When she had no way to resist, this was the thing Hancock was most skilled at doing.
Ren could not be the one in the wrong, so it could only be her own fault.
Teach, who had also been caught in the aftermath, turned pale and raised both hands. Black gas coiled around his arms as he almost instinctively entered a defensive stance.
Conqueror's Haki!? How can it be at this level!? Even when Pops gets angry, it's only about this level...
Teach was incredulous at the intensity of the other party's Conqueror's Haki. Precisely because he had seen enough of the world, he understood what this level of pressure represented.
This guy is only nineteen, right? He hasn't even reached the level of some truly great career, so why does he have this kind of spirit!?
No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand. As his scalp tingled, he secretly prepared to use his ability the moment anything went wrong.
An unexpected direction of development. Conqueror's Haki... are you also aiming for the world?
And is he a monster whose growth speed exceeds all standards?
A guy with even more talent than a Yonko... What a shame he isn't a swordsman.
A strange glint flashed through Mihawk's eyes. His expression remained calm as he said, "That's enough. Any further, and it will become provocation."
The moment his words fell, the pressure of Conqueror's Haki receded like the tide.
Ren sat lazily in his seat and shrugged. "I was only trying to stop them in the first place. If that counts as provocation, then the Marines' breadth of mind amounts to only that much."
At this point, he turned his head toward Sengoku. "Right, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
"As long as it does not happen on the battlefield, it does not matter."
Sengoku nodded. "But I really should thank you, Mr. Ren."
At this point, he looked toward the cold and arrogant Hancock, then toward the disheveled Teach.
"That ends here, Hancock. The Marines will provide a batch of supplies as compensation.
"Teach, I approve the purpose you came here for this time. But during the war, you must show results!"
He used different methods to resolve matters with different parties, and at first glance, it did not look particularly fair. Generally speaking, that would only cause even greater trouble.
But the Marines were, after all, the side with the biggest fist. In a certain sense, what he said was what went.
"Hmph!"
Hancock disdainfully twisted her waist and sat back down. The supplies she had obtained soothed her somewhat irritable mood.
"Zehahahaha, that's not bad either."
Teach did not say much. He laughed awkwardly twice and returned to his seat.
To this ambitious schemer, what had just happened was nothing.
On the contrary, one could say he had gained something from it.
It seems someone really did ignore Hancock's petrification. Otherwise, that woman wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
But the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia clearly recorded that the petrification of the Sweet-Sweet Fruit cannot even be undone by advanced Armament Haki. So why would there be an exception?
Or is there someone who can ignore Hancock's beauty?
On the surface, Teach put on a displeased look while suppressing himself. Internally, he was summarizing the intelligence he had gathered.
And that guy too. Demon Ren. That Conqueror's Haki just now was terrifying. Is that really something a nineteen-year-old can do?
Where did that kind of spirit and pressure come from? It was practically the same as when Pops gets angry.
Better give up for now. After I get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and become stronger, I'll find another chance to deal with him.
Maybe his Devil Fruit ability can be my third fruit...
Blackbeard carried out his own calculations.
Meanwhile, Sengoku was also paying attention to Ren, who had just revealed his strength.
He has become stronger. Terrifyingly strong. If he has mastered that technique... then he may very well become the next Yonko.
No. If he no longer had the restriction of his Warlord status, then at his age, he would definitely become the next Yonko—even the Whitebeard of the next era!
And judging by this intensity, he has definitely done far more in secret than what is known on the surface.
Did he interfere in the Sabaody Archipelago incident?
Sengoku was experienced in the end. From the intensity of that Conqueror's Haki pressure just now, he had inferred certain things.
Conqueror's Haki could not be improved through training. Only when one's spirit rose would the intensity of their Conqueror's Haki pressure increase.
And while "spirit" sounded like something vague and intangible, if one were to give it a concrete standard...
It was that the greater the deed one accomplished, and the more successful that deed was, the greater one's spirit became.
Theft made one a thief. Robbery made one a villain. Murder made one a criminal. Destroying a town made one a ruthless thug. Slaughtering an island made one a truly vicious monster.
But destroying a nation made one a hero of an age.
This rough logic of classification was the basis of Sengoku's judgment.
In other words, Conqueror's Haki of this intensity could not have appeared out of thin air. There had to be a corresponding major event behind it.
However... the major events recorded in Ren's file did not match the number Sengoku had inferred.
Add in the fact that this man already had a habit of acting in secret.
During the Dressrosa incident, the combat power and abilities displayed by the Demon Pirates had outpaced the newest intelligence in the Marines' hands by at least two version updates!
That made Sengoku begin to suspect whether the Sabaody Archipelago incident that had occurred not long ago had involved Ren's hand.
The results of the investigation into that incident showed that the Revolutionary Army had taken action.
An unknown powerhouse with absolutely no records had made a move and abducted two World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
Dragon personally arrived and fought Kizaru. Afterward, he retreated unscathed, and the Admiral's pursuit yielded no results.
