Even if Vegapunk were to demand the creation of an "island of lolis,"the high-ranking officials of the World Government would not only agree—they would make it happen without hesitation.
That was the essence of the so-called "Greatest Justice in the World."
It was never about the people, nor justice, nor fairness. It was nothing more than a vast machine overflowing with cruelty, bloodshed, exploitation, and domination.
And yet—
Once that machine known as the World Government decides that someone threatens its order, no matter how valuable that person may be, no matter how irreplaceable—they will be destroyed without a second thought.
Take Vegapunk, for instance.
If he were ever to secretly support the Revolutionary Army,or if his ideals began to diverge too greatly from those of the World Government—they would erase him. Instantly. Even if it meant setting back the world's scientific progress by centuries. The assassins, or even the Seraphim, would still arrive right on time.
That is the nature of the world's greatest organization, standing at the very peak of power—controlling everything, every resource, every life. Even if progress froze for ages, they would remain atop the world—as gods.
"I will never accept such a future!"
Bartholomew Kuma could no longer suppress his fury. He slammed both palms against the ground, a roar of emotion bursting out with the strike.
The moment his paw pads touched the earth, an unconscious surge of compressed force erupted outward—a shockwave of pure rebound energy.
Realizing it instantly, Kuma tried to restrain it. But it was too late.
The ground trembled.
For half a second, the terrain within several hundred meters of Ren and Kuma undulated like the surface of the sea. The earth heaved upward in violent layers—rising, collapsing, booming like a volcanic eruption.
On the weather ship above, Sas gasped in horror, but before he could react, both he and the ship were hurled hundreds of meters into the air.
Thick smoke and dust billowed like a black wolf's mane, swallowing the entire uninhabited island.
Below that smoky veil, spider-web cracks tore across the land, spreading in every direction within moments. The colossal beasts of the jungle fled, their eyes wide with terror at the fissures that now split the island like unbridgeable chasms.
Trees were swallowed by the earth, sinking into those yawning maws as if the world itself were breaking apart.
That was the result of Kuma's unconscious power—half released, half restrained. And yet, it was enough to shatter heaven and earth.
Even the sea was not spared. The force spread outward, whipping the surrounding waters into a small-scale tsunami.
Far off, Cavendish lay lazily on a reef, still brooding.
I must've been careless earlier… I didn't react fast enough…
That thought didn't last long before the sky darkened—and the towering wall of the tsunami came crashing down.
He barely had time to blink before he was swallowed whole.
It took everything he had—nearly half his life—to claw his way back up from the depths. When he finally surfaced, panting and shaking, the island before him was gone—replaced by a roiling cloud of smoke that blotted out the sky.
At the edge of that storm, Nojiko hovered in the air, flames flickering around her hand as she held the unconscious Monet.
"What happened…? Were we attacked?"
Whoooosh—
The thick smoke began to fall, as if drawn down by an unseen force. From within it, sand gathered and reshaped—Vivi emerged, her body reforming from grains of golden dust, her face blank with confusion.
But she quickly spotted Ren floating above, and relief replaced her shock.
"So exaggerated…"
Six luminous wings spread from Ren's back, the Angel of Glory suspended in midair. He frowned as he looked down below—no, there was no longer an island.
The entire landmass lay in ruin, shattered like broken glass. Mountains had collapsed inward, swallowed by the gaping abyss at the island's core. When the dust settled, what remained was a single plateau—small in comparison, but still vast enough to be called an island on its own.
"Ren!" Vivi shouted, her voice echoing through the fading storm.
"Just a small accident. Don't worry—there's no enemy. Kuma just… lost control for a moment."
Ren's calm tone cut through her concern. He waved his hand, forming the words "ALL SAFE" with flickering flame in the air. Nojiko saw it and finally exhaled in relief.
What an unbelievable display, Kuma… Ren thought to himself, turning toward the collapsed center of the island. In the next instant, his Observation Haki locked onto Kuma's presence.
The giant had just descended, setting the weather ship down as gently as if it were made of glass. Sas lay sprawled on the deck, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
Ren descended beside the massive figure.
