Days folded into one another beneath the ocean's filtered light, and Ren remained within the coral embrace of Ryugu Palace. He trained in the open courtyards at dawn, the hum of circulating water whispering against shell pillars while guards watched in quiet awe.
In the afternoons, he would sit beside Shirahoshi and tell her stories of the surface world—of skies that burned orange at sunset, of islands shaped like crowns, of snow that fell like drifting feathers. Sometimes he transformed mid-story, becoming a winged giant or a grumpy Sea King king, just to make her laugh.
Her laughter carried like silver bells through the halls, dissolving tension that had lingered in the kingdom for years. Even the sternest guards found themselves smiling when Ren turned into an exaggerated caricature of Neptune and pretended to demand extra desserts.
"Again!" Shirahoshi would plead, her massive pink tail swishing excitedly. "Tell the one about the island that floats!"
Ren would chuckle, leaning back against a coral column. "Skypiea. An island in the sky. Clouds beneath your feet."
"Clouds are soft?" she asked curiously.
"Soft enough to sleep on," Ren replied with a teasing smile. "But only if you're brave enough to climb high."
At noon, however, the tone shifted. Ren would don a body bubble coating and leave the palace alone, drifting upward through currents that shimmered with scattered light. His clones had already scouted the deep routes beyond the island's safe perimeter.
The Sea Kings here were nothing like the ones he hunted in the Calm Belt. These creatures were titanic, their shadows swallowing entire reefs, their roars echoing like underwater thunder.
Ren welcomed the challenge.
His staff extended with golden radiance as a monstrous serpent lunged, jaws wide enough to devour ships whole. The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the sea, scattering smaller fish for miles.
"Come then," Ren murmured calmly, eyes sharp. "You are food, nothing more."
Each day he hunted ten to twenty Sea Kings, methodical and relentless. The corpses dissolved into swirling motes of green as he activated Devour, absorbing vitality into the stomach-space within him.
The reservoir of Green energy swelled until it pressed against its limits. Then something changed.
Compression began naturally, as if the energy itself refused to remain crude. The bright green darkened, condensed, refined—until it became Azure Dark Green, dense as compressed sunlight beneath the sea.
Ren exhaled slowly as the transformation completed. "So this is the next stage."
The power pulsed through his veins like liquid lightning, multiplying his growth severalfold. Every movement became sharper, every thought clearer, every breath heavier with contained force.
Far away, on Rusukaina Island, someone else felt it.
Hancock paused mid-strike, her heel hovering inches from Rayleigh's blade. Her eyes narrowed slightly as a familiar current brushed against her senses.
"So you've grown again," she whispered under her breath.
Rayleigh raised a brow. "Hmm? Lost focus, Empress?"
She answered by attacking.
Rayleigh sighed, parrying smoothly. "Troublesome kids, not letting an old man live in peace."
But then he felt it. The pressure around Hancock shifted, thickened, sharpened like a blade drawn across whetstone.
She came forward with renewed intensity, her leg coated in Conqueror's Haki. Rayleigh swung his sword instinctively. Their weapons never touched.
The ground beneath them split violently, and the sky above cracked with black lightning.
Rayleigh retreated several steps, wiping sweat from his brow. "Damn monsters. What kind of bullshit logic is this?" he muttered. "Can taking a Conqueror's infusion attack one time make you learn it? Why the hell did Roger and I waste months mastering this nonsense?"
Hancock didn't answer. She charged again, eyes blazing with pride.
Rayleigh barely blocked, his composure unraveling. "What kind of era is this?" he groaned. "I just wanted a quiet retirement."
Meanwhile, beneath the sea, Ren completed another hunt.
He returned to the palace as the Azure Dark Green energy churned quietly within him, controlled but immense. Servants bowed respectfully as he passed, their initial suspicion long replaced by cautious admiration.
In the training courtyard, Shirahoshi was waiting.
She clutched a trident nearly as tall as a tower, attempting to mimic Ren's stance. Even at four years old, she was four to five meters tall, her enormous frame dwarfing him. He looked like a small doll beside her fin.
Ren blinked once, then grinned. "Is that my student?"
She puffed her cheeks. "I'm practicing!"
With a ripple of golden light, Ren expanded his size to match hers. The sudden change made her gasp before bursting into laughter.
"You got bigger!" she squealed.
"Fair training requires equal height," Ren replied seriously, though his eyes twinkled.
He plucked two hairs from his head. One transformed into his staff, the other into a smaller trident. He handed the trident to her and spun his staff fluidly.
"Watch carefully," he instructed. "Balance first. Then movement."
Shirahoshi mimicked him earnestly, her enormous arms surprisingly precise. Ren observed from the corner of his eye, noticing how naturally she copied complex patterns.
After a few rotations, he stepped closer. "Hey, Shirahoshi. Do you want to be strong? Why are you training so much?"
She paused, thinking seriously. "There is nothing to do… and if I become stronger, I can beat up bad guys."
Her tone was childish, but the resolve beneath it was unmistakable.
Ren laughed softly. "That's a good reason."
He placed his palm gently against her arm. The Azure Dark Green energy flowed outward, warm and steady, linking their reserves just as he had done with Hancock.
A new connection formed—subtle but constant.
Shirahoshi gasped. "It's warm!"
"It won't hurt," Ren assured her. "Think of it as sunlight in your body."
She flexed experimentally, eyes widening. "I'm not tired anymore!"
"That's because your stamina is being supported," Ren explained calmly. "But don't rely on it blindly. Strength without control is dangerous."
She nodded solemnly before resuming her practice with even greater enthusiasm.
Ren watched quietly, sensing her potential. Ancient. Vast. Sleeping beneath innocence.
He leaned his staff against his shoulder, Azure energy humming faintly within him. The ocean currents shifted subtly, as though acknowledging the silent changes underway.
Above them, the world continued to stir.
Below, a princess trained with a human who refused to hate her kind.
And somewhere between azure tides and cracked skies, a new era was sharpening its blade.