"Clang… clang…"
Bocris Sea Area.
Time dragged on relentlessly.
Aboard the warship shrouded in raging flames and billowing smoke, the clash of steel rang out without end.
Across the entire deck, aside from those lying motionless, uncertain whether they were alive or dead, and those already reduced to ash, only one man remained standing—
Vice Admiral Stainless of Marine Headquarters.
And facing him—
An invulnerable, terrifying Flame dragon.
"Damn it…"
Pitch-black Armament Haki coated Stainless' entire body.
Bare-chested now, his exaggerated, battle-hardened muscles bulging, Stainless swung his katana with all his strength, again and again, colliding violently with the massive dragon engulfed in infernal flames.
Each impact sent shockwaves through his arms.
He was blasted backward repeatedly, utterly unable to gain ground.
"Crack… crack…"
Flames roared.
The terrifying heat twisted the air itself, warping space with shimmering distortions.
It scorched Stainless' entire body.
The uniform he wore earlier had already ignited and been torn away by his own hands. If he hadn't been fully coated in Armament Haki earlier when facing Ren, his skin would have long since blistered, ulcerated, and burned beyond recognition.
"Damn it…"
Every muscle in his body was taut, trembling violently.
Stainless gasped for breath, his condition clearly deteriorating.
Sweat evaporated before it could even bead on his skin.
The moisture within his body was being drained at an alarming rate.
He stared fixedly at the enormous dragon before him—
Ferocious.
Overwhelming.
Unbreakable.
An existence that felt utterly invincible.
His heart sank.
Even wrapped in Armament Haki, the katana in his hands trembled, nearly slipping free.
Worse still, despite his hands being coated in Haki, they could not fully insulate him from the monstrous heat. A sharp sizzle echoed as the flesh beneath began to scorch.
The smell of seared blood and burning skin filled the air, as though his hands were being slowly roasted alive.
The tiger's mouth had already been torn open, flesh mangled and bloody.
Blood seeped out continuously, yet in the next instant it was dried away by the terrifying heat waves, evaporating before it could drip.
A chilling sight.
"Is this your limit?"
Aboard the blazing warship, the surviving Marines had already leapt into the sea to escape.
Ren, who had maintained his beast form until now, casually glanced at the crisscrossing white scratches on the dragon scales covering his body.
Then—
His massive form began to shrink, visibly, rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, a figure just over two meters tall stood before Vice Admiral Stainless. Compared to the Dragon's earlier size, it looked almost ordinary.
"Then… I'm sorry," Ren said calmly."It's time to end this."
"Bastard! Don't underestimate a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"
Stainless roared, fury blazing in his eyes.
At the same time, he recognized the opening.
"Shave!"
Without hesitation, he stamped the deck hard.
His figure vanished instantly.
In the next moment, he reappeared in front of Ren, katana already raised.
"Chi—!"
A cold flash cut through the air.
The pitch-black blade slashed straight toward Ren's neck.
"KENG!!"
Sparks exploded outward.
Another blade, equally wrapped in Armament Haki, intercepted the strike flawlessly.
Kōgaku Sakubun had been drawn in an instant.
Ren held it firmly in his hand, perfectly blocking the attack.
"No," Ren said, grinning as he met Stainless' furious gaze,"I never underestimate Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I just overestimated you."
Of course, Ren wasn't careless.
Among the Vice Admirals were monsters.
Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Navy.
And even figures like Momousagi and Chaton, candidates said to possess the qualifications of Admirals.
But Stainless?
He clearly wasn't one of them.
"Damn it…!"
Stainless was completely enraged.
He unleashed a relentless flurry of slashes, katana howling as it cut through the air toward Ren again and again.
But the prolonged battle in that hellish heat, combined with continuous full-body Haki usage, had already taken its toll.
Though his strikes were still fast and fierce—
His power was fading.
Each attack was calmly deflected by Ren, steady and unshaken, never giving Stainless the slightest advantage.
"You didn't seriously think," Ren said lightly,"that I was fighting you at full strength just now, did you?"
Stainless panted heavily, sweat pouring off him only to evaporate instantly.
Ren raised Kōgaku Sakubun, its blade gleaming coldly.
"Sorry to disappoint," he continued with a sharp smile,"I was just testing my newly acquired ability."
"How strong the defense of that scale armor really is."
"Asshole—!!"
Hearing this, Stainless' anger exploded.
A dignified Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters…
Used as a test subject?
The humiliation drove him mad.
Ignoring the pain and exhaustion, he charged forward again, katana raised high.