"My apologies… I didn't mean to," Kuma said, voice low with guilt.
"Hm? So you mean you meant to then?" Ren teased lightly.
"N-no, I just—"
"Relax. I'm kidding."
Ren placed a hand on Kuma's shoulder, his tone softening. "I understand how you feel. For a father, nothing is crueler than this. But listen—what I foresaw isn't absolute. The future isn't set in stone. It's shaped by the choices we make now. The past can't change—but the future still can."
"Ren… I'm grateful for what you're doing," Kuma murmured.
He sat down heavily, wrapping his arms around his knees. In that moment, he looked less like a warrior and more like a lost child. He didn't question Ren's words. He didn't have to—because Ren's knowledge itself was proof enough.
Kuma's father had once taught him the dance of Nika when he was young—a secret no one else in the world should have known. And the Seraphim…as far as he remembered, it still existed only on Vegapunk's blueprints. No one outside the lab could possibly know of it.
Ren was silent for a moment, then spoke earnestly. "If it comes to that, maybe we can find another way. But you know where I stand. If you side with me…peace and safety won't be guaranteed. But at the very least—I can promise Bonney's safety."
He said it with unwavering conviction, as if staking his own life on that vow.
Kuma hesitated, then nodded slightly. If he could, he would have agreed immediately.
But…
He looked down at his hands. The calloused skin of his palms had long been replaced by the soft pink pads of his Paw-Paw Fruit. They looked almost cute—like a cat's paws.
With those hands, he had healed countless people—ferrying their pain away, freeing them from suffering. Just like the people of his homeland—the Sorbet Kingdom.
He was a good man. And the World Government knew it.
In this world, good men always end up with guns pointed at them.
That day, when a CP agent "accidentally" showed him that document—a list of names and photos, every one of them people he had once helped—Kuma understood he could never escape hell.
Because he was good—because he had saved too many—all those lives had been marked for death. If he ever broke his promise to the Government, those innocent souls would be executed in his place.
Their families destroyed, their gratitude turned into grief and rage—their salvation turned to torment.
He knew all too well what the World Government truly was. And so he endured—for Bonney's sake. For the faint hope that his daughter could live as a normal girl.
But now, that hope was dead. The prophet before him had crushed it beneath the weight of the future.
Ren said nothing. He stayed silent.
He had hidden certain truths—that Bonney had gone to Egghead Island searching for Kuma, that with different choices she might never have met Saturn, might never have died.
He also concealed that the Buster Call had really targeted Vegapunk—because one of his own clones had betrayed him,plotting to kill the others and claim Vegapunk's identity as a Celestial Dragon. When the original Vegapunk learned this and completed the Mother Flame,the Government decided to purge him as well.
And he didn't mention that Bonney had indeed used her Age-Age Fruit to escape Sorbet—twisting her own timeline to become "Nika Bonney," using Nika's might to crush Agent Alpha with one devastating punch. The Government had never realized what she'd done. That transformation was her hidden ace, one she had almost never used.
Ren had told only the truths that suited him. If his deception had been aimed at a villain, he would've been celebrating already. But Kuma… Kuma was different.
He was perhaps the kindest soul in the entire One Piece world. To deceive such a man left even Ren's conscience uneasy.
The two of them sat in silence,the air heavy and cold.
No one else noticed.
Sas busied himself checking the ship for damage, Nojiko helped him, and Vivi stood guard over the captive Monet.
Buru-buru-buru-buru—The sudden ringing of a Den Den Mushi broke the silence. It wasn't a Government line—the number was completely unfamiliar.
"Go ahead and answer. It should be one of mine," Ren said. "I happened to acquire a… piece on the board. To test her ability, I asked her to get your number, then locate the Gran Tesoro's position and send it discreetly—without triggering any Government surveillance. Sorry for not telling you earlier."
"That's perfectly fine."
Kuma picked up the call. A voice gave him a string of sea coordinates. It was a brief interruption, but enough to pull him from his despair.
He studied the numbers carefully, then converted them into coordinates his Paw-Paw Fruit could use.
(End of Chapter)