"Woo ho ho——"
Time slipped away. Most of the day had passed.
Over the rolling waves, a colossal beast strode through the air. Golden horns crowned its head, its body blazing crimson, scales shimmering like molten steel.
"Brush… swipe…" Each step of its claws conjured vast auspicious clouds, bearing its massive frame as though the sky itself were solid ground. Ren surged forward at terrifying speed, his Abyssal Apex form tearing hurricanes into existence.
The gale nearly flung Carina, who clung desperately to the radiant horns. Her hair whipped wildly, eyes watering—not from emotion, but from the relentless wind.
"Hey, Ren… how much longer?" she shouted, voice trembling.
Ren slowed slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"I pushed harder, so we're almost there… Look ahead."
He tilted his head, signaling toward the horizon.
An island loomed in the distance.
Carina's eyes lit up, anticipation sparkling.
"Is that… Gaya Island? I really want to see the legendary Golden Land!"
Ren's gaze hardened.
"You'll see soon enough."
But he had no intention of stopping at Gaya. Adjusting his angle, he drove upward, clouds swirling beneath him, ascending into the heavens.
A hundred meters above, a news bird flapped across his path. Before it could veer away, the massive red silhouette collided with it. The creature shrieked, wings broken, tumbling toward the sea. Newspapers scattered like leaves in a storm.
Ren restrained his flames, mindful of Carina. Had he unleashed his full abyssal fire, the bird and its cargo would have been reduced to ash in an instant.
Scene — The White Sea Ascent
"Eh?" Carina's quick reflexes saved her as she snatched a newspaper from the air.
The headlines made her pupils contract sharply:
"A walking disaster! The man with a bounty of 400 million!"
"The ruined naval fleet! The flaming beast that burns everything!"
"Shock! An unprecedented tragedy in the Pocris Sea — a Navy Headquarters fleet completely wiped out!"
"Obituaries! Vice Admiral Stierres and 2,363 naval personnel killed!"
"Latest news! The Straw Hat Pirates' former vice‑captain, Butcher Ren, has separated from the crew!"
On the front page, several photos blazed with intensity: Ren in his Abyssal Apex form, scales glowing, flames consuming warships, his claws tearing through steel, the sea itself burning under his wrath.
Carina's voice trembled: "Ren… you've got a bounty on your head…"
She flipped through the paper, finding the wanted poster. Ren's sharp gaze glared sideways, blood‑stained sword in hand, corpses of marines scattered beneath his feet. She recognized the image — taken during the G‑8 massacre.
"Four hundred million… double your old bounty!" she gasped.
Ren smirked, unconcerned. "Natural. I killed a Vice Admiral and destroyed a fleet. The Navy had no choice."
He recalled sensing the faint aura of a news bird during his battle with Stierres — a spy of the World Economic News Agency. He had let it watch, knowing he needed this victory to cement his reputation after leaving the Straw Hats.
"And now, as a Mythical Zoan user, the danger I pose is undeniable. The Navy will never ignore me again."
Carina nodded reluctantly. "Four hundred million… but honestly, it fits. If you go wild, you could erase an island."
The ascent continued.
One thousand meters. Two thousand. Five thousand.
The air thinned, Carina's eyes widened as a vast black sea of clouds loomed above.
"It's incredible…" she whispered.
Ren's jaws opened, abyssal fire gathering. Even as he shielded Carina, the heat warped the air, nearly overwhelming her.
"Whoosh——!"
A colossal flame shockwave erupted, vaporizing the clouds. Atmosphere twisted, thunder cracked, and a black hole hundreds of meters wide tore open in the sky.
Carina gawked. "Gulu! Is this how you get up there?"
Ren chuckled. "These cloud seas restrain ability users like the ocean. Unless you ride the sky current or climb from the Western Sky, you're stuck. Too troublesome. This way is simpler."
The blazing dragon surged upward, a crimson streak piercing the void.
"Brush——!"
Suddenly, light engulfed them.
They emerged into a vast expanse of shimmering white.
Carina clung to Ren's golden horns, eyes wide with awe. "Is this… the White Sea?"
Ren nodded. "Seven thousand meters above sea level. But this isn't the true Sky Island yet… just the beginning."
Ren surged upward, his colossal form blazing like a crimson comet.
"You still need to pass through the Sky Gate before reaching the Baibai Sea at 10,000 meters. The legendary Sky Island lies upon that magical ocean of clouds!"
His voice rumbled like thunder.
