When you're not strong enough, survival should always come first.
Otherwise, if Pirate Renzo dies, it's not a big deal, but missing out on the vast potential of the Pirate World? Now, that would be a real shame 😉!
Good thing Pirate Renzo didn't know what Uchiha Renzo was thinking, or they'd probably end up fighting!
Pirate Renzo nodded in understanding. "Got it! I'll test things out first. Also, after dealing with this pirate crew and checking out the swords, I'll take a ship to Shimotsuki Village and train in swordsmanship at Isshin Dojo while also working on my physical skills."
Uchiha Renzo and Eevee responded, "No objections here!"
"Oh, and remember—don't eat a Devil Fruit!" Uchiha Renzo warned at the end.
The weakness is way too obvious.
Besides, with their future looking limitless and 33 different versions of themselves waiting to sync up, there was no need to rush for power-ups.
At least with enough time, they were only going to get stronger. No need to be shortsighted!
However, if someday they found a scientist who could fully analyze Devil Fruits and remove their flaws, then they wouldn't mind picking a powerful one to eat.
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Pirate Renzo rolled his eyes. Did he look that dumb?
"Enough about me, let's talk about you two!" He turned to Uchiha Renzo and Eevee. "Uchiha Renzo, once you go back, try to collect as many sword techniques as possible. Kakashi's family has some good ones, and the Land of Iron seems to have plenty too!"
"Honestly, I just wish a sword master would join us already! Then I could keep freeloading off them!"
After all, nothing beats free gains!
Grinding endlessly was nowhere near as satisfying as getting free power-ups.
With a face like his, wasting it on non-stop training would be a crime!
There were so many girls in this world waiting to be saved by him—like Kuina, Nami, Kaya... and more.
He was duty-bound to help them!
"You think I don't want that too?" Uchiha Renzo grumbled. "But we don't have one yet, so suck it up and train! If you don't show enough progress next time, you're out of the group!"
If power-ups were that easy to get, who wouldn't want them?
After more banter and planning, the three parted ways and left their shared space.
Back in the Pirate World
On a pirate ship sailing just over a hundred nautical miles from Loguetown...
The ship's sails bore a skull with two crossed, bloodstained hands—the insignia of the Bloodhand Pirates.
Pirate Renzo's consciousness returned, and instantly, he felt power surging into his body. Every second, he was growing stronger. The feeling was absolutely amazing.
He clenched his fists, threw a few punches, stretched his body—and instantly fell in love with this newfound strength.
"Alright, time to test if I can use ninjutsu and Eevee's skills here."
First, something quiet to avoid alerting the pirates—Transformation Jutsu.
After a quick test...
"Damn! Just as I thought, it doesn't work!"
He had the same issue as Eevee—compatibility problems.
Next, he tried climbing the wall with chakra.
Since he was locked in a cabin, there were no trees around, but walls would do just fine.
Focusing chakra into his foot, he stepped onto the wall, then lifted his other foot—standing completely parallel to the floor.
"So that works! It really is a compatibility issue, just like with Eevee."
"Looks like there's a lot of research to do. Or maybe I should just leave it to Eevee?"
Since the Pokémon world had different rules than the Ninja world, once Eevee figured out the key differences and cracked the system, he could just apply those insights to himself, making the process way easier.
It was like having a decoder. He'd still have to reconfigure things for his world, but the difficulty would be way lower.
"Next up, let's test Eevee's abilities—starting with Impact Punch!"
Raising a fist, Renzo attempted to use the move developed by Uchiha Renzo.
In the next moment, his fist and forearm were enveloped in chakra and generic Pokémon energy, radiating power.
"Hahaha... It works! Now then..."
Renzo grinned wickedly.
Despite telling Uchiha Renzo and Eevee that the pirates had treated him well, his true feelings were the exact opposite.
He absolutely loathed them!
"Hey, brat! What's so funny? Don't think I won't smack you just because you're valuable! Behave yourself!"
A pirate stationed as a guard, hearing Renzo's creepy laugh, barked a warning from a distance.
The next second, a massive explosion rocked the prison area, shaking the entire lower deck. Even the upper floors felt the impact.
The guard jumped in shock, staring toward the source of the explosion.
Dust filled the air, obscuring his vision, but the sheer pressure coming from that direction sent chills down his spine.
'Step... step... step...'
Suddenly, slow and steady footsteps echoed through the room.
"Who... who's there?! Is that you, Renzo?! What the hell just happened?! Answer me!"
The guard's grip tightened around his blade as he anxiously shouted toward the approaching figure, unconsciously stepping backward.
He was inching toward the exit, likely to call for reinforcements.
Soon, Renzo emerged from the dust cloud, his figure becoming clear.
He raised a hand and flashed a sinister grin at the pirate.
"Yo... Isn't this Sir Hughes? You look scared."
Hughes stammered, gripping his weapon even tighter.
Something felt different about this brat. He couldn't quite explain it, but he just knew—
But Renzo wouldn't let him.
In a blink, he closed the gap, covering several meters in an instant.
Before Hughes could react, Renzo grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.