That familiar tone struck Stussy like a thunderclap, and fury washed over her as she realized—she had already been discovered!
She no longer had time for secrecy. If she wanted to survive—
She unleashed her Haki in a desperate struggle, shouting to reveal her identity.
"Kuzan! I'm with the CP Agency, you—!"
She tried to seize even the slightest opening.
But—
It was already too late.
The resolute Kuzan ignored her pleas entirely, accelerating in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Stussy was encased in ice—transformed into a frozen statue. No resistance. No battle in any real sense. Only utter, overwhelming domination.
In the world of One Piece, most battles lasted ages—three days and nights, ten days and nights—phrases so common they'd become clichés. People here possessed terrifying vitality; each one a tank of endurance and willpower.
That was exactly why Ren had to rely on traps when dealing with Vice Admiral Onigumo.
The difference in strength between them had been just as immense—Ren was the one nearly crushed in that fight.
The gap in Haki, physical ability, and sheer attributes was a chasm he could barely gaze across. Even with a surprise attack, victory was almost impossible.
Onigumo could be sliced into ribbons, but as long as his head remained attached, he could continue to fight for a long time.
Ren had studied the technique known as Life Return—a monstrous ability indeed.
Only those who had mastered the Six Powers could begin to approach this secret art—allowing control over one's body, hair, and even internal organs.It injected conscious will into involuntary parts, enabling fine, near-impossible control.
For example—A normal person could never tell their stomach to selectively absorb or reject substances.
But with Life Return, one could.Even if they drank deadly poison, they could simply prevent absorption—rendering toxins harmless.
It was, in essence, near-immunity to poison.
That was precisely the weakness Ren had targeted.
After gaining the first strike, he had poured every drop of his Haki into his Cursed Blade: Thousand Edge.
The technique Thousand Edge – Rupture injected a thousand shards into the enemy's body, detonating them from within, destroying them from every direction internally.
However—Once unleashed, if the attack failed to end the opponent, Ren would be left completely drained of Haki.
That was why he hadn't used it later against Kuzan.
The result of that gamble was clear for all to see—Onigumo had been grievously wounded, his body ravaged from within.
Yet even so—He still managed to retaliate twice, landing devastating counterattacks on Ren.
Had Ren's first strike failed,he might still have lasted hours in battle purely on endurance.
But Stussy—she never had that kind of chance against Kuzan.
The gap between them was far too vast—like a father disciplining a child.
The difference between peak and first-rate power levels was greater than the difference between a man and a dog.
An Admiral's strength was not a mere legend.
Even Ren himself, when facing Kuzan, had never believed he could win.He only managed to stall, relying on terrain, external forces, and sheer trickery to keep up.
Crack!
When the last layer of frost settled, only an ice statue remained. No matter how terrified Stussy had been, she could do nothing—utterly helpless.
"…Feels like I've done something wrong," Kuzan muttered, exhaling a cold breath as he looked at Ren's reappearing form. "So this is your true body?"
"You could try me," Ren said indifferently, spreading his hands.
"No need. Let's end this here."
Kuzan gazed at the man who inspired such quiet dread and, after a pause, chose not to act. He turned, his figure fading into mist as he left behind a single warning:
"The ice will thaw in half an hour. I hope I won't see any blood when it does."
The events at Mock Town had shaken Kuzan deeply. He needed time—time to think, to cool his thoughts.
After his departure, the Marines stationed at Mock Town dared not move.
Ren didn't care to kill Onigumo—there was no point in it.
He already had a far larger plan in mind—a plan connected to the Marineford War.
That would be the true moment to strike at the Navy.
For now, he turned his attention to Stussy.
If he didn't kill her, then her only remaining use would be…as a BUG Poké Ball target.
Just as he had envisioned before—the BUG Poké Ball could capture beings below his processing threshold, with added value depending on their influence, resources, or unique utility.
And Stussy—was strong.
The CP0 level she would later attain in the Wano arc represented top-tier combat strength. Even Ren couldn't guarantee capturing her alive in a fair one-on-one.
But fate had handed him an opening—Kuzan's intervention, the sudden chaos—Ren had merely guided it to his advantage.
And now Stussy was his to claim.
Stussy represented more than strength—she was a CP0 agent, future ruler of Pleasure Street, the underground empire of desire spanning all seas and the Grand Line.
If Ren remembered correctly, Pleasure Street dealt in the flesh trade—its influence spread everywhere, supported in part by the World Government itself.
Its size implied two invaluable resources: a vast information network and resource mobility.
The first came from the nature of the industry itself—Men let their guard down around women. Secrets slipped out easily in pillow talk,and information flowed freely in the shadows of pleasure.
