"Roar——"
Crown Island.
A thunderous roar shook the skies, echoing across the land and sending countless rare beasts into panic.
"Brush…" A pair of massive golden horns were hurled by Ren.
His body once again shifted—becoming a majestic fire dragon wreathed in blazing flames.
His piercing eyes gleamed with a hint of madness. "Let's see if you can bring me a surprise…"
"Brush…"
The beast's bloody maw opened wide, revealing rows of ferocious fangs.
Ren seized the golden horns and a bit down hard.
"Bang… Bang…"
Under Karina's stunned gaze, the horns—supposedly as unbreakable as steel—were shattered effortlessly by the dragon's jaws.
In mere moments, they were crushed and swallowed whole.
"Roar——" Suddenly, the massive crimson beast bellowed.
Its roar carried both agony and defiance, as though locked in battle with itself.
A pair of copper-bell eyes glowed with an eerie green light.
Its already immense frame swelled further, growing to titanic proportions.
Though still smaller than the colossal Sea Kings, its body rivaled that of giants, radiating explosive, terrifying power.
Its thick limbs planted firmly, like pillars holding up the heavens.
The aura was violent, overwhelming—an unmatched deterrence.
The Dragon Horns upon its head, once ordinary Dragon horns, now gleamed with divine brilliance.
They had transformed into indestructible Dragon Horns, dazzling in pure gold.
They shone with a metallic luster so radiant that none could look away.
"It's truly a power that drives one mad…"
Ren, now monstrously huge and transformed into a blazing dragon, roared.
An uncontrollable urge for destruction surged within him.
His eyes, veined with blood and glowing a fierce green, radiated murderous intent—terrifying yet mesmerizing.
In the next instant, traces of perseverance, paranoia, defiance, and madness flickered across his gaze.
The beast's will clawed at his mind, urging him to slaughter and devastate everything in sight.
"Ren——!"
From a distance, Karina's voice trembled with worry.
But Ren, consumed by destructive desire, gave her no response.
"Boom… boom…" The earth cracked beneath his colossal weight, smoke and dust billowing skyward.
The massive crimson figure streaked forward like a torrent of fire.
In Carina's disbelieving eyes, a mountain hundred of meters tall was smashed apart without mercy.
Boulders tumbled, the land quaked—an awe-inspiring, terrifying sight.
"Roar——"
Upon the shattered peak, the flame-clad dragon stood tall.
Ren's eyes blazed with stubborn resolve as he roared: "A mere pair of horns dares to sway my will? Begone!!!"
"Crack… crack…"
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him.
Across Crown Island, countless rare beasts collapsed—eyes rolling white, foaming at the mouth, fainting under the crushing pressure.
Even fish, shrimp, and sea creatures in the surrounding waters surfaced lifelessly, stunned by the overwhelming force.
Sea Kings lurking in the depths trembled, fleeing in panic.
Carina, already fragile compared to Ren's monstrous aura, could not withstand the impact.
Her consciousness faded, and she collapsed where she stood.
"Roar—Roar——"
The violent flame dragon bellowed, its thunderous cry deafening.
Its titanic body dwarfed even giants, wreathed in fire.
With a surge of power, it ascended, tearing through the sky.
Bathed in flames, it soared upward, lightning-fast, thunder-strong, unstoppable.
"Woo-ho-ho…"
In an instant, rolling heat waves spread outward.
Violent hurricanes erupted, sweeping across the land and sea.
It had already climbed to an altitude of hundreds, even thousands of meters.
"Roar——"
A colossal dragon, majestic and terrifying, loomed high in the sky.
Ferocious and intimidating, it opened its blood-red maw.
"Buzz~~Buzz~~"
Blinding light began to gather within.
"Call out——"
In an instant, a thunderous roar split the heavens.
A dazzling shockwave erupted, piercing the atmosphere and blasting downward.
"Boom…"
The ground quaked violently.
On the far side of Crown Island, a towering mountain peak was obliterated in a single strike.
The shockwave expanded into a massive, radiant hemisphere, impossible to look at directly.
It spread outward, crashing in all directions.
"Boom… boom…"
Smoke and dust surged skyward.
Within moments, an area spanning several hundred meters was reduced to scorched ruins.
Rare beasts caught in the blast were annihilated without mercy.
The devastation was indescribable.
"Roar!"
The fire dragon bellowed again.
Its golden antlers blazed with radiant light.
"Call out——"
A brilliant laser beam shot forth.
It struck a hillside barely ten meters high.
"Boom boom…"
The explosion thundered, unleashing a wave of searing heat.
The blast reduced the hill to rubble in an instant—erased from existence.
The display was overwhelming.
"Is this the true power of the Golden Horn, passed down through generations on Crown Island?"
The words echoed beneath the darkening sky.
The crimson figure, bathed in firelight, blazed like a second sun—dazzling and overwhelming.
Ren, transformed into a colossal dragon, gazed down at the ruined island below, shattered beyond recognition by his own hand. "Not only can it unleash lasers and massive shockwaves… but my strength has been enhanced in every aspect."
The surge of power coursing through his body filled him with indescribable exhilaration.
Though the force he had absorbed was violent, he now wielded it with perfect control, bending it to his will without suffering backlash.
"Indeed… the worth of a treasure depends entirely on whose hands it rests in."
"Call…"
Descending from the sky, flames trailing behind him, Ren's massive dragon form landed upon the scorched earth.
His gaze fell upon Carina, lying unconscious nearby—felled by the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki he had released earlier.
Her breathing was steady. Relief flickered across his eyes.
"Brush…"
The immense beast's body began to shrink, scales and fire receding.
In moments, Ren stood once more in human form.
"Ha… just as I thought. The golden horns and the power of the mythical species—the dragon form—have fused perfectly."
He touched his head, finding no horns had grown.
Feeling the surging energy within, Ren smiled with satisfaction.
Even if, like Hundred Beast's Kaido, he were to sprout horns in human form, he would not mind.
Strength always demanded a price.
"Brush…"
He stepped forward.
In an instant, his figure vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared dozens of meters away, before a towering mountain.
Even Armament Haki would be useless against what he intended.
His right fist clenched, veins bulging.
With a roar of power, he drove his punch directly into the mountain.
"Boom!!"
A deafening blast resounded.
The mountains, hundreds of meters tall, groaned under the force, trembling as if in agony.
"Click… click…" Spiderweb cracks spread rapidly across the rock face.
The peaks fractured, then collapsed in a thunderous cascade.
Smoke and dust surged upward, cloaking the ruins in chaos.
The once-mighty mountain was reduced to rubble.
The destruction was overwhelming—enough to make the scalp crawl.
"Ha… compared to before, my body feels completely different. To wield such unparalleled strength even in human form…"
Ren's lips curled into an exhilarated smile.
The transformation brought by the mysterious golden horns was staggering.
Not only had they granted him the ability to unleash laser cannons and shockwaves, but they had amplified his raw might to terrifying levels.
Even without Armament Haki or Conqueror's reinforcement, his sheer physical power alone now eclipsed the legendary ancient giants.
He clenched his fists, veins bulging, his spirit burning with pride.
Eyes fixed on the distant horizon, he declared with fierce resolve:
"Next… through relentless training and brutal battles, I'll push my Haki to even greater heights!"