'From his rise five months ago to now, it hasn't even been half a year—yet he's already grown to this extent.
Back then, he was nothing more than an ordinary general store owner.
Even with a Devil Fruit, very few people could reach Ren's level.
So—
Was he a genius buried by the mundane world, only to be unearthed by accident?
If it weren't for Nezumi, maybe he would've stayed there for his entire life.
Nezumi, you really deserve to die!'
Every time Sengoku thought of that Marine scum who had personally set the stage for Ren's emergence, he wished he could travel through time and smash the man's skull in.
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
Just like how he couldn't change the rot within the Marines.
Power was a poison. Even heroes were corroded by it—let alone when maintaining the greater order demanded strong hands at the top.
As long as the powerful held authority, sacrifice was inevitable.
As a strategist, Sengoku understood this all too well. The most he could do was use the Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau to suppress it.
But the root of evil could never be eradicated completely.
Because that root was the human heart.
All he could do was endure the recurrence of such incidents, again and again.
'Still… Ren is the most outstanding one to emerge in recent years.
If he could join the Marines, perhaps the world would truly change.'
Seeing Ren's actions along the way, Sengoku couldn't help but feel a sense of pity and appreciation for talent.
But he didn't act on it.
Once someone became a pirate, reality could no longer be rewritten.
Just like Tsuru back then—when she encountered that Celestial Dragon brat and hesitated out of pity and admiration.
That hesitation had given birth to an underground king, a criminal family, and eventually, a Warlord of the Sea.
Sengoku would not repeat that mistake.
That was precisely why he abandoned the idea of continuing to dispatch warships to pursue the Demon Pirates.
'Kuzan definitely went to Jaya—anyone could tell from the Marines' reports.
But he made sure no one could openly identify him as having been there.
That was probably for his own reasons… Robin?
Kuzan, Kuzan… acting like this will only make the World Government more dissatisfied with you.'
Sengoku sighed inwardly.
'There's no solution here. Vice Admiral Onigumo is already one of the stronger ones.
As for that bastard Garp—he probably wouldn't go all-out against Ren.
He might even deliberately let him slip away.
If that's the case, then our options for handling Ren are either—
—make him a Warlord of the Sea, or…'
A ruthless glint flashed in Sengoku's eyes as he suddenly spoke.
"This time, recall Kizaru."
"Oh?"
Tsuru lifted her gaze, surprised. "It's not his turn for rotation."
"There are too many troublesome figures lately. It's time to clean some of them up."
Sengoku spoke calmly.
Rotation—
It was an internal directive governing the Admirals.
Under normal circumstances:
One Admiral was stationed at Marine Headquarters,One in the New World,And one in Mary Geoise.
These three positions served as anchor points, with irregular rotations between them.
At times, two Admirals might appear in the same location—but never for long.
That overlap was intentional, created to handle specific situations.
The difference lay in whether such a window was opened at all.
In reality—
Aside from the Admiral stationed in the New World, who rarely moved, both the Headquarters and Mary Geoise Admirals could be redeployed.
To handle emergencies.
Or simply to take leave.
After all, it was unlikely that other locations would face serious threats.
Marine Headquarters was the core stronghold—home to countless elite Marines, with Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, and other powerhouses present.
Only fools—or absolute monsters—would dare attack it.
By then, Headquarters would already have advance notice.
As for Mary Geoise—
That was the land of the gods.
Almost no one would attack it.
Except for one man, many years ago—Fisher Tiger.
In short, the next rotation cycle was approaching.
At present, Kuzan was stationed at Headquarters, effectively on vacation.
Kizaru was lazily working in Mary Geoise.
Akainu, meanwhile, was diligently stationed in the New World—
Preventing any one of the Four Emperors from suddenly losing their mind and uprooting the Marine bases there.
Sengoku's decision effectively extended Akainu's workload.
But then again—
He was the Fleet Admiral.
"Understood."
Tsuru nodded, then asked, "What response should we make to Demon Ren's actions on Jaya?"
"Increase the bounty. What was it before?"
"270 million."
"Raise it to 400 million. Release the announcement."
"One hundred million is for defeating Onigumo."
"The remaining thirty million is for something Ren did on Jaya."
"And use our Marine–Warlord communication channels to leak Pica's situation."
"But don't mention where the body went. Moria is behaving himself for now."
"Using one blade to kill with another?"
