No one could refuse Kuma.
Especially not an idealist like Ren, who was keenly aware of his own shortcomings and desperately wanted to pull every top-tier powerhouse in the storyline onto his side.
Even though he knew it was impossible.
Take the Marines, for example.
Akainu represented the enforcers of absolute power—if he ever encountered Ren, he would go straight for the kill.
Kizaru seemed like a fence-sitter, but in truth he was loyal to his duties.
Why would someone who preferred to coast ever bother making choices?
Only Kuzan, whose heart carried cracks, might be persuaded—after all, in the original timeline, he eventually joined Blackbeard.
As for Sengoku and Garp, there was no need to even consider them.
Zeffa—no, Zephyr—was the sole possibility, but only if Ren waited for the right opportunity.
If the future shifted too quickly, Whitebeard Jr. might never become a Warlord of the Sea, which would prevent Zephyr from founding the Neo Marines.
And if Zephyr never established the Neo Marines—never fully displayed his discontent—
Ren would never have a chance to recruit him.
Pirates were even more hopeless.
The Four Emperors were all top-tier combatants, but each had ambitions of their own.
Kaido and Big Mom were impossible to cooperate with, and Ren would need to step on their corpses to rise and make his name known.
He already had a feud with Red-Haired Shanks.
Whitebeard, on the other hand, was someone Ren might cooperate with—he was already considering every possible way to make use of the Marineford War.
Among other powerful figures who might be recruited at this stage…
Only Fujitora came to mind.
Ryokugyu was completely out of the question—he was a loyal supporter of Akainu.
Below them, there was Douglas Bullet, imprisoned in the great underwater prison, Impel Down.
Bullet was in his prime and should be able to go toe-to-toe with Garp.
Rayleigh was an enemy—after killing Buggy's men, there was no way Rayleigh would give Ren a friendly face.
Golden Lion Shiki was an ambitious schemer; coexistence was impossible.
As for Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, Ren wasn't confident yet—at the very least, he would need to wait until the Warlord system was abolished before he had a chance.
For now, the only thing he could do was recruit reliable transitional forces.
For example—
Kuma!
According to Ren's judgment, at this stage, Kuma's combat power should be enough to defeat an aged Rayleigh.
Even Garp might not be able to beat Kuma decisively. If Kuma truly mastered advanced Conqueror's Haki coating, the odds would be at best fifty-five to forty-five.
More importantly, Kuma's abilities possessed immense strategic value.
If Ren could bring Kuma onto the same team—even just the same side—it would be enormously beneficial.
'Most importantly, I'm confident.'
Ren reached out and placed his hand on Kuma's massive palm.
Kuma froze at the gesture, his hand failing to return the grip.
As their eyes met, Ren saw hesitation in Kuma's gaze—along with a flame-like glow.
The Prophet spoke softly,"In this damned world, perhaps good people are meant to have guns pointed at them.
But you and I both know that isn't right—nor is it what we want.
If that's the case, why not correct this world and pull the course of its operation back onto the track we desire?"
"…Are we the same kind of people?"
Kuma's eyes wavered, his expression complicated.
This was only the third time he had met Ren, wasn't it?
In total, they hadn't even spoken for a full day—yet Ren had already precisely grasped the cracks in his heart.
Was this the power of a Prophet?
Or was it simply that the other man understood him too well… because they walked the same path?
Kuma couldn't understand it. It felt as though he was glimpsing something far beyond his own imagination.
He didn't know how to choose.
After a long silence, Kuma asked,"You oppose the World Government… but for what? What exactly are your ambitions—your ideals?"
"Change. That's my answer."
Ren was completely honest:"I don't want to deceive you. Core beliefs can be hidden, but they can't be concealed forever.
Rather than dancing around the truth, I prefer to lay everything bare.
I was once weak—and even now, I am still 'weak.'
I like a world with order. I hate rules that crush the weak, and I despise a world where human lives are treated like dirt.
So I want to change it—to reshape the world into one I like."
"…"
Kuma's expression turned stunned.
"Yes, this isn't kindness, nor is it compassion for all beings.
It's simply imposing my own ideals upon the world in an arrogant way.
That's why I'll ignite the world with war and rewrite the rules from scratch."
Cold cruelty shone in Ren's crimson eyes, mirroring his heart at that moment."A rotten world can't be fixed through gentle reforms.
Only by burning it all down with ruthless flames can a new world be born from the ashes."
"And if the world that's reborn… is one we can't accept? Or one I can't accept?"
Kuma suddenly seized on the key point, staring straight at Ren.
"Then I'll try to change my own views.
But if that truly proves impossible—then it will be a battle between us."
It was an exceptionally frank answer, free of rhetoric, manipulation, or concealment.
Just the purest response of an idealist.
