[Reward: 15,000 Bounty Points! One random skill's level +2! Golden prize pool draw access enabled!]
Hearing the sudden voice in his mind, Renji was slightly stunned.
If he wasn't mistaken, the news of today's events must have spread, right?
He had just returned to Marineford, and so many people already knew. The speed of information dissemination was quite fast.
A random skill's level increases by 2. If it randomly selected Conqueror's Haki, wouldn't that be incredible?
A Lv. 4 Conqueror's Haki had already given him extraordinary mental strength. At his current level, as long as he didn't constantly use Conqueror's Haki Infusion, his Haki would never be depleted.
If it was Lv. 6...
'System, randomize for me.'
[Ding! Randomly selecting skill for host...]
[Ding! Swordsmanship (Lv. 3) has been selected for upgrade!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Swordsmanship has been upgraded to Lv. 5!]
Instantly, as if having undergone countless draws and slashes, a vast amount of profound swordsmanship insights flooded Renji's mind.
By the time he reopened his azure eyes, his swordsmanship had entered the level of a Great Swordsman. With this sudden enlightenment, his entire demeanor underwent a significant change.
He was like a sharp blade poised to strike, waiting only to be drawn to unleash a sky-rending force.
Miguel, who had been walking beside Renji, was the first to notice the change in him.
"Boss, how come I feel like you've changed?"
"Oh? How so?"
"You seem to have gotten stronger again."
Renji merely smiled at the remark. Having entered the level of a Great Swordsman, even if he faced a full-strength Zoro from before, he could achieve a one-hit kill.
"Look at that guy! He has azure eyes, is that Renji?!"
"Damn, this kid is even more handsome than the rumors say. I can't accept it."
The crowd's discussions quickly reached the ears of the various Vice Admirals. Tina, Smoker, and Tashigi also looked over in response.
Smoker took a glance at Renji and said, "So he's the one who defeated Straw Hat. He's surprisingly young."
Tina paused when she saw him. "There's such a handsome guy in Marine?"
Then she licked her lips, a sly glint appearing in the corner of her eye.
Tashigi, wearing glasses, was immediately captivated by Renji's sword, so much so that she almost bumped into Smoker in front of her. "Sorry."
Elite Vice Admirals like Onigumo also showed a rare smile on their faces as they looked at Renji.
"In such a short time, he's already managed to achieve this. Seeing how lively this kid is, the rumors about him returning unscathed after clashing with Silvers Rayleigh must be true."
As of now, the news of Renji's encounter with Rayleigh was known only to a select few.
"If everyone else were like this young fellow, the Whitebeard Pirates would be easily crushed."
"I have a premonition. Renji is probably going to cause another big stir in this war."
"Haha, let's hope so. This kid surely can't take down Whitebeard, right?"
"Being able to fight against the captains under Whitebeard is already incredibly impressive."
...
"Boss, they all seem to be talking about you." Miguel said excitedly.
Kuma said, "Renji, come with me. The meeting is about to start, and it's not good to be late."
Renji patted Miguel's shoulder and said, "You go back first. I'm going to Mary Geoise."
"Okay, boss."
Miguel watched Renji's retreating figure and sighed, "As expected of boss, to remain so composed and calm under so many gazes."
...
In a grand banquet hall in Mary Geoise, a luxurious dining table was laden with various delicious seafood dishes, all personally prepared by the Celestial Dragons' sanctuary chefs.
Several figures in different attire were feasting at the table.
Wearing a fiery feather coat, with eight tanned abs and a flamboyant pink pair of sunglasses, Doflamingo spoke to Moria without mercy, "Fuffuffuffu! You scoundrel have the nerve to attend this meeting?"
Provoked, Moria bared his sharp teeth. "Hee-hee. If you pink scoundrel dare to say one more word, I'll keep you in the dark forever."
Even though he was covered in bandages, he still didn't show any fear in this setting.
"Fuffuffuffu! A guy defeated by a mere Straw Hat Luffy. I don't know what you Marines are thinking, letting such a person be a Warlord."
Moria's face flushed red. Doflamingo had been provoking him from the start until now. This time, he couldn't hold back. His massive body suddenly stood up, Armament Haki wrapped around his fist, and he delivered a powerful blow aimed at Doflamingo's head.
Clang!
Doflamingo extended his fingers, pulling out five threads to easily block the attack.
"Fuffuffuffu, you probably don't know yet. Straw Hat have already met their end in Shambles today."
Moria's shocked expression was reflected in the pink sunglasses.
"How is that possible? Who defeated that Straw Hat? It must be because he was too heavily injured from our fight. If I hadn't been careless for a moment, I wouldn't have lost."
"Fuffu, don't rush. You'll know the answer soon. The person who defeated Straw Hat will be here shortly." Doflamingo looked at Moria, a hint of undetectable coldness in the corner of his lips.
Before attending this meeting, he had secretly met with the Gorosei. One of the points was to eliminate Moria during this war against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Tsuru, sitting quietly to the side, narrowed her eyes. Sengoku, seeing the two fighting again, sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.
Doflamingo's information was quite well-informed. The news that Renji would attend this meeting was actually still unknown to many people, but it wasn't crucial information.
"Who?"
Moria's pupils constricted at the remark. He was determined to see for himself who dared to steal his chance for revenge.
At the same time, he was somewhat curious. To be qualified to attend this meeting, one had to be at least Vice Admiral level or above. Or had a new Warlord joined?
Thinking this, Moria gave a hostile glance at Marshall D. Teach beside him. It was this guy who had captured Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Otherwise, what right did he have to sit with him?
However, Blackbeard ignored everyone, simply eating large mouthfuls of meat, occasionally letting out a low 'Jihahaha' laugh.
Mihawk propped his legs on the dining table, opening only one eye. Looking at the unrefined appearance of these ill-mannered individuals, he felt a wave of disgust.
If not for the opportunity to test Whitebeard and to avoid the trouble of being hunted by the Marine, he would not have obeyed Marine's summons.
"Ah..."
Sengoku couldn't bear to look at these people. If not for the immense threat posed by Whitebeard, and Marine's need for Warlord's combat power to increase their chances of victory, he would never sit at the same table with these people. It was simply an insult to dignity.
"Has Kuma not arrived yet?"
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!..."
"My apologies, I'm late."
The banquet hall doors slowly opened, and a massive figure stepped in. Behind him was a young man of extraordinary appearance.
Doflamingo's lips curled as he said, "He's here, the person you're looking for."
Moria's narrow eyes turned to Renji, a hint of killing intent gathering in his gaze. "Could it be you?"
Upon noticing Renji's Petty Officer rank on his shoulder, Moriahl became even more enraged.
How could a mere Petty Officer defeat that Straw Hat?
But Moria didn't dare to vent his anger on Doflamingo, who was also a Warlord. However...
If he beat up this low-ranking soldier, as a Warlord, Marine wouldn't do anything to him, right?
After all, they still needed him to deal with Whitebeard.
Thinking this, Moriah no longer hesitated. He let out a 'Hee' sound, and a dark shadow shot from his feet towards Renji, like a deeply hidden hunter, its attack extremely subtle and secretive.