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Chapter 4
As his muscles swelled, haki—though still new to him—began to seep into the Murakumogiri, the supreme grade naginata he held.
Amazed, Ren stared at the weapon now shimmering with a deep, lustrous black.
Though the former Ren had trained Armament Haki, he'd never gone beyond the beginner's stage. But now, something inside him was awakening—his body felt heavier, sharper, stronger.
Then, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
"Whitebeard's Buccaneer Body has been drawn.
The Mythical Zoan Fruit has been stored in the system Subspace.
You only need to think of the Subspace and it will appear before you."
Ren exhaled slowly. "So that's what this ability's for... a storage space, huh? That'll make things easier."
With renewed focus, he bent his knees and launched upward. A single green spark flickered across the edge of his naginata before he swung it down at Blackbeard, who covered his fists in swirling darkness.
"You bastard! Why now?!" Blackbeard roared, leaping to meet him. "You've ruined my plans long enough!"
The two clashed midair—lightning, debris, and raw force erupting outward as Marineford trembled beneath them.
"Wow... to think they hid this much strength," Marco muttered, watching from afar as he retreated.
"I knew he was strong," Diamond Jozu replied beside him, "pops told me to look after him since he wanted to go low, but to think he is this strong."
A scream split the air.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Blackbeard staggered back, rolling across the shattered ground in agony, clutching his chest as blood spilled from a deep gash running from shoulder to waist.
Ren landed hard, wiping the blood from his lips from an earlier hit. Thankfully, the system had integrated Whitebeard's monstrous physique just in time.
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Ren laughed, eyes locked on Blackbeard writhing on the ground.
Still groaning, Blackbeard barked an order to his crew. They rushed to cover Whitebeard's body with a black cloth, grinning from ear to ear. The battlefield fell eerily silent as everyone watched.
Minutes passed. Then, Blackbeard emerged from the cloth, laughing wildly.
"Zehahahahahahahaha! It worked! The reign of the Blackbeard Pirates begins now!"
Turning toward Ren, his grin widened. "You've caused me enough trouble. If you're not joining my crew—then you'll die here!"
Ren didn't flinch. He took a firm sumo stance, channeling Armament Haki through every inch of his body. His muscles tightened, veins pulsed, and the air around him crackled.
"Boom!" The ground split beneath him as the sea surged upward like a mountain.
"Zehahahaha! To think you could withstand that!" Blackbeard shouted, grinning through blood. "You really hid yourself well, Ren!"
"Even ten of those wouldn't be enough to bring me down," Ren replied calmly.
"That makes me want you even more in my crew! Zehahahaha!"
As their powers clashed, Ren's mind raced. His body could handle it, but his focus wavered. Suddenly his mind went to a YouTube reel, about the human body's true strength being limited only by the mind.
That realization struck him like lightning.
He wasn't limited anymore. He had the Giant Physique.
Closing his eyes, Ren channeled everything—every ounce of will and power—into the Murakumogiri.
When he swung, the air itself split apart.
Seeing this, Blackbeard raised both hands, darkness swirling violently around them, and met Ren's strike head-on.
"Boommmm!!!"
The collision shattered the ruins of Marineford. Blackbeard was sent hurtling backward, crashing into Sanjuan Wolf, the giant of his crew, as both plunged into the sea.
Ren, battered and broken, was slammed deep into the ground, the shockwave flattening what remained of the plaza.
The Blackbeard Pirates scrambled to rescue their captain.
"It seems... they're not who we know them to be.," Marco muttered as he and the others pulled Ren from the crater.
Ren climbed out, barely standing, covered in dust and blood. His eyes burned—not with rage, but resolve.
"This is the end of my stay with the Whitebeard crew," he said quietly. "I'm going to form my own pirate crew."
Marco stared at him, wide-eyed. "why Ren" concern shown in his eye.
"Nothing, Dad as already announced the end of whitebeard crew" Ren answered
"This war's already lost," Ren interrupted. "Look at our men. How many lives are we losing every second?"
They turned, watching the battlefield—the cries, the smoke, the fallen.
"Even if we agreed with you," Marco said, "how do we stop the war now?"
Ren smiled faintly. "We might've lost... but we've shown both Blackbeard and the Marines that the Whitebeard Pirates are not to be taken lightly."
He paused, looking toward the chaos.
"If any of you still want to fight, go ahead. As for escape... leave that to me."
(Apparently, the Whitebeard pirates were on the opposite side of the Marineford that Whitebeard had split apart, while the Marines and Blackbeard's crew fought on the other.)
Ren raised his voice, haki lacing his words:
> "To the Whitebeard Pirates inside the first wall—look up! You'll see Marco the Phoenix! Retreat in his direction! When you see the signal, jump toward any ship within sight!"
His voice echoed across the entire battlefield, cutting through gunfire and screams.
Vista and Marco exchanged a nod. The signal had been given.
It was time to move.