The shattered grove of Sabaody was still smoking when the reports reached Marine Headquarters.
Den Den Mushi rang without pause, their voices layered with urgency and disbelief.
Sengoku stood behind his desk, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"You're telling me," he said slowly, "that Dark King Rayleigh clashed with a nineteen-year-old… and the sky split?"
The Marine on the other end swallowed audibly.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral. Conqueror's coating was confirmed. Multiple witnesses. The ground was devastated."
Sengoku's glasses caught the light as he lowered his head slightly.
"And Hancock's ship dropped this same young man on Sabaody yesterday?"
"Yes, sir."
Silence stretched across the room.
Garp, who had been munching on rice crackers nearby, burst into laughter.
"Bwahahaha! A brat that can split the sky with Rayleigh? Sounds fun!"
Sengoku shot him an irritated glance.
"This isn't amusing, Garp. A new Conqueror's user with that growth rate is not 'fun.' It's dangerous."
Garp leaned back casually.
"Dangerous is normal for this era. If the kid fought Rayleigh head-on and lived, then he's got guts."
Sengoku's expression darkened.
"Guts are one thing. Growth like that in six months is another."
He tapped the desk once.
"Keep surveillance on him. If he causes chaos, we respond immediately."
Far above the seas, within the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders sat in solemn stillness.
A newspaper lay unfolded on the polished table between them.
The headline wasn't exaggerated.
Witness accounts described black lightning tearing the sky.
"One of Hancock's associates," one Elder murmured, stroking his beard.
"Is she building influence beyond her position?"
Another adjusted his glasses calmly.
"A nineteen-year-old with Conqueror's coating is not coincidence. His origin is unknown."
"Then find it," the bald Elder said coldly. "No one simply appears."
The Elder holding the sword closed his eyes briefly.
"If he grows unchecked, he could destabilize the balance."
A pause followed.
"Monitor. Do not engage yet," the oldest finally concluded.
"But if he moves toward the New World… eliminate him."
Across the Calm Belt, in Amazon Lily, Hancock sat upon her throne.
A Kuja warrior knelt before her, finishing the report.
"He clashed with Dark King Rayleigh for hours, Empress. The sky split."
The hall fell silent.
Hancock's face remained regal and composed, but her fingers tightened slightly on the armrest.
"For hours?" she asked softly.
"Yes, Empress."
Her lips curved faintly.
"That foolish man… he never knows when to hold back."
The Kuja blinked, confused by the softness in her tone.
"Should we be concerned?"
Hancock rose gracefully from her throne.
"No."
She walked toward the balcony, wind brushing her hair back.
"He will not lose so easily."
Her eyes softened for a fleeting moment.
"And if the world dares to move against him…"
Her Conqueror's Haki pulsed faintly in the air.
"Then they will regret it."
In a castle of shadows, Dracule Mihawk read the paper with mild interest.
His golden eyes scanned the lines once.
"Sky-splitting at nineteen," he muttered quietly.
He set the newspaper down beside his wine glass.
"Rayleigh would not entertain mediocrity."
A faint smirk appeared.
"So another blade rises in this era."
He lifted his sword slightly, feeling its weight.
"I wonder… does he seek the peak?"
Far out at sea, aboard a lively pirate vessel, red hair danced in the wind.
Shanks, age twenty-seven, bounty over a billion, lowered the newspaper slowly.
"So he fought Rayleigh?" one of his crew asked.
Shanks grinned widely.
"That old man doesn't swing seriously unless he's interested."
Lucky Roux laughed with meat in hand.
"Think he's worth meeting?"
Shanks' eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Nineteen, huh? And already splitting the sky."
He leaned against the railing, thoughtful but excited.
"The era's moving faster than I expected."
His grin widened.
"I like it."
In Wano's distant stronghold, Kaido sat with a massive jug of sake.
A subordinate read the report nervously.
"Boss… a young man fought Rayleigh. Conqueror's coating confirmed."
Kaido took a long drink before slamming the jug down.
"Another brat with king's spirit?"
He began laughing deeply, thunder rumbling around him.
"Wororororo! Good!"
His eyes sharpened dangerously.
"Let him grow."
He leaned forward, grin savage.
"If he survives long enough to reach Wano… I'll test him myself."
Far across the seas, on the Moby Dick, Whitebeard listened calmly as Marco finished reading.
The old Emperor remained seated, massive and unmoving.
"Gurarara," Whitebeard chuckled lowly.
"A new monster rises."
Marco adjusted his glasses.
"Nineteen years old, Pops."
Whitebeard's gaze turned toward the horizon.
"The sea does not wait for permission."
He smiled faintly.
"If he's got the will, he'll carve his path."
He leaned back, voice steady.
"But the sea devours the weak. Let's see if the boy can swim."
On Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin crushed the newspaper in her massive hands.
"Conqueror's coating at nineteen?!"
Her eyes widened with greedy excitement.
"Mamamama! What a delicious talent!"
Perospero tilted his head.
"Mother, should we invite him?"
Linlin licked her lips slowly.
"If he joins me, I gain another monster."
Her grin turned sharp.
"And if he refuses…"
The room trembled under her killing intent.
"Then I'll break him."
Back on Sabaody, Marines cordoned off the ruined grove.
Civilians whispered in awe and fear.
The name Ren began circulating quietly among pirates.
Some with curiosity.
Some with ambition.
Some with dread.
And in the center of it all, the young man himself walked calmly through Grove 13's shadows.
Unaware—or perhaps uncaring—of the waves he had just sent across the world.
The era had noticed him.
And the sea never forgets a king.