Dvalin soared through the sky, roaring as it flew. Though originally a creature of the sea, after obtaining the Bird-Bird Fruit—Golden Eagle form, flight had seemingly become its instinct.
With three pairs of wings, it even surpassed actual golden eagles in aerial ability. Each wingbeat stirred up great gusts of wind.
At the same time, its feathers were waterproof, meaning it still had a place in the ocean. In this form, Dvalin's body remained blue, and its head was shaped like an eagle's—also blue.
If there was any difference from the true Dvalin, it was that this one only had two rear talons. Its claws looked similar to eagle talons, though colored deep blue.
Regarding the talons, Ren felt somewhat regretful that Dvalin couldn't wield elemental power. However, this might be compensated with Haki.
In this world, even animals could potentially master Haki. Conqueror's Haki was uncertain, but Armament and Observation Haki were usually within reach.
"Let's go, Dvalin. Back to Wano now." Ren sat on its back.
The animals in this world had high intelligence. While not matching fully developed adult humans, they could compare to children in their early teens.
Having submitted to Ren, Dvalin naturally dared not disobey his commands. Dvalin, not counting its tail, was over ten meters long, but housing it wasn't a problem.
Kuri already had sufficient area. Though the southern Guardian Forest was being developed, large portions remained in their original state.
Not to mention Udon was also uninhabited territory. If all else failed, it could live in Wano's inland sea—after all, it was originally a marine creature.
When Ren returned to Kuri riding Dvalin, he didn't bother hiding his presence. Instead, he sat directly on Dvalin's back and landed right inside the Daimyo's mansion.
People in other parts of Kuri only saw a massive creature streak across the sky. Like a yōkai yet strangely beautiful, resembling a blooming blue spider lily.
But being too far away, they couldn't see its full form.
Only those living in Kōnō-chō truly witnessed up close the giant dragon's wings covering the city as it descended into the Daimyo's mansion. Some with sharp eyes even spotted Ren sitting calmly on Dvalin's back.
The news spread quickly. The people of Kuri were willing to believe Ren was the true Raijin.
So naturally they accepted that inexplicable events surrounding him were divine miracles.
Thus, the panic caused by Dvalin's appearance was brief. People believed it was a divine beast or yōkai tamed by Ren.
After all, the carcass of the great serpent Ren had slain still lay outside the city walls. So another monster appearing wasn't particularly surprising.
However, Yukiko and the others were quite startled.
Ren had left Wano half a month ago. Though Yukiko knew he was likely going to sea to find suitable creatures.
He would create magical beings like Cotton Candy—the griffin with colorful fur that Mari had later named, having tasted cotton candy during their voyage.
Because of the soft, adorable Cotton Candy as a precedent, Yukiko and the others had assumed the creature Ren brought back this time would be equally cute. The reality was completely the opposite.
While Dvalin's appearance had aesthetic beauty, it simultaneously evoked a sense of terror. Its colors were dreamlike, its form elegant, but the power contained within could not be ignored.
"Ren-sama, this is..." Yukiko slowly sheathed her sword Yukiyuki after seeing Ren on the dragon's back.
"His name is Dvalin, and he's my gift to you." Ren jumped down from above.
Dvalin lowered its noble head, its wings slightly tucked in a gesture of submission. But Yukiko felt overwhelmed.
"A gift... for me? But..." Yukiko's eyes went wide with surprise.
She felt that a creature like this—part dragon, part eagle, seeming like an amalgamation of angel and demon—should only befit someone of Ren's exalted status.
"It's a coming-of-age gift. This is a very important occasion." Ren stated without room for refusal.
"A coming-of-age gift! Does that mean I'll get one too?" Mari immediately grew excited upon hearing this.
She was a year younger than Yukiko, and by next year, she would also come of age.
"Mari!" Yuriko expressed some displeasure at her behavior.
"Yes, everyone will have one." Ren nodded.
He had planned to create unique creatures anyway, so quantity wasn't an issue. Not just Mari and Saya—Keiko and Yuriko, both already over eighteen, would receive one as well.
"I-I'm fine with just Cotton Candy..." Saori said quietly.
Her personality was the complete opposite of her younger sister Saya. Right now, she was holding the small Cotton Candy, which everyone had been doting over for the past two weeks.
So Mari and Saya began chattering about what kind of pet they wanted. They both preferred fiercer types—after all, Dvalin certainly looked impressive.
However, Keiko and Yuriko preferred the cute ones.
"Don't underestimate their combat capabilities." Ren reminded them.
"Setting Dvalin aside for now—with that size, strength, and potent venom—just a bit of training will make it a capable fighter." He continued. "Even Cotton Candy is the same. Don't forget it was originally a komainu!"
Adult komainu were massive creatures. Just lying down, they stood several meters tall.
Their enormous size brought tremendous destructive power—they wouldn't lose to Ancient Zoans. Simply using them as mascots and transportation would be a waste.
"True. It did consume a Devil Fruit, after all." Yukiko nodded. "At minimum, it should become a combat asset."
She was already planning training regimens for these creatures.
A few days later, Yukiko's birthday officially arrived.
...
After creating Dvalin, Ren temporarily stopped producing new phantom beasts. Instead, he turned his attention to the "Vision" that had occasionally formed before.
That Vision had later been given to Yuriko.
However, thinking back now, while this thing could grant power, it didn't improve one's physical constitution. Under conditions of overuse, it could even damage the body.
Rather than calling it a Vision, it might be more accurate to call it a Delusion.
At the same time, Ren discovered that these side effects placed minimal burden on the strong. Especially those who possessed Armament Haki, where the effects could be almost negligible.
Ren temporarily focused his attention on the "Delusion."
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