The World Government believed it was a fierce retaliatory strike from the Revolutionary Army, and that they had kidnapped Celestial Dragons in order to achieve some objective.
Because of this, the Cipher Pol agencies and a portion of the Marines were currently frantically investigating traces of the matter.
After all, Saint Rosward, who had returned to Mary Geoise, was applying pressure like a madman.
Therefore, in theory, this was an attack planned by the Revolutionary Army.
However, Sengoku, who had read through the materials, had noticed one thing: the three Supernovas who had also been inside the venue at the time had not appeared again.
No bodies, no living people.
He believed it was impossible that the Revolutionary Army had taken them away, because Kid and Killer in particular were far too vicious toward civilians.
Absorbing them was impossible. If they had killed them and taken their corpses, then how could the others be explained?
Sengoku had sniffed out something wrong. He inferred that there was a third party involved, perhaps even more than one third party.
Because while tracking down clues, they had also discovered that Dark King Rayleigh had appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago.
And the Demon Pirates, who had always acted in secrecy and with extreme planning, entered Sengoku's list of suspects.
Of course, this was only suspicion, not certainty.
Even a strategist could not infer the truth out of thin air without key clues.
In any case, Demon Ren was an individual who had to be taken seriously.
What a shame...
A trace of regret flashed through Sengoku's eyes. At the same time, Marines who came in from outside carried away the unconscious Marine officers.
This time, no new guards came in. The conference room remained very quiet, though some people still could not bear the loneliness and began to act.
"Beautiful lady, may we get to know—"
Cavendish tried to use his earlier intervention as an opportunity to speak with Hancock.
However...
"Get lost!"
Hancock ended the conversation in the simplest way possible.
Cavendish's face darkened. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Sengoku's bone-chilling gaze turn toward him.
"Do not cause trouble. I already have enough problems."
"All right, all right."
Cavendish curled his lip and gave up on the idea. After all, he also had to be careful not to cause any issues with Ren's plan.
Ren had said that after this operation, the favor between them would be considered settled, and the originally agreed-upon time would no longer be necessary.
He could join more formally, or he could go off on his own adventures.
It was precisely because of this reason and explanation that Cavendish was very willing to abandon the title of Warlord he carried.
Urouge did not speak. He merely stole glances at his captain.
The head has become even stronger. It seems I am falling somewhat behind... Looks like my training is still insufficient.
Compared to Cavendish, who was obsessed with fame, Urouge appeared extremely loyal. After all, he followed Ren as though Ren were a god of Skypiea.
At this moment, Ren suddenly said, "Stop staring. If there's anything you want to ask, you can ask directly—Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"This old man is only surprised, that is all. Your age."
Sengoku did not conceal his scrutiny, and even found a suitable reason for it.
Indeed, as the only Warlord who was excessively young, Ren was just as eye-catching as Hancock.
"Zehahaha, I find it strange too."
Teach struck again, wanting to understand his future enemy. "Your records say you're only nineteen, and you really do look it.
"If it were under ordinary circumstances, I'd have underestimated you. But you fought Kaido and even left a memento on him. Can you tell us how you became so strong?
"When I was nineteen, I was still a small fry who could be crushed by anyone."
He first praised the other party, then belittled himself, elevating the other person while giving them a chance to show off.
This was probably Blackbeard's skill in conversation.
Ren glanced at him and said coldly, "Was I talking to you?"
Teach's giggling expression stiffened. He suffered another setback, but still did not dare lose his temper.
Damn it. Why did it feel like everyone here could step on him twice?
But as an ambitious schemer, Teach still did not act impulsively. Mainly because he did not have confidence in facing an opponent capable of making Kaido suffer.
"Can we not start another conflict?"
Sengoku frowned slightly. "This old man is only curious as well. The Warlords and the Marines are cooperative allies. Understanding each other is not a bad thing."
"I think you're regretting it, aren't you?"
Ren rested his chin on his hand and said with some teasing, "That look in your eyes just now said as much."
"..."
Sengoku paused for a moment, then said, "Of all the pirates I have seen, you are the most special."
"Not harming civilians is just because I don't like swinging my blade at the weak."
Ren shrugged and smiled calmly. "But if you want me to say it, if it weren't for that idiot, maybe I really would have joined the Marines."
"That truly is a pity."
"Yes."
"But what has already happened cannot be changed."
Sengoku shook off that trace of regret, then took the initiative to bring up topics and let the Warlords exchange a few words with one another.
Of course, it was not because he wanted them to become friends. Every single Warlord here was an extremely troublesome individual.
All he wanted was a tiny bit of shallow connection, enough to ensure that their blades would not turn inward.
After that, the Warlord meeting ended.
Ren returned to his room, and at the same time, received a portion of the plan documents.
Marine Headquarters had formulated a plan just like in the original story, but the Warlords only received their own scripts.
Although they called each other cooperative allies, the sense of wariness behind it could not have been more obvious.
(End of Chapter)