Ren finished his lottery draw, then put the items back into the Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum before pulling out a bottle of Invisibility Potion.
First of all, this was Keya's original hometown—too many people here still recognized Ren's face.
Second, after killing him, Shanks's whereabouts were unknown. Ren couldn't afford to make a big scene and attract attention.
He had to avoid being found and killed again by Shanks.
Sure, he still had one Totem of Undying left, but that didn't mean he could waste his last safety net so recklessly.
Lastly…Man cannot live without food.
In short—Ren decided to sneak into the Marine 16th Branch and, using the Invisibility Potion, grab himself a proper meal!
The process wasn't complicated. The 16th Branch had over a thousand marines.
After the Arlong incident, many marines had been lost, and new ones had been hastily recruited to fill the gaps.
Discipline was practically nonexistent—everyone there was obsessed with money.
Besides, the Marine personnel system was notoriously loose.
Even in Ace's story, he'd once disguised himself as a marine soldier and feasted freely inside a New World base.
Ren's approach was far more careful.
Using the Invisibility Potion, he snuck into the 16th Branch, stole a uniform, and even broke into the archives to fabricate an entirely new marine identity for himself.
Within two days, through a variety of clever measures, he had reduced the risk of exposure to almost zero.
Then, he began openly eating in the marine canteen every day—while secretly studying Phantom Wing Flight.
During this time, however…
The events of Loguetown had spread across the entire world. A special issue of the World Economic Journal shook the globe!
"Battle Between a Yonko and a Marine Admiral! Why Did Red-Haired Shanks Appear in the East Blue?!"
The report included a photograph taken by a newsbird that had risked its life to shoot from afar.
The once-vast sea had been turned into an endless field of frozen wasteland. The journalist had even drawn a small map: next to Loguetown, the sea was now covered by a massive white scar stretching over several island-sized areas—caused by Aokiji's power.
And corresponding to that,The sky above was torn open with an abyss-like rift—a wound in the heavens itself.
Beneath that rift, thousands of meters below, stood Red-Haired Shanks, gripping his sword Gryphon.
Facing him was Aokiji, cloaked in his Marine coat.
The article didn't include details of the battle between these two apex monsters—no reporter could possibly photograph such devastation.
So, the rest of the article was filled with pure speculation:Guesses about Yonko ambition, Marine response speed, and other conjectures.
After all, the only man who knew the truth—Smoker—was still in critical condition.
Even so, the story sent shockwaves through the 16th Branch. Marines everywhere were in awe of the Admiral's might.
But a dog can never stop eating filth.
Those same marines, after a few moments of admiration, immediately began scheming—wondering how they could use the Marine name to make more money.
Seventy percent of the branch was corrupt to the core.
The 16th Branch was completely rotten.
Its marines were either rats, wolves, or ghosts.
Any new recruits were either assimilated—or conveniently "lost at sea."
Unfortunately for them,Ren, the newest recruit, was a hard nut to crack—he refused to join their games and only focused on eating.
And he ate like a monster.
Enough for ten men.
That made the current base commander frown and put down the report in his hand.
"That guy, Yan, right? Only been here two days, already a nuisance. Clearly not the kind of seedling fit for the 16th Branch. Everyone here works together to make money, and he just eats all day."
"Eats a lot, works little. Assign him to field duty next week—get rid of him."
Colonel Ryan spoke with disgust. He hated those without "social sense."
Back when Captain Nezumi was still alive, Ryan had always been the one tasked with cleaning up recruits who didn't fit in. That was how he gained Nezumi's trust and, after Nezumi's death, managed to hold the branch's power for himself.
And now, he ruled it.
"Yes, sir."
His subordinate saluted, gathered the paperwork, and turned to leave.
The wind brushed his ear as he walked too fast—he glanced back nervously and met Ryan's irritated glare.
"What? You got a problem with disposing of him?"
"N-No, sir!"
The man quickly closed the door and hurried away.
He had no intention of becoming the next corpse on Ryan's climb to power.
"Tch. What nonsense."
Ryan frowned, pulling out a document from his drawer—an internal Marine report from Loguetown, sent via Communications Den Den Mushi fax.
It was marked "Confidential."
The report contained investigations into the sudden appearance of Yonko Shanks in the East Blue—something normally far beyond the clearance of a branch like the 16th.
But the situation was so bizarre that Marine Headquarters had mobilized every East Blue branch to investigate.
And so, Ryan had gotten his hands on one.
"Red-Haired Shanks clashed with Admiral Aokiji near Loguetown. Two days later, the Red Force reappeared—Beckman retrieved Shanks, while Yasopp sniped to prevent pursuit.
Reported directly by Admiral Aokiji.
On the third day, the Red-Haired Pirates' ship entered the Calm Belt—further pursuit impossible.
That afternoon, Mihawk—who had confronted Vice Admiral Garp—departed without fighting.
It is suspected Mihawk acted under Shanks's orders to delay Garp's arrival. Details unconfirmed.
Due to the Yonko's presence, East Blue's pirate activity has spiked. Headquarters orders all local branches to enter high alert."
Ryan flipped the page to the attached summary.
"Based on gathered intelligence: Shanks entered the East Blue for revenge.
