If he were truly a stupid man… he would think I had fallen for him.
Hancock clenched her delicate fists. She did not say those words aloud, merely turning her beautiful head aside.
"If you wish to experience defeat once, then I suppose I can grant you that much."
Her entire body was soft—yet her mouth alone remained stubbornly hard.
The corner of Ren's eye twitched. He said calmly, "Then let's settle it like this. You believe taking revenge on the Celestial Dragons is unwise.
"I think there's nothing noble about the Celestial Dragons at all. These so-called descendants of the Creator are merely human beings.
"So let's bet on whether I can make multiple Celestial Dragons bleed within three days, by any means I choose."
"…How could that be possible?"
Hancock looked at the man with suspicion and began wondering whether this fellow had been affected by her Devil Fruit ability.
Was this the kind of peacock-like showing off a man did after falling under her power?
Should she test it?
Hancock asked cautiously, "What is the wager?"
"Accept a long-term job."
"What?"
"Massage."
"!?"
Hancock stood up at once, her face dark. "I am an emperor! How could I possibly do such a thing!"
"So you think you're certain to lose?"
Ren revealed a mocking smile. "Come to think of it, many people within Kuja seem to believe that you, their emperor, can't accomplish anything, don't they?
"Otherwise, there wouldn't be talk of an 'uncrowned king,' would there?"
Kill the person, then stab the heart.
That was Hancock's first reaction.
But after thinking about it carefully, if she did nothing… then it would become fact.
First, she had to obtain that crucial information!
"…I'll take the bet!"
Hancock gritted her teeth and agreed on the spot.
Ren smiled.
As expected, the fact that she had failed to petrify him had been weighing heavily on Hancock all along.
That also gave Ren the slightest chance to bait her into biting.
In truth, even if he told Hancock how he had resisted petrification, it would not mean much.
Haki could resist Devil Fruit effects because Ren's Haki level and intensity far exceeded the range of influence of the Sweet-Sweet Fruit.
If Hancock could not awaken her power, then knowing that would be meaningless.
Besides, Ren had not relied entirely on Haki to resist petrification.
Do not forget what the trait of his Indestructible Vajra Glazed Body was—ignore all destructive damage below B-rank evaluation!
Against anything above B-rank, it granted a fixed twenty percent immunity resistance!
Its scope was extremely broad, and petrification was included among it.
Most importantly, Ren currently did not have the money to enhance his all-attribute resistances. Otherwise, his resistance to petrification and the like would be even more despair-inducing.
"You won't go back on your word, will you?" Hancock said.
"As the uncrowned king, I wouldn't stoop that low. The only question is whether Kuja's emperor will try to take back her move."
"I am not that shameless either!"
"Mm, good. Then you can start preparing to learn right now."
Ren rose and stretched lazily, then took out a large quantity of Colorless Crystal Blocks from his four-dimensional space to use as materials.
The Advanced Decomposition Machine he had owned previously had not been very useful.
It had been taken away by the Angels of Glory and modified into a machine capable of producing and decomposing the Angels' armaments.
These small crystal blocks were valuable materials provided by the Angels.
Combat Dispatch—begin!
Star-map-like specks of light unfolded before his eyes. Ren selected the light point representing Nami.
Target—Judgment → Sabaody Archipelago!
"Does that include me as well?"
Rayleigh asked. It was not that he was especially gentle.
This was a form of respect.
Because Rayleigh's Observation Haki told him that the person blocking the road ahead was by no means an opponent to be taken lightly.
The aura on that fellow was terrifyingly powerful!
"My boss is someone you'll want to meet, Dark King—Mr. Silvers Rayleigh."
"Hahaha, you can't throw that title around carelessly. I still want to enjoy my retirement."
Rayleigh scratched his hair with some distress, then looked toward Luffy and the others. "Hatchan is my friend, and he needs treatment now.
"His friends count as my friends too, so could you all leave this place first and regroup at Grove 13?"
"Luffy, he's right."
As a doctor, Chopper confirmed Rayleigh's words.
"Guys, we're going!"
Luffy stopped hesitating and immediately led Hatchan and Camie in retreat.
When the footsteps of the Straw Hat crew disappeared, the atmosphere inside the venue became oppressive.
"So, when will that person arrive?"
Rayleigh said with a troubled look, "I really don't want to wait somewhere a Celestial Dragon has been attacked. At my age, having to fight the Marines with my life on the line is far too troublesome."
"Kid-ya, want to team up?" Law tightened his grip around Kikoku's hilt.
"Compared to that, I'd rather cut off the head of the master behind that guy."
Kid clenched his fist coldly.
To think someone dared treat him—the man with the highest bounty among the Worst Generation—as prey?
Unforgivable.
Bzzzt—!
Black-red lightning exploded beside Kuma. A boot suddenly stepped into the air above the venue.
One moment, there had been nothing there.
The next moment, a black-haired man emerged with one hand resting on Kuma's shoulder, the corner of his mouth carrying a faint smile.
The air seemed to become solid ground—then churned into stormy waves!
Along with him came a suffocating pressure, transforming in that place into a towering black-red demon god!
Thump—!
Hearts beat like war drums.
It was as though everyone had sunk ten thousand meters beneath the sea, about to be crushed, compressed into dust, and buried on the ocean floor.
Thump—!
