BOOM!
Facing the provocation of a fool, Ren showed zero mercy. A Cero blasted forward, carving a brilliant "highway of light" beneath his feet.
The Tobi Roppo? The pirate fodder? Under absolute power, they were nothing more than dust to be scattered.
The commotion outside was so immense that Jack the Drought, who had been guarding Kaido, stomped out grumbling. "Do you bastards want to die?! Quiet the hell down!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he met a pair of eyes that looked ready to devour him whole.
"Huh?" Jack looked at Ren in confusion. Since Ren had vanished for a year, the short-memoried Jack had long forgotten who he was. His first reaction was simple bewilderment: Who are these guys? How did they get in here?
Ren didn't waste words. He looked at Jack and said, "Tell Kaido to come out. He injured my crewmate; this isn't going to end quietly."
"Oh? What did you say?" Jack flew into a rage. "You're saying your subordinate was the one who hurt Big Brother Kaido?! Stop joking around!" In Jack's eyes, Kaido was invincible; there was no way a brat's subordinate could have defeated him or wounded him so severely.
Deciding Ren was a liar, Jack drew his massive dual scimitars and slammed them down toward Ren with crushing weight!
DUANG—!
The blades struck Ren squarely on the head, but it was like hitting a block of solid steel. Not even his skin was broken. Instead, the sound of metal clashing on metal echoed through the courtyard.
Ren looked up at the giant. "As expected of the number one meathead in the pirate world... attacking without even testing my depth." Ren almost felt like laughing.
CLANG—!
Ren swatted a blade aside with one hand, then pointed a finger at Jack's abdomen. White energy began to condense at the tip.
"Danger!" Jack's Observation Haki screamed a warning. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.
Whoosh—!
BOOM!!
The Cero fired, punching a massive hole through Jack's chest without resistance. Because of the extreme temperature, Jack didn't even feel the pain at first. He just noticed a strange sensation—he was making the motion to breathe, but no air was moving in or out.
Until the very second his consciousness faded, Jack hadn't realized he was dead. He was still trying to raise his blade for another strike.
Thud.
Jack's massive body collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Standing nearby, Yamato was utterly shell-shocked. "He... he took out Jack in one move!" Yamato stared at Ren's back, only regaining her senses after a long pause. "Wait! I came here to challenge that bastard old man! I can't be distracted."
Yamato knew something was wrong with her father—his guards had been pulled away, giving her the chance to escape her cage. Her first goal as a "dutiful" daughter was to cause trouble for him, but she didn't even know where he was. Her gaze lingered on Ren for a moment before she sprinted toward the upper floors of the Shogun's palace.
Ren led his crew up the stairs, finding Yamato standing at a doorway, staring inside. He politely tapped her shoulder. "Mind if we squeeze past? I have some business with Kaido."
Yamato turned and met Ren's cold gaze. She shuddered and instinctively stepped aside.
Step. Step. Step.
Under King's wary watch, Ren walked up to Kaido and looked down at the Emperor. "Hey. You hurt my crewmate. Let's discuss a settlement."
Kaido looked back at him. He knew the name "The Deceiver"—anyone who had defeated Akainu was not to be underestimated. "Hahaha! It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect one of your men could wound me this badly," Kaido laughed. "How about it? Join forces with me and take over the world!"
"Not interested." Ren remained calm, clenching his fist. "You want to take over the world... you want to become a God, don't you?"
Kaido's eyes widened. He sat up slightly, his voice deep. "What do you know?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I know'? At this level, it would be stranger not to know," Ren replied. "Since you know the path to godhood, why are you still playing second fiddle to Orochi? Just take Wano and make them your followers."
"Followers?"
Seeing Kaido's confusion, Ren realized the truth. So, even Kaido is still just stumbling in the dark.
"Hahaha! The World Government's secrecy is impressive if even an Emperor doesn't know the conditions for godhood." Ren laughed. He had thought Kaido might be ahead of the curve, but he was wrong. The World Government remained a behemoth holding all the cards.
Ren didn't explain. As he looked at the bandaged Kaido, his murderous intent began to settle into a cold, focused resolve. He blamed himself—if he had been more diligent in training Krillin this past year, his friend wouldn't be in critical condition now.
Suddenly, Queen lunged forward! "Bastard! You killed Jack!"
BOOM!
Blu intercepted the strike. "Don't just attack people. You'll die," he said coolly. Blu's body doubled in size as he used raw strength to hurl Queen out of the room, chasing after him to continue the fight.
King moved next, swinging his blade at Ren, but a small, fair hand caught the steel. In an instant, the hard blade warped like rubber.
"Heehee! You can't interrupt the Captains' chat! Nika Power!" Bonney's other hand grew massive, grabbing King and dragging him through the roof to fight in the sky.
In the room, only Ren and Kaido remained. Kaido didn't panic. "Why are you in Wano? To steal my territory?"
"Territory is a side effect. I'm here to become the God of this place," Ren said. "Don't think too hard about it. You can't stop me."
Ren then asked, "By the way, I heard you respect Kozuki Oden?"
"Respect?" Kaido scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! He was just a loser I defeated."
Ren looked at the cross-shaped scar on Kaido's chest. "Based on your strength back then, you weren't Oden's match. If the fight hadn't been interrupted, you'd be dead. Deep down, you know that."
"At least there would have been no regrets!"
"Hahaha! I hope that's the truth!" Ren fired a Cero, blasting Kaido through the palace wall.
BOOM!
Kaido crawled out of the rubble, bleeding but alive. "What... what is that power?!"
Ren stepped out into the open air. "The next hit won't be so gentle."
"Try me!" Kaido roared, transforming into a massive Azure Dragon. He glared down at Ren. "Brat! Show me why a man like that swordsman would serve you!"
"Fine. Let's dance." Ren's body swelled, transforming into the Three-Headed, Six-Armed Asura!
Kaido recoiled in shock. "Asura?! How could a divine-class fruit like that be out in the world?!"
"It found me! Now, enough talk. I won't use power from beyond the limits—I'll use the power of this world to fight you properly!"
Ren's giant fist—dozens of meters wide and coated in Conqueror's Infusion—slammed into Kaido's snout, tearing through his Blast Breath.
KABOOM!!!
Kaido was sent skidding hundreds of meters. The citizens of the Flower Capital stood frozen, staring at the Asura in the sky.
"The rumor... it's true!!!"
The streets erupted. Unlike the Kozuki, this "God" was showing immediate, overwhelming power over their oppressor. "Go, Lord Asura! Save Wano!"
Ren turned to the crowd. "Leave it to me! I will bring you a life worth living!"
He turned back to Kaido, whose face was now hilariously dented and swollen. Kaido realized he couldn't win a war of attrition. "Let's settle this in one strike!"
"Agreed."
Ren's Asura form began to glow with golden light. His face shifted back to his original features, but with six golden eyes that pierced through the heavens. He spoke with a voice like a mountain:
"Vile dragon, you have preyed upon this land long enough. Today, I shall remove this blight. Witness: Star-Shattering Grasp!"
Ren reached out with a golden hand that expanded until it eclipsed the sun. The hundred-meter dragon Kaido looked like a tiny earthworm in his palm. Kaido unleashed his final form—Flame Dragon Torch—turning into a sun of magma.
The golden hand met the fire dragon. The dragon's thrashing did nothing; it was caught firmly in the palm. Ren squeezed.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Kaido's world-shaking screams tore through the clouds.
"It's over."
Ren opened his hand. The dragon could no longer maintain its form. Kaido reverted to a human and plummeted to the earth, unconscious.