As her words fell, her fingers hooked cleanly at her thigh, and in two steps forward, she tossed the scrap of fabric into the corner.
Then she continued advancing.
Wind threaded through the valley, bringing with it a light, pleasant sensation.
Monet pressed close, took Ren's hand, and placed it over her chest, letting his moving fingers feel the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Her stunningly beautiful face, easily worthy of a nine out of ten, leaned against Ren's collarbone as she let out a low sigh.
"I already… have no other choice.
"Your spell has taken everything from me. But at least, for the sake of everything I'm offering you, let the Young Master live a little more easily.
"This is my wish, and also the deal I'm proposing. You can refuse. After all, before long, you'll still be able to obtain everything.
"Mm… perhaps what you'll get then is a mindless woman who won't refuse you and sees you as the only meaning in her existence?
"But I think… the Monet standing here now should suit a man's desires far better, no?"
Her slender fingers circled over his firm chest, then slowly trailed downward, gripping like a knight closing her hand around a sword hilt.
Ren's crimson eyes contracted. The first reaction of his rational mind was that this was a trap.
But after thinking carefully, he reached a conclusion.
She had chosen to fall.
Because she had no way to resist the repeated influences and interferences, and she knew the final result would be becoming something no different from a puppet.
So she intended to offer everything through this method, exchanging it for the preservation of her self-awareness—even using Doflamingo as her justification.
Or perhaps it was a final farewell.
She would give everything she could give, decide that she had repaid what she owed, then abandon the struggle and embrace her fall.
'That's a little scummy.'
That was Ren's self-reflection. But to be honest, Monet deserved this sort of fate.
More precisely, aside from a select few, not a single member of the Donquixote Family was anything but a thoroughly wicked villain.
"What are you hesitating for?"
Monet sounded somewhat dissatisfied. She suddenly crouched down, slightly parted her red lips, and completed the gesture she had shown earlier.
Mmph—!
A strange chill swept over him, making Ren subconsciously take a step forward. The muffled sound became even clearer.
Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit!
It could create snow, turn the user's body into a low-temperature substance like ice, instantly re-form even if the body was shattered by purely physical attacks, and allow the user to freely move through snow they had created.
Snowflakes suddenly whipped through the room out of thin air, bringing with them a rather unique kind of pleasure.
At least, this was a scene Ren had never experienced before.
The results brought about by partial natural elementalization seemed to be useful for more than just combat.
Time passed little by little.
"Hah… hu~"
Monet gasped for breath.
A rosy flush spread over her snow-white skin, and her disheveled clothes could barely cover much of anything. Her entire figure looked like a snow woman, irresistibly alluring.
But it was not over.
With a look of longing and anticipation, paired with that mature, breathtakingly beautiful nine-out-of-ten face, she gazed at the one giving to her.
Was that all?
It still was not enough!
"…"
Ren was a little dazed. He felt as if his morals were sliding downward.
Yet the green-haired beauty before him had abandoned everything, even morality itself.
She was not merely satisfied with absorbing vitality.
The bottom line of someone who had given up on herself would not be so high. Her stomach had been filled, but a woman had two "stomachs"!
Very abruptly, Monet pushed Ren down. Her long, full thighs locked around her prey's waist like scissors.
Come.
Tear her apart. Better yet, leave her with no room to think at all!
Marine Headquarters was not idle either. Sengoku issued an order.
"Send out the summons."
The operators began contacting every member of the Warlords of the Sea, delivering a message that left no room for doubt.
Either obey this summons, or be stripped of your Warlord status!
This was rare since the founding of the Warlord system.
However, under the premise that the whole world already knew Marine Headquarters versus the Whitebeard Pirates was underway, it also seemed perfectly natural.
Once the summons was issued, some people immediately began taking action.
Kuraigana Island, inside a gloomy ancient castle.
"This time, I should be able to see those two little fellows along the way. I wonder if they can give me even a small surprise?"
Mihawk set off with the black blade Yoru on his back.
"But most importantly—I'm going to witness the world's strongest!"
Somewhere out on the sea.
"Why has it come to this? The Marines… this is not what this old man hoped to see. I must stop them!"
Jinbe began moving with a grave expression.
Having lived through the early days of the Great Pirate Era, he knew very well that back then, when Fish-Man Island had repeatedly suffered raids by slave traders and the entire island had sunk into despair, it was Whitebeard who had protected them. When that flag was raised over Fish-Man Island, no one dared make a move against Fish-Man Island openly again.
Jinbe had remembered this debt of gratitude to this day, and because of it, he often helped members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
This time, Knight of the Sea Jinbe was no exception. He began taking action as well.
The Calm Belt, Kuja Island.
"I understand!"
With a cold expression on her beautiful face, Hancock hung up before that detestable man could do so first.
Then she gave a proud, icy snort and turned away on her own.