The Demon Pirates attacked the 16th Branch, seized Arlong's treasure, then clashed with the Buggy Pirates near Mys Island—resulting in Buggy's death and his crew's collapse.
Headquarters confirmed that Buggy was once an apprentice on the Roger Pirates, a former crewmate of Shanks.
Survivors from the Buggy Pirates were later captured by the Don Krieg Pirates, leading to the Baratie incident. Mihawk was sighted at Baratie and soon departed.
Days later, the Demon Pirates appeared in Loguetown, where they encountered Shanks. Their captain—'Demon' Ren—was confirmed dead. His ship destroyed. Crew missing."
Ryan burst out laughing.
"Heh… hahahaha! What perfect timing! I don't regret leaking your name to the press, claiming you had a billion Beli fortune.
Wonderful, Ren—you're my lucky star. You killed Captain Nezumi, letting me rise. And now you've stirred up chaos everywhere—killing off the strong pirates and leaving only the weak. No more threats like the Arlong Pirates!
With the East Blue in chaos, it's the perfect chance to cash in!
I'll follow in Nezumi's footsteps, step by step—until I reach the very top! I'll be the most powerful man in the Marines!"
Ambition burned in his eyes as he laughed wildly.
"How should I thank you, Ren?"
"Simple. Use your head as the gift."
The sudden cold voice came from behind him.
Ryan's eyes widened. He tried to move—
—but a hand clamped down on his neck and smashed his head into the desk.
"What's wrong? Didn't you want to thank me? I'm right here."
Ren lifted the blood-covered colonel effortlessly, staring at him with mocking amusement.
"Y-You're Ren?! You were supposed to be dead!"
Ryan had never seen Ren's face—though he'd personally sent Keya's photo to Headquarters just yesterday.
He didn't care about dead men.
Headquarters only wanted Ren's photo because of his link to a Yonko.
But this man who had appeared out of thin air—speaking those words—could only be him.
"Demon… no, it's impossible… you should be dead…"
Ryan's mind was in chaos. How had this man deceived Shanks? And traveled from Loguetown to here in less than five days?
Before he could answer his own question, the hand around his neck tightened—his skull creaked under the crushing force.
"W-Wait! We can talk! You faked your death to survive, right? I can help cover—ahhh!"
The scream was cut short as Ren's fingers sank into his skull.
Ryan sobbed, spilling every secret he knew—confessions, crimes, bribes, betrayals.
Even Ren was surprised at how deep the corruption ran.
Finally, Ren dropped him back into his chair.
"You want to live?"
"Y-Yes!"
Ryan forced a trembling smile—but froze at Ren's next words.
"Then write down everything you just said—and fax it to Marine Headquarters."
Ren smiled thinly as three hiltless blades from the Cursed Blade Thousand Edge hovered at Ryan's throat.
"Understand something: whether you die now or later, you die all the same. Might as well buy yourself a few more minutes."
"Y-You'll gain nothing from this!" Ryan trembled.
If that report reached HQ, ninety percent of the branch would be condemned by the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
"Why bother with this? The East Blue's already in chaos! You could hide, rebuild, sail again—but now you're drawing all eyes to us! You'll die too!"
Ren leaned back in the chair, smiling.
"The East Blue in chaos—what does that have to do with me?"
His eyes were cold as ice.
"Tell me, Colonel Ryan—what do you think matters more to me? The truth… or survival?"
"The truth?"
Ryan clenched his teeth.
"Wrong." Ren shook his head.
"Then survival? We can talk—"
"Wrong again."
"Then what?!" Ryan screamed. "You've only given two options!"
"The destruction of your 16th Branch—" Ren's gaze sharpened. "That's what matters."
He wasn't just talking about killing people—he meant purging the rot, exposing the crimes, cleansing the East Blue's filth.
Keya deserved closure. Cocoyasi Village deserved closure.
The truth of the Arlong incident needed closure.
And all of it… was part of Ren's greater plan—
—to pave the way for the Warlord of the Sea title.
"Madman! You're insane!"
Ren ignored his screams, flicking his finger.
The blades drew a red line across Ryan's neck, silencing him instantly.
"You've got ten minutes," Ren said coldly. "Fail, and your head rolls."
Faced with death, the greed-ridden colonel finally chose to live.
He hoped he could later claim he'd been coerced.
He tried to lie, of course—but Ren, already knowing the truth of the branch, exposed him instantly.
Three fingers later, the confession and all evidence of the 16th Branch and Captain Nezumi's crimes were transmitted straight to Marine Headquarters.
Meanwhile, outside the island—
A dog-headed warship emerged on the horizon, heading for the 16th Branch.
"Vice Admiral Garp, coming here without notice… isn't this against regulations?" said Bogard helplessly.
"If we warned them first, we wouldn't see anything worth seeing, would we?"
Garp laughed heartily, his tone both firm and cold.
He was old now, yes—but that didn't mean he'd turned blind.
He hadn't been able to fix the things he hated in his youth. He'd turned a blind eye for peace.
But if he couldn't even crush one corrupt branch in the East Blue—
Then what right did he have to call himself a hero?
Staring toward the distant island's pointed silhouette, Garp murmured,
"I don't want to be questioned by the next generation again, Bogard."
(End of Chapter)