Out on the sea, Ren drifted aboard a modest-sized ship.
No matter how other people in the world felt about the title of "Emperor of the Sea," for him it brought nothing but trouble.
Not only had the number of challengers increased, but his threat level with the Marines and the World Government had also gone up considerably. Now his every move was being watched by the World Government and the Marines. Even though there were no spies within Inazuma itself, it was hard to leave without being detected.
Outside Inazuma's waters, both the World Government and the Marines had people stationed there, watching carefully in case he made any big moves.
Fortunately, Ren could fly and could also leave using the Door-Door Fruit's powers. Otherwise, even going out for a casual trip would feel uncomfortable.
By now, Inazuma could be said to be at the height of its power. With stable development and no real enemies left, Ren was feeling a bit bored. Over the past two years, the Big Mom Pirates' former territory had been carved up, and the New World had gradually grown relatively peaceful.
Even Shutendouji had returned to Inazuma to look after his kid. The boy didn't look like a beer barrel like his father did — he'd inherited the best of both Shutendouji and A-Tsuru. He had a solid build and a reasonably handsome face.
The Big Mom Pirates had originally occupied over thirty islands in the Totto Land seas. Ten of those islands now belonged to Inazuma. However, the main island, Whole Cake Island, had been retaken by Katakuri.
The remnants of the Big Mom Pirates had all gathered on Whole Cake Island.
Although Big Mom had been locked away in Impel Down, Katakuri and the others weren't in too bad a shape. It had been tough at first, certainly. But setting Big Mom herself aside, the Big Mom Pirates still had plenty of powerful monsters within their ranks.
And Katakuri had matured considerably through these years of combat.
Speaking of Big Mom, there was actually something quite interesting.
Shortly after Big Mom was thrown in prison, Shiki the Golden Lion broke out of Impel Down. If nothing unexpected happened, those two old friends probably had a meeting behind bars. Too bad Shiki could barely save himself — he didn't manage to fish Big Mom out along with him.
Shiki's prison break had caused quite a stir at the time, but that year had seen so many major events. Combined with the Marines deliberately downplaying the incident, it wasn't long before people stopped paying attention to the once-terrifying Flying Pirate Admiral.
On top of that, Shiki hadn't made any big moves after his escape. He had just visited Whitebeard and Ren separately to catch up, then left.
Honestly, Ren couldn't figure out why that guy had come to see him. Their relationship wasn't exactly terrible, but it certainly wasn't good either.
Maybe two years behind bars had changed the middle-aged old lion quite a bit.
Or perhaps watching strong figures fade one after another had stirred some melancholy in him. Ren and Whitebeard were probably among the few enemies he still respected after Roger's death.
Ren didn't think too much about it. The old lion would learn just how cruel the world was soon enough.
Right now he was traveling the sea with his girls, taking a leisurely trip. Looking out across the ship, aside from him there wasn't even a male cat on board. He had finally fulfilled his past-life dream of assembling a harem pirate crew.
Staying true to his original aspiration, indeed!
Yuriko wore a white one-piece swimsuit. Ren didn't know much about styles or names — the most direct impression was simply that it couldn't contain her.
Yuriko and Jasmine, that mother-daughter pair, could be said to tower over all the bears present. Nobody in the room could compete with them in that department.
But sometimes it's not about the height of the mountain. Ren liked the steepness of tall peaks, but lower hills had their own unique scenery. Then again, if you had to talk about it, even the shortest peak — Yukiko's — had barely reached a D cup by now. All of them were plenty big enough to hide dragons in.
"Lord Ren, would you like some wine?"
Yuriko held a glass of red wine in one hand, her pure white fox tail swishing back and forth behind her.
Her waist wasn't particularly slim — if anything, like Keiko, she had a bit of softness there. But it wasn't much, and compared to her hips and bust, it was even less noticeable.
Her swimsuit wasn't the most well-fitting — it was a touch too small, pressing into her soft curves and creating a lush little spill.
Just looking at her was tempting. When it came to eating meat, marbled pork belly was always the most fragrant.
Ren had never been fond of women who were too bony. Because it poked… poked his teeth.
After taking the glass from Yuriko's hand, she settled down next to him and didn't move. Not far away, Yukiko and Jasmine were fishing. Keiko had set up a beach chair on the deck and was lounging with a book…
"That Iris girl doesn't seem to be fitting in very well." Yuriko squinted her fox eyes, her gaze fixed on the crow's nest. She had noticed some time ago in the lab that Iris seemed a bit reserved — or rather, too proper and serious.
"That's normal. She's the youngest after all. Don't forget, you're all her elders. Even Saori, Saya, and Qiyue are more than ten years older than Iris. Not to mention Ayame was there that day too, and you all insisted on making the two of them cuddle. Of course she'd be embarrassed," Ren said matter-of-factly.
In truth, when there weren't many people around, Iris wasn't nearly as shy.
"But Jasmine is my child too, and she's not embarrassed about getting on with me now. She even competes with me! What a mean-spirited girl," Yuriko said, shooting a glare at Jasmine's back as she fished, her tone half-scolding.
"You and Ayame are different, though. Ayame is always so serious, and she's strict with Iris. Seeing her stern mother suddenly act like that — of course the girl would feel weird about it." Ren stroked Yuriko's fox tail as he spoke.
Yuriko was the first to unlock aerial combat — Ayame's personality couldn't compare.
"Ah, coming out for a trip every now and then really does feel relaxing." Yuriko stopped dwelling on it and stretched, leaning into Ren's arms and curling up like a fox.
"Has work been tough, Lady Kitsune Saiguu?" Ren cupped her soft rear, teasing.
After Ren became Shogun, Yuriko had built the Grand Narukami Shrine beneath the sacred sakura tree. The deity enshrined there was Ren's divine statue — Miket Narukami no Mikoto. She served as both the head of the Shrine Affairs Bureau and the head priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
And because of her Devil Fruit abilities, many citizens of the Flower Capital called her Lady Kitsune Saiguu.
"It's not that. The Shrine Affairs Bureau mostly just organizes the annual festivals and things like that. The first time might be a hassle, but after doing it enough, the other staff can handle it on their own. It's just been a bit boring staying in the Flower Capital all the time," Yuriko said, shaking her head.
"How about it? Does His Excellency Miket Narukami no Mikoto want to play an interesting game with his little fox familiar?"
[
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