Yayoi and July had both become Oni, and by extension, members of the Hyakuki-yaku. Anyone who joined the Hyakuki-yaku was automatically given a title related to their abilities.
July's codename was now "Ryu-Oni" (Dragon Demon), while Yayoi's was "Karasu" (Raven).
"I intended for them to join the Fatui, but it seems they've ended up in the Hyakuki-yaku instead," Yukiko said with a laugh.
"There's no conflict in that," Ren said. "The Hyakuki-yaku are essentially being cultivated as mid-tier combat forces, part of the Fatui's vanguard. The Fatui's Harbingers naturally need subordinates, and these Oni are a perfect fit."
The status of the Hyakuki-yaku was comparable to the Shinuchi in the Beasts Pirates.
Among the Hyakuki-yaku, there were also the Oni Kings, whose rank was equivalent to the Tobi Roppo. Ren felt that while it might be difficult for Yayoi and July to become Fatui Harbingers, they could certainly rise to the rank of Oni King.
Because of the plan to establish the Hyakuki-yaku, the vast stockpile of Zoan-type Devil Fruits that Kurozumi Orochi had collected finally had a purpose. They had already been brought back from Onigashima to Ren's side.
The Hyakuki-yaku now had twenty-five members, and they still had a large number of remaining Zoan Fruits. Becoming a member of the Hyakuki-yaku depended on one's strength; it wasn't worth wasting a Fruit on someone without the ability or potential.
"We're almost there," Yukiko said, standing at the bow. In the distance, an island looked like a small black dot, and the sailors on the deck began to bustle with activity.
Ren saw Kurozumi Semimaru waiting at the dock. Once the Death Star had docked, they began to unload the cargo.
Hundreds of Ruin Guards were brought down. The machines weren't activated yet, but once a war broke out, they would be the perfect weapon for clearing out foot soldiers.
"Lord Ren!" Semimaru approached them, trembling slightly. To Ren's surprise, Kawamatsu was also there.
"The volume of weapons trades has been shrinking lately," Semimaru explained. "To prepare for a possible war, we need to be well-armed ourselves, and other sellers are holding back, unwilling to get involved in the conflict between the Golden Lion and us."
Because of this, Kawamatsu had indeed been quite idle recently.
"What's the situation with the Golden Lion's side?"
"According to our informants, Shiki the Golden Lion has been expanding his forces recently," Semimaru said. "He's recruiting many pirates who have just entered the New World. It looks like he's planning something big."
"Does he want to be the next Rocks D. Xebec?" Ren couldn't help but think after hearing the news. This man's ambition was immense. He had no interest in becoming the Pirate King, but he was very interested in becoming the King of the World, making him a kindred spirit to Rocks.
But then, there was nothing wrong with that. Compared to the vague title of Pirate King, King of the World was obviously far more appealing.
In truth, in this current era, the concept of the Pirate King barely existed. It was only after Roger became the first Pirate King that the title became the goal that pirates across the seas chased.
However, he became the Pirate King simply because he found the true end of the Grand Line. In terms of that achievement, he should probably be called the King of Adventures instead.
"Although he's doing the same things that Rocks did, it seems that true powerhouses aren't very willing to follow him," Kawamatsu said with a laugh.
"Of course. Even Rocks was only able to gather those people because he recruited them before they had fully grown up," Ren said.
Take Whitebeard, for example. He was already a crew member of Rocks when he was young, which was why he had stayed on Rocks' ship for so many years.
If the Whitebeard of today had encountered the old Rocks, he would definitely never have joined his crew.
For Shiki to expand his power, he couldn't recruit the established veterans; he would have to look to the new generation. Whether it was Rocks, Shiki, or the future Emperors, they all paid special attention to the Supernovas.
Although they seemed weak and arrogant upon entering the New World, they had potential for growth.
"With all this commotion and so many of them, they would be a real handful if they took action. We still have plenty of time to prepare," Yukiko said. "Semimaru, hurry back to Wano Country. We can handle things here."
Semimaru nodded, preparing to return when he could.
But first, he needed to get everything in order here.
"We currently occupy five islands. Besides the troops we've recruited, there are also many civilians living on them. Should we have them leave before the fighting begins?"
"No, have them stay. With the current state of the sea, it's even more dangerous to be out on the water," Ren said. He held up a map of the five islands. "Have all the civilians move to the central island. Try your best to prevent the battle from spreading to them. I'll wrap the eastern, southern, and western islands in thunderstorms. We'll use the northern island as the battlefield."
It was a rather unfortunate necessity to use one's own occupied islands as a battlefield, and the main reason was the enemy: Shiki.
If it were an ordinary enemy, Ren might have just launched a solo raid long ago. But after Rocks' fall, Shiki had formed the Flying Pirates, occupying the skies. They were impossible to find and incredibly troublesome.
"Still, if you can create a powerful thunderstorm, even Shiki the Golden Lion probably won't be able to break through it," Kawamatsu said. He hadn't seen the strength of a great pirate like Shiki with his own eyes, but he had encountered many powerful individuals recently. It was true that there was always someone stronger beyond the seas.
"Who knows? I'm more afraid he'll just smash an island at me..." Ren shook his head, saying something terrifying.
"S-smash an island... directly at us?" July, who was listening nearby, was stunned. Such power was unheard of. Was it really possible to lift an entire island?
"It's not impossible," Yukiko said. "Lord Ren himself demonstrated the ability to move an island with Ame no Murakumo. That Shiki, I believe, has the Float-Float Fruit, so he would find it even easier in that regard."
She hadn't wasted her time on the Death Star studying Shiki and other powerful figures in the sea.
The power to move islands, the power to shatter islands, the power to slice islands...
This was the strength of the monsters in this great sea!
"I still have a long way to go..." Yukiko sighed, feeling that her own strength was falling behind. But in reality, her current level of skill already made her a formidable fighter in the sea.
"Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten to report something," Semimaru said, as if remembering something suddenly. He turned around and pulled out a snow-white fruit.
"This is a Logia-type—the Snow-Snow Fruit."
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I'm going to skip the fancy pitch this time and just be straight with you.
Things are tough right now. The recent mass cancellations hit harder than I expected, and I'm genuinely struggling to keep my head above water financially. Translation is my main income — not a side hobby — and when a big wave of cancellations lands at once, it hurts in a very real way.
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