"Full Body Acceptance—Soul of Thunder!"
Ren stood at the center of the five islands, bathed in a radiant glow of lightning. Countless people on the islands looked at him, their faces filled with fear and awe.
In his Soul of Thunder state, even his hair took on a purple hue as he wielded the power of lightning. The sky instantly turned pitch black, as if the entire world had been enveloped by a cumulonimbus cloud.
"Where Lightning Shines, Eternal Land!"
Ren released all the lightning power contained within his body in an instant. At that moment, the people living on the islands felt as if something had changed. The entire archipelago seemed to be wrapped in lightning.
Lightning serpents continuously danced through the air, and the thick bolts of lightning completely enveloped the islands, forming a terrifying barrier.
"Even the air seems to have turned purple," Kawamatsu said, looking up. But soon, he saw the sky clear again. The dark clouds seemed to exist only around the islands, like walls, enclosing four of the five islands.
"Does this mean there's no defense in the sky? Shiki can fly, right?"
"You're mistaken if you think the sky is an opening," Yukiko shook her head. The sky above had cleared to allow normal sunlight to shine through, but if anyone attempted to invade from above, the thunderclouds on both sides would attack simultaneously.
"This should be enough." Ren didn't release his acceptance but transformed into lightning, appearing beside Yukiko and the others in an instant so fast that even Kawamatsu's Kenbunshoku Haki couldn't react.
This thunderstorm barrier—if Shiki really intended to force his way in, he might be able to break through at a cost. If he went completely mad and dropped one of the islands from above, the thunderstorm would be useless.
But Ren wouldn't give him that chance.
In reality, no one even knew if Shiki could break through the battlefield on the northern islands.
"Are the northern islands prepared?"
"One hundred Ancient Ruins Guards, plus modified ships. There's absolutely no need to worry about firepower," Kawamatsu said. "Though, I didn't expect there to be such a big guy too."
"The Ancient Ruins Heavy Mech, there's only one for now. Its firepower is much stronger than the Ancient Ruins Guards," Yukiko said.
"It's useless against true powerhouses, but for ordinary pirates, it's a meat grinder."
The Ancient Ruins Heavy Mech was three times the height of the Ancient Ruins Guards. When Ren created the first generation of Ancient Ruins Guards, he had set their height at three meters. That meant the Ancient Ruins Heavy Mech stood at a full nine meters tall. At that height, it was extremely rare even in the pirate world, unless one was a giant.
Not to mention that the Ancient Ruins Heavy Mech was made from a type of wood denser than steel, and even had Seastone powder added to its surface, making it incredibly durable.
"Next, we just wait for Shiki to reveal his location," Ren looked at the sky with a cold smile.
It was impossible to let him take a beating passively, but they didn't have Shiki's exact location yet. However, once Shiki's side was ready to move, their location would inevitably be exposed. By then, Ren would strike first with thunder before they even arrived!
"Yukiko, what's in today's newspaper?"
"It says Bondi Wald destroyed a Marine base, and there's a conflict between Redfield and the Whitebeard Pirates," Yukiko said as she handed over the paper, briefly summarizing the contents.
"No news about Shiki?"
"No. The pirates Black Drum Tsukimi had infiltrated have also gone missing. They might have been eliminated," Yukiko shook her head. She was serious now, perhaps infected by the atmosphere of the impending war. Although she had been the head of the Magistrate's office, standing above ten thousand others, Yukiko had never witnessed the cruelty of war.
But in this era, war was simply the norm. Even if Ren repelled Shiki this time, he couldn't guarantee his own safety afterward.
Other great pirates, the Marines, and the World Government were all enemies now.
"Speaking of which, the great pirate King John and the others have been urging us to sell weapons and equipment," Kawamatsu mentioned. They were conducting business with many factions. "That guy seems to be fighting someone too. The war on Honeycomb Island has never stopped."
"Don't worry about them. The ones dying are just irredeemable pirates anyway," Ren said.
They needed weapons themselves right now, so how could they have any extra to sell?
However, the battles would continue after repelling Shiki.
Ren rubbed his chin, having an idea.
"Kawamatsu, how many Den Den Mushi are there on the islands?"
"There's a batch, probably only a few dozen."
"That's enough." Ren smiled, opening a sea chart. "Since we have the chance, we might as well show off our new weapons to the whole world."
Since they were going to sell weapons anyway, Ren didn't mind selling more thoroughly. He might as well treat the upcoming battle as a product exhibition. He had some confidence in the Ancient Ruins Guards. Although they couldn't compare to true powerhouses, they were very effective against ordinary riffraff.
After all, their power was far greater than flintlocks and cannons that fired lead balls.
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