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Chapter 12 - Roger Speechless After Being Questioned by Reno

Reno had already guessed that these two sly foxes would come to him. Unlike the typical muscleheads, Roger, despite appearing carefree and rough, was actually meticulous, while Rayleigh, the squinty-eyed one, was either a monster or an absolute genius.

In his previous life, when Reno watched One Piece, he came to an amusing conclusion: a successful pirate crew must have a troublemaking captain and a smart first mate.

The captain is in charge of causing trouble.

The first mate is in charge of cleaning up the mess.

[Back to the story]

Although Rayleigh might not be as strong as Roger, his importance to the Roger Pirates extended far beyond sheer strength. He was the crew's brains.

As for Roger, while he usually seemed carefree, that didn't mean he wasn't smart. He simply preferred not to use his brain when he didn't have to. A real man uses his fists before his mind.

Reno was aware of the many mysteries surrounding him. It made sense for these two sly foxes to seek him out—after all, they were about to go into battle with the Navy. If they didn't clarify his intentions now, would they wait to deal with a knife in the back during the fight?

When Roger heard Reno acknowledge their impending visit, he asked with surprise, "How did you know we'd come to find you?"

Rayleigh answered on his behalf, "Roger, don't underestimate this kid. He's young, but he's incredibly sharp. Guessing that we'd come to him is no big deal for someone like him."

Most of the crew treated Reno as a child to tease, but only Rayleigh had had serious conversations with him.

Through today's chat, Rayleigh had realized just how terrifying Reno was—not in terms of strength, but intellect. Reno's intelligence far surpassed that of a typical five-year-old. In fact, he was smarter than most adults.

The sharpness Reno displayed now wasn't merely the result of memories from his past life. His brain had been enhanced by the integration of infinite mental energy, making it far more powerful. Things he didn't understand before now came to him effortlessly, and his learning ability had vastly improved.

The benefits of infinite mental energy extended beyond this—Reno hadn't realized yet, but it would later influence his Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki. Those developments, however, were a story for another time.

Though Rayleigh's words left Roger somewhat skeptical, Roger didn't press the issue. Their goal in approaching Reno wasn't to discuss his intelligence.

Turning serious, Roger asked, "Reno, are you my enemy or my friend?"

Without hesitation, Reno replied, "Neither. I'm just a five-year-old child. I can't be your enemy, nor can I be your friend."

Rayleigh then asked, "With a Devil Fruit ability like yours, even if you couldn't save others during the accident, you should've been able to escape unharmed. Why were you so severely injured?"

This was the true purpose of their visit. They knew Reno hadn't intentionally boarded their ship.

When they rescued Reno, he had been on the brink of death, making it unlikely that he had intentionally sought them out. However, they still needed to determine whether he was friend or foe before the battle began.

Instead of answering directly, Reno countered with a question: "What do you think of my proficiency in using my powers?"

Roger examined the green energy enveloping the ship and, after a moment, bluntly assessed, "Your ability is strong—this green energy seems endless—but your proficiency is terrible!"

Roger wasn't wrong. The energy covering the ship was uneven: thick in some places and thin in others.

Rayleigh, hearing Reno's question, nodded thoughtfully. He had pieced it together—the ability must have awakened after Reno's accident, explaining his injuries.

Roger, now catching on, asked directly, "Reno, are you saying you gained this ability only after your accident?"

Reno rolled his eyes dramatically and shot back, "With my small frame, as a Devil Fruit user who's powerless in water, do you really think I could've saved myself from drowning?"

Roger and Rayleigh both looked awkward, realizing they hadn't considered this point. If they had, they wouldn't have needed to make this trip.

When they rescued Reno, his clothes were soaked, and traces of white powder (sea salt) hinted at how long he had been in the water.

Seeing their embarrassment, Reno said earnestly, "I may argue with you two often, but I know you mean no harm. Plus, you saved my life. Consider this my way of repaying that debt."

To ease their minds, Reno framed his loyalty as gratitude, which was genuinely how he felt.

Roger clapped Reno on the shoulder and promised, "Forget about repaying us. I know you want to train and grow stronger. When we're back, I'll teach you everything I know!"

Hearing this, Reno turned to him excitedly. "You're the Pirate King—will you really teach me?"

Roger, amused by his excitement, thought to himself: No matter how mature he acts, he's still a five-year-old. The moment he hears about something good, he gets this excited.

Smiling, Roger said, "It's no big deal. My training methods aren't much different from Rayleigh's, except for swordsmanship. Rayleigh can teach you Haki, and I'll handle swordsmanship."

Roger wasn't lying. The two had been crewmates since their youth, training and growing stronger together. Their training methods were mostly the same, though swordsmanship developed into personal styles over time.

As a master of all three forms of Haki, Rayleigh was the best person to teach it.

Reno chose Rayleigh over Roger, the strongest crew member, because of Rayleigh's versatility. After all, Reno wasn't training just for himself—he needed comprehensive knowledge.

"Since I'm still too young to train, Rayleigh's been sharing his insights for me to record. Maybe you could share your swordsmanship insights when you return?" Reno suggested.

Roger agreed readily. "That's even easier than teaching. Consider it done!"

After a bit more chatting, Roger and Rayleigh left, leaving Reno alone.

Earlier, Roger had suggested that Reno deactivate his powers and only use them when necessary, given their plan to fly for just ten minutes to break through the Navy's encirclement. However, Reno refused.

He wasn't just using his telekinesis to lift the ship as a demonstration. He wanted to practice and improve his control over the ability. Mastering it was essential for self-defense.

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T/N:

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