In the end, he had to take matters into his own hands and deal with these troublesome guys.
Once this mission was completed smoothly, he would definitely earn the BOSS's favor and take Mr. 1's place.
How delightful.
"Let's go, Miss. Goldie. Time to get to work."
Request Data support.
Chapter 49: An Acquaintance on the Ancient Island! (Request Data)
Guided by the Log Pose, the Merry flew onward and finally arrived at the Ancient Island.
"So this is Little Garden?!!"
On the Merry's deck, All the Women looked down at the massive island below, utterly amazed.
"It's all thick jungle—there must be beasts in there, right?!!"
"Of course there are. Didn't you hear those roars just now?!!"
"Captain... I'm scared!!"
"..."
Reno ignored the Girls' chatter and docked the Merry at a relatively secluded spot.
No sooner had the Merry moored than, as if to confirm Nami's words, a low growl from a large beast echoed from deep within the jungle.
"Brother Reno, this place seems really dangerous, doesn't it?!!" Vivi instinctively grabbed Reno's arm, her big black eyes scanning around.
"It's pretty terrifying," Kaya agreed with a nod.
In just a short while, she had heard no fewer than seven or eight different animal sounds.
"Since we're here, let's go down and take a look." Reno glanced at the timid All the Women.
"We finally made it to a new island—might as well breathe some fresh air." Nami stretched, showing off her impressive curves perfectly.
The Nami of now was nothing like the timid one from the original story.
Anyone who crossed her got a direct lightning strike.
Tashigi, gripping Wado Ichimonji, was also Eager to Try.
She wanted to find some beasts to practice on and sharpen her swordsmanship.
Kaya, Makino, Nojiko, and Carmen shook their heads like Rattle Drums.
"Captain, you go ahead. We'll guard the ship here."
"Mm-hmm, Brother Reno, have fun."
"..." The Four Women made it clear they were fine staying put on the Merry.
"Alright." Reno didn't push it. He created several compressed Cloud Walls to surround the Merry.
The Girls' safety always came first.
"Nami, Tashigi, you two stick together and stay safe." Reno gave his instructions.
Even though the island's beasts posed no real threat to the Two Women, it never hurt to be cautious.
"Vivi, Valentine, you're with me."
Valentine was Startled for a moment, then spoke hesitantly: "Really?!!"
"Valentine, don't be so stiff." Reno proactively raised his right arm.
Valentine broke into a smile and immediately stepped forward to take it.
"I was getting a bit bored on the ship anyway." Vivi pursed her lips as she Looked towards Reno. "And being by Brother Reno's side feels really safe."
Vivi and Valentine flanked Reno, each holding one of his arms, as the three walked into the depths of the jungle.
"Just like the legends say," Vivi murmured to herself while taking in the scenery.
"I've heard that the Grand Line's islands have very little exchange with each other. Over time, different islands developed their own civilizations."
"Some islands are rich in resources, heavily populated, and technologically advanced."
"Others, even after thousands of years, remain unchanged. The Ancient Island we're on now is one of those cases."
"As expected of my Vivi—so knowledgeable." Reno smiled and ruffled Vivi's hair.
Vivi's face flushed, and she mumbled, "Brother Reno, I just heard it from others..."
Seeing this, Valentine smiled and said, "Vivi, don't be modest. You're the Princess of Alabasta."
Meanwhile, on Another Side.
The jungle was teeming with beasts.
Eager to hone her swordsmanship, Tashigi quickly found her target: a pack of giant Sabertooth Tigers.
Without a moment's hesitation, Wado Ichimonji led the way as Tashigi charged fearlessly into the tiger pack.
Start the massacre!!
Nami was purely looking for some novelty.
Staying on the Merry every day, aside from getting it on with Reno, it was just training.
She was getting bored out of her mind.
Recently, she'd developed new techniques for the three elemental powers of lightning, cloud, and wind, and she was just itching to find some unlucky guy to test them on.
Staring at the group of Thunder Dragons before her, a small storm slowly gathered in Nami's palm.
As the three of them walked along, Reno and the others saw all kinds of ferocious beasts.
Even extinct creatures were a common sight.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Sabertooth Tiger, Thunder Dragon, Giant Spider—they had them all.
Reno finally understood why this place was so desolate.
Aside from the massive herds of wild beasts everywhere in the jungle, small poisonous insects like spiders, scorpions, and bullet ants were countless.
Get bitten by one of them, and you'd be soaring straight to heaven.