Hearts spasmed in pain.
It was like falling from ten thousand meters in the sky, forced to watch helplessly as their own bodies were about to smash into meat paste upon the earth.
Thump—!
Hearts contracted madly. Fear, oppression, death!
Those things that life itself refused to endure smashed down viciously onto everyone's bodies from the pressure that came straight at them!
In the next instant, Rayleigh's expression changed. He stepped forward, releasing a powerful Conqueror's Haki pressure.
Two different sources of Conqueror's Haki collided inside the narrow auction house. The very air twisted, collapsed, and shrank!
Cracks crawled across the walls of the venue, telling all who saw them what was happening inside this place that had now turned into a killing machine.
Law, Kid, and Killer, standing within it, had twisted expressions. In a daze, they could see a scene like an illusion.
Two pairs of differently colored eyes were staring at each other from across the distance!
Conqueror's Haki?
The three of them endured it stubbornly, but the crew members beside them collapsed one after another, unconscious.
"As expected of the Dark King. They say making a move against you is like being handed a one-way ticket to the underworld."
Time stretched and slowed. At that moment, Ren took a second step.
Even stronger, even more terrifying Conqueror's Haki was released. Supreme-grade Conqueror's Haki erupted at full force, sweeping through the entire venue in an utterly one-sided manner!
Thump—!
The giant, along with the slaves, collapsed to the ground.
"That Conqueror's Haki… was yours? Why are you here?!"
Rayleigh's expression was grave as he took a step back, forced to declare his defeat in the clash of Conqueror's Haki.
But compared to that, the person who had appeared shocked him even more.
"It's that guy…"
Kid and Killer's expressions changed, but in the next moment, hidden ecstasy followed.
It seemed they would not need to go to the New World to find him after all!
At the very end, Law's startled cry revealed the newcomer's identity.
"Warlord of the Sea—Demon Ren!?"
"Shh. Don't wake those three sleeping fellows, or things will become very troublesome for me."
Ren raised his index finger before his lips, black-red light surging within his crimson eyes.
The Conqueror's Haki pressure he released snuffed out those voices.
The final boss—making his grand entrance!
At this moment, the venue had experienced one round of opposing Conqueror's Haki pressure clashing and two rounds of Conqueror's Haki pressure wreaking havoc.
There were only a handful of people still standing: Rayleigh, Law, Kid, and Killer.
Whether the slaves, the guards who had not yet fainted, or the crew members of the Supernovas, anyone who was not up to standard had all fallen.
"Don't get too arrogant!"
Kid's adaptability was astonishing. He began moving under this wave of Conqueror's Haki pressure.
He glared furiously at the hunting target he had long yearned for, revealing his fangs. "It's just Conqueror's Haki! I have that aptitude too!
"In the end, it's nothing more than a trick to scare people. If you think you can crush us and achieve your goal with that alone,
"then you're far too naive! Killer, are you ready?"
"I can still move."
The slaughtering martial artist wore a pair of metal gauntlet bracers on his hands, with a pair of scythes attached to them.
He raised his blue-and-white striped mask full of holes, and the eyes behind those openings ignited with the desire to fight.
"If I heard correctly, you want to attack me?"
Ren tilted his head.
He had not even decided how to deal with this pair of pirates with vile records, yet the other side wanted to take care of him first?
Had his entrance been wrong?
"I originally planned to enter the New World before killing you and using your fame as my stepping stone.
"But since I've run into you now, I'll settle you right here!"
Kid licked his lips, his gaze turning feverish as he opened his palm.
A large quantity of steel fragments gathered within the venue, transforming in his hand into a strange long barrel.
The scythes in Killer's hands began spinning as his gaze locked onto Kuma.
A troublesome specimen, but he should be able to handle him. That earlier impact had not been too far beyond standard.
"In that case, I can't just stand by and do nothing either. After all, I'm one of that guy's targets too.
"Besides, I happen to have some things I want to ask him properly!"
Law carried Kikoku over his shoulder, his gaze fixed on Ren all along.
Was this the man who destroyed the Donquixote Family? But… had a man like Doflamingo really died?
He did not know the answer. As he freed one hand, he glanced toward the big shot at the side.
"Mr. Rayleigh, these two are here for you as well. If we resolve this together, things will be much easier, right?
"There are Celestial Dragons lying unconscious here, after all. If you don't want to fight an admiral…"
"I don't intend to let the old man enter the field. Legends should just stay legends.
"And you too, Law. This guy is our prey."
Kid interrupted Law's plan, then revealed a savage grin. "Once we take him down, we'll have our ticket to challenge the Four Emperors!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he moved without hesitation!
He raised his hand, lifted the gun, and electromagnetic force locked onto that incomparably arrogant enemy.
"Magnetism: Railgun!"
"Blade: Sonic Slash!"
First came a flash so fast it reached the extreme. A metal projectile was fired at several times the speed of sound, wrapped in tremendous kinetic energy as it came hurtling in.
Then came Killer, leaping forward in a charge. Two spinning scythes broke through the sound barrier, slicing toward Kuma at extreme speed.
The attack power of both had clearly reached the level of supersonic speed.
The latter did not move, because he saw Ren seize a blade out of thin air.
It was not the Cursed Blade.
It was one of the spare swords in Zoro's possession—Sandai Kitetsu.
(End of Chapter)