. He still needed to complete his daily check-in.
"Is Roger gone?"
As Reno neared the ship, a booming voice called out from the deck.
Looking up, Reno spotted the massive figure of Whitebeard standing on the ship. "He just left," Reno replied. "If you wanted to see him off, why didn't you just go openly, Whitebeard-uncle?"
Though it was still early, most of the crew hadn't risen yet. Seeing Whitebeard here, Reno could easily guess he'd come to see Roger off.
Whitebeard gave Reno an awkward glare and retorted, "I just couldn't sleep. What would a little brat like you know?"
Turning around, Whitebeard started walking back toward the ship, calling out as he went, "Stay on the ship as long as you like. As long as you're here, I'll protect you. Once you leave, it'll be your own path to walk."
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