Rayleigh sighed in exasperation when Reno ignored him, offering only the back of his head in response. Since lecturing him doesn't work, I'll have to dig deeper to understand this kid, he thought.
Though Rayleigh often bickered with Reno, he had a genuine fondness for the boy. Smart people admired intelligence, and Reno was undoubtedly a rare talent.
Rayleigh couldn't stand the idea of such a gifted child growing up to become a mindless destroyer.
[Life Coach Rayleigh enters the chat.]
Rayleigh casually sidled up to Reno and initiated small talk.
"Reno, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Reno glanced at him with a sly grin and replied,
"I'm still too young to think that far ahead, but I know I'll do something really important someday."
Intrigued, Rayleigh pressed further.
"Oh? What's this important thing you're planning to do?"
With a smirk of disdain, Reno shot back,
"Obviously, I'm going to find lots of cute wives. But an old bachelor like you wouldn't understand!"
Inwardly, Reno added a silent thought: Not only will I find lots of cute wives, but I'll personally raise them into the perfect partners.
To Reno, his ambitions were simple and clear. As someone reincarnated from modern Earth, he had no interest in chasing after the One Piece or becoming Pirate King. Why waste time on something so abstract when he could tour the world with his beloved wives instead?
Rayleigh's face twitched uncontrollably. What kind of nonsense is this kid's head filled with?
Determined to steer the conversation back on track, Rayleigh asked,
"What kind of person do you want to become in the future?"
Reno, unimpressed by the persistent questioning, lazily replied,
"After I have my wives, I'll take them on a world tour, of course."
Realizing he wouldn't get a serious answer, Rayleigh tried a different tactic.
"Have you ever considered becoming a fearsome pirate one who pillages and burns with no regard for anything?"
Reno looked at him like he was an idiot and retorted,
"No wonder you're still single. How's that better than cuddling with my wives?"
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Reno gave Rayleigh a peculiar look and asked,
"Wait, don't tell me you actually believed what I said earlier about taking out tens of thousands of Marines?"
Rayleigh blinked.
"You mean… you were joking?"
Reno nodded with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
"Of course! That was just a joke and a metaphor. C'mon, with how those Marine strongmen are, they'd save their men first. I'm not some psychotic killer what's the point of slaughtering people for no reason?"
Naturally, Reno made an exception in his mind for someone like Akainu, whose ruthlessness knew no bounds.
But the current Admirals still had a shred of conscience, unlike the Akainu of the future, who wouldn't hesitate to kill his own men to achieve his goals.
Nearby, Shanks, who had been eavesdropping, rolled his eyes. This kid really has no limits when it comes to making jokes. Using the lives of thousands of Marines as punchlines… what a little rascal.
But Shanks couldn't help but admire Reno's intelligence and his insight into human nature qualities far beyond his years.
At only five, Reno was already displaying a level of cleverness and understanding that promised great things for his future.
Still, Shanks knew that this world rarely allowed people to live life on their own terms.
To achieve even simple goals, one needed power. Without strength, even setting out to sea was fraught with danger, let alone chasing dreams.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Reno's destiny would force him to accomplish something extraordinary, no matter his personal desires.
If Reno could hear Shanks' thoughts, he'd undoubtedly scoff and say: That's just your assumption. Only ordinary people get swept up by fate. With my system, I'm practically a god. Who can stop me from doing what I want?
Rayleigh, on the other hand, was left dumbfounded.
Learning that Reno's earlier comment had been a joke left him feeling drained. Was it just him, or had kids these days become impossible to understand?
He groaned, muttering under his breath,
"Who jokes about killing thousands of Marines? This kid's sense of humor is way too twisted."
Reno ignored him completely, feeling quite pleased with the reaction his joke had elicited. If his prank hadn't been extreme, how could he have rattled these battle-hardened veterans?
Realizing there was no point in further conversation, Rayleigh turned his attention back to the battlefield.
On the deck, the senior crew members of the Roger Pirates were retreating one by one.
A few had already made it back to the ship, though two were still engaged in combat and unable to break away.
But rather than being trapped, these two Roger and Jabba were deliberately holding back their enemies to buy time for their comrades to escape. For fighters of their caliber, retreating from a one-on-one fight was a trivial matter.
The Marines and CP0 agents seemed unconcerned about the Roger Pirates regrouping.
They assumed the pirates wouldn't be able to escape their encirclement anyway, so why bother interfering with their retreat?
This miscalculation would cost them dearly.
After all, how could they have foreseen the existence of Reno the boy who could make an entire ship take flight?
Their familiarity with the Roger Pirates had ironically blinded them to the threat posed by this new addition. Without Reno, the crew would indeed have had no choice but to fight their way out.
But Reno's presence changed everything.
One by one, the crew members returned to the ship, their boots thudding against the deck. Even Jabba, who had been covering the retreat, had made it back.
Now, only Roger remained.
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