CHAPTER 44 — The Path of Knowledge
📅 4 July, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — 7
📍 Windmill Village → Cliffside → Ren's Workshop
Rain clouds hung low over Windmill Village, heavy and dark.
The sea roared softly against the cliffs, wind carrying the smell of salt and fresh grass.
Ren stood alone atop the cliff, Zemo at his side.
The wind tugged at his hair.
The medallion from the chief hung around his neck, warm from his skin.
Zemo watched him quietly, sensing the storm inside Ren's thoughts.
Ren closed his eyes.
Yesterday, the village praised me.
Today, I feel… lost.
He whispered,
"Zemo… what should I do?"
Zemo pressed his head into Ren's hip, gentle and steady.
Ren exhaled shakily.
"…I want to protect everyone.
Like yesterday.
But… how?"
The wind rustled.
Zemo lifted his head and gazed at Ren with quiet intensity.
Ren stared back at those amber eyes.
Soft.
Warm.
But deep, too—
like they held answers Ren wasn't ready to understand yet.
Ren whispered,
"You're changing every day.
Evolving.
Growing stronger."
He looked down at his small hands.
"But I'm still just… me."
Zemo nudged him again, firmer this time.
As if to say:
Not 'just' you.
You are Ren.
PART 1 — WHY?
Ren's breath trembled.
"When the stranger came…
I was helpless."
Zemo growled at the memory.
"When the boar attacked…
You protected us."
Zemo licked Ren's hand.
Ren clenched his fists.
"I don't ever want to rely on luck.
Or chance.
Or someone else saving me."
The wind howled across the cliff.
Ren whispered:
"I want to understand the world.
I want to understand life.
I want to understand… everything."
His heart pounded.
"Zemo's evolution… my inventions… the herbs… the biology… the traps…
It all connects."
He stared at the horizon.
"I want to follow that path."
The words came out slowly.
Carefully.
But once spoken, they felt right.
"…I want to become a scientist."
Zemo barked lightly—
a gentle, supportive sound.
Ren finally smiled.
PART 2 — A PROMISE TO THE WORLD
Ren sat on the grass, legs folded.
Zemo lay beside him, head on Ren's lap.
Ren whispered into the wind,
"I want to know why creatures exist the way they do."
"I want to know why some grow stronger when pushed."
"I want to know why Zemo is special."
"I want to learn how to help… not harm."
He looked down at Zemo's warm eyes.
"And I want to uncover the truth of this world.
Not to dominate it…
but to understand it."
He placed his hand on Zemo's chest.
"I'll become someone strong enough to protect you.
Everyone.
Everything."
Zemo nuzzled Ren's cheek.
And for the first time,
Ren felt the fear inside him fade.
Replaced by a clear, burning purpose.
PART 3 — THE TRANSFORMATION OF A SHED
Ren returned to the village with a new light in his eyes.
Makino noticed instantly.
"You look… different."
Ren nodded.
"I made a decision."
Makino smiled warmly.
"Good. What is it?"
Ren lifted his chin.
"I want to become a scientist."
Makino blinked—
then laughed gently.
"That suits you."
Ren didn't blush.
He simply felt… seen.
He spent the rest of the day transforming his shed.
Kiro and Luffy helped… somewhat.
"Put the jars on that shelf."
Luffy threw the jar.
It broke.
"LUFFY!!"
"IT SLIPPED!!"
Zemo sighed dramatically.
Makino brought extra cloth, herbs, and a small lantern.
Ren organized everything into sections:
Herbology Table
drying racks
powder bowls
cutting stones
labeled leaves
Biology Corner
fish skeleton diagrams
bone measurement tools
magnifier frames
new anatomy sketches
Engineering Area
traps
ropes
bamboo alarms
movement detector (membrane box)
Study Desk
notes
diagrams
future plans
scientific journal
Zemo lay in the center of the room, like a guardian watching its owner build his future.
When Ren stepped back…
His shed no longer looked like a child's hobby space.
It looked like the beginning of a laboratory.
Kiro whispered,
"…Ren, this looks… serious."
Luffy nodded.
"REN IS NOW A MAD SCIENTIST!!"
Ren flicked his forehead.
"I'm not mad."
But he smiled.
Makino leaned in the doorway, hands on hips.
"It's perfect."
Ren turned to Zemo.
"…This is our place now."
Zemo barked softly in agreement.
PART 4 — THE FIRST PAGE OF A NEW LIFE
As night fell, Ren opened a new notebook.
He wrote on the first page, slowly, carefully:
Ren's Scientific Oath
I will seek knowledge with purpose.
I will not harm without reason.
I will learn to protect, not destroy.
I will uncover truths hidden in nature.
I will grow stronger—
so no one can hurt my family again.
He paused.
Then added the last line:
I will walk this path with Zemo at my side.
Ren closed the notebook.
Zemo nudged him gently.
Ren whispered with a steady heart,
"This is only the beginning."
END OF CHAPTER 44