The destructive barrage lasted for half a day, and Ren held on the entire time.
His arms swung with afterimages, yet he hadn't reached his limit.
Defending remained effortless, creating a void in the sea where even the ocean couldn't enter.
As time passed, the people on the sea grew increasingly fearful, wary of the World Government.
The Beast Pirates who arrived saw the scene, and the three Calamities and six Tobiroppo immediately broke through their defenses.
Such an attack meant certain death for anyone in its path.
The monsters of the New World no longer dared to jump around.
They hadn't expected the World Government to wield such power.
This attack lasted six hours.
When it ended, a massive, bottomless black hole remained, one that even the ocean couldn't fill.
The Sabaody Archipelago had become history.
Reporters, fearless of death, approached to film.
With such power, it seemed Ren and Fish-Man Island might have vanished together, just like the Sabaody Archipelago.
"This is absolutely another world-shaking news story!"
And indeed, it was.
Even without the news, the world had already been shaken.
Pirates kept a low profile, no longer provoking the Navy.
It was like an island-erasing weapon.
Everyone present felt deep respect—and fear—for the World Government.
No matter where this attack occurred, it was unstoppable.
While the world was in shock, Fish-Man Island began to cheer.
This defense had been effortlessly handled by Ren, who hadn't stepped back a single moment.
During the celebration, Robin approached Ren and asked, "If the World Government launches an attack like this again, you can't stay here forever, can you?"
"Hmm, that's a problem," Ren said, stroking his chin.
He could handle it, but that didn't mean everyone else could.
The World Government revealing such an attack had pros and cons.
The advantage was intimidation.
The downside was isolation.
No matter how many news stories he released next, the end result would probably be the same: people would get angry for a moment, and that would be it.
"There's no choice. Looks like we can't just stay here defending anymore," Ren said, stretching.
"You're going out?" Robin asked, curious.
"That person forced me to go out, didn't they? Otherwise, do you think this kind of attack would end so quickly?"
Ren snorted lightly. He had no choice but to engage, unless he abandoned Fish-Man Island.
"An attack of that level… could it really continue?" Robin's face was pale. The attack had already made her feel suffocated.
"Then…"
"Don't worry. Fish-Man Island is very safe. After all, enemies with shoes are easier to deal with than barefoot ones. Go attend the banquet. After this is over, you should be able to study history in peace." Ren gestured to reassure her.
Robin left, and Shirahoshi came up, offering some snacks to Ren. "Ren-nii, here."
"Delicious." Ren took the snack and put it in his mouth.
Shirahoshi became very happy and jumped into Ren's arms, wagging her tail endlessly. Then her tail drooped again.
"What's wrong?" Ren gently patted her head.
"Ren-nii, can we not have war?" Shirahoshi was very worried.
"Sorry, little Shirahoshi. I can't give you the answer you want." Ren continued to stroke her head.
"Then promise me, Ren-nii, that nothing will happen to you." Shirahoshi held out her hand.
Ren held her small hand. "I promise you."
After sending Shirahoshi away, Otohime came over, quietly complaining, "With this result, everything I did before feels meaningless."
"It was meaningless from the start."
A lie doesn't hurt, but the truth is a sharp blade. Otohime's mood sank instantly. Then she thought of something and said, "Reisa is more worried about you."
"Alright, I understand." Ren sighed.
"Annoyed?" Otohime pouted. Even though they were different races, she expected a response.
"Not annoyed. It's just that she's distancing herself from me." At some point, Reisa stopped staying close to him every day and began avoiding him.
Ren had wondered what happened, but now he understood clearly.
"Why would she distance herself from you? She likes you the most." Otohime said earnestly.
Yes, Ren had just realized it. Her intense emotions had made her insecure. Their different races, different statuses, and the fact that she had once been his slave, while now he was Fish-Man Island's benefactor, all combined to make her hesitant to stay near him.
"Go find her quickly." Otohime urged.
"I won't." Ren shook his head.
"Why? Even rejecting her counts as giving her an answer. Don't keep her hanging." Otohime looked a little angry.
"I think she's nice."
"Then…"
"But not now. I don't have time for love at the moment. I'm leaving Fish-Man Island soon." Ren said in farewell.
"Leaving? Where to?" Otohime blinked in surprise.
"Don't worry. My butler will take care of everything. And you don't need to fear the World Government attacking here. As long as I don't die, nothing will happen."
Ren stood up, patted Otohime on the head, and slowly walked out of the banquet hall.
"But…" Otohime wanted to ask why Ren was doing all this. He gave up a position everyone envied to stand with them.
On one side, the Celestial Dragons lived in luxury, fed and clothed at will. On the other, they faced devastating attacks. If Ren wasn't strong, he would have already died.
Ren arrived at the departure point from Fish-Man Island. The place was already filled with Fish-Men, merfolk warriors, and his elite guards.
"I leave this to you." Ren said, looking at his guards.
"Understood."
"Big Brother Ren, we'll go with you!" Arlong shouted loudly.
"Yeah, we're coming too!" other Fish-Men echoed. They knew gratitude. Someone had done all this for Fish-Man Island—they couldn't just ignore it.
"You coming with me means you might never return. Think carefully." Ren looked at them seriously.
The merfolk and Fish-Men exchanged glances, then spoke without hesitation. "Big Brother Ren, without you, Fish-Man Island wouldn't be what it is today. We have no regrets."
"Is that so? Then let's go." Ren's lips curved slightly. In this world, he wasn't a failure yet. There were still people willing to follow him even at the cost of their lives.
The ship set sail toward the New World. Ren chose a more chaotic sea route. Onboard, he found Robin.
"How did you follow me here?" Ren asked, surprised.
"I just followed history. You know a lot, don't you?" Robin tilted her head at him.
"You don't think I made up that history?"
"At least from what I've seen so far, you haven't lied." Robin shook her head.
"Since you want to follow, then follow." Ren returned to his room.
The residents of Fish-Man Island watched them leave, seeing Ren and his group off. They knew what following Ren could mean, but they still supported their families.
"What about Reisa?"
"She's not here. She probably went along."
"Why would she go? She has no strength."
"She's just chasing her own life goals." Otohime leaned closer to the conversation, thinking about the mermaid whose eyes only seemed to see Ren, and couldn't help but sigh.
**********
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