Seeing Kaido casually crushed by Ren, the people of Wano felt as though the Asura in the sky was their Nika, bringing them the peace and liberation they had prayed for.
Thud!
Someone instinctively fell to their knees, bowing toward Ren. "Thank you, Lord Asura! Long live Lord Asura!"
With a leader taking the first step, countless others followed. A sea of people knelt on the ground, their voices rising in a unified chant: "Long live Lord Asura!"
In that moment, Ren felt a subtle, metaphysical energy converging upon him—a profound, indescribable sensation that flooded his soul. It was so exhilarating that he nearly let out a moan of satisfaction. However, looking at the thousands of people worshiping him, he maintained his divine composure for the sake of his image.
He spoke with a steady, booming voice: "Rise. From this day forward, as long as I remain, no one shall trample upon you again."
The crowd erupted into cheers once more.
In the sky, King and Queen simultaneously halted their movements. Looking at the unconscious Kaido, their eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Kaido... Boss..." King's throat tightened. He felt as if a lump were stuck in his neck, rendering him speechless. His eyes turned bloodshot as he watched Kaido's body fall. The fire on his back flickered out, and he blurred toward the ground to catch his captain.
"Watch out!" Bonney shouted, turning toward Ren in warning.
But King's target wasn't Ren. He appeared beside Kaido, and only after confirming he still had a breath left did he exhale in relief. He looked up at the three-headed, six-armed Asura. He opened his mouth, perhaps wanting to beg for mercy or offer surrender, but the words that came out were: "To kill or to skin us, we are at your disposal."
He couldn't bring himself to beg, nor could he beg on Kaido's behalf. He could only wait for judgment. As for resistance—if even Kaido lost, King knew he was no match.
Ren spared King a brief, indifferent glance before turning his attention to the Shogun's Palace. His gaze pierced through the walls, locking onto Kurozumi Orochi.
Orochi was currently shivering on the floor, having heard Kaido's final scream. He didn't even have the heart to look at the beautiful Komurasaki beside him. She, however, continued to play her shamisen, seemingly unbothered by the apocalypse outside.
As Ren's gaze swept over him, Orochi felt a jolt of pure terror. The aura of death gripped his soul, drenching him in cold sweat.
"Come!"
A massive golden hand manifested, reached through the palace walls, and plucked Orochi out like a flea, tossing him onto the courtyard floor. Through the shattered walls, Komurasaki could see the carnage: the fallen Kaido, the kneeling King, and the pathetic, whimpering Shogun who had just wet his pants.
Ren spoke: "Kurozumi Orochi. You murdered the previous Shogun for your own greed, forged documents to take the throne, and conspired with Kaido to kill Oden. Honestly, those are petty crimes; the Kozuki fell because they were outmaneuvered. It was their fate."
Hearing this, Orochi's tension eased slightly. A sliver of hope appeared on his face—until Ren's next words dragged him into the abyss.
"But after taking power, you failed to rule. You preyed upon the weak and, for your own petty spite, you polluted the land and water of Wano, making the earth barren and the rivers toxic. For this, you must die."
"In my name as the God Asura, I sentence you to the Infinite Hell. You shall endure every torture of the underworld for all eternity until your very soul collapses!"
Orochi looked up in horror, but he was met only with a palm carrying the weight of the heavens.
BOOM!!
With a single strike, Orochi was pulverized. Ren even "graciously" manifested a construct representing Orochi's soul, tore a hole in space, and tossed it in. "Go to hell and accept your punishment."
As the space sealed shut, Ren looked back at King and Kaido. "He is wounded today. I will not kill him. If he is dissatisfied later, he is welcome to challenge me again."
The surrounding citizens roared with laughter: "Didn't you hear Lord Asura? Get lost!"
"Get out of our country!"
For a moment, the atmosphere was electric. If they weren't so malnourished, they probably would have pelted the two with rotten vegetables. King remained silent, hoisted Kaido onto his back, transformed into a Pteranodon, and flew away. He even used his talons to scoop up the obese Queen on his way out. As for Jack's corpse... King could only offer a silent apology. There simply wasn't any more room.