The second was Stussy herself. A top CP0 agent—her personal intelligence resources within the World Government were unquestionable.
If Ren could reverse that network, infiltrate it from within—he could obtain crucial intel from the inside.
That could prove invaluable to any future anti–World Government operation.
And beyond that—as one of the Underworld Emperors, Stussy maintained ties with others of her rank: the Loan Shark King, the Shipping King, and more. All of which meant—access to networks of wealth and power.
In short—Stussy fit every condition perfectly.
In fact, she far exceeded Ren's initial expectations.
He'd once half-joked about capturing the Empress, but that was mere fantasy. Sure, like many pirates and fans alike, he wanted to see the world's most beautiful woman up close.
But practicality won out.
Boa Hancock's temperament made her impossible to manipulate, even with a BUG Poké Ball.
Amazon Lily's resources were primarily military in nature—a small but elite army.
Even if he controlled Hancock, the soldiers there were still human, still afraid of death. The Glory Angels he commanded did not fear.
He could always expand his Barracks Module to create more of them—five hundred might not even be the limit.
The Kuja warriors, by comparison, barely numbered a few thousand.
Strategically, Stussy's value far surpassed Hancock's.
Amazon Lily's only unique advantage lay in geography—being in the Calm Belt, shielded by massive Sea Kings. But Ren knew well—with the rise of Seastone warships, that advantage would soon vanish.
The choice was obvious.
Choosing Hancock would be nothing more than lust ruling over reason—and Ren was not that kind of man.
He felt a trace of regret—a regret born of his still-intact morality.
But a decision made was a decision sealed.
He took action.
The BUG Poké Ball had a 100% capture rate—on one condition: the target must be completely unable to resist.
The frozen Stussy met that condition perfectly.
Without hesitation, Ren pulled out the BUG Poké Ball from his dimensional storage and aimed it at her.
The red-and-white orb sailed through the air, landing near the ice statue—not with physical contact, but opening mid-flight, unleashing a white vortex of light.
The beam struck the frozen figure,slowly enveloping it like a consuming veil of energy.
So that's why the success rate is absolute… the target must be completely incapacitated.
Ren watched quietly, thoughtful, waiting for the process to complete.
Unlike the flash capture of normal Poké Balls,the BUG version worked slowly—painfully slowly.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere, imprisoned in a frozen cell, Cavendish struggled within his icy confinement. If not for his Haki shielding him, and the fact that the freezing wave had only brushed past, he might already have lost consciousness.
Damn it… a Vice Admiral is really that strong?
Gritting his teeth, he recalled the fight with Onigumo—six prehensile black-haired arms, masterful swordsmanship, and monstrous strength.
The Navy had never shown such terror before.
He realized now that he'd been reckless—charging at a Vice Admiral because Ren had riled him up.He'd believed he could win.
Now, he knew better.
Still—he needed to escape.
He expanded his Observation Haki, sweeping across the ship.
Soon, he sensed it—Onigumo's presence was gone. But that brought no relief.
It only confirmed his suspicion—Onigumo's mission had been to capture Ren.
Yes, that Ren—the man who had stolen his glory.
Cavendish had come here to prevent the Navy from taking Ren's head first,hoping to kill two birds with one stone.
But the Vice Admiral's might had crushed that hope utterly.
If even he couldn't win,Ren surely couldn't either.
He must've been killed by now, Cavendish thought gloomily. That bastard Ren's name will die here too, and—wait…
His eyes lit up. No—if Onigumo hadn't returned, maybe Ren was still fighting!
If so, Cavendish still had a chance—a chance to take Ren's head himself and claim all his fame!
The thought electrified him.
Of course, enthusiasm didn't equal strength. Even with his power, the heavy iron shackles and manacles restrained every joint,making it nearly impossible to move.
And on top of that, he was still half-frozen.
No… I can't stay like this. If I do, I'll rot away in Impel Down! I'm meant to shine, not waste away in prison!
With that fierce conviction, Cavendish closed his eyes—and fell asleep.
Not as an act of despair—but as a deliberate invocation.
Please… my other self. Handle this. Slaughter them all, then get me out of here.
As his breathing slowed, a terrifying transformation began.
His body trembled, Haki rippling across his skin in waves.
Cracks spidered through the surrounding ice—spreading, fracturing, splintering—
Five minutes later,the ice shattered completely.
From the shards stepped a disheveled man, eyes gleaming with killing intent.
He kicked apart the weakened cell bars, retrieved his rapier, and turned it toward the wall.
Shing!
The air itself split.
With one fluid motion, his blade carved through the warship's hull, ripping open the cage and the ship's side in a single stroke.
Tattered but unbroken, Cavendish stood in the breach, rapier in hand, gazing out at the open sea.
(End of Chapter)