"Renault, tell me your true purpose!"
Rayleigh slowly lifted his head, a mysterious light flashing in his eyes. In his experience, Renault was not the type to do anything without a personal gain. No matter who Ace was, it shouldn't have mattered to him. Yet he had come here to say all this. He clearly had an ulterior motive.
Renault smiled, unsurprised. "You should understand that Whitebeard will never let the Navy kill Ace. He will surely mobilize all the pirate crews under his banner and march on Marine Headquarters."
"As for me..." Renault paused, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth. "I want to use this opportunity to wipe out the World Government."
"I hope you will take action. Not for me, of course, but for Ace. Though our paths are different, our goals are the same. We share a common enemy, don't we?"
Rayleigh's expression shifted slightly at Renault's casual words. Wipe out the World Government? He said it so effortlessly, as if he were talking about swatting a fly.
Rayleigh fell silent. He had no interest in Renault's business—whether he wanted to be the overlord of the sea or overthrow the government mattered little to him. But Ace...
He remembered how Roger had changed after reaching Laugh Tale and becoming the Pirate King. He lost that heroic aura of an overlord, his sharp edge vanished, and he looked more like an ordinary man. Before that, Roger would never have talked about marriage and children.
Yet, he truly had a son.
Based on what Renault was saying, on the day of the execution, he would definitely lead his people to cause a massive scene at Marine Headquarters. But he wouldn't be doing it for Ace. With Whitebeard's strength alone, trying to rescue someone from the dragon's den that was Marine Headquarters was a fool's dream. But with the distraction provided by Renault and the others, Whitebeard might actually find an opening.
Renault watched Rayleigh quietly, not rushing him. After a long silence, Rayleigh seemed to reach a decision. He looked at Renault and spoke firmly.
"I will go on the day of the execution. But let's be clear: I am going to Marine Headquarters only to rescue Ace. I won't get involved in your business."
"Of course." The corner of Renault's mouth quirked up.
He stood and led his people out. Just as he was about to step through the door, he paused and said softly, "A pleasure doing business with you."
Rayleigh slowly stood and walked to the window, looking out into the distance with a helpless, wry smile. "Captain, you've really given me a difficult problem."
The next day!
Ten thousand meters below the surface.
Countless fish, turtles, and sea snakes swam through the cold, dark waters. A coated medium-sized ship pushed through the currents, sailing toward the pitch-black depths of the abyss.
On the deck, Shakky and Hancock gasped in amazement at the scenery.
"So this is where Fish-Man Island is? It's truly beautiful!"
"Indeed. I never knew the seabed was so stunning!"
Hancock pouted slightly. Since joining Renault, they had spent every day executing his plans. When did they ever have time to visit such a gorgeous place? This was just one corner of the ocean; who knew how many other beautiful sights they had missed.
"Renault, once the battle is over, you have to compensate us!"
Hancock clung to him like an octopus, her eyes full of affection. Even though they were in the same crew, they spent far too little time together.
"That's right." Shakky walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Don't start." Renault immediately broke free. He knew himself well; once they started, it would take hours. They were about to reach Fish-Man Island; this was no time for that.
"Something interesting is coming," Renault said, changing the subject.
The two women also sensed something approaching. Their faces turned cold. "A mood-killer."
Seeing their dark expressions, Renault already felt a moment of silence for whatever was coming.
The moment he spoke, a giant yellow octopus lunged toward the ship, its tentacles flailing.
"This creature is called the Kraken. When it's bored, it attacks pirate ships heading for Fish-Man Island. Many of those shipwrecks floating in the deep are its handiwork," Renault explained.
But clearly, the women weren't in the mood for a biology lesson.
"Filthy creature, how dare you ruin my moment!"
Hancock snorted. A giant heart formed in front of her as she drew her bow.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A dozen heart-shaped arrows shot out of the soap bubble, striking several of the octopus's tentacles with precision.
Crack... crack...
Starting from the impact points, the tentacles began to petrify, the stone quickly spreading over the entire limbs.
"Roar—"
The Kraken let out a pained shriek, its remaining tentacles thrashing wildly and tearing through the currents. The quiet deep sea erupted into a violent whirlpool.
"I've got this!"
Shakky followed up in her hybrid form, her slender, graceful body radiating a terrifying aura. Chilling frost billowed from her.
