New World, 10,000 meters in the air.
The Ark Maxim, crafted entirely of gold, flew at high speed. Renault stood on the ship's rail, the cool breeze blowing against him, his black cape flapping loudly behind him.
Crunch.
A crisp sound came from behind him.
"Hajrudin, I have a use for those fruits later. Don't eat them all."
Turning to look at the gluttonous Hajrudin, Renault put a stop to it.
"Captain, where are we going?" Hajrudin asked nonchalantly, sitting on the floor and taking a big bite of a crisp, sweet apple.
Early that morning, Renault had brought a large pile of fruit and taken Hajrudin on the Ark Maxim, leaving the Kingdom of Cast. They had been flying for nearly half a day now.
"To find World," Renault replied faintly.
Although he wasn't certain World was in that sea area, it was the only lead he had so far. As long as there was even a sliver of a chance, he wouldn't give up.
As for bringing Hajrudin, it was naturally for an extra layer of insurance.
Eight years ago, at the auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago, they had clashed with World over the Treasure Tree Adam. A fierce battle had erupted, and World had luckily managed to escape.
Given World's personality, it was highly likely he still held a grudge over that incident.
If negotiations failed in the end, the only option would be to eliminate him and use the Luck Points to reclaim the More-More Fruit.
And Hajrudin was, of course, the perfect candidate for that Devil Fruit.
"This should be the place."
Renault controlled the Golden Ark to descend to an altitude of 100 meters above the sea, observing the area from above.
Looking around, there were basically no islands. Even if there were one or two, they were pitifully small.
"World is here??" Renault frowned, feeling his judgment might have been wrong.
He couldn't figure out why World would be active in a place like this. If not for the Marine reports, he wouldn't have even known such a sea area existed in the New World. It wasn't just "godforsaken"—it was practically desolate.
With a "might as well try" attitude, Renault continued to pilot the Golden Ark to search.
With his current Observation Haki, amplified by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he could cover a radius of several thousand meters.
As long as there was any aura on an island, he would be able to detect it immediately.
"Not here!!"
"Not here either!!"
"..."
Time ticked by, minute by minute. In the blink of an eye, another hour passed.
It had to be said that while islands were scarce in this region, the area itself was vast.
Along the way, Renault discovered quite a few islands. Some were deserted, inhabited by nothing but a few animals. Some were occupied by pirates, acting independently in scattered groups. Others had towns and villages, making them somewhat livelier.
But after carefully sensing them, the strongest person he found wasn't even comparable to Rogue, let alone World.
Eight years had passed. World, possessing the More-More Fruit, couldn't possibly be this weak.
"Is he really not here??" Renault began to doubt his judgment more and more.
Could the reports really have been just a coincidence?!
"There's only one last zone left. Might as well finish searching it."
"Hmm?!!"
Renault, who had lost almost all hope, suddenly saw his eyes light up. Within the perception of his Observation Haki, on the largest island a few hundred meters ahead, there were many living auras.
One of them was the most powerful aura he had captured since arriving in this sea area.
Whether it was World or not, he couldn't be sure.
"Don't disappoint me."
The Golden Ark suddenly accelerated, creating a sonic boom in the air.
...
On the Island below.
"Wahahahaha... Boss! This guy Knicks really had a lot of good stuff!!"
"We found a whole ten million Berries on his pirate ship!!!"
"That's right! And his warehouse was full of fine wine!!"
"This is great! It's all ours now!!"
The pirates were bragging about their haul while drinking to their hearts' content.
"I think this place is pretty good too. Not much danger, and we can occasionally take out a few pirate crews. We don't have to worry about food or drink!!"
"Boss is wise!!"
The oblivious pirate minions were frantically sucking up to World.
ByrnJack, sitting to the side, glanced at them faintly but didn't say much.
"Wahahahaha... Don't worry, we won't be staying here for long. Once I..."
"Hmm?!!"
World, holding a bowl of wine, didn't finish his sentence. His gaze suddenly became sharp. He spun around abruptly, looking up into the empty sky.
"Brother, we have trouble!!"
He sensed an extremely powerful aura rapidly approaching their direction. The speed was getting faster and faster!
ByrnJack, who looked half-dead, struggled to sit up, his face solemn. "Could it be Rocks who found us??"
"Those guys really are persistent ghosts!!"
ByrnJack naturally assumed it was Rocks. With such a powerful aura, he didn't believe some random powerhouse was just passing by. Clearly, their location had been exposed.
"Don't worry, Brother. I won't let them hurt you."
World stood in front of ByrnJack, his muscles tensing, his cape billowing behind him without wind. His aura surged, ready to do battle with the intruder.
