Ren, is this the Crown Island you spoke of?"
The sun was sinking into the western horizon, painting the Grand Line in shades of dusk.
In a remote sea, the silhouette of Crown Island rose—its jagged peaks shaped like a regal diadem.
From above descended a majestic unicorn, its mane shimmering as it carried a graceful figure upon its back.
Carina, wide-eyed and curious, leaned forward to gaze at the island below.
Her breath caught in surprise at the sight of the crown-shaped landmass.
Along the journey, Ren had revealed to her the secrets and legends tied to this place.
She knew well that his purpose here was the fabled treasure—the "Golden Crown."
"Well, that's about right," Ren replied with a calm nod.
Only half a day earlier, after clashing with Vice Admiral Stainless of Navy Headquarters, Ren had extended an invitation to Karina.
Ren recognized her sharp navigation skills, and her beauty and wit rivaled even Nami's.
Known as the "Phantom Thief," sly and foxlike, Karina had not hesitated. She accepted his offer, becoming his new companion and navigator.
Ren had her abandon her slow vessel, taking her instead upon his own path.
Together, with the spoils she had stolen from pirates, they pressed forward without pause, braving seas of shifting climates until they arrived here.
"The past feels as though it were only yesterday…"
Ren's gaze lingered on the island below, memories flickering in his eyes.
The days spent with the Straw Hat Pirates.
Though he often felt out of place among their innocence and carefree nature, unable to truly blend in—
He could not deny that those perilous adventures carried a certain nostalgia.
"It seems a new beast king has risen. The golden horns must already have been devoured."
Ren's voice was steady, his expression calm.
The past was behind him. His eyes were fixed firmly on the future.
"Brush…" A surge of overwhelming Haki spread across the entire island in an instant.
For the first time, Ren sensed an aura far stronger than the other beasts—one not insignificant at all.
It was clear that the rare creatures here had already fought to crown a new "king."
Of course, to him, such strength was trivial.
Even before awakening his devil fruit, it would have posed no threat.
And now, it was nothing at all.
"Is that so?"
Carina arched her brows, blinking her wide eyes as she looked at Ren with curiosity.
"But I'm really wondering… is that 'Golden Crown' truly as magical as you claim?"
She had been alone on the seas since childhood, surviving by her own wit.
Karina was no naïve girl unfamiliar with the world.
At just eighteen, she had only recently broken into the Grand Line from the East Blue. In these days, she had already felt the peril of these waters.
She had witnessed Ren's overwhelming power firsthand, and the shock lingered.
She was not yet the sly, cunning thief she would become two years later in her original path. Though strong-willed and confident she could survive alone, she was still learning.
But humans are social creatures.
Deep inside, she longed for companions—someone who could shield her from storms and danger.
So when Ren extended his invitation, she did not refuse.
She accepted readily, becoming his partner and navigator.
Carina was clever, worldly, and experienced.
Yet she was not foolish enough to trust a man she had just met without question.
Even if he was strikingly handsome, undeniably powerful, and far less cruel than the rumors suggested.
Whether Ren could truly be the great tree to shelter her from wind and rain… that remained to be seen.
"Brush…"
Without hesitation, Ren locked onto the powerful aura.
The massive dragon surged through the air, descending violently until it reached the mountain range.
"Roar…" A lion appeared, its mane like twisted branches, crowned with gleaming golden horns. Towering five or six meters tall, it leapt forward.
Its wary gaze fixed on the colossal dragon that had fallen from the sky, larger and more imposing than itself.
The aura radiating from Ren was primal, calm yet overwhelming, forcing the lion to shudder despite itself.
Still, the pride of a beast king compelled it to stand firm, growling defiantly at Ren, who had taken the form of a dragon before it.
The Kirin Lion crouched, ready to strike at any moment.
"Brush!"
Ren shifted back into his human form, landing lightly with Karina at his side.
"Are those the golden horns?" Karina asked, blinking her wide eyes, curiosity fixed on the Kirin Lion crown.
"Roar…"
The Kirin Lion wisdom was evident. Hearing her words, it realized they coveted the golden horns it had inherited from the previous king.
Its eyes blazed with fury, murderous intent flooding its gaze as it roared at the two intruders.
"Call out—!"
The golden horns flared, radiant and indestructible.
In an instant, they condensed a blinding wave of energy, launching it like lightning toward Ren and Carina.
"Boom…"
The blast tore into the ground, collapsing it in a violent shockwave.
"Woo-ho-ho…" Air surged, gravel scattering in all directions.
But Ren was already moving.
He wrapped Karina gently in his arms, carrying her ten meters away, narrowly evading the lion king's sudden strike.
"This is…" Carina gasped, staring in disbelief at the golden horns.
She had seen Ren's battles firsthand and was not easily shaken, yet the sheer force of this attack surprised her.
The Kirin Lion was no devil fruit user.
It relied solely on the inherited power of its golden horns—yet it could unleash such devastating might.
"Well, that's the power of the Golden Crown…" Ren said calmly, releasing Karina's waist.
"Shave—!"
In a blur, he appeared before the ferocious Kirin Lion just as it prepared another assault.
Before the beast could react, Ren's kick connected.
"Boom!!"
"Roar…"
The impact was monstrous.
The Kirin Lion massive body was hurled like a cannonball, smashing into the mountain wall.
Stone shattered, gravel rained down, and dense cracks spidered across the cliff face.
The difference between the two was obvious.
"Chi——" In the next moment, before the Kirin Lion could recover,
Akayuki no Tsurugi was already unsheathed like lightning.
The razor-sharp blade gleamed coldly, gripped tightly in Ren's right hand.
His eyes narrowed.
The atmosphere grew violently fierce.
"One-sword style · Cut the Water!"
A blazing arc of steel flashed forth, mercilessly cleaving through.
"Roar——"
"Rumble…"
The ground trembled.
Shrill cries echoed as, in Karina's stunned gaze,
the cliff—tens of meters high—was split cleanly in two.
The cut was impossibly smooth.
With a thunderous crash, the rock face collapsed,
sending smoke and dust billowing into the sky.
"Gulu!"
Carina swallowed hard.
Was this man truly so powerful even without using his fruit?
She thought to herself: perhaps Ren's tales of past adventures were not mere boasting after all.
Fortunately, Ren had left his belongings aboard her sailboat before rushing off to fight the navy.
She was no fool—she had not tried to steal away with his things.
Now, with Akayuki no Tsurugi sheathed once more, Ren strode forward.
He came to stand before the Kirin Lion's bisected body, its eyes wide open yet lifeless.
"Tear apart…"
Ren pressed his right foot upon its head, then seized the golden horns.
With a brutal pull, he tore them free.
Blood spattered as the prized horns were ripped from the beast's skull.