Over the next few days, Law brought a bandaged-up Krillin back to Ren's side. Hina and Otamaworked together to shut down the toxic factories, rescuing the workers and reuniting them with their families. When the survivors heard Ren was their savior, they flocked to his door to kowtow in thanks. Ren let Grus handle the public relations.
Ren himself was focused on Wano's future.
"These factories are actually profitable," Ren mused. "Orochi was just too stupid and spiteful to build a proper drainage system; he wanted to poison the people to weaken them."
"I think he was just cheap," Law said coldly. "Piping is expensive; disposable labor is free."
Ren nodded. "True. Regardless, operations stop for now. Once the land is restored and the people are fed, we can discuss industrialization."
Months passed. The reconstruction of Wano was in full swing. Ren's shadow clones handled the administrative trifles while his main body explored the depths of Wano's history. He visited the submerged ruins of the ancient Wano and found the Poneglyph.
"The material is stone, but the density is incredible," Ren noted, tapping the red block before losing interest in the coordinates. He continued downward until he saw the massive warship, Pluton.
It was a red, steel-clad beast with a hollowed prow that looked like a gargantuan cannon. He explored the command deck and the flight runways. Finally, he reached a conclusion: "It's not as good as the Angel Gabriel's ship." He felt a bit let down, though it made sense—Pluton was designed to destroy islands, not navigate the cosmos.
Another few months flew by.
"Captain! Look, it's news about Luffy!" Bonney rushed over with a newspaper. "Luffy and his alliance defeated Big Mom and Kaido! His bounty is now based on his Gear 5 form!"
Ren took the poster. A white-haired Luffy was grinning with his signature wide-toothed laugh. His bounty had jumped to 4 Billion Berries.
"The Four Emperors shift again; Straw Hat Luffy takes the throne."
Hina smiled. "I didn't expect him to challenge two Emperors at once and win."
"With that power, losing would be the surprise," Ren laughed. He noted that since Luffy hadn't met Momonosuke in this timeline, the crew had gone straight to Big Mom's territory to save Sanji. "His next stop will likely be Wano."
He scanned the rest of the news. Eustass Kid had challenged Shanks and lost an arm; he was currently missing. Ren had a gut feeling Kid would eventually come looking for trouble.
Just then, Olga walked over with a Den Den Mushi. "A guy named Ace is calling."
Ren picked up. "Yo, this is Ren."
"Ren! Are you still in Wano?!" Ace's voice was full of excitement.
"Yeah, the reforms here take time. I'll be here for a while."
"You actually liberated it! Thank you so much!" Ace sounded like he was on the verge of happy tears. "By the way, have you seen Yamato? White-haired person? And Otama? She's small, you might have missed her."
Ren replied: "I've seen Yamato; she keeps saying she wants to set sail with us but hasn't fully committed. Otama is right here—she's a brave girl. I plan to take her on adventures when she's a bit older."
"That's great! She's safe with you," Ace laughed. "Anyway, my training is done. To reclaim the Whitebeard Pirates' honor, I'm going to attack the World Government's 'Future Island,' Egghead!"
Ren froze. "Egghead?"
Ace noticed the shift in tone. "What's wrong? You got business there?"
"Not a 'business' exactly, but Bonney says her father, Kuma, might be there. I was planning to head there next."
"Oh... I see," Ace scratched his head. "Then I'll pick somewhere else. The New World isn't short on targets." He considered the new Marine Headquarters.
If Ren knew Ace's thoughts, his jaw would have dropped. A month ago, Akainu had initiated a global draft, acquiring two new Admirals: Fujitora and Ryokugyu. The Navy now had the Fleet Admiral, three Admirals, and a host of new powerhouses.
"Ace, I know you want to cause trouble for the Government," Ren said seriously. "But even with Conqueror's Infusion, you aren't a match for their current concentrated force. We should plan this carefully."
One relevant follow-up question: Should Ren invite Ace to Wano to coordinate a joint strike on the World Government, or should he focus on his upcoming trip to Egghead to help Bonney find Kuma?