At that moment, Kuma made his decision. His broad hand closed firmly around Ren's.
"Then tell me—what should I do?"
"Punk Hazard. You know that island, don't you?
It lies near the entrance to the New World and used to be Vegapunk's base. It was heavily guarded.
But an accident a few years ago covered the entire island in lethal poison gas.
That forced Vegapunk to relocate to Egghead Island.
Still, I don't think that gas means anything to you—it can't threaten someone of your caliber.
That island holds countless laboratories. Some are occupied; some are abandoned."
"Wait—occupied?"
Kuma couldn't help interrupting, his face full of confusion.
"Yes. By a group—or rather, one man. His name is Caesar.
The scientific weapons accident on Punk Hazard was his doing—the very poison gas that blankets the island.
He's a Logia-type Gas-Gas Fruit user.
He can manipulate gaseous substances, turning any part of his body into gas.
That allows him to fly and float.
He can also produce highly toxic gases, using them to poison enemies or ignite them into explosive blasts.
He can purify the air around himself, compress surrounding gases, drain oxygen from the atmosphere to extinguish flames and suffocate opponents—
Or manipulate fully combusted oxygen flames to attack. As for his personality—"
Ren explained Caesar's abilities in extreme detail, to the point that Kuma's expression turned strange.
'Opposing a Prophet… would be foolish.'
That thought surfaced uncontrollably in Kuma's mind, making his attitude toward Ren even more subtle.
The more Ren confirmed his identity as a Prophet, the more it suggested that the future he foresaw was real.
If nothing was changed, then nothing would remain.
Ren didn't notice the shift in Kuma's attitude and paused briefly.
Suddenly, he realized something—if Kuma went personally, he could broaden the scope even further.
Changing his tone, Ren expanded on what had once been a relatively unimportant Caesar.
"After the incident, he was arrested—but escaped from a prison ship and returned to Punk Hazard to continue his research.
His project is fascinating: the development of artificial Devil Fruits known as SMILE.
The island holds the necessary raw material for artificial Devil Fruits—SAD.
His financial backer is the Donquixote Family, rulers of Dressrosa in the New World.
And the family head—current Warlord of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo—has ties to the World Government.
You might not know this, but he's a Celestial Dragon."
"A Celestial Dragon? Artificial Devil Fruits?!"
Kuma was genuinely shaken this time.
Neither revelation was simple.
Just the fact that a current Warlord—a pirate—was once a Celestial Dragon was enough to rock the seas.
And artificial Devil Fruits—just hearing the name was terrifying.
Up until now, every Devil Fruit was known to be unique.
Let alone mass production—even perfect one-to-one replication was considered impossible.
"Yes, though Doflamingo is a former Celestial Dragon.
The Donquixote Family is one of the Twenty Families in Mary Geoise.
If you're interested, you can investigate Doflamingo's father.
He renounced his status, believing he could live as a commoner.
The outcome was… grim. His wife even died from illness.
There's a long story there, if you're curious.
As for artificial Devil Fruits—they're real, but the side effects are severe.
If you don't believe me, you can ask Caesar yourself after capturing him."
"N-No, that won't be necessary. I believe you."
Kuma recovered from his shock, his gaze toward Ren now filled with even greater reverence.
Even without direct verification—
The Revolutionary Army had already observed similar signs.
And on Kuma's end, countless things that should have been known only to him had been spoken aloud by Ren.
That alone convinced him that Ren truly was a Prophet.
He just hadn't expected to receive such earth-shattering information.
"In short, if this is exposed, you'll face retaliation from a member nation.
For you as you are now, that would be unbearable.
No matter what, I hope you eliminate all witnesses."
Ren spoke with grave seriousness."Don't worry—the adults you'll encounter are all pirates.
But there may also be children—kidnapped and brought to the island for experiments.
I'm not certain whether they're still there.
If they are, please send them to the Revolutionary Army for treatment first, rather than returning them directly to their families.
As for the reason—once you see their condition and learn what they've endured, you'll understand."
"I understand. But what exactly do you want to gain from this?"
Kuma was puzzled. Everything sounded like good deeds.
"Caesar himself—bound with Seastone and personally delivered to my people by you.
All materials and data related to SMILE research—ideally, relocate the entire production line.
Additionally—
Within one of Vegapunk's abandoned laboratories, there's a Devil Fruit stored somewhere.
I don't know its exact location, only that it's kept in a laboratory.
Vegapunk claimed it was a failed artificial Devil Fruit—but in truth, it only differs in color.
That fruit is needed by someone on our team.
If possible, also search for any data related to the Seraphim.
I'll give you the coordinates of a Sky Island. Use your ability to transport everything there."
Yes—
This was "I want it all!"
(End of Chapter)