New World, Skoll Island.
Ren and Jasmine followed the Eternal Pose Yukiko had given them and found this island. Not long ago, this was still Captain John's territory, but now John's figure had vanished, and this island had once again become an unclaimed territory.
However, with various pirate forces and even Marine forces all fixing their gazes here, this island had formed a strangely delicate balance amidst the chaos. Various forces were wary of each other, dividing up territory on the island.
This division wasn't deliberately carved out, but formed naturally. When a force with sufficient strength stationed itself on the island, that area naturally became a place ordinary people wouldn't dare approach.
But anyone knew this balance was extremely fragile. Just a tiny disturbance could destroy it in an instant.
"Is this the destination?" Jasmine couldn't help asking as their ship approached the harbor.
"Just a stopover." Ren stood at the bow, observing the various ships already anchored while processing the information he had gathered along the way. They had sailed for two and a half days, and by the time they arrived, many pirates had already gathered.
"That's the Flying Pirates' emblem. Shiki is indeed coming to meddle." Ren's gaze swept across, and he quickly understood the various forces gathered here.
The remnants from Rocks' ship had all come except for Whitebeard. Besides them, there was also the ship of Bondi Waldo, known as the World Destroyer...
These were just a glimpse—barely the people Ren was relatively familiar with. Other great pirates active in this era were countless. Although he hadn't seen Marine and World Government ships, Ren didn't believe they were unaware of what was happening here. They just weren't appearing openly.
Captain John's treasure—this was something even the Marines coveted. When Sengoku paid the final installment for the ruins guards before, he had been hemming and hawing, acting like the Marines were about to go broke. If they could obtain Captain John's treasure, the Marines' funding would be much more comfortable.
Actually, the Marines weren't truly broke; their military budget was entirely dependent on the World Government's whims. Having an extra source of funds would be very useful to them.
"Huh, I think I see Inazuma's emblem." Jasmine grabbed the railing with one hand while making a looking gesture with the other, one foot raised, half her body leaning outward. Her upper body pressed against the gunwale, clearly making it bear more than it could handle.
"It really is. Lord Ren, should we go over and say hello?"
"No, let's observe from the shadows for now." Ren shook his head. He still didn't know what would happen next, but his Observation Haki was giving him an ominous feeling. This matter definitely wasn't that simple.
"Hiding in the shadows?" Jasmine's eyes lit up, becoming somewhat excited. This was quite thrilling for her. In Kuri, the days were always the same. Even though she could endure arduous training, she would still feel somewhat bored occasionally.
Only the few days each month when Ren returned to Kuri were interesting.
Like watching fireworks...
"Let's dock over there." Ren directed the ship toward a more secluded cove.
Strictly speaking, this place wasn't suitable for ships to anchor at all.
Skoll Island's shape resembled a giant wolf's head. The truly suitable harbor was located at the "jaw" and "neck" of this "giant wolf"—the inward-curving coastline formed a natural barrier that could block wind and rain.
The location Ren had chosen not only lacked a natural shelter, but the currents were also very turbulent. The prevailing wild winds whipped up waves on the sea, making the ship rock continuously. Moreover, this coastline was a straight, sheer cliff—ordinary people couldn't even go ashore.
Ren had long since lowered the sails. Inazuma's ships had never relied on wind for propulsion.
"Wait here for now. I'll notify you if anything happens." Ren instructed. The sailors on board nodded solemnly as the ship transformed into submarine mode.
Specially made wooden planks automatically rose, sealing every gap in the ship watertight, while the bottom suddenly opened up. After large amounts of seawater poured in, the ship began to slowly sink.
Resurfacing was simple—just pump the seawater out. However, how to pump the water out was a question. Proper submarines used compressed air to expel water, but the small ship Ren had modified with the Door-Door Fruit had a simpler method.
"Let's go." Ren reached out and wrapped his arm around Jasmine's waist, leaping toward the sky before the ship's deck closed completely. Jasmine, tucked under his arm, hadn't even reacted before finding herself airborne.
"We're flying?"
"Just very strong jumping ability." Ren lightly landed on the cliff's summit. Despite how easily he spoke, this cliff's elevation exceeded a thousand meters. He had used Moonwalk several times mid-jump while also borrowing force from Ame no Murakumo.
When not in full transformation, Ren could only utilize a very small portion of his Devil Fruit powers. And after entering a complete transformation into one form, using other fruits' abilities became even more difficult.
He slowly set Jasmine down. Jasmine had a slender waist, very much the "slender branch bearing heavy fruit" type.
After landing, she immediately lay on the cliff's edge looking down. By now, their ship had sunk into the sea, with only waves continuously crashing against the towering cliff visible on the surface.
Their current location was the "back of the head" of the "giant wolf," also the highest point on the island. Looking toward the harbor, their gaze would pass over the dense forest that looked like a long silk ribbon, then reach the island's settlement.
The two didn't linger long. Even in such a place, pirates would occasionally pass by. No one knew where John had hidden his treasure—it might even be right beneath their feet. So those pirates wished they could dig three feet into the island!
On the way down the mountain, Ren's gaze continuously observed the island's full outline. The "giant wolf's" eyes faced due east, and across the sea facing its gaze was another island.
Hati Island.
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