On top of that, there were several volcanoes on the island that could erupt at any time.
Putting aside those natural conditions, the Giant Tribe captains Brogy and Dorry were constantly fighting each other.
Whenever a volcano erupted, they fought.
Eruption, fight.
Clang and clatter—who could sleep through that?
As the three moved along, a deafening explosion-like boom suddenly rang out from afar.
Vivi and Valentine flinched in fright.
Vivi looked toward the direction of the sound. "What's going on?!!"
"Just a volcanic eruption." Reno gave Vivi a reassuring look.
Vivi nodded, tightening her grip on Reno's arm, and Valentine did the same.
"Let's go meet a couple of acquaintances first." Reno sensed for a moment, then headed in a certain direction.
"Our acquaintances?!" Valentine looked around, a hint of suspicion on her face.
The corner of Reno's mouth curled up. "It's Mr. 3 and Miss Goldie."
Requesting data support, thank you, everyone.
Chapter 50: The Two Women's Trust, Instant Kill Mr. 3! (Request Data)
"It's them." Vivi and Valentine exchanged a glance, shocked.
But the two quickly caught on.
It must be that the Unlucky Duo had reported back to Crocodile, and he'd sent higher-level Agents to intercept them here.
Valentine's gaze turned subtle as she looked at Reno. "Captain, actually, Miss Goldie isn't bad either. Are you interested..."
"Huh?!!" Vivi was startled. Was that even an option?!
Reno glanced at Valentine too, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Just what I was thinking."
Inside the Candle Hut.
Two Bounty Posters lay on a pure white table.
Staring at the glaring amounts on the wanted posters, Mr. 3's heart stirred.
"These guys combined are worth over 300 Million Berries in bounties."
Mr. 3 licked his lips, his eyes showing undisguised greed.
"Are Brogy and Dorry also part of your plan?!!"
Miss Goldie spoke with her usual expressionless tone, as if nothing could spark her interest.
"Of course. The two of them together are a full 200 Million Berries." Mr. 3 nodded without a moment's hesitation.
But when he mentioned 200 Million Berries, Mr. 3 clearly sneered.
Not long after Brogy and Dorry had set Sail Out, their bounties were already 100 Million Berries each.
A hundred years had passed since then—at the very least, it should be a few hundred million.
Still, 200 Million Berries was a hefty sum, worth the risk.
As the saying goes, the bigger the waves, the pricier the fish.
"They're very strong. I'm afraid we're no match." Goldie frowned slightly. She didn't want to take the risk.
If they angered Brogy and Dorry, the two of them would probably get taken out like small fry.
"You're right..." Mr. 3 rubbed his chin without refuting. "So we need to think of a perfect plan. Ideally, we provoke a conflict between them and Princess Vivi. When they're both weakened by Mutual Destruction, we'll Sit and Reap the Fisherman's Profit."
Mr. 3 slammed his fist into his palm. "I'm a genius."
"That murder-obsessed guy Mr.1 isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as me. BOSS really misjudged people." After saying this, he shook his head with feigned anguish.
"Not a bad idea. So what exactly do you plan to do?!!"
Suddenly, a light laugh drifted in from outside the door.
The door to the Candle Hut was pushed open, and Reno walked in with Vivi and Valentine.
"Princess Vivi?!!"
"And Valentine?!!"
"You're—" Mr.3 narrowed his eyes, glancing at the Bounty Poster, "Reno!!"
These guys actually dared to come looking for him?!
Truly, if there's a road to heaven, they refuse to take it; if there's no door to hell, they come barging in!
Mr.3's heart surged with glee!
The reason he wanted to stir up conflict between Vivi's group and the two giants was entirely because he feared Brogy and Dorry, hoping Reno and others would wear them down.
As for the people in front of him, he didn't take them seriously at all.
"Hehehe, Valentine, you still dare to show your face before me? You know the price of betraying Baroque Works, don't you?" Mr.3 said with a mocking smile, eyeing Valentine.
Unexpectedly, after he said this, Valentine's face showed not a trace of emotion.
Nani?!
What's going on?!
Joining the Reno Pirates, and even BOSS doesn't scare her anymore?!
Not just Valentine, but even Princess Vivi looked relaxed and unfazed.
Mr.3 sized up Reno, suspicion creeping into his voice: "Is it this 30-million-berry bounty guy giving you the guts?!!"
Beside him, Goldie set down her paintboard, ready to paint.
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