"Of course, there's more than one way to reach Hakuhaku-Kai. But… we have a faster way."
Carina clung tightly to his golden horns, speechless. She had to admit it—Ren's ability was overwhelming.
The sea of clouds, at least a hundred meters thick, had been blasted apart and ruthlessly evaporated by his abyssal fire. Only when they reached the base of the Baibai Sea did she truly grasp the scale of his attack.
Her eyes widened.
"That breath… it actually pierced through both layers of the White Sea and Baibai Sea…"
She stared at the vast black hole carved into the sky, stunned into silence.
Between the two seas lay nearly three thousand meters of vertical distance. to vaporize both layers in a single strike was beyond comprehension.
Ren chuckled, his voice calm despite the devastation he had wrought.
"Don't be too surprised. Haku-Kai and Hakuhaku-Kai may share the properties of the ocean, but they're not as dense as the Blue Sea below. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy."
"Wow!..."
The Golden Merry drifted gently across the seventh route of the Grand Line, its sheep‑headed bow cutting through the waves. The orange tree swayed lightly in the breeze, while the Straw Hat flag fluttered proudly above the mast.
On deck, Nami had just purchased the latest newspaper from a passing news bird. She flipped it open casually, but her eyes froze as the headlines leapt out at her.
Her face paled, then flushed with urgency.
"Everyone——!" she cried, rushing down from the attic.
Her voice carried across the deck, startling Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, who had been chasing each other in a playful scuffle.
"Come here and look at this!!!"
"What's wrong, Nami?" Luffy tilted his head, blinking in confusion. He hopped onto a barrel, straw hat tilted back, eyes wide with curiosity.
Usopp and Chopper stopped mid‑game, ears perked, while Sanji leaned against the railing, cigarette dangling, and Zoro cracked one eye open from his nap.
Nami's hands trembled as she held up the newspaper.
On the front page, bold letters screamed:
"A walking disaster! The man with a bounty of 400 million!"
"Vice Admiral Stierres and his fleet annihilated!"
"The Straw Hats' former vice‑captain, Butcher Ren, separates from the crew!"
The image beneath was unmistakable: Ren in his Abyssal Apex form, flames consuming warships, his claws tearing through steel, the sea itself burning.
The crew fell silent.
Luffy's eyes widened, his usual carefree grin fading. "Ren…?" he muttered.
Usopp swallowed hard. "Four hundred million… that's double Crocodile's bounty!"
Chopper's voice shook. "He… he destroyed an entire fleet…"
Zoro sat up fully now, gaze sharp. "So he's gone his own way. But the Navy will never let this slide."
Sanji exhaled smoke, eyes narrowing. "That idiot… he's painting a target bigger than any of us."
Nami clutched the paper tighter, her voice trembling between fear and anger. "Ren's strength… it's beyond anything we imagined. And now the world knows."
Sanji had just stepped out of the kitchen, balancing a fresh fruit platter, when Nami's sudden cry drew his attention.
On a beach chair nearby, Robin lowered her book, her calm, intellectual gaze shifting toward the commotion.
Zoro, mid‑workout with dumbbells, paused, sweat dripping down his forehead as he glanced over.
Nami's face was pale, her hands trembling as she held up the newspaper.
"It's Ren——" she exclaimed, voice tight with shock.
She turned the paper so everyone could see. "Gulu! He's gained some incredible ability… He transformed into a monstrous flame beast! And he destroyed an entire Navy fleet. The Headquarters has raised his bounty to 400 million beli!"
The front page showed the image: a colossal beast with golden horns, scales like armor, body engulfed in fire. The sight alone made their scalps prickle.
"What!?" Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper all froze, pupils shrinking in disbelief.
Was this truly the Ren they had sailed with?
Robin's voice was calm but tinged with awe. "His body is surrounded by flames… This isn't an ordinary Zoan. It must be a Mythical Zoan, rarer even than Logia. And that form… it resembles a legendary Dragon."
The crew exchanged uneasy glances. They all knew Ren had collected two Devil Fruits. He had never hidden it.
One was the purple‑black, piranha‑shaped fruit he had taken after killing Wapol in Drum Kingdom — identified as the Paramecia‑type Munch Munch Fruit.
The other was a strange Rambutan‑shaped fruit found on Little Garden, its powers unknown.
Ren had spoken openly about not being opposed to becoming a Devil Fruit user, but he had hesitated to decide. On Sky Island, he had even searched obsessively for the reborn of the Thunder Fruit after Enel's death, hoping to claim its immense power.