Seeing the situation turn sour, the pirate minions grabbed their weapons one by one, looking ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
However, none of them showed any fear on their faces.
In the few months they had been here, they had encountered at least six or seven pirate crews trying to kill them for their treasure, and all of them had been cleaned up by their Boss. They assumed this time would be the same. They just needed to cheer their Boss on.
Getting closer, Renault looked down from above at the pirates who were facing a great enemy. His gaze locked onto a single figure almost instantly.
Then, the corners of his mouth lifted into a satisfied arc.
"You didn't disappoint me after all. Hajrudin, time to work."
"Coming, Boss." Hajrudin swallowed the last bite of his apple and stood up. His aura changed instantly, becoming incredibly sharp and aggressive.
"Brother, it's not Rocks... It's Renault!!!"
When World saw the two figures walking down from the Golden Ark, he instantly tensed up.
His expression was graver than ever before.
He had considered many possibilities—maybe Rocks, maybe the Marines, or perhaps some great pirate. But he never expected him.
But he never expected that the person coming would be Renault.
"Now we're in trouble." ByrnJack's expression was no better than World's.
Their only interaction with Renault had been that conflict at the Sabaody Archipelago eight years ago. He wasn't naive enough to think Renault had come all this way just to make peace.
Some of the pirate underlings, who didn't recognize Renault, immediately brandished their swords and shouted arrogantly:
"Hehehehe... Two more fools with a death wish!!!"
"Boss, should we take care of them for you??"
"Boss, just give the order, and we'll wipe them out immediately!!"
These minions, emboldened by their leader's presence, had no idea of the dire situation they were facing.
"You bunch of idiots, shut your mouths!!!" ByrnJack shouted, his voice hoarse and strained.
Hearing his words, the pirates instantly fell silent, daring not to utter another sound.
Although ByrnJack had zero combat ability and was a sickly weakling riddled with disease, World listened to his brother almost unconditionally. Moreover, World was extremely protective and wouldn't tolerate anyone disrespecting his brother.
In the pirate crew, World was the captain in name, but sometimes, ByrnJack's words carried even more weight than World's.
"Renault!!"
World gritted his teeth, squeezing the name out with difficulty.
"I didn't expect you to still remember me, World."
Compared to the tense and high-strung World, Renault was much more calm and composed.
"Speak. What is your purpose for coming here??"
Renault's attitude made World one hundred percent certain: this guy was here specifically for him. The target was clear. This was absolutely not a chance encounter.
Although he didn't know how Renault had found this place, the reason didn't matter anymore.
"Relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. You don't need to be so nervous." Renault pressed his hand down, gesturing for World to calm down.
"Cough, cough... Since Your Excellency isn't here to cause trouble, then may I ask what your intention is??"
The sickly-looking ByrnJack slowly walked out from behind World.
His combat skills might be non-existent, but when it came to negotiation, he was worth two Worlds.
Renault glanced at the diminutive ByrnJack. This guy was both World's brother and his strategist. Usually, he was the one scheming and planning for World.
"My purpose here is simple. I want to recruit you to join my Renault Pirates."
Renault didn't waste time with nonsense and went straight to the point.
"Is that so??" ByrnJack showed no surprise on his face, as if he had already guessed it.
Since Renault wasn't here to attack them, their only value lay in his younger brother, World. Although World's strength might not have reached the very apex of the New World, he was at least a top-tier powerhouse.
"What did you say?? You want me to join you??"
In contrast to the calm ByrnJack, World exploded instantly upon hearing this.
Was he kidding?!
Setting aside the fact that they had a grudge against Renault—never mind that they couldn't get revenge—how could he possibly demean himself to join Renault's crew?
Besides, if he were willing to merge into another pirate crew, would he even be hiding here?? Wouldn't Rocks be much stronger than Renault?? Wouldn't joining the Rocks Pirates be a better choice??
"Impossible! Renault, stop dreaming!!"
"I haven't even settled the score from back then, and you want us to join your crew??"
ByrnJack surprisingly didn't refute World's immediate refusal. He essentially silently approved of his brother's stance.
"You refuse?!"
Seeing ByrnJack's lack of reaction, Renault looked at the two of them with a playful expression. ByrnJack's body was weak, but his stubborn personality was no less than World's.
"Brother, it's just the two of them."
World used his Observation Haki to scan the surroundings and found that aside from Renault and Hajrudin, there was no one else.
"Those two women aren't here??" Hearing that Linlin and Flame Flower weren't present, ByrnJack's expression relaxed slightly.
After all, those two women had verifiable battle records... one repelled Garp, the other fought Zephyr to a draw.
