CHAPTER 18 — Ren's First Customers
📅 16 April, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
👦 Luffy — 5
👦 Kiro — 7–8
📍 Windmill Village
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Morning sunlight spread across Windmill Village as Ren stood nervously in the center of the square.
Today was the day.
He clutched three items in his arms:
Filtered water cups
Sealing paste jars
Wound-healing leaf gel
His inventions.
His experiments.
His ideas.
And he was about to show them to the village for the first time.
Luffy clung to his waist like a koala.
"REN IS MAKING BUSINESS!! REN IS A RICH MAN!!"
"I'm not rich yet, Luffy."
"You will be! BUY ME MEAT!"
Ren sighed. "That's… not how money works."
Kiro stood behind them with a wooden board. "Got your sign ready."
Ren blushed. "Why do I need a sign?"
"Because it looks official," Kiro said proudly.
The sign read:
"REN'S SMART STUFF"
(not dangerous)
Ren groaned. "Why did you add the 'not dangerous' part?"
Kiro smirked. "People were worried."
Makino approached with warm tea. "Don't stress, Ren. They'll love your work."
Ren nodded nervously and gulped.
"Okay… let's do this."
---
Pitch #1 — The Filtered Water Cup
Ren placed a clay cup filled with his filtered water on a table.
The fishermen gathered first.
"What's this?"
"Looks like water."
"I already drink water."
"Is this water water?"
Ren cleared his throat.
"This is cleaner water. Filtered through charcoal, cloth, and sand layers."
The fishermen stared blankly.
Ren added, "It removes dirt and sickness."
"Oh!"
THAT got their attention.
He handed one cup to a fisherman.
The man sniffed it.
Tasted it.
Hummed.
"…It's good!"
Another fisherman grabbed the entire bucket and chugged from it.
Ren panicked. "THAT'S FOR DEMO—!"
The fisherman slammed the empty bucket down. "BOY, THIS IS MAGIC WATER!"
"It's NOT magic—!"
The third fisherman grabbed Ren by the shoulders.
"You sellin' these?"
Ren blinked. "…Yes."
"TAKE MY MONEY."
Makino laughed behind her hand.
Ren earned his first 2,000 Beli.
---
Pitch #2 — The Wound Gel
A mother approached, holding her son who had a scraped knee from running.
Ren applied the green leaf gel.
The boy sniffled—
then looked shocked.
"It doesn't hurt anymore…"
The mother gasped. "Ren! This is wonderful!"
Another mother shoved her child forward. "Mine too! He fell into a bush!"
"My kid fell into a bucket!"
"My kid fell into a bucket that fell into another bucket!"
Ren blinked. "…How…?"
Kiro whispered, "You don't want to know."
Within minutes, a line of scraped, bruised children formed.
Ren applied gel carefully, each time a mother dropping coins into Makino's basket.
By the end—
Ren earned 4,500 Beli.
Luffy shouted proudly, "REN IS A DOCTOR!!!"
Ren panicked. "NO I'M NOT—"
The villagers nodded.
"He's a doctor."
"Ren the little doctor."
"The calm young doctor boy."
Ren cried internally.
---
Pitch #3 — The Sealing Paste
Carpenters, boat-builders, and even the elderly gathered around.
Ren demonstrated:
He placed the paste on a cracked board—
and it hardened in seconds.
The crowd gasped.
"THAT CAN FIX MY FENCE!"
"MY BOAT LEAKS!"
"MY HOUSE LEAKS!"
"MY KID LEAKS—"
Ren blinked. "Sir… your what?"
"HE SNORES!"
Kiro whispered, "Close enough."
Villagers began waving money.
Ren sold out completely.
Total money earned today: 9,200 Beli
Ren stared at the pile of coins in Makino's basket, feeling dizzy.
"I… I actually earned this?"
Makino smiled warmly, placing her hand on his head.
"You did. With your own hands."
Ren swallowed.
His chest filled with warmth.
He wasn't just surviving.
He was contributing.
---
Fishing Traps — Ren's Next Idea
After business ended, Ren walked with Kiro to the docks.
Fishermen waved at him like he was a hero.
"REN! COME LOOK AT THIS FISH!"
"REN! TRY THIS NET!"
"REN! DO YOU SELL MAGIC BREAD?!"
Ren whispered, "Why would I sell magic bread…?"
Kiro shrugged. "You're the new village genius."
"…No pressure."
Ren studied the fishing boats.
He remembered something from his old world—
Simple trapping techniques.
Barrel traps.
Funnel cages.
Fixed-point current traps.
He gathered materials:
bamboo sticks
leftover rope
small wooden slats
bait
Luffy held up a worm. "REN THIS IS BAIT!"
Ren stared.
"Luffy, that worm is huge."
"It's my friend!"
Ren sighed. "Put him back."
Luffy screamed. "NOOOO!!!"
---
Building the Trap
Ren assembled the pieces:
a bamboo frame
a funnel entrance (easy to enter, hard to exit)
weighted base
bait container inside
Kiro squinted. "What is that?"
"A fish trap."
They lowered it into shallow water near the docks and waited.
Five minutes passed.
Nothing.
Ten minutes.
Still nothing.
Luffy leaned over. "MAYBE YELL AT THE FISH."
Ren shook his head. "That won't—"
Luffy screamed into the ocean.
"FIIIIIIISHHHHH!!! GET IN THE TRAP!!"
Ren panicked. "LUFFY STOP—"
Then the trap shook.
Ren froze. "…Wait. No way."
They pulled the trap out.
Inside were three fish flopping around.
Ren stared in disbelief.
Luffy screamed. "I AM A FISH WHISPERER!!!"
Kiro clapped Ren on the back. "This will make you even more money."
Ren grinned. "Let's make a few more."
They built four traps by sunset.
---
Salt Refining — Ren's First Processed Product
At the beach, Ren filled a basin with seawater.
He set it in the sun.
Kiro blinked. "Are you tanning seawater?"
"No," Ren said. "I'm evaporating it."
Hours passed.
Slowly, tiny white crystals began forming at the bottom.
Ren scraped it off.
Salt.
Clean, edible salt.
Makino tasted a pinch.
Her eyes sparkled.
"Ren… good salt is expensive in small villages."
Ren's eyes widened.
"So… I could sell this too?"
Makino nodded. "Easily."
Ren wrote in his notebook:
> "New product: refined salt."
---
Nightfall — The First Breakthrough
Ren sat in his shed, counting today's earnings.
9,200 Beli.
More money than he had ever possessed in his life.
His inventions worked.
His ideas mattered.
People respected his skills.
Ren whispered to his notebook:
"Today… I became more than a survivor.
I became someone useful."
He closed the book.
The shed felt warm.
Alive.
Full of potential.
Tomorrow?
More inventions.
More discoveries.
More dreams.
Because Ren had taken his first real step toward the scientist — and future strategist — he would become.
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End of Chapter 18