After reading the Healing Fruit's description, Reno was officially in love with this system.
It was perfect.
Not only did it boost his strength, it also gave him the opportunity to care for the women of the One Piece world.
Power and beauty—two birds with one stone.
Sister System is eternally god-tier!
Every note in the reward details felt like it had been written specifically for him.
Cure all illnesses. Regrow lost limbs. Remove negative effects.
The first person that came to Reno's mind was Kaya from Syrup Village.
Though born into a wealthy family, she had always been frail—tormented by illness since childhood and constantly trapped in sadness and solitude.
He could clearly picture her: a kind, gentle girl with a pale, sickly complexion.
Reno didn't know the exact nature of her illness, but he was confident—
with the power of the Shennong Beast manifested into the Healing Fruit, no disease would be incurable.
Even better—Kaya's dream was to become a doctor who could save lives.
There was no one more suited for the Healing Fruit than her.
And the best part?
Even if she ate the fruit, Reno could still share in its power.
Now that was a real win-win.
Was this the joy of being an overpowered protagonist?!
Reno felt lightheaded just thinking about it.
In a single day, his life had been a roller coaster:
College graduate → dreaming of buying the Beautiful Country → hit by a mud-covered truck → transmigrated into One Piece as a total weakling → system activated, starter pack acquired, boosted to rear admiral-level → conquered Nami → received the Healing Fruit → ???
That was already more exciting than most people's entire lives.
Reno raised his right hand.
A strange, entirely green fruit appeared in his palm.
It looked just as he'd imagined—its design and color perfectly matched the Shennong Beast's vibe.
After giving it a cursory glance, Reno stashed the Healing Fruit into his system inventory.
After all, Devil Fruits only activated their powers once consumed.
Staring at it wouldn't accomplish anything.
That night, Nami slept like a rock.
Not because she trusted Reno—she was simply exhausted.
Her "first day on the job" had stretched nearly four hours, trying out various methods and techniques.
By the time she wrapped things up, the exhaustion hit her like a tidal wave.
Even speaking had felt like a luxury.
Reno let her rest.
He wasn't worried about her running away.
With Observation Haki active, escape was impossible.
And besides, Nami wasn't the type to abandon ten million Berries in treasure.
Just like that, the night passed peacefully.
…
The next morning.
Reno got up early and tidied up the larger of the two pirate ships.
He scrubbed the blood off the deck, and as for the corpses…
well, they'd already been fed to the fish the night before.
Luckily, the ship's storage still had plenty of supplies.
Once everything was cleaned up, Reno used what was available to whip up a simple breakfast.
As he set the table, Nami shuffled over, rubbing her messy hair and walking a bit awkwardly.
"Morning, Nami."
Reno took a sip of milk and greeted her with a smile.
In return, he got an extremely resentful glare.
It was already broad daylight, and this guy dared to call it "morning"?
If she hadn't been so thoroughly worn out yesterday, she'd have been up hours ago stealing half a million Berries by now!
Maybe it was the teamwork they'd shown last night, but Nami sat down across from Reno as if they were old friends.
Without a shred of decorum, she picked up her breakfast and started eating.
"I gave you the most valuable thing I have," she said through a mouthful, "so don't you think it's time you gave me back my treasure?"
"If you're worried about Arlong, don't be," Reno replied nonchalantly.
"You're the navigator of the Reno Pirates now. Your problems are my problems. I'll take care of Arlong for you."
Nami's hands froze midair.
Her widened eyes stared at Reno in disbelief.
With a single sentence, he had seen straight through to the secret she kept buried in her heart.
For a moment, she didn't know how to react.
But then… she let out a bitter laugh, her expression turning bleak.
"You don't get it. He's a Fishman. Their natural strength is ten times that of a human."
"Arlong's even stronger than most Fishmen. And he's got a crew full of them. You're no match for him."
"If we go up against them… we'll be crushed."
For years, Arlong had haunted her dreams like a living nightmare.
People had tried to fight back before. She'd hoped. She'd believed.
But every one of them died.
Over time, Nami had come to believe that Arlong was invincible.
If Arlong and Kaido stood before her side by side, unless Kaido killed Arlong with a single slap, she'd still choose to surrender to Arlong.
Reno looked at her hollow expression and sighed.
After eight long years, the idea that Arlong couldn't be beaten was carved deep into Nami's heart.
No matter what he said now, she wouldn't believe him.
He'd have to show her.
When they reached Cocoyashi Village, he would cut Arlong down right in front of her.
Only then could he erase the fear etched in her soul.
But for now, there were other things to do.
"Finish your food. We're heading to the Goa Kingdom next."
Reno didn't want to dwell on the subject, so he changed the topic.
"You know someone there?" Nami asked, puzzled.
"Of course. I'm recruiting new crew members," Reno said patiently.
"You're the first, but there'll be a second and a third. This ship's got too much work for me to handle alone.
Honestly, if you hadn't been so wiped out yesterday, you'd be the one cooking breakfast today. Got it?"
Nami: …
She bit her lip and glared at him.
This bastard!
Reno ignored the death stare and continued eating peacefully.
As for the Goa Kingdom?
That was for Makino.
Since he had the Beauty Conquest System, there was no way he'd miss a single storyline heroine.