As for the reports about Renault, they were merely Marine speculations.
Renault, Captain of the Renault Pirates. Suspected master of Taijutsu and Haki. Strength unknown. Bounty: 1 Billion Berries.
As for Hajrudin, they only knew his name and race.
"Brother, what should we do?? Should we..." World leaned close to ByrnJack, lowering his voice.
According to common sense, the strongest person in a pirate crew was undoubtedly the captain. Renault's strength might be even higher than Linlin and Flame Flower.
But there were exceptions to everything.
To make them join another pirate crew and become someone else's subordinates—the two of them would rather die than submit. For freedom, they were willing to take a risk.
"Cough, cough..."
Accompanied by a fit of coughing, ByrnJack gave World a subtle look, signaling him not to act rashly yet.
Then he walked up to Renault and said in a hoarse voice:
"Renault, if we join your pirate crew, what benefits are there for us??"
"Will our future actions be restricted??"
"And do we need to..."
"Enough. Save it."
Before ByrnJack could finish his sentence, Renault waved his hand impatiently, cutting him off.
When he saw the subtle signals between the two just now, he had already abandoned the idea of recruitment. Keeping people like this around would be like keeping a ticking time bomb.
However, he wasn't disappointed. He had come with a "might as well try" attitude anyway. If it worked, great; if not, he'd send them on their way.
Although the system only had 50 Luck Points, meaning he didn't have a 100% guarantee that the More-More Fruit would respawn in front of him, looking at it now, even with a 50/50 chance, these two guys absolutely could not be left alive.
"Renault, what do you mean?!!"
Renault's attitude toward ByrnJack made World's face darken.
"Sigh..." ByrnJack let out a helpless sigh.
"Do it!!!"
The next second, he slammed his cane violently against the ground and shouted sharply.
World, who was already prepared, didn't say another word and charged directly at Renault.
"Renault! Today I'm settling the score from back then!!!"
"Boys! You go deal with Hajrudin!!!"
The pirate minions looked up at the twenty-meter-tall Hajrudin, their throats moving as they gulped nervously. But bowing to World's authority, they bit the bullet and charged.
"Brothers, let's attack together! We can kill him!!"
"Use the cannons! Blast him to death!!!"
"Where's my Gatling gun that spits blue fire?! Set it up!!"
Knowing he couldn't help in a fight, ByrnJack found a safe corner to hide and observed from the shadows.
"Renault, since you're the Captain, let me see your strength!!!"
Filled with extreme rage, World wore a ferocious expression. waving a fist covered in Haki, he closed in instantly.
Against an opponent like Renault, testing the waters was meaningless.
"To me, your only value is your More-More Fruit."
Renault snorted coldly and threw a punch to meet him head-on.
Bang!
The fists collided. However, it wasn't a stalemate of equal force. World felt an immense power surge through his fist and into his body.
Thud, thud, thud.Thud, thud, thud.
He was forced back uncontrollably for dozens of steps before he could stabilize himself. His right arm, now hanging by his side, was trembling ceaselessly.
One could see the whole leopard through a tube; a single exchange revealed the truth.
Even though he hadn't used his full strength in that punch, hadn't Renault done the same?? In fact, Renault looked even more relaxed and casual.
"Bastard... I'll fight you to the death!!!"
Knowing he had no way out, World erupted with all his power, letting out a roaring howl.
"More-More: 100x Gun!!!"
World applied his multiplication ability to the small stones on the ground as the shockwave launched them into the air. Then, he threw them directly.
In mid-flight, the stones suddenly grew 100 times larger, and their speed increased 100 times.
The giant boulders tore through the air like meteors, causing the atmosphere to hum and vibrate.
"Not bad, but not enough!"
"Soru!" (Shave)
Moving as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard, Renault shifted his position casually, easily dodging all of World's attacks.
"You..."
Seeing this, World's pupils contracted, and shock filled his heart. Fear gradually welled up in his eyes.
He had thought Renault was strong, but he never expected him to be this strong.
"I don't believe this shit!!"
"More-More: 100x Speed!!"
"Renault, let's see whose speed is faster!!"
Refusing to believe in defeat, World applied his Devil Fruit ability to his own body, increasing his speed by a full 100 times.
With his current strength, forcibly increasing his speed by 100 times consumed a massive amount of stamina. But staying alive was the priority!
"I don't believe you're faster than me!"
World, now boosted with 100x speed, became nothing but an afterimage. The naked eye couldn't track his movements or trajectory at all. Even ordinary Observation Haki would likely struggle to keep up with his speed.
"Die!!"
Seizing the opportunity, World closed in on Renault while shifting his position, aiming a punch straight at Renault's temple.