"Ice Block: Thorned Gloves!"
Kuzan's palms froze over, forming a pair of icy gauntlets. The moment he picked up the seastone handcuffs, he vanished with a Soru.
Whoosh—!
In an instant, Kuzan closed the distance faster than even Ren could react.
The seastone cuffs snapped around Ren's wrist just as Kuzan's frost-hardened arm pierced straight through his heart like a blade.
He grabbed it—then crushed it!
At that moment, Kuzan knew he had shattered the man's heart. He could see it clearly: Ren gasping for air, blood gushing from his chest, the look of death on his face.
And yet…
Right before his eyes—Ren disappeared again!
Clank—!
Only the seastone cuffs fell, clattering onto the frozen ground.
In the silence that followed, Kuzan's Observation Haki and honed senses caught it once more—the slow, spine-chilling sound of footsteps.
Tap… tap… tap.
They drew closer, echoing from nowhere, until he appeared again in the very same spot.
Ren stood before him, expression cold, hands once more tucked into his pockets.
The corners of his mouth lifted—not quite a smile, not quite a smirk.
That wordless gesture was pure mockery, as if repeating what he'd already proven:
Admit it, Kuzan—you're powerless.
Kuzan took a long breath, exhaled slowly, then rubbed his eyes.
For a moment, he thought he'd gone mad.
But when he opened them again, the same smirking young face stared back at him.
Good.
So it wasn't his mind that had broken.
But damn it—the situation had turned terrifying.
"What the hell are you?"
"Just… an interesting combination of things."
Ren shrugged. "Now, can we talk?"
"…What do you want to talk about?"
"You wanted to see Robin, didn't you? I can make that happen—but this incident ends here.
The Admiral never came to this island, and I never met you.
The only thing that happened here… was me defeating Vice Admiral Onigumo and destroying Mock Town.
If you need it, I can even make sure it all stays frozen."
Kuzan frowned. "…I don't understand what you're thinking."
"That's normal."
"That's all?"
"No. Let's make a bet."
"Go on."
"If everything I've said turns out to be true—then when you eventually leave the Marines, come find me again.
We'll talk once more… a deeper talk. One that clears the fog in your heart."
Ren spoke slowly, revealing the conviction behind his journey—his desire to reach Kuzan once more someday.
He believed that when that day came, he could truly shake this man's soul.
"And if I succeed?" Kuzan asked.
"You won't succeed."
"…How depressing."
"Just being honest."
Ren's confidence was unshakable.
"Fine, I'll agree. But first—I've got just one question."
Kuzan didn't bother trying to kill him again. The seastone had proven useless, and his attacks felt like striking empty air.
Besides, his goal here was only to meet Robin. Everything else could wait.
Still, his thoughts were in chaos, circling back to the things Ren had said. There was only one thing he had to ask—to confirm for himself.
"Go ahead."
"Tell me the truth. Why did you step onto this stage?
With your power, you could easily rule over some corner of the world."
Kuzan focused his Observation Haki to its utmost limit. For an Admiral, mastery over Haki was absolute—especially the ability to sense hearts and minds.
Though not as miraculous as the mermaid princess Otohime, it was terrifyingly close—powerful enough to read intent, even emotion.
Lies and truth could not hide from that calm, all-seeing mind.
"Didn't I already say it?"
Ren tilted his head, voice steady and matter-of-fact. "I despise this world, Kuzan.
I hate the way it runs—its logic, its mechanisms, its very structure.
Because I know what a true world should look like… what would be good for the majority of people.
And I happen to believe I stand with that majority.
Just like when I was a shopkeeper once, facing oppression from Marines and Fishmen alike.
That's why—I want to change this world."
Though decades separated them, Ren once again seized control of the conversation.
This time, he spoke his truest thoughts without hesitation—without hiding, without shame.
He laid his heart bare before Kuzan, completely open.
And what Kuzan sensed through his Haki… was truth.
For a moment, he was dazed. Then—
The air cracked.
Emotion surged—too intense, too raw.It tore open the barrier between reality and spirit, erupting outward like a storm given form.
In an instant, that torrent burst free—waves of energy spreading like a blue-green tide across hundreds of meters.
Kuzan's eyes narrowed sharply. In his pupils, flickered streaks of black-red lightning radiating from Ren's body.