Now, the truth was undeniable. Ren had chosen his path — and the world was beginning to see him not as a deputy captain, but as a walking calamity.
Robin closed the newspaper slowly, her eyes thoughtful. "Unfortunately, the Thunder Fruit was never found. My guess is that Ren chose the Rambutan‑shaped Devil Fruit after leaving us. That's why he gained such astonishing power."
Nami bit her lip, still shaken. "He must have finally made up his mind… and decided between the two fruits he carried."
Zoro set down his dumbbells, his expression grave. "Is it the power of the Devil Fruit from the Ancient Island? Incredible…"
As the Straw Hats' swordsman, Zoro had always been rational and tough. He remembered his promise to Kuina, his vow to become the world's greatest swordsman.
Years of bounty hunting had hardened him, and unlike Luffy or Usopp, he wasn't naïve about bloodshed.
Ren's ruthless decisiveness had never unsettled him. In fact, after losing to Ren in a duel, Zoro had marked him as a future rival.
Their sparring sessions had sharpened his own blade, and he had learned much from Ren's guidance.
Now, with Ren gone, Zoro felt a pang of regret. "He was a challenge worth having."
Usopp's face was pale, his voice trembling. "Gulu! What a terrifying guy… Did he gain that power and immediately run to the Navy just to kill? It's like he couldn't wait to vent his bloodlust."
Chopper swallowed hard, his small body shaking. Memories of Drum Kingdom flashed before him—Ren's merciless slaughter of Wapol and his men, the massacre that had left the island drenched in blood.
"Ren's appearance… it's like a monster walking straight out of hell."
Sanji set down the fruit platter, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly. His tone was calm, but his words carried weight.
"That guy still has such a rotten character. I thought he'd calm down and reflect after leaving… but clearly not."
Among the Straw Hats, Sanji had clashed with Ren the most. Ren's ruthless decisiveness, his disregard for Sanji's chivalry, and his constant victories in winning the admiration of Nami and Robin made him Sanji's greatest rival.
What Sanji could never accept was Ren's cruelty toward women—female pirates, female marines—slain without hesitation even when the battle was already won.
They had quarreled many times, even fought outright, and though Sanji was defeated each time, his disgust for Ren's indiscriminate killing never faded.
Ren's departure left the crew conflicted.
Chopper and Usopp felt relief. Though they respected Ren's strength, his murderous aura had always frightened them. His absence lifted a weight from their hearts.
Luffy, after sulking for a few days, accepted it. He disliked Ren's random killings and admitted that Ren's nature was incompatible with their crew. In his own way, Luffy believed leaving might have been the right choice.
Nami and Robin, however, carried more complicated feelings. Ren had saved them countless times in dire battles. They felt gratitude, even affection, for him. Yet Nami's kind nature recoiled at his cruelty, and Robin, though pragmatic, could not ignore the blood he shed so casually.
Of all the crew, Robin understood Ren the most. Though she remained kind, her life as the sole survivor of O'Hara had stripped away any naivety. Hunted by the World Government since childhood, she had endured betrayals, darkness, and near‑death escapes more times than she could count.
Like Nami, she had tried to persuade Ren to stay. But unlike Nami, Robin's bond with him ran deeper. In Alabasta, when she had nearly chosen self‑destruction, it was Ren who saved her.
That act left her with a fondness far greater than the others felt—so strong that she had even considered leaving the Straw Hats to follow him.
Yet Robin knew her reality. As O'Hara's last archaeologist, her presence brought misfortune. Every force she joined was eventually annihilated by the Navy or the World Government.
She had betrayed allies again and again to survive, carrying the guilt of knowing she was a curse to those around her.
She could not bear to implicate Ren. So she buried her emotions.
But no one expected it: Ren had been gone only a few days, and already the world was in chaos.
"Ren?" Luffy rose to his feet. His usual grin faded as he lowered his straw hat.
Sanji, Chopper, and the others watched him closely. Luffy turned away, his voice steady, almost detached:
"What he pursues is different from us. Let him go."
In truth, Luffy had been thinking deeply since Ren's departure. Though playful and carefree, he was no fool. He had felt it for a long time—Ren never truly believed in his dream of becoming Pirate King.
Ren's path was drenched in blood and vengeance, incompatible with Luffy's vision of freedom and adventure. Their dreams diverged, and forcing them together would only end in conflict.
Luffy accepted it.
"Our journeys aren't the same. That's all there is to it."