Although this so-called Whitebeard Jr. was strong, in Whitebeard's eyes, he was nothing more than a brainless fool.
As for that Miss Bakkin—he didn't even have the slightest impression of her. There was no way he would ever associate with an old hag like that.
"Seems like this kid might be a rare worthy opponent. I hope he comes to the New World. I'd like to test him out myself. Over here, the Marines don't get to call the shots."
Marco was very confident in his own strength. Though he wasn't as strong as Pops, he was still the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates—his power wasn't necessarily weaker than an Admiral's.
The incident with Ren had been broadcast all across the New World thanks to the World Government's deliberate push. Practically everyone now knew the name of the Marine super rookie, Ren.
From his very first appearance, he had slain Edward Weevil, a powerhouse ranked just below the Yonko. That level of strength was anything but ordinary.
And since he was with the Marines, it meant a growing threat to the pirates of the New World.
Of course, this was all intentional on the part of the World Government.
Zephyr and Garp—those two old fossils—wanted to protect their "seedlings," right? Well, they'd just throw this one into the spotlight and see how they handled the consequences.
A rising star couldn't stay hidden forever.
Besides, Ren and Zephyr had completely disrupted the World Government's plan to add Edward Weevil to the Seven Warlords of the Sea. His death had thrown a wrench into everything, and the higher-ups weren't pleased.
But Ren didn't care about any of that.
Let the enemies come—he'd meet them head-on. As long as his strength was enough, they couldn't do anything to him.
Just like in the original story, the World Government knew full well that Garp's son was Dragon, and his grandson became the Fifth Emperor.
Yet they didn't dare lay a finger on Garp.
That wasn't just because he was a Marine hero—it was because Garp was simply too strong.
So strong that even the Celestial Dragons didn't dare make a move.
Naturally, Ren had nothing to fear either. With the speed granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit, if he ever needed to flee, he could vanish in an instant.
—
In Windmill Village, Ace was unusually quiet today.
"Ace, did you see how awesome Ren is? He became a Marine super rookie just like that!"
Although Ren didn't come back often over the years, Luffy still thought of him as an older brother.
In Luffy's heart, he had three big brothers.
Even though Sabo was "dead," both Ace and Ren treated him very well.
"Yeah, he's gotten so strong, I can't keep up. No way—I've gotta work harder starting tomorrow. I won't let him leave me in the dust!"
Ace, though three years younger than Ren, was not the type to admit defeat over age.
He'd always been secretly competing with Ren, but no matter how hard he trained, he could never catch up.
His hand-to-hand combat was inferior. His Haki was even more lacking.
If it weren't for Ren pushing him, Ace probably wouldn't have been so serious about mastering Armament Haki.
And in just a few years, he had already advanced it to the level of Flowing Sakura.
The flowing form of Armament Haki wasn't just a slight upgrade—it was a massive leap in combat power.
Even Luffy had grown significantly. Though he hadn't left to sail yet, he had already awakened Armament Haki.
Garp was overjoyed.
He thought to himself, Bringing that kid Ren back was the best decision I ever made.
Without Ren lighting a fire under their butts, there was no way Ace and Luffy would've pushed themselves so hard.
Luffy, being the simpleminded goof he was, shouted, "Yeah! Let's work harder starting tomorrow! We can't lose to Ren!"
The two brothers once again set even stricter training goals for themselves—all to chase that one figure ahead of them.
What Ren probably didn't expect was that because of his influence, Ace and Luffy's power levels—before even setting out to sea—had already far surpassed their original story counterparts.
The future was already shifting.
—
Year 1516 of the Sea Calendar, August.
Marine Academy. Dueling Grounds.
Ren was finally about to take his graduation exam.
Yep—he was two years late.
Originally, he should have graduated in three years. But he ended up dragging it out to six.
Now he was taking the test alongside Ain and the others.
But "exam" was really just a test of combat strength.
Over the past two years, Ren's power had continued to grow.
Beyond training his Armament and Observation Haki daily, he'd also been intensely practicing his swordsmanship.
By Ren's own estimate, his sword skills had surpassed Tsuru's level, but he still hadn't reached the realm of a "Great Swordsman."
It felt like he was just missing something—some invisible barrier he couldn't break through.
According to Zephyr, what Ren lacked was a true life-or-death battle.
Only by going through such an ordeal could he pierce through that thin membrane and step into the realm of the Great Swordsman.
The title of Great Swordsman wasn't just for show—it was earned through countless brushes with death and battle.
But with Ren's current power, it was hard to find a fight that could push him that far.
He'd probably need an opponent on the level of an Admiral to trigger it.
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