One Piece: Check-in System

Zephyr glanced at Borsalino but didn't reject his suggestion. He simply warned, "Be careful. Don't overdo it. If something seems off, come back immediately!"

At this point, their relationship hadn't soured as it would in the future. They were still just a typical teacher-student duo.

"I understand, Zephyr-sensei!"

With that, Borsalino stepped forward to the edge of the railing. After glancing in the direction of the pirate ship, he transformed into a beam of light and shot into the sky, standing in midair.

"Yasakani no Magatama!"

With a mischievous grin, Borsalino formed his fingers into an orchid shape and shouted flamboyantly. His body turned into golden energy, glowing like a radiant sun, its blinding brilliance illuminating the entire sky.

"Zing! Zing! Zing!"

Countless blinding beams of light rained down on the pirate ship like a torrential downpour.

Watching the golden beams filling the sky, Rayleigh's expression turned grim. The crew might not be hurt by the beams, but the ship? It stood no chance of escaping unscathed.

Reno had been crouching in a corner, watching the spectacle, but noticing Rayleigh—who had descended from the mast—looking tense, he quietly wondered, Could it be that Rayleigh and his crew can't counter these beams?

After thinking for a moment, Reno realized the issue. The Roger Pirates didn't have many Devil Fruit users; most were either skilled swordsmen or martial artists. While such widespread and dense attacks wouldn't harm them directly, their ship couldn't withstand this kind of bombardment!

Understanding the stakes, Reno crouched low and sneaked over to Rayleigh, tugging on the hem of his pants.

Rayleigh had been ready to act, planning to deflect as many beams as possible to minimize the damage to the ship.

Just as he was about to make his move, he felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down in confusion, he saw Reno and asked, exasperated, "What are you doing here? Don't get in my way—find a place to hide!"

Hearing this, Reno rolled his eyes and muttered internally, If it weren't for my task still being incomplete, I wouldn't care if your ship got wrecked!

All for the sake of his mission, Reno decided to endure.

He looked at Rayleigh with a disgruntled expression and said, "I can block these beams, but you'll need to cover for me. I can't reveal myself just yet!"

Rayleigh responded, "What do you need me to do? Just say the word!"

Reno explained, "Just swing your sword toward the beams. I'll handle the rest!"

Knowing Reno's abilities, Rayleigh immediately understood his intentions. Without hesitation, he swung his sword skyward.

Hiding behind the ship's railing, Reno saw Rayleigh's strike and immediately raised his hand. A massive green hand shot into the sky, swatting at the beams.

"Zing! Zing! Zing!"

"Boom—Boom—Boom!!!"

The dense golden beams were obliterated by the giant green hand, which then dissipated into the air.

Though it felt like a lot had happened, the entire sequence—from Reno approaching Rayleigh to the beams being neutralized—only lasted mere seconds.

Borsalino, who had been enjoying himself as he unleashed his skill, was suddenly stunned. Seeing Rayleigh summon a green energy hand that wiped out his beams in one fell swoop, he muttered in disbelief, "Is this guy really just a master swordsman? Not some Devil Fruit user?"

Unlike Borsalino's bewilderment, Rayleigh, relieved that the crisis was resolved, looked down and praised, "Little Reno, I didn't expect your ability to be used like this. You're quite capable!"

Hearing this compliment, Reno rolled his eyes and sarcastically replied, "All I do is make trouble for others. I can't compare to strong individuals like you all!"

Moments earlier, Rayleigh had dismissed him as a nuisance, but now his attitude had completely changed. Reno's demeanor suggested he didn't care for the praise, though he secretly enjoyed it.

Seeing Reno's petty reaction, Rayleigh could only shake his head helplessly. "Alright, I was wrong earlier. I underestimated you. I'm apologizing now, okay?"

The apology, though unexpected, made Reno feel quite validated. However, he feigned indifference and replied, "Since you're sincerely apologizing, I'll graciously accept it."

"You really saved us this time, Little Reno! We couldn't handle this ourselves, but you managed it with ease!" Jabba, who had been observing from the side, also came over to commend him.

Kozuki Oden, arriving from the ship's bow, overheard Jabba's words and remarked with newfound understanding, "So it was Little Reno who acted. I thought the vice-captain had eaten a Devil Fruit!"

Oden had been leading the charge at the front with other officers while Rayleigh and Jabba stayed at the rear. Now that the front had been cleared of enemies, Oden had come to check on the situation at the rear.

Seeing everyone gather around him, Reno grew irritated. "Hey, hey, hey! I don't want to end up on a wanted poster so young! Get away from me, or you'll draw the Marines' attention here!"

Though he was hiding behind the railing, safe from sight, he couldn't shake the fear that the Marines' Observation Haki users might notice him.

Oden, seeing Reno's nervousness, laughed and teased, "Hahaha! Little Reno, getting on a wanted poster is an honor for a man at sea. How can you be afraid of it?"

Rolling his eyes, Reno retorted, "You big oaf, have you ever seen a five-year-old man?"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter at his remark.

To be fair, it wasn't entirely Oden's fault. Reno often acted so maturely that they sometimes forgot his actual age.

Seeing Oden gearing up for more banter, Rayleigh intervened. "Alright, enough joking. We've broken through their encirclement…"

"From here, we'll split into two groups. One team will head to the island to rescue our crew, while the other stays behind to hold the line…"

"Once Shanks and the others are rescued, everyone needs to return to the ship immediately. Got it?"

Everyone: "Got it!"

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T/N:

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