"Tsk, tsk. You cry a lot for a strong girl," Ren chuckled lightly, though his eyes remained gentle.
Yamato immediately yelled, "Shut up! If you were gonna fight old man, why show me all that? You want to use me to defeat him, right? Well, bad luck—you won't be able—"
Her words cut off as Ren stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her head.
"There, there," he said calmly. "My fight with Kaido has nothing to do with you. The only reason I came here was to tell you that the world is big. Didn't you learn anything from Pikachu and Bulbasaur? Sometimes you've got to choose your own path. And this… this is mine."
Yamato looked up at him, eyes still wet but no longer raging. "You're not lying?"
Ren smiled softly. "Don't worry. We will be watching Ash and Pikachu's journey to the end. That's my promise."
"Promise?" she asked quietly.
"Yap."
She sniffed and wiped her tears roughly. "Fine."
Ren turned slightly toward the sea. "So I'll be going. And remember—you don't need to become someone else to grow stronger or do what you want."
"Yeah! Not like I'm gonna evolve or anything, so stop saying that again and again!" Yamato protested stubbornly.
Ren's eyebrow twitched.
"Yeah… that's the point," he thought silently. "Don't want you evolving into Oden."
He waved casually. "I'll see you after."
Yamato crossed her arms but didn't stop him. She watched his back until he vanished into the night.
---
When Ren returned home, Toki was already waiting.
The moment he stepped inside, she sensed his presence. She didn't need to look; her Observation Haki had sharpened significantly under Shakky's training.
Ren grinned. "Ready?"
Toki narrowed her eyes. "You better not—"
He vanished with Soru.
The night that followed was long, intense, and exhausting.
By morning, Toki was glaring at him with visibly sore legs as sunlight filtered through the window.
Ren looked innocent. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I went easy on you. There's a fight today."
"This bastard…" Toki thought internally. "Went easy my foot. Who fucks that much before a battle?"
Still, her body was already recovering thanks to the moon mark glowing faintly on her forehead.
She exhaled slowly. "You better not lose after all that."
Ren smirked. "Lose? I'm not that irresponsible."
---
They washed and dressed before heading toward the execution grounds.
The Flower Capital was filled with people. Fear, anger, despair—all mixed in the heavy air. At the center stood a massive pot of boiling oil, flames roaring beneath it.
Ren and Toki stood at the front of the crowd.
After several minutes, Kozuki Oden and his retainers were brought forward in chains.
Oden's body was battered but unbowed. His eyes scanned the crowd—and then stopped on Ren.
He laughed loudly despite his condition. "It's quite the fate, isn't it, Ren? Big brother Whitebeard bought me ten years of time from you. And I lost Wano before you even came to conquer it."
The crowd murmured in confusion.
Kaido stood atop the platform, massive and imposing, while Orochi trembled behind false confidence.
The Red Scabbards struggled in their chains, glaring at Ren with suspicion and anger.
"I told you, Oden," Ren said calmly, stepping forward slightly. "You were not worthy of being king the moment you abandoned your own country for your so-called dream."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Kaido's eyes narrowed slightly.
"As a king," Ren continued, voice steady and cutting, "you made the wrong choice. And your people were the ones who paid the price. Being a king isn't about the adventures you chase. It's about the responsibility you carry."
Oden fell silent.
"Every decision a king makes changes lives," Ren said firmly. "As a pirate, you never understood that weight. You never realized what it truly means to rule."
The Red Scabbards clenched their fists, but none could deny the truth in his words.
Oden suddenly laughed again.
"I lost," he said openly. "Now it's your turn, Ren."
Kaido's expression darkened.
Oden turned his gaze toward the people of Wano. "People of Wano! My loyal samurai!"
Kaido felt a bad premonition instantly. "Stop him!" he roared, reaching for his gun.
But Oden continued loudly, voice echoing across the capital. "Follow Ren to the dawn! He will be the future of Wano—"
Bang.
The gunshot echoed.
Oden's body fell into the boiling pot.
The crowd screamed.
Silence followed.
Kaido slowly turned his gaze toward Ren, fully serious now.
Whitebeard had only bought ten years of time. That meant Whitebeard had chosen not to fight this man back then.
Which meant—
He was at least Whitebeard's equal ten years ago.
Kaido knew his own limits. Right now, he was not Whitebeard's match in a one-on-one.
And if Ren had been equal to him…
Ren suddenly laughed softly.
"So you bet the future of Wano on me," he said calmly. "You were Oden till the very end."
He cracked his neck.
"Fine. The promise to Whitebeard ends today."
His eyes locked onto Kaido.
"So, Kaido. Are you leaving Wano? Or should I kick you out?"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
Wood cracked.
The earth groaned.
Yet not a single civilian collapsed.
Instead, Orochi's men and Kaido's weaker soldiers dropped instantly, unconscious.
The people of Wano stared in shock.
"This level of control…" one samurai whispered.
Kaido's grin widened. "Worororororoo! I don't know you or your promise to Whitebeard. But if you want Wano, I won't give it without a fight."
Kaido's Conqueror's Haki erupted.
The two Supreme King auras collided violently.
The sky split.
Dark lightning crackled between them.
Kaido's forehead began sweating slightly.
Ren's Conqueror's Haki was suppressing his.
Kaido was strong—but not yet the Beast King he would become. He was only as strong as Oden had faced.
Ren, however, had stood equal to Whitebeard—who fought Roger toe-to-toe.
Kaido roared and transformed into his massive dragon form, ascending into the sky.
Ren vanished with Moonwalk and Soru combined, appearing midair.
He swung his fist upward.
"Sky Burst."
Compressed Armament and Conqueror's infusion detonated into Kaido's stomach.
The impact sent the dragon flying away from the capital.
Ren followed instantly, stepping onto flame clouds midair.
Below—
Toki had already freed the retainers with precise slashes.
They looked at her in confusion.
"You heard what Oden said, right?" Toki declared calmly. "Ren is the future of Wano. You can escape… or you can fight."
King stepped forward, wings spreading.
Toki's eyes sharpened.
She sent a flying slash cutting through the air toward him.
The battle for Wano had begun.