CHAPTER 31 — The Forest's Silent Poisons
📅 27 May, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
📍 Dawn Island Forest → Ren's Workshop
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Ren stood at the edge of the forest with a small cloth bag, his notebook, and Zemo walking weakly by his side.
One week had passed since the creature first stood on trembling legs.
Now Zemo followed Ren everywhere—
quiet, alert, loyal.
Luffy tugged Ren's shirt from behind.
"REN! WHY DO WE NEED LEAVES AGAIN?!"
Ren replied without turning,
"They're not just leaves. They're herbs."
Kiro sighed.
"And Ren needs herbs for… what exactly?"
"For experiments."
"So you can make better salt?"
"…Not salt. Something else."
Kiro blinked.
"That scares me."
"It should."
Luffy gasped dramatically.
"REN IS MAKING POISON!!"
Ren sighed.
"…No."
But he was looking for something dangerous.
Something that could expand his understanding of biology.
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PART 1 — ENTERING THE DENSE FOREST
Ren walked deeper, taking notes as he went.
Moisture: high
Soil: acidic
Plant density: strong
Possible medicinal plants: high concentration
Zemo sniffed the ground constantly, ears twitching.
His senses were sharper than Ren realized.
They reached a patch of dense bushes where Ren knelt to examine a broad-leafed herb with purple veins.
Kiro asked,
"What's that one?"
Ren rolled the leaf between his fingers.
"It's… a stimulant. When crushed, it increases heart rate."
Luffy stepped back.
"NO THANK YOU!! MY HEART IS ALREADY FAST!!"
Kiro sighed.
"You don't even know what a heart is."
Ren carefully placed the herb into a jar.
He moved to another patch—small white flowers with yellow centers.
"This one reduces fever."
Makino would be glad for that one.
Then Ren noticed a strange plant a few feet away.
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PART 2 — THE DANGEROUS FIND
A cluster of dark red flowers with needle-like petals.
The leaves were thick and oily, shining unnaturally in the dim forest light.
Zemo growled softly.
Ren crouched carefully.
Kiro whispered,
"What is it?"
Ren didn't answer immediately.
His mind raced.
The scent.
The sheen.
The leaf shape.
The way insects avoided it.
He knew this plant.
Not exactly—
but something like it existed in his previous world.
A toxic species.
Luffy reached for it.
Ren lunged, grabbing his wrist.
"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"
Luffy froze.
Kiro jumped back.
Zemo growled lower.
Ren's voice shook slightly.
"…This plant is dangerous. Extremely."
Luffy blinked innocently.
"Can I eat it?"
"No."
"But—"
"NO."
Kiro gulped.
"What does it do?"
Ren studied the plant with narrowed eyes.
"It causes paralysis… hallucinations… maybe burns the throat. If we extract its oil incorrectly, it could be fatal."
Kiro paled.
"So we're leaving it, right? Right?!"
Ren shook his head.
"…No. I need a sample."
Kiro yelled,
"WHY?!"
Ren answered calmly,
"To understand danger, you must study it."
Zemo stared intensely at the plant, as if understanding Ren's thoughts.
Ren carefully used two sticks to cut a small piece of the leaf and place it into a sealed jar.
He wrote on the label:
> Red Fang Herb — Handle with extreme caution
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PART 3 — RETURN TO THE SHED
By late afternoon, Ren returned to the shed with his bag full of herbs.
Makino immediately noticed.
"Ren… again with the forest plants?"
Ren nodded.
"I want to categorize them properly."
She frowned with motherly concern.
"You're working too much. Rest a little."
Ren shook his head.
"I'm fine."
But his fingers trembled slightly—
not with fear, but excitement.
Makino didn't miss it.
"…Just be careful, okay? Some herbs can be dangerous."
Ren forced a smile.
"I know what I'm doing."
Zemo, lying near the door, let out a soft growl.
Makino raised an eyebrow.
"Even Zemo doesn't trust that."
Ren laughed weakly.
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PART 4 — EARLY CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS BEGIN
Ren organized the herbs on his new workbench.
Purple stimulant leaves → jar 1
White fever flowers → jar 2
Dark red toxic leaves → jar 3 (wrapped twice)
He began grinding the white flowers.
Sweet scent.
Smooth texture.
Harmless.
Then he studied the purple leaves.
A sharp smell.
Slight burning sensation on fingertips.
Interesting…
He wrote:
> Herb #6: Purple Spike
Effect: increases pulse
Possible use: stimulant? test cautiously
Finally, he turned to the red leaves.
Zemo's low growl echoed.
Ren whispered,
"I won't touch it directly."
He used gloves and opened the jar.
A pungent smell hit him.
His head throbbed slightly.
Stronger than expected.
He placed a single crushed fragment in a bowl and added a drop of water.
The reaction was immediate.
hissssss—
A puff of white vapor rose.
Ren coughed sharply.
Makino rushed in.
"REN?!"
Ren waved the smoke away.
The headache vanished as fast as it came.
But something else lingered—
a strange clarity.
His vision sharpened slightly.
His thoughts aligned.
As if the brief exposure triggered his mind.
Makino grabbed his shoulders.
"Are you okay?!"
Ren steadied himself.
"I'm fine. Just… miscalculated."
She glared.
"You scared me. Don't experiment alone."
Ren lowered his eyes.
"…Sorry."
Zemo head-butted Ren's leg gently.
Makino sighed.
"At least Zemo's smarter than Luffy."
Luffy shouted from outside,
"I HEARD THAT!!"
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PART 5 — NOTEBOOK ENTRY
After Makino left, Ren wrote:
> Red Fang Herb:
Highly reactive with water
Emits harmful vapor
Microdose causes headache +… clarity?
Dangerous.
But useful.
Hypothesis:
Proper extraction may yield… something potent.
He stopped writing.
His hand shook slightly.
Not from fear.
But something else.
Curiosity.
Something deep inside him whispered:
This plant will change everything.
Ren slowly closed the notebook.
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END OF CHAPTER 31