Her eyes flared as a blast of absolute-zero frost erupted, tearing through the sea and piercing directly through the Kraken's massive body. The frost spread, condensing into ice crystals over its flesh. Eventually, it was frozen solid, sinking into the abyss, its fate unknown.
"If I could go outside, I'd chop it to pieces!"
Shakky, reverting to her human form, was still fuming.
"Don't be so grumpy. It was a rather interesting creature; let it be," Renault laughed. Even in her sixties, Shakky still acted like a young girl sometimes.
"What?! It's not dead yet?"
Shakky caught the key word she wanted.
"Of course. A creature like that isn't so easy to kill."
This was the Kraken, after all. If it could be killed by a single blast of cold, it would be a disgrace to its name.
"Renault, why didn't you—"
Zing—
In the pitch-black deep, a high-speed rotating giant axe suddenly whistled through the water, aimed straight for Renault on the deck.
Renault snapped his fingers. Lightning struck, knocking the axe away. But it didn't end there; a dozen more flying axes, swords, and daggers came screeching toward them. Renault intercepted them all, and they sank into the ocean, drained of momentum.
"Who is it?!"
Hancock and Shakky went on high alert, their Observation Haki surging out as they prepared for an emergency. Who would dare ambush them? They were looking for death.
"No need to look. He isn't here; he's quite a distance away from us."
Renault waved them off and sat back in his chair. The only person who would throw trash around in the deep sea was that "Stalking Fish." Although the target was the Mermaid Princess, he had offended Renault. He might as well grant him a death sentence.
Max-level Observation Haki: Full power!
Deep in the ocean.
A decaying, rotting shipwreck sailed slowly through the darkness. On the moss-covered deck, the four-legged Vander Decken IX, wearing his small top hat, was showing off his "proud" dance moves.
"Bahahahaha! Beautiful Princess Shirahoshi, can you feel my burning love? Though we are worlds apart, my love will follow you forever~"
His subordinates sighed in helplessness behind him.
"The Captain's lovesickness is acting up again!!"
"Poor Princess Shirahoshi, being targeted by the Captain."
"Tell me about it. Being chased by this many weapons every day... anyone would go crazy."
Their whispers didn't escape Decken's ears. He immediately barked, "What are you lot doing?! Why have you stopped? Where is my surging love?! Bring me the axes! Bring me the longswords! If the Princess doesn't see them, she'll surely forget me! And if she forgets me, you know the consequences!"
Seeing Decken on the verge of a tantrum, the lackeys scrambled. "Captain, we're bringing them right now!"
Soon, they hauled up a massive crate filled with various weapons—or rather, varying degrees of "love."
"Bahahahaha!" Decken picked up a giant axe, his eyes burning with fervor.
"Princess Shirahoshi, please accept my love! It's coming! It's coming right now~"
With that, he hurled the axe with all his might.
Boom!
Accompanying a thunderous roar, a bolt of silver lightning—starkly out of place in the dark night—struck down, obliterating the axe before it could even fly far.
"Who?! Who is it?!"
"Who destroyed my love?!"
Decken's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Find this person! I will tear them—"
Boom!
Boom!
But before he could finish his threat, massive bolts of lightning struck the decaying deck. Before the lackeys could even react, they were turned into "dead fish," floating belly-up.
"Holy—!"
The sudden turn of events nearly scared the life out of Decken. What was happening?
When he realized what was going on, he was consumed by fury. What bastard had not only destroyed his "love" but also killed his men?
"Who is it?! Stop playing tricks and get out here!! I'll beat you to death!!"
Decken cursed, spit flying everywhere.
"Noisy."
Boom!
A bolt of black lightning, perfectly blended with the dark ocean currents, struck down with precision, hitting him square in the head. The brutal power instantly destroyed his brain. He fell straight back, dead beyond any hope of saving.
A moment later, the turbulent sea returned to silence. In the deep, a rotting shipwreck carrying a cargo of dead fish drifted aimlessly with the tide.
"Renault, did you just kill that guy?"
On the deck, Hancock asked, blinking her expressive eyes.
"He wasn't anything good. I just handled it in passing."
Renault said casually, waving it off. Of course, it wasn't that simple. How could a hideous creature like that dare to touch a beautiful mermaid princess? Even the thought was a sin.
He'd consider it helping Shirahoshi a great deal. Maybe he could use it as an icebreaker later.
Fish-Man Island, the beautiful island located 10,000 meters deep, also known as the Undersea Paradise.
