Such a sense of foreboding was not meaningless.
The temperature in the air dropped sharply—an unmistakable herald of something's arrival.
"Kuzan?!"
At the edge of Mock Town's ruins, Stussy's form had changed completely.
A pair of pitch-black bat wings unfurled behind her. Her eyes glowed crimson like blood, and twin fangs gleamed beneath her lips—an image that could make one instantly think of a vampire from ancient legend.
Yet one thing about her remained unchanged—The elegance engraved into her very bones. Even transformed, she still carried herself with unshakable grace.
Pica's attacks meant little to her.Even the lightning field from before—At most, it made Stussy take things a bit more seriously.
After all, as one of CP0's top agents, she possessed first-rate strength and the mental fortitude expected of the government's most elite. Few could ever make her fight in earnest.
But right now…She was shaken—so much so that her instincts had forced her into this monstrous form.
"The Navy's highest combat power… the Admiral who stands atop millions of marines—why is he here?!"
Stussy's scarlet eyes locked on the harbor, her fangs unconsciously bared.
Just his presence alone sent a chilling fear down her spine.
That spreading white mist—no, the freezing air rolling in—was furious. She could feel the fury in the very temperature itself.
To radiate such oppressive might with a single breath—This could only be one man: Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan!
Without a doubt, He was one of the sea's absolute apex powers—a pillar of strength that stood equal to the Four Emperors themselves.
But…Why was he here?
Stussy couldn't comprehend it. Doflamingo's subordinates showing up—understandable. She knew there were dealings between the Heavenly Yaksha and the World Government.
Even a Vice Admiral sent to capture Ren—she could accept that.
Given the power Ren had displayed, deploying a Vice Admiral was already a sign of how seriously they took him.
Vice Admiral Onigumo, for instance, was one of the stronger ones of that rank. To surpass him would require someone on the level of Whitebeard's top commanders—like Marco—or one of Kaido's Three Calamities.
Their power was unquestionable.
And from what she sensed, the naval forces here had already clashed internally—perhaps just recently settled.
But an Admiral? That was something else entirely.
Did something happen that I don't know about?
Stussy folded her wings and cautiously retreated, her eyes never leaving the freezing mist spreading from the port.
Her mission was clear: eliminate Ren—preferably bringing back the fiend's head.
If he were to die by an Admiral's hand, that outcome would serve her just as well.
"Looks like you're the unlucky one tonight."
Stussy melted into the shadows, casting one last glance toward the ruins.
Behind her, a pair of crimson eyes quietly watched.
No… you're the unlucky one.
At the harbor, Nami's sister Nojiko and Princess Vivi, having just dispatched several marines, exchanged a silent nod before retreating swiftly.
That was the plan. From here on, it was Ren's battle alone.
Sas piloted the Weather Ship upward, rapidly carrying the two women into the skies.
Minutes later—
The cold from the sea struck like a storm.
Half-melted battleships aflame on the water turned pale in an instant—their fires frozen solid within sheets of ice.
A frost-white sheen spread wildly across the sea's surface.
The marines struggling with buckets to douse the fires, the ones forced overboard by the heat, the wounded writhing along the pier—All were swallowed by the frost in seconds.
Only then did one realize how fast the cold was moving.
It only looked slow from afar—because the ocean was vast. From a distance, it seemed sluggish, but in truth it raced like a living storm.
The harbor froze solid.
The freezing tide surged onward, its momentum unchecked, sweeping across half of Jaya Island in the blink of an eye.
Civilians fleeing in panic, the pirates in Mock Town's ruins—Everything, everyone—Was entombed in absolute cold.
Creak… crunch…
From beyond the frozen sea came the sound of a bicycle's wheels turning.
A tall man with a green sleep mask across his forehead pedaled calmly over the icy ocean, unbothered by the desolation around him.
He passed the corpses turned to ice, the ground glazed over with frost, and finally stopped before the frozen figure of Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"Ah-la-la… What a pitiful sight."
Kuzan dismounted, stepped into the massive crater shaped like a fist, and nodded after a brief glance.
Luckily—He'd live.
Once the freezing stopped, they might still be able to save him.
Kuzan glanced toward another humanoid depression not far away, then stepped over the ice toward what little remained of a tavern.
Only part of the corner survived—likely the kitchen counter area. Everything else had been pulverized into dust by that earlier punch, leaving a sunken pit in its place.
For someone of Kuzan's three-meter height, leaping down was effortless.
He ducked into the hole, following the faint presence his Observation Haki had detected.
Behind the shattered counter, on a wiped-clean surface, sat two bottles of liquor.
"'Snow Pear,' huh? That's the name of this one,"said a calm voice from behind the counter.
"It's known across the seas as one of the boldest, strongest drinks there is."
Ren sat there, utterly composed—his true appearance restored.
"So young," Kuzan murmured.
He walked closer, picking up one of the bottles and examining it. "Seems we share similar taste.
Still, your choice surprises me. You're not planning to run, pirate?"
"Isn't the stranger one you, Aokiji Kuzan?"
Ren smiled faintly. "A Navy Admiral could've easily captured me with his forces—claimed all the glory.
Instead, you froze everything in sight.
Think about it—that's… suspicious, isn't it?
You could just blame it on the Grand Line's unpredictable weather later.
After all, as one of the three Admirals, who would dare question you too harshly?
