A week had passed since Ren and Shakky settled on the storm-scarred island deep within the New World. The land had once been wild and mountainous, but now it bore the unmistakable marks of Ren's training.
Entire peaks had been reduced to rubble.
The forests were torn apart in wide circular clearings, as if giants had danced across them. The island itself felt quieter now, subdued by overwhelming force.
That afternoon, Ren and Shakky were resting near their camp when the sound of frantic footsteps shattered the calm.
A woman burst from the treeline, her kimono torn and her breathing ragged. Behind her, several armed slave traders charged forward with ropes and blades drawn.
"Stop right there!" one of them shouted. "You won't get far!"
Before Shakky could even stand, Ren had already vanished.
There was no flash of power, no dramatic transformation. He did not even partially shift into his Kitsune form anymore. His mastery had grown far beyond that.
The traders collapsed.
Each of them fell screaming as their legs bent unnaturally, bones shattered by invisible force. Illusions wrapped around their minds, warping their perception, paralyzing them in terror.
Ren stood among them, eyes cold.
"Where are your companions?" he asked.
His voice carried no anger, only icy finality.
The men trembled under his gaze. One stuttered out directions between sobs, pointing toward the northern forest where their main camp waited.
Ren turned without another word.
Moments later, distant explosions echoed across the island. The air trembled, and then silence followed.
When the woman finally gathered herself enough to look up, the slave traders who had chased her were no longer there.
They had been reduced to ash.
She stared, frozen.
Shakky approached her calmly, brushing dust from her sleeve.
"Hello, I'm Shakkinicu," she said lightly, offering a hand. "But most call me Shakky."
The woman blinked rapidly.
"H-Hello… I'm Toki. Amatsuki Toki."
Her voice shook as she pointed weakly toward the scorched earth.
"What was that? They were just there…"
Shakky sighed softly.
"That guy hates slave traders to the bone," she replied. "He'll be back after taking care of the rest."
As if on cue, another distant shockwave rolled across the island.
Toki swallowed.
"So what are you two doing—"
Her voice trailed off as she finally noticed the horizon.
Every mountain.
Flattened.
Her eyes widened.
Shakky followed her gaze and chuckled.
"Well, that's Ren's handiwork," she said casually. "He was training by punching mountains."
Toki stared in disbelief.
"You're quite lucky," Shakky added. "We were just about to leave for Wano."
Toki stiffened.
"Wait… did you say Wano?"
Shakky nodded. "Yeah. Seems a pirate is trying to take over Wano. Ren wants to take Wano."
"You… you want to take Wano too?" Toki asked. "But why?"
Her heart raced.
She had just arrived in this era from the distant past, only to find her homeland already under threat. The thought of yet another powerful force targeting it filled her with dread.
Shakky crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"Well, Ren wants to create an empire where every race can live together," she explained. "Wano is the best location for that."
Toki listened carefully.
"It has an inland sea for Fishmen," Shakky continued. "Dense forests that could house the Tontatta tribe. It's massive, defensible, rich in resources. And it's already in a pirate's hands, which makes it easier to take."
Toki's expression shifted.
"An empire where every race can live together?" she whispered. "Is that even possible?"
There was doubt in her voice.
But also hope.
Shakky laughed softly.
"I asked him the same thing," she admitted. "He just grinned and said, 'If I don't try, how am I going to know it's impossible?'"
Toki stared at the flattened mountains again.
"Can I stay here?" she asked quietly. "I don't have anywhere else to go."
Shakky nodded without hesitation.
"Fine. I have an extra tent. You can stay there."
Toki followed her, but her mind remained cautious.
She wasn't going to believe in someone's dream just because it sounded noble.
She would judge with her own eyes.
Suddenly, Shakky paused mid-step.
Her gaze shifted toward the sea.
"Well," she murmured, a grin forming. "Looks like we've got company."
Toki tensed.
"Who is it?"
Shakky's grin widened.
"A man with the power to destroy the world."
Before Toki could process those words, a massive blue bird descended from the sky, talons extended.
Shakky vanished.
Using Soru and Geppo in perfect succession, she reappeared mid-air and delivered a single devastating kick.
The bird shot backward like a cannonball.
It crashed onto the deck of a massive ship anchored offshore.
The Moby Dick.
The young man transformed back mid-roll, groaning.
"H-Hey! What was that for?!" Marco shouted, rubbing his head.
A booming laugh echoed across the sea.
"Gurarararara! Never expected to meet you here, Shakky!"
Whitebeard stood at the front of the ship, bisento resting against his shoulder.
"You've been gone from the sea for eight years," he continued. "And you're stronger than ever… still the beauty."
Marco blinked. "Pops, you know that woman? Who is she? That kick made my head spin!"
Shakky crossed her arms.
"Eight years?" she asked, genuinely confused. "I've only been gone for two."
Whitebeard's expression shifted slightly.
"Hmmm. Looks like you don't know. It's been eight years since God Valley. We thought you disappeared with that island."
Shakky waved dismissively.
"Whatever. But keep your pet in check. This is the New World. Flying around like that is asking for a beating."
"Hey! Who are you calling a pet?!" Marco shouted, face red as the crew erupted into laughter.
Whitebeard silenced them with a glance.
"Gurarara… Shakky, why not join my crew?" he offered. "If the World Government finds out you're alive, they might send the Holy Knights."
Shakky's lips twitched.
"Leave it, Newgate. You lost your chance. This girl already belongs to a man."
Silence.
The words struck Whitebeard harder than any blade.
Several crew members tried—and failed—not to laugh. Whitebeard shot them a deadly glare.
"Gurarara… I really want to meet the man who won the heart of Shakky," he admitted. "But I'm here looking for a samurai. Have you seen one?"
Shakky opened her mouth.
"Nope—"
A massive surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from deeper inland.
The sky darkened instantly.
A black silhouette flew through the air toward the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard caught it effortlessly.
It was Kozuki Oden.
Unconscious. Blood dripping from his mouth.
Moments later, Ren emerged from the forest, looking mildly annoyed.
"Where is that pig-headed guy?" he asked.
Shakky glanced toward Whitebeard's hand.
Ren followed her gaze.
"…Why is Newgate here?"
"They were looking for a samurai," Shakky replied calmly.
Ren blinked.
A memory surfaced.
A man dragging himself behind Whitebeard's ship to prove his worth.
Scarred face.
Twin swords.
"No wonder the swords looked familiar," Ren muttered, amused.
His gaze shifted to Toki.
"So the woman I saved was her."
"Hey, brat!" Whitebeard roared. "You just hit my brother!"
He had already figured it out.
This was Shakky's man.
And now he had the perfect excuse.
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"That pig-headed brother of yours was trying to save the slave traders I was hunting," he said evenly. "I just sent him flying. You should thank me I didn't accidentally kill him."
The Moby Dick's crew tensed.
Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki exploded outward at full force.
"You've got quite the tongue," he growled.
Ren laughed.
His own Conqueror's Haki surged to meet it.
The sky split.
Clouds parted violently above them as two Supreme Kings clashed.
Shockwaves rolled across the ocean.
Shakky exhaled slowly.
"You boys done measuring yet?" she called out casually.
Whitebeard grinned.
"So you're the man, huh?"
Ren met his gaze.
"And you're the so-called strongest."
Their Haki intensified.
The island trembled.
The sea churned violently.
And far in the distance, thunder rolled—announcing that the New World had just gained another monster capable of shaking it.