In the pitch-black, terrifying depths, it shone like a bright pearl, bringing light and hope.
A short while later, Renault's medium-sized ship arrived at the entrance to the Ryugu Kingdom.
A blue fish soldier, draped in blue seaweed and holding a trident, blocked the path.
"Halt! This is no place for outside pirates. If you want to go to the New World, go the other way."
The blue fish spoke with a mechanical, expressionless tone. Fish-Man Island was the transition point between the Grand Line and the New World—a mandatory path for all races. They were used to lost pirates heading to the New World for the first time.
After speaking, the fish soldier returned to his post.
Renault, who had been stopped, wasn't angry. Instead, he looked at the little blue fish with interest. The appearance and attire reminded him of an old acquaintance.
Renault flashed in front of the soldier and smiled. "We aren't going to the New World. Inform your King that a man named Renault wants to see him."
Unless dealing with an enemy, being polite before using force was always Renault's policy.
"You want to see the King?!"
"Who do you think you are?!"Seeing that Renault continued to pester him, the little blue fish spoke with a look of extreme irritation.
Did he think just anyone could see the King of Fish-Man Island? If every pirate who came through here wanted an audience with the King, Neptune wouldn't have time for anything else; he'd spend his whole day just standing at the gate.
"I think you're just here to cause trouble! Seaweed Entanglement!!"
The little blue fish didn't waste any more words. He had seen plenty of pirates and knew that some types just loved to stir up drama. He had plenty of experience dealing with people like this. The seaweed on his body seemed to come to life, dancing like swimming snakes and forming a massive net that blocked all of Renault's paths of retreat.
Shakky and Hancock shared a sly smile, ignoring the guard entirely. They just watched quietly from the side, enjoying the rare sight of Renault being "blocked." However, they both knew deep down that the moment this little fish made a move against Renault, he had already stepped onto a one-way path to the grave.
"Why must you force me to be rough?"
Seeing the other party strike first, Renault couldn't go easy on him, even if he did remind him of an old friend.
Boom!
Lightning descended. Renault stepped right over the fallen blue fish. "Let's go. Since they won't come out to greet us, we'll go find them."
Seeing that the show was over, Shakky and Hancock pouted and hurried to catch up.
Ryugu Palace
Today, a group of uninvited guests had arrived in the main hall. The atmosphere inside was suffocating due to their presence.
"Jinbe, are you certain you want to refuse the Navy's summons?!"
Vice Admiral Doberman, a prominent Hawk, spoke with a dark face, his killing intent surging. Following Sengoku's orders, he had come to issue a summons to one of the Seven Warlords, "First Son of the Sea" Jinbe. He had been met with a stern refusal.
"This old man will absolutely not participate in this operation!" Jinbe stated categorically.
Setting aside the fact that Ace was a dear friend of his, if he participated in this action, it would be an open declaration of war against Whitebeard. One had to understand that Fish-Man Island currently existed under Whitebeard's protection, which kept many lowlifes at bay. Jinbe and many other fish-men were profoundly grateful to Whitebeard for this.
How could he openly become Whitebeard's enemy? Furthermore, if Whitebeard truly died at Marine Headquarters, it would mean utter disaster for Fish-Man Island. Without his protection, pirates would act without restraint, and tragedy would follow. Jinbe didn't even want to imagine how many mermaids would appear at the Sabaody Archipelago slave auctions if Whitebeard's flag no longer flew over their home.
Therefore, no matter what, he would not agree to this request today.
Seeing the atmosphere become so explosive, King Neptune and his ministers looked on with concern. One minister gathered his courage and spoke up: "Ahem... I don't think things have reached such a dire state. Perhaps we can find a compromise that—"
"This matter is not up for negotiation!" Doberman interrupted sharply before the man could finish.
As a loyal follower of Sakazuki and a hardline Hawk, Doberman wouldn't tolerate any compromise. These so-called Warlords used their titles to enjoy all sorts of privileges, yet when it was time to use them, they came up with all sorts of excuses. Where in the world was it that easy?
"Jinbe, I am warning you: Fleet Admiral Sengoku has issued an ultimatum. Any Warlord who refuses this summons will be stripped of their title and thrown into Impel Down! Consider the fate of Fish-Man Island carefully if Whitebeard is gone and you are locked in a prison cell."
"Shut your mouth!!"
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