"One Sword Style—!"
Ren's eyes turned cold.
Dark Armament Haki wrapped tightly around Kōgaku Sakubun
His Observation Haki locked firmly onto Stainless' presence.
He stamped forward like a hunting beast.
"Flash."
"Clang—clang—!"
In an instant, sparks filled the air.
Steel clashed again and again.
The two figures collided in a dazzling exchange, blades flashing like streaks of light.
Needle against wheat awn.
Neither yielding.
For now
However—
Ren had already seized complete control of the battle.
His sword intent was overwhelming, every strike heavy and decisive.
Cold light flashed.
Within the intertwined figures, faint blossoms of blood burst into the air, splashing again and again—
And they clearly did not belong to him.
"Chi—!"
Suddenly.
Blood sprayed.
Already at a severe disadvantage, the battered Vice Admiral Stainless could no longer endure.
"Guh—!"
His body trembled violently as blood spilled from his mouth.
He stabbed his katana into the deck to support himself, dropping to one knee.
Lowering his head, he stared at the deep, bleeding wound carved across his chest.
"Sparks Lane…"
He lifted his head with great effort, eyes fixed on Ren. A bitter smile crept across his face.
"So this… is your true strength?"
Even if he hadn't been injured earlier.
Even if his stamina hadn't been drained by prolonged combat.
Even if he had faced Ren at his absolute peak—
Against Butcher Ren, who hadn't even used his Devil Fruit abilities…
He still might not have been able to suppress him.
This absurdly young and mysterious man—
Even without relying on a Devil Fruit—
Was already far stronger than a pirate worth two hundred million Berries.
His swordsmanship was exquisite, refined to near perfection through relentless honing.
Though his Armament Haki was not overwhelmingly strong, even slightly inferior to that of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral—
His Observation Haki was terrifying.
Almost unreal.
Every fatal strike was evaded at the critical moment.
He always seized the initiative, reading intentions, predicting movements, counterattacking with ruthless precision.
Up to this point—
Stainless hadn't managed to land a single meaningful blow.
At such an age…
Such strength was nothing short of monstrous.
For a fleeting moment, an image surfaced in his mind—
A younger Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.
And if given a few more years to grow…
Stainless felt a chill creep up his spine.
What kind of terrifying existence would the Navy have to face then?
The man standing before him—
Was like a fusion of Hawkeye Mihawk's blade and Kaido's overwhelming presence.
A calamity waiting to mature.
And the Navy had encountered him far too early.
"No… swordsmanship?"
The corner of Ren's mouth lifted slightly.
"That's just for fun."
He abruptly disengaged, leaping backward and upward in a single motion.
His right hand clenched into a fist and rose slowly.
"What I'm really good at… is this."
"Whoosh—"
In Vice Admiral Stainless' horrified, paling eyes—
A sphere of terrifying flame ignited in Ren's palm.
The heat was so intense it made the scalp prickle.
The temperature of the surrounding air skyrocketed, distorting space itself.
"Goodbye."
Ren looked down coldly at Stainless, whose body was already covered in countless wounds, his strength completely spent, unable to resist.
Flames surged around Ren's body.
His presence expanded, crushing and overwhelming.
Then—
He punched downward without mercy.
"Fire Punch!"
The blazing flames expanded violently at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In an instant, they transformed into a colossal fist of fire, burning so fiercely that the atmosphere warped and screamed.
The sheer size of the attack swallowed most of the warship whole.
The deck ignited instantly.
The steel hull glowed red, then began to melt.
The ship was already doomed, sinking beneath the inferno.
At sea, scattered Marines clung desperately to planks and debris.
In their terror-filled eyes—
An unimaginable heat descended from above.
"BOOOOM—!!"
"Aaaaah—!!"
The sky and the sea were dyed an incandescent crimson.
The flames, like hellfire unleashed, erased everything in their path.
All remaining wreckage was reduced to ash.
Even the raging sea itself boiled violently under the heat.
Seawater evaporated across a vast area, filling the entire region with scorching steam and blinding mist.
Even those Marines who had managed to escape into the sea—
Under this catastrophic blow—
Only a handful might survive by sheer luck.
The entire fleet—
Together with Vice Admiral Stainless of Marine Headquarters—
Was completely annihilated.
"Gulp…"
Watching from afar, frozen in place—
The overwhelming visual impact left Carina utterly stunned.
Her mouth hung open.
Even from such a distance, waves of heat still washed over her face.
Cold sweat streamed down her back.
"…What a monster."