The laughter and warmth from the shared meal faded as tension crept back across the shattered shore. The wind still carried the lingering pressure of clashing Conqueror's Haki, and no one aboard the Moby Dick mistook the silence for peace.
Oden finally stepped forward.
"You want Wano?"
His voice was firm, but there was something restless beneath it.
Ren did not hesitate.
"Yes," he replied calmly. "And I will be going there to conquer it. Any problem?"
Silence spread like frost.
Whitebeard said nothing at first. Wano was not his territory. He had no claim over it, no authority to dictate its fate. But Oden was his brother, and Wano was Oden's homeland.
And yet…
Oden had abandoned that homeland to sail as a pirate.
Whitebeard felt the weight of contradiction pressing against his chest.
Oden, however, did not notice his captain's dilemma.
"Wano is my country!" he declared. "I'm the future Shogun of Wano. I can't just sit and watch!"
Whitebeard's mouth twitched.
You bastard, he cursed inwardly. You abandoned your own damn country to become a pirate. Now you shout about being its future Shogun?
Ren didn't even look at Oden at first.
"You?" Ren said flatly. "The man who redirected a river and drowned a town because you were bored?"
Oden stiffened.
"The man who kidnapped women from the capital to build a harem?"
The crew shifted uncomfortably.
"The man who used royal funds—taxes collected from Wano's people—in the red-light district?"
Several pirates coughed awkwardly.
"Or perhaps the man who regularly fought in drunken rage? The one who tried to flee Wano multiple times… and finally succeeded?"
The words fell heavy.
Every mouth twitched.
Even Shakky looked at Oden with visible disgust.
"You really have the nerve to call yourself future Shogun?" she asked. "If not for that title, you would've been executed multiple times."
The Whitebeard Pirates subconsciously nodded.
Then they froze.
Oden was one of them.
They quickly shook their heads as if denying their own reaction.
Oden's fists clenched.
Ren finally turned his full gaze toward him.
"Even if you are the future Shogun," Ren continued, voice calm but cutting, "so what? You think you can defeat me?"
His Haki flared.
It crashed outward, colliding with both Whitebeard's and Oden's. Oden's will was instantly suppressed, forced downward under overwhelming pressure.
Whitebeard's Haki rose to shield him.
The sky began splitting again.
The sea started to freeze.
The air grew so cold that everyone's breath became visible. The Moby Dick groaned under the pressure as cracks spread along its deck from frost and force combined.
Ren's voice dropped into something icy.
"Whether you like it or not, I will take Wano."
He turned toward Whitebeard.
"Even if you want to interfere, Wano will be mine. If you want war, be prepared. War means blood."
The words hung between them.
Ren stepped back toward the island.
Shakky prepared to follow, but Toki suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Take me too," Toki said urgently. "I want to come with you."
Shakky studied her face carefully.
Then she nodded.
Without another word, she lifted Toki and used Geppo to cross back to the island.
The Whitebeard Pirates remained silent.
Ren wasn't wrong.
Wano was not their territory.
And a war with someone like him would be catastrophic.
Whitebeard exhaled slowly.
Then he jumped from his ship.
"Pops?!" Marco shouted.
The crew panicked as Whitebeard landed near Ren once more.
Ren turned to face him.
Then he glanced at Toki beside Shakky.
His eyes gleamed.
He had a plan.
Whitebeard stood before him, bisento resting on his shoulder.
For once, he had no immediate words.
Ren spoke first.
"Let's make a deal."
Whitebeard's eyes sharpened.
"Speak."
"Protect Fish-Man Island from slave traders for ten years," Ren said. "Do that, and I will stay away from Wano for ten years."
Whitebeard did not hesitate long.
"Fine," he said firmly. "I will protect Fish-Man Island for ten years. And you won't touch Wano—directly or indirectly."
He knew what this was.
Ren was giving him face.
Whitebeard thought carefully.
He doesn't need to stop for me. If I interfered, it would be war. And war means blood.
When men at their level fought to the death, victory was never guaranteed. Either Ren would fall, or he would. But his crew…
His sons would suffer most.
Ren only had Shakky beside him.
Whitebeard would not gamble his children's lives in a battle that could be avoided.
And protecting Fish-Man Island?
That was no burden at all.
Ren nodded.
"Ten years," he said.
Whitebeard extended his hand.
"Ten years."
Their hands did not shake.
They didn't need to.
Whitebeard returned to his ship.
He looked at Oden.
"He won't act against Wano for ten years," Whitebeard said. "That's all I can do. It's between him and Wano."
Oden bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you… Pops."
Whitebeard turned to Marco.
"Send word to that Morgans guy," he ordered. "Fish-Man Island is now under Whitebeard Pirates' protection. Any slave trader who dares enter will face us."
Marco blinked.
"That was his condition?" he asked thoughtfully. "What's his connection to Fish-Man Island?"
Whitebeard laughed.
"Gurarararara! Ren wants to create an empire where all races live as equals."
The crew exchanged looks.
Whitebeard's expression softened slightly.
"I like that man," he admitted. "He's not chasing treasure. Not fame. He wants to build a home."
He looked toward the island one last time.
"A man with that level of Conqueror's Haki doesn't lie about his dream."
Marco nodded slowly and moved to relay the news.
Back on the island, Shakky folded her arms.
"So," she asked Ren, "what's this about a ten-year wait?"
Ren smirked.
"I wasn't going to wait," he admitted. "But since Toki decided to come with us, I changed my plan."
Toki stiffened.
"We're going to Wano," Ren continued. "We'll prepare everything."
Toki's eyes widened.
"I never told you my name."
Ren's smirk deepened.
"I already know you," he said. "Toki Amatsuki. User of the Toki Toki no Mi—the Time-Time Fruit."
Shakky blinked.
"Time-Time Fruit? Going to the future?"
Toki's heartbeat quickened.
Did she make a mistake?
Ren's tone turned serious.
"When we reach Wano, I want you to send us ten years into the future."
Shakky stared at him.
"You're serious?"
"Very."
Toki stepped back slightly.
"You're not afraid?" she asked. "Jumping forward like that… leaving everything behind?"
Ren laughed softly.
"Afraid? No. The future is where I plan to rule."
He looked directly at her.
"Since you chose to follow me, I'll show you the empire where every race can live together."
There was no arrogance in his voice.
Only certainty.
Toki didn't know why—but when he spoke, she believed him.
No.
It felt as if the world itself believed him.
As if the wind and sea bent subtly in agreement.
They returned to camp, which had miraculously survived the battle.
Ren and Shakky helped Toki set up her own tent. The atmosphere gradually softened, tension melting into something almost domestic.
They sat together and shared food.
Toki found herself laughing.
Ren was surprisingly relaxed off the battlefield. Shakky teased him constantly. Their dynamic was warm, almost playful.
"You're awfully calm for someone planning to conquer a country," Toki remarked.
Ren shrugged.
"Conquering is easy," he said. "Ruling is hard."
Shakky smirked. "And you think you can do both?"
Ren looked toward the sea.
"I know I can."
Toki watched him quietly.
Ten years.
A promise made to the strongest man in the world.
And a leap into the future waiting ahead.
For the first time since arriving in this era, she felt something other than fear.
She felt anticipation.