Wasn't it just going to Marine Headquarters?
Did he really need to threaten her with Kuja Island after saying one sentence?
Did he really think he had her completely under control?
'Hmph. I am not some weak, powerless woman! Just you wait, Ren!'
Clearly, Hancock seemed to be scheming something.
The Grand Line, near the Sabaody Archipelago.
The newly appointed Warlords of the Sea, Cavendish and Urouge, were both operating in the nearby waters, capturing pirates.
The incident at the Sabaody Archipelago had been extremely vile. Not only had Celestial Dragons been attacked, two of them had even been abducted.
The enraged World Government needed an explanation. Under layers of pressure, Cavendish and Urouge, who had no significant achievements yet, became convenient tools.
However, both Cavendish and Urouge were happy to see it happen.
The former believed his fame was growing greater and greater, while also allowing him to repay a favor.
The latter, following instructions, planted several Revolutionary Army officers disguised as pirates among them—people who had also made names for themselves.
Impel Down would become very lively afterward.
After learning from Ren about the situation of the Okama King, the Revolutionary Army prepared to use the favorable wind of the prophet's prediction to rescue their commander of the Grand Line.
Ren's side would also take action.
But all of that would come after the Paramount War.
"Hahaha! How could a grand scene like this be missing me, the White Horse Prince?"
Cavendish responded immediately, and he was also the first to gather his Beautiful Pirates and head for Marine Headquarters.
Urouge waited unhurriedly for several days before slowly following the Marines' guidance forward.
Naturally, Ren, as one of the Warlords of the Sea, could not escape either.
However, he himself merely replied coldly, "We'll talk later. There's still time, isn't there? I'll make sure I arrive before the deadline," and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He emphasized being troublesome.
But that also fit his persona very well.
No one knew that at this moment, Ren had already reached his destination.
The New World, Raijin Island!
Hovering above Raijin Island was an ultra-massive thunderstorm cloud layer.
According to Nami, because of the New World's even harsher climate, this thing had almost no chance of dispersing.
The resulting situation was that lightning on Raijin Island was as omnipresent as wind.
Within the island, hundreds of thunder pillars dozens of meters in diameter connected heaven and earth, tempering the island amid constant roaring.
The only reason it had not been shattered by lightning was that the island itself was no ordinary place.
It was a metal island filled with minerals. Long-term tempering by lightning had indeed shrunk the island's area, but it had instead turned this place into a truly massive block of metal.
If one were to use it for forging weapons, it would be work enough to last more than a hundred years.
Yet no one could excavate this wealth. Even Kaido had chosen to ignore it.
Ordinary pirates could forget landing there; even getting close was a luxury.
But under such circumstances, at the center of Raijin Island, someone had calmly set up a specially made table and chairs.
Lightning surged and spawned all around, yet it seemed to be restrained, unable to approach even the slightest bit.
Divine Power: Thunder and Flame Mastery!
Ren's attainments in this field were growing deeper and deeper. He had already begun to possess one quarter of the functions of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Note: functions, not power.
The truly powerful point of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was that the user themselves became lightning.
Ordinary traits could not reach that level.
After setting up the table and chairs, he began waiting.
However, the other party was even more impatient than he had expected. Most likely, it was because of the photo.
In the past hundred years of this world, there probably had not been anyone else who used Celestial Dragons as bargaining chips.
His passive ability, Premonition Perception, was triggered.
At that instant, Ren, who was sitting at the center of Raijin Island, felt a tremor. Immediately afterward came a distortion in the atmosphere.
From the shore to the center of the island, heaven and earth were torn open in an instant, forming a long, stretching rift.
No.
Rather than a rift, it was more like a "red carpet."
It rolled in from the distance, then landed with perfect precision before the table and chairs.
This was an ability, and it was controlled with exquisite precision.
Clack—clack—clack.
Metal and steel earth collided. A naginata struck the ground again and again, and with each repeated sound, the atmosphere grew unbearably oppressive.
'He's here.'
Ren placed Heavenly Might horizontally across his knees, pursed his lips, and gazed into the distance at the end of the long carpet.
First came two figures, one large and one small. The smaller one was naturally the pineapple-headed Marco.
The 1st Division Commander and ship's doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates, known as Whitebeard's right-hand man, with a bounty of 1,374,000,000 Beli.
He was at least a powerhouse on the level of King, and also a veteran member who had followed Whitebeard for the longest time.
As for the larger one, it was Whitebeard—Edward Newgate.
His body was enormous, making him look like a small giant, and he held a naginata in his hand.
Murakumogiri!
One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades!
Whitebeard advanced slowly with the deadly weapon in hand. The aura surrounding his entire body was unbearably oppressive, like a vast sea that inspired unease.
When calm, it was still tolerable. But once it surged and roared, it would tear everything apart.
(End of Chapter)