"Renoooo~"
Aokiji's eyes slowly moved toward Ren, his gaze filled with intrigue. Until now, he had never truly taken Ren seriously...
…at least not until he met Nico Robin.
"Hey, Aokiji. Are you just passing by, or did you come here specifically to see us?" Ren greeted him with a smile, calm and easygoing.
Despite their opposing sides, Ren had always had a good impression of Aokiji.
Robin's pupils contracted. Her face went pale.
"Aokiji…"
"Robin," Nami stepped forward, fists clenched, instinctively shielding her. In a low voice, she whispered, "Trust Ren. He would never abandon a crewmate."
"That's right, Sister Robin! We won't let anyone take you away!" Kaya chimed in, her small face filled with determination.
Robin's heart trembled. Even standing before a Navy admiral, these girls were still defending her...
"Nami," Ren said gently, "take everyone back to the ship. I'll be right behind you."
"And I'm staying too!!"
"..."
Nami refused, stepping beside Ren. One after another, the other girls followed suit, raising their arms defensively. Some of their delicate, white arms began to darken—coated in Busoshoku Haki.
Ren let out a silent sigh. Their growth hadn't been in vain.
Unfortunately, against an opponent like Aokiji, sheer numbers wouldn't be enough.
That guy… he was still pretending.
He might act cold, but deep down, Aokiji had a kind heart.
Still, evading this confrontation wouldn't solve anything.
In the New World, to conquer the hearts of the most powerful women and stand among the great powers, one had to face off against admirals and emperors. Only through repeated battles could one unify and master all abilities.
Ren also wanted to know—how did he now measure up to an admiral?
Aokiji remained silent, his gaze locked on Ren.
Still planning to stop me? Then try.
"Ice Sword!"
Crack—
A chill swept through the air as Aokiji launched his attack. The pirate ship froze instantly, turned into a block of ice.
Arms crossed, Aokiji stared coolly at Ren.
Since becoming an admiral, he had personally captured dozens of pirates like this. Defeating Crocodile might've meant Ren was strong—but was it enough?
As Ren stood amid the cold, a silver arc of electricity sparked violently around him. Then, with a sudden motion of his palm, he pinpointed an incoming icicle with deadly precision using Kenbunshoku Haki.
BOOM!
The icicles exploded in rapid succession, massive shards raining down to the frozen deck.
"Hahaha! My turn!!"
Ren's laughter echoed through the ice.
Electricity surged violently around him, compressed to its utmost limit, then fused with Busoshoku Haki and condensed before his chest into a blinding orb.
"Aokiji, take this—Divine Thunderbolt!!"
A flash of light, blinding as daybreak, split the sky, ripping toward Aokiji with terrifying power.
"Ice Rooster's Beak!"
Aokiji reacted instantly. As the lightning storm barreled toward him, an icy storm burst from his chest and surged upward.
KAWWWWW!!!
A giant frozen bird shrieked as it flapped its wings, charging directly into the lightning, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
An explosive roar echoed through the sky. Thunder clashed with ice.
Ren remained calm outwardly, but his heart was filled with unease.
He now understood: to truly threaten a power like Aokiji, he'd have to master internal destruction of Busoshoku Haki—learning to break from within.
A flicker of frustration passed over Ren's expression.
"Huh?!" Aokiji raised an eyebrow as he noticed Ren's battle spirit fading. "Giving up already?"
"We're just getting warmed up…"
"Ren! Are you surrendering?!"
Aokiji took a step forward, arms lowered, approaching slowly.
Ren chuckled, shaking his head casually.
"Aokiji, if I want to leave, you can't stop me."
Then, his eyes sharpened.
"And more importantly... we're not enemies."
The moment he finished speaking—
VWOOSH!
Ren disappeared.
"…Huh?"
Aokiji looked up. The spaceship had arced across the sky and was now vanishing beyond the horizon.
Remembering Ren's speed from earlier, he frowned deeply.
"Sengoku's gonna yell at me again…"
Reluctantly, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku.
Marine Headquarters – Conference Room
"What did you say?! You let him get away?!"
Sengoku's expression darkened upon hearing Aokiji's report.
He had been planning to praise him—but now he finds out Ren escaped?!
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Aokiji's innocent face.
"Listen, Fleet Admiral…"
Then Aokiji calmly recounted all of Ren's techniques from the battle just now.
"His lightning strike was faster than Kizaru's?" Sengoku was shocked.
Aokiji wasn't someone who exaggerated.
That meant—everything they knew about Ren was wrong!
From the start, they had questioned how a cloud-user fruit ability could defeat Crocodile…
But if it was lightning—then it made sense.
After all, the Goro Goro no Mi was known as the most destructive of all Logia fruits.
"Where is he now?!" Sengoku demanded.
"If we fail again, you know what that means."
His gaze turned toward Kizaru.
The man loved to take liberties with his assignments.
But Garp—he wasn't worried about Garp at all.
Kizaru's usual lazy demeanor dropped as he stood straight.
"Don't worry, Fleet Admiral. I promise—I'll complete the mission."
Kizaru enters the battlefield.
"Hahaha! Sengoku, let me go too. If I see that kid, I'll drag him back myself," Garp laughed, pounding his fists together.
Sengoku nodded.
If both Garp and Kizaru went, no one could stop them at sea.
Unless…
Unless Ren really was headed to Enies Lobby.
Water 7
Aokiji sighed as he stared at the Den Den Mushi. It was time to get back to work.
If Ren really was going to Enies Lobby… it would end one way.
A trip straight to Impel Down.
Wait… Robin!
Aokiji slapped his forehead, jumped on his bike, and rushed toward Enies Lobby.
Meanwhile—on the ship
The crew welcomed Ren back with a rush of hugs and concern.
"Captain, did Aokiji hurt you?!" Robin's eyes trembled with guilt.
This was all because of her.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." Ren gave her a reassuring look.
Ever since meeting Robin, Aokiji seemed less hostile toward him…
"Get some rest, everyone. I'll go check on Kalifa."
Her wrists were still injured from the cloud bindings.
Ren approached her and placed his palm gently on her forehead.
With practiced ease, he condensed a slave seal and marked her.
She didn't resist.
In fact, Kalifa's strength had even weakened slightly since their last encounter.
A dark gleam flashed in her eyes as she regained clarity.
"Captain, why won't you let me go?! How long are you going to keep me like this?!"
Her voice was sweetly angry, filled with grievance.
Even though he imprisoned her, she couldn't bring herself to hate him…
Ren chuckled, tilted her chin, and said with a devilish smirk:
"You surprised me."
"Go shower and wait for me in the room."
After giving his order, Ren teleported back to the deck and looked down—
Enies Lobby.
He had arrived.