CHAPTER 37 — The Dockside Confrontation
📅 14 June, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
📍 Foosha Village Docks
The morning sky was grey, heavy with the promise of rain.
Ren tightened his grip on Zemo's fur as they walked toward the docks with Kiro and Luffy trailing behind.
Makino had insisted Ren stay close to the bar.
But salt production required barrels, and today Marlo was sending a small load via courier boat.
Ren needed to pick them up.
Zemo remained glued to his side, shoulders tense, nose twitching sharply.
Kiro whispered,
"He's been like that since yesterday."
Ren nodded.
"He knows the stranger is still here."
Luffy held a stick like a sword.
"I'LL DEFEND REN WITH MY LIFE!"
Kiro sighed.
"You are five."
Ren didn't smile.
His instincts — and Zemo's — had been screaming since dawn.
PART 1 — HE'S WAITING
The docks were quiet.
Too quiet.
No fishermen loading crates.
No sailors shouting.
Only the small courier boat rocking gently against the old wooden planks.
And the stranger sitting on a crate, waiting.
Ren's stomach dropped.
Zemo growled instantly, stepping ahead of Ren.
The man looked up, smirking.
"Well now. I was wondering when the little inventor would show up."
Kiro hissed under his breath.
"He was waiting for you."
The stranger stood, stretching casually.
"Relax. I'm not here to fight."
Zemo didn't believe him.
Neither did Ren.
Ren kept a firm hand on Zemo's back.
"What do you want?"
The man's smile widened.
"To talk."
PART 2 — QUESTIONS WITH TEETH
The stranger's eyes scanned Ren with unnerving interest.
"Your traps. Your salt. Your tools.
They're not normal for a child your age."
Ren forced himself to stay calm.
"I just work hard."
The man chuckled.
"Don't lie. The world eats liars."
He stepped closer.
Zemo snarled, stepping in front of Ren.
The man paused, amused.
"Your pet is loyal. Good instincts."
Ren whispered coldly,
"He's not a pet."
The man nodded slowly.
"Right. A partner.
Rare for a beast to bond so deeply."
He looked at Zemo with sharp interest.
"What species is he?"
Ren didn't answer.
The man crouched, staring directly at Zemo's amber eyes.
"You're dangerous, aren't you?"
Zemo lunged forward —
not to bite, but to warn.
The man didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled.
"That confirms it."
Ren stepped back, heart pounding.
Kiro whispered,
"Ren… he knows too much."
Ren tightened his grip on Zemo's fur.
"What do you want from me?"
The stranger stood and dusted off his coat.
"I want your knowledge, boy."
Ren stiffened.
"What?"
"Your inventions. Your designs. Your salt techniques.
And that creature."
Zemo growled so loudly the dock planks vibrated.
The man tapped his knife's handle lightly.
"Sell them to me.
Or someone else will come take them."
PART 3 — REN'S FIRST REAL DEFYING STAND
Ren's voice came out low and steady.
"No."
The man blinked.
"No?"
A short, amused laugh.
"You don't even know who you're refusing."
Ren glared.
"I don't care. You're not getting Zemo. And you're not getting anything from me."
The stranger stretched his neck.
"Bold. Stupid, but bold."
He took a slow step forward.
Zemo stepped forward too, fur bristling.
The man's eyes sharpened.
"You think you can protect your inventions?
Your beast?
Your little life here?"
Ren trembled — but didn't back down.
"Yes."
The man's smile vanished.
"Hmph.
You're either truly brave…
or very naive."
He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper.
"You're becoming valuable, Ren.
Valuable things get taken.
Remember that."
Ren whispered back,
"I'm not alone."
Zemo growled as if confirming it.
Kiro stepped forward too, fists trembling.
"Neither is Ren."
Luffy jumped beside them, screaming,
"I WILL BITE YOU IF YOU TOUCH REN!!"
Zemo snarled.
The man stared at them…
…then chuckled, shaking his head.
"You kids are amusing."
He stepped back and turned away.
"But amusing doesn't stop the world from coming for you."
PART 4 — THE WARNING
The stranger began to walk toward the forest.
"Tell Makino I said goodbye," he called over his shoulder.
Ren stiffened.
"How do you know Makino?"
The man didn't even turn around.
"I know everyone in this village, boy.
And everyone here knows me."
Ren felt his blood run cold.
The man walked a few steps more—
Then paused.
"Oh. And one last thing."
He turned his head slightly toward Ren.
"The world beyond this island isn't kind.
If you stay this brilliant…
someone far worse than me will come looking."
Zemo barked sharply — an aggressive, warning sound Ren had never heard before.
The stranger smirked at Zemo.
"Grow strong, beast.
Your boy will need you."
And with that, he disappeared into the trees.
PART 5 — WHAT HE LEFT BEHIND
Ren stood frozen.
His hands shook.
Not from fear —
from realization.
Kiro whispered,
"Ren… he threatened you."
Luffy's voice trembled too.
"I… I didn't like him."
Zemo pressed his head against Ren's chest, as if grounding him.
Ren swallowed hard.
"…He's right."
Kiro frowned.
"About what?"
"That I'm not strong enough."
Zemo licked Ren's hand softly.
Ren clenched his fists.
"…But I will be."
PART 6 — NIGHT RESOLVE
In his shed that night, Ren wrote:
Dock Confrontation
• Confirmed: stranger is after Zemo
• Wants my inventions
• Connected to someone else
• Not alone
Conclusion:
I need:
• knowledge
• defense
• strength
• strategy
The world is bigger than this village.
And it's coming toward me.
I must be ready.
Zemo curled beside him, eyes still fixed on the door as if guarding against shadows.
Ren whispered into the dim lamplight:
"…We'll grow stronger together."
Zemo pressed his head into Ren's palm, solid and warm.
A promise between boy and beast.
A promise against the world.
END OF CHAPTER 37