Tsuru was a little surprised.
"That Heavenly Yaksha brat is far too idle in the New World, playing arms dealer."
"It's time to give him something to keep busy."
"Besides—he's always had dealings with the World Government, hasn't he?"
"Understood."
As dawn broke—
Countless News Coo took flight from newspaper offices across the world, carrying stacks of fresh papers.
As always, the headlines were explosive.
Reports of Marines wiping out pirate crews.
Reports of pirates causing massive incidents.
In this chaotic era, big news was the norm.
People had long grown used to it.
But—
Even in familiarity, some names still drew special attention.
For example—
Ren, splashed across the front page.
[The Demon Returns! The Jaya Island Massacre!Marine Vice Admiral Defeated—Can the Momentum of a Rising Pirate Be Stopped?!]
The title alone was incendiary—and the content lived up to it.
"What? A Marine Vice Admiral lost?"
"Wait, was it a branch Vice Admiral?"
"Look carefully—that's a Headquarters Vice Admiral!"
"Isn't Onigumo supposed to be strong?"
In taverns across the seas, pirates and civilians alike buzzed with discussion.
Onigumo was usually on the winning side—celebrated for capturing pirate crews.
Being defeated like this was rare.
Some scoffed at the Marines and defended Ren.
"Get it straight—that's a rookie pirate who made a Yonko respond personally."
"They say Red-Hair went to the East Blue because of him—and still didn't kill Demon Ren!"
"I'm telling you, he's destined to be top-tier under a Yonko. You know what that means? A right-hand man!"
Others scoffed at Ren instead.
"Just a lucky guy. Onigumo isn't that impressive—swap me in and I'd win too."
Those words usually came from famous pirates.
Peers despised peers the most.
But for the vast majority of civilians, the mood was anxious.
"Four hundred million Beli… and he hasn't even entered the New World."
"One hundred million already makes you a Supernova."
"This guy's at four hundred million… terrifying."
"Let's hope he never passes through our home."
That was the common fear.
If corruption existed within the Marines, then ninety-nine percent of pirates were villains in civilian eyes.
Yet some 'civilians' thought differently.
"Huh? A four-hundred-million bounty?"
On a lavish open-air terrace, a well-dressed merchant guild president frowned at the newspaper.
"Damn it, how is his bounty rising so fast? One Vice Admiral and it jumps by one hundred thirty million?"
People had defeated Vice Admirals before—but never with such an increase.
"I heard one hundred million is for the Vice Admiral."
"The extra thirty million is for something else."
Another guild president looked puzzled.
"But there's nothing special on Jaya, is there?"
"If there were, the Sea Kings' trade channels would've told us."
"So what earns thirty million Beli?"
"By the way—doesn't one hundred million for a Vice Admiral seem excessive?"
"Hard to say. Onigumo is one of the stronger ones."
"Oh—have you heard?"
"There's also a bounty on him in the underworld."
"Supposedly from the Donquixote Family."
As more guild leaders joined the conversation, the terrace erupted into chatter.
Everyone present was extravagantly dressed, every gesture oozing wealth.
These were famous guild presidents from across the four seas.
Once the Donquixote Family was mentioned, their interest visibly sharpened.
"Hey—this is a four-hundred-million pirate. His strength must be terrifying."
"What kind of price would they offer?"
"No idea. It's just a rumor for now."
"I'm interested."
A president from the South Blue stroked his chin as he spoke.
The surrounding group stared at him in surprise.
"Zans, you're a loan shark—you're not short on money. Why mess with a madman like that?"
"Exactly. Which one of us lacks money?"
"That's my business."
Zans smiled faintly, his expression playful, revealing nothing.
Everyone present was an old fox—predators who devoured others whole.
'Like hell I'd tell you I plan to use this man's head to connect with the Donquixote Family.
Damn it—if not for that usury king in the Grand Line, I wouldn't even consider this.
If I can use the Donquixote Family to wipe that eyesore out, I can keep expanding!'
With that thought—
Zans picked up the newspaper seriously, his gaze settling on that face.
Whoosh—!
A sharp rush of air swept through—not sea wind, but something far more peculiar.
Then—
A black shadow fell from the sky, slamming straight into the open terrace.
Boom—!
The floor—pure gold in appearance—caved slightly.
The shadow slid forward in a long skid, carving a deep mark across the platform.
(End of Chapter)