It was—Conqueror's Haki.
Born of unrestrained will and emotion, it was the manifestation of a king's spirit.
Though part of the Haki system, Conqueror's Haki was an extraordinarily rare power—only one in millions could possess it.
Its appearance confirmed a truth:
Standing before Kuzan… was a king—not of blood or crown,but one with the strength, spirit, and ambition to rule the world.
He's serious… He truly believes this!
Kuzan's composure fractured under the pressure. His heart quivered, his mind trembled.
The shockwave of Conqueror's Haki hit him like a tidal wave.
He staggered back two steps, eyes complex, spine bending slightly as if weighed down.
Perhaps somewhere deep inside, he felt a twinge of respect—not for Ren's ideals, but for his audacity.
Because this man dared to do what Kuzan never could. Things he wouldn't even dream of doing.
Before this man named Ren, defiance toward the World Government seemed… natural.
How could someone like this exist? What kind of world could produce such a terrifying being!?
The eruption of Conqueror's Haki was brief. It never lasted long at this level.
But no matter how short the burst—Ren had awakened it.
It wasn't a reward from the Dimensional Roulette, nor the product of luck. It was the natural evolution of his own ambition.
Even he was stunned by it.
"What the hell?"
Ren blinked, dumbfounded. This wasn't part of his plan.
Wasn't Conqueror's Haki supposed to be innate? Did his previous self have it too? Or had his arrival changed something fundamental?
He couldn't explain it—but at least it was good news.
Ren steadied himself, exhaled, and suppressed the energy rippling around him.
Meanwhile—
Far away, Stussy was frozen in disbelief.
Duplication… Conqueror's Haki awakening… and now Kuzan—of all people—had stopped fighting, seemingly subdued by it?
How was this the direction things had gone!?
What kind of monster had the higher-ups sent her to deal with!?
She felt a chill of unease… but also—an opportunity.
From her vantage point, the details were hard to see, but it was clear Kuzan hadn't gone all out.
And Ren's powers were strange—unpredictable.
If their battle ended abruptly… maybe she could strike at the perfect moment.
Maybe… I can land the killing blow.
Stussy's hand slipped into her pocket, drawing out a lipstick—one made of refined seastone.
Because seastone was notoriously hard to process, such items were exceedingly rare.
She only had one—a high-purity seastone lipstick capable of nullifying a Devil Fruit user's powers with even the slightest touch.
Now, she waited for her chance—to strike after Kuzan.
But on the other side, unheard by her, the conversation continued.
Kuzan was still shaken—but he was an Admiral, a veteran of countless storms.
There were many with Conqueror's Haki in this sea. He'd seen them before.
Ren, unfazed by the recent surge, returned calmly to the subject at hand.
"Kuzan, we're not enemies—at least not for now. But…"
He drew out the last word, and Kuzan frowned as Ren's crimson eyes shifted toward a distant direction.
"…we've got another spectator here."
"She's an agent of the World Government's CP0—and one of the underground world's rulers, the queen of Pleasure Street, Stussy.
If we let her leave… both of us are in trouble.
I should warn you, though—she's strong.
I might not win if I face her alone. If I slip up, things could get messy."
"…"
Kuzan fell silent again—this time out of sheer exasperation.
"How could a Marine ever attack a World Government agent?"
"You let a historian go once—Nico Robin."
"I can't deny that."
"She's just unlucky, huh?"
Without warning, cold erupted once more.
A tidal wave of frost surged outward, engulfing half the ruins of Mock Town in moments.
From a distance, Stussy's eyes gleamed with delight.
The harder Kuzan fought, the better it was for her—the easier her cleanup would be.
Until—
The cold closed in on her.
"Wait—!"
Whoosh!
The blizzard swirled, condensing into a humanoid form—an icy doppelgänger.
In the blink of an eye, it solidified into Kuzan himself.
Stussy's beautiful eyes widened in terror. She spun to flee—
But against an Admiral, unless you were a Yonko—or a Yonko's right hand—there was no escape.
Crack—crack—!
The sound of freezing spread sharply through the air. In seconds, Stussy was encased in solid ice.
And on the path she'd tried to flee down, a figure appeared—his tone flat, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Looks like… you're the unlucky one."
Ren spoke the truth of her fate, gaze cold and merciless.
(End of Chapter)