So tell me, aren't you the one acting against your position here?"
"I've dealt with all sorts of lawless men," Kuzan replied, sidestepping the question. His gaze met Ren's blood-red eyes. "You know Nico Robin?"
Nico Robin.
A name known across the world.
The last survivor of Ohara—the one who could decipher the lost history.
The "Demon Child" who stood against the World Government.
She was dangerous. That much was certain.
"At eight years old, she already had a seventy-nine-million-Beli bounty—a wanted criminal.
Even as a child, she relied on her Devil Fruit powers, her wits, and her growing talents—to deceive, manipulate, and betray—weaving a life of flight and treachery.
Again and again, she slipped through the fingers of the Marines and the World Government alike.
She became so cunning that even the CP agencies couldn't catch her."
Kuzan's voice was low, deliberate, emphasizing her betrayals.
"After the Alabasta Incident—
Crocodile died. The royal family, a World Government affiliate, submitted a thick dossier.
The Council confirmed Crocodile's plot to overthrow the kingdom and stripped him of his Warlord title.
Of course, that meant little to a dead man.
I wasn't concerned with that. I was concerned with her.
During that event, Nico Robin's trail appeared again.
But since Baroque Works was crushed by the royal family, her whereabouts remain unknown.
And as the victor of that conflict—the captain of the Demon Pirates—
Ren, you must know something.
I came here to find her."
Unexpectedly, Kuzan revealed his purpose outright—frankly, almost too much for someone of his authority.
So it's a test after all, Ren thought. The warmest heart eating the coldest fruit… that reputation wasn't just talk.
Ren's eyes flickered, then he answered without hesitation.
"Of course I know her.
She's an apprentice under my crew for now. Whether she becomes a full member depends on her performance."
He smiled at Kuzan's frown. "Don't look so tense. That's not what you really wanted to ask, right?
Yes—she's alive.
But she's in a place you can't reach for now."
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Taking in someone with nowhere to go—but with talent worth saving?"
"You really don't get it, do you?"
Kuzan's expression turned sharp. "Whether you're naive or just reckless, harboring someone like her will only get you killed."
"Hold on," Ren raised a hand.
"?"
"Correction: I'm not a pirate."
He pointed at himself, shaking his head. "Almost everyone who meets me assumes that—but let's set the record straight.
I don't agree with the Navy's definition of 'pirate.'
That label was something you people slapped on me—not what I call myself."
"Do you think this kind of wordplay matters?"
"I'd rather not be smeared with lies."
"You've killed countless Marines, opposed the World Government itself—If that doesn't make you a pirate, what does?"
Kuzan set the bottle on the counter, sitting opposite Ren, studying his youthful face.
"Or are you saying you don't even know which side you're on?"
"Not everything is black or white, Admiral. That kind of logic's a bit… binary."
"Binary?"
"A creature that can only distinguish up or down, left or right, black or white."
"…Heh."
Kuzan suddenly chuckled, cold mist swirling from his body. "I don't quite get it, but I see now—you're just as troublesome as Robin.
Two problems together only make a bigger one. Maybe it's best if I end you here."
The killing intent came without warning.
But the one being targeted—remained perfectly calm.
"No need to rush."
Ren shrugged and opened both hands. Between his fingers flicked a single coin.
He even tossed it onto the table, showing empty palms.
"See? Not even a weapon. Staying behind to meet you took some courage."
"…Can you really resurrect yourself?" Kuzan's eyes narrowed.
"Of course not. Transcending life and death isn't something you just do."
"I thought so. Even a Devil Fruit can't go that far.
Maybe Haki can't kill you, but a pair of Seastone cuffs surely could."
"I assume there's a set on that battleship outside. You Marines have done your homework on me, haven't you?"
Ren kept control of the conversation, gesturing for Kuzan to sit. "So… shall we continue?"
"I'll admit—I can't read you at all."
"Maybe that's just because I've got confidence."
"Confidence? Against an Admiral?"
"Yes. Not complete confidence, but enough.
For greater purpose… and pursuit, I'll take that risk."
"I don't understand."
Kuzan sighed, grabbed the Snow Pear bottle, and bit off the cork. He drank deeply, as if to suppress something inside.
"You're afraid, Kuzan."
The words froze him mid-motion.
"That joke's not funny."
His hand clenched around the bottle.
"But it's no joke—it's the truth."
Ren smiled, his crimson gaze locking with Kuzan's icy one.
"You fear that your choice back in Ohara will lead to even greater consequences.
Just like the path your fellow Admiral Akainu chose—the path you don't agree with!"
That moment, Ren's voice rang with power—so firm it shook the air itself.
The very space quivered with unseen ripples—The kind of pressure born only from those who wielded the will of kings, the courage that defied fate, the force that turned willpower into reality.
Something within Ren stirred—quietly, imperceptibly—but real.
He didn't notice it himself. He only watched Kuzan, whose cold aura grew heavier by the second—perhaps one heartbeat away from a lethal strike.
Yet Ren pressed on. For greater purpose, or perhaps ambition.
What could an Admiral of the Navy Headquarters offer that Ren so desired?
The answer was simple—
Kuzan himself.
A force among the world's strongest. A living weapon no power could ignore.
Whether through Haki, Devil Fruit, or raw skill—his combat power towered above millions.
(End of Chapter)