Hidden Armament Haki. A plan crafted for a single, decisive kill.
But—It only worked the first time, and at the cost of his arm, Zoro managed to land one vicious strike on Crocodile.
After that, he was drained of all moisture and died instantly.
The next eight attempts were even more miserable. Once Crocodile figured out his tricks, he toyed with him—killing him slowly, over and over.
Clearly, Crocodile had been venting his anger, but it also showed Zoro just how vast the gulf between them truly was.
He even found himself wondering—how did Ren manage to win against him?
"Not entirely," Ren shook his head. "The Crocodile inside the Imaginary Chamber is a soul entity.
I gave him partial authority to simulate himself at his absolute peak—his Devil Fruit powers and Haki both at their strongest.
Forget about you—even I wouldn't stand a chance against that version.
When we fought in Nanohana, that Crocodile was already far weaker than his prime.
Even so, it was an incredibly hard fight. I nearly had to exhaust every trump card I had."
Crocodile at his prime… that was roughly at the level of a 1.965-billion-Beli bounty.
Maybe even higher—after all, this was Crocodile's own perception of his "perfect self."
You had to consider—even Charlotte Katakuri from Big Mom's crew only had a bounty of 1.057 billion Beli.
Sure, there was inflation in the numbers, but that still showed just how terrifying Crocodile's peak truly was.
Honestly,the whole Alabasta incident was basically Ren taking advantage of the situation.
Of course—if Crocodile had been in his prime, Ren wouldn't have gone anywhere near that affair.
"I see… but still, I'm too weak."
Zoro clenched his fists. He clearly wasn't satisfied with his strength.
After a brief chat, he left for the training room below deck.
Ren, meanwhile, sat in thought, staring at the Imaginary Helmet, debating whether to upgrade it again.
With the spoils he'd collected, he was now fairly wealthy.
Things that once seemed out of reach… now required careful consideration.
For example—how to enhance the helmet's effectiveness.
Not in realism—but in efficiency: how to turn simulated experience into real combat power faster.
Originally, the Imaginary Helmet only helped beginners get used to basic combat mechanics.
Only after inserting a soul did it become a serious training tool, one that improved technique.
But because it was virtual, the body itself received no physical conditioning.
The upgraded helmet now offered near-perfect realism.
Ren had tested it himself—sight, sound, taste, smell—all senses were almost indistinguishable from reality.
The result? Dramatically improved combat proficiency.
To fight in a world that felt real—meant the experience gained was, in many ways, as real as life and death.
The skills honed there advanced rapidly.
After all—in reality, you only had one life. But in virtual space, you could die again and again.
Still, Ren wasn't satisfied. He wanted to push the helmet even further—
his next goal: synchronize the body with the senses.
To allow the body itself to adapt and evolve along with the mind's experience.
It was only an idea for now—but one worth pursuing.
'Needs some serious thought. I've got enough resources for it, though,' he mused.
Ren ended his contemplation and sent a Shikigami to fetch Vivi.
Before long,Vivi appeared in the third-floor lounge, dressed in a white-and-gold princess gown.
Her outfit was… quite something.
Light blue hair pinned with a clip, soft locks flowing down her back.
A pink shawl draped over her shoulders, half-covering her delicate collarbones.
Below that—a fitted white dress cinched at the waist with golden trim.
She looked like a saintly princess—
Except her chest strained the fabric, and the neckline plunged far lower than royal decorum allowed.
It was hard to tell if this was a princess's gown… or a seductive parody of one.
In short—Ren only needed one glance to think two words: big and white.
Suddenly, he understood why Nami had stormed in earlier to make her "official wife" declaration.
Their new crewmate clearly had ideas.
Not surprising, really—this was the stage in Vivi's life where she had shed the burden of royalty and was starting to embrace freedom.
To make herself battle-ready, she hadn't hesitated to weaponize her charm.
Like that infamous "dance" at Whiskey Peak—recorded forever by a Den Den Mushi.
It was clear—Vivi knew her beauty was a weapon, and she'd already learned to use it.
Now, in a new environment, she naturally felt insecure.
After all, a debt of 6.1 billion Beli just wiped clean? That felt too unreal.
So she was relying on her instincts as a woman.
Though… one might say she was inviting the wolf into her own den.
"You look beautiful today," Ren said, raising a brow but choosing to compliment instead of tease.
Nothing wrong with a little allure—and he was the only one aboard who could truly appreciate it.
"R-Really?"
Vivi visibly relaxed, unconsciously straightening her back.
Her hourglass figure became even more striking.
"Alright," Ren continued, "I called you here to start training your powers."
He led her into a small room and handed her the Imaginary Helmet.
"You know Crocodile, right?"
"He's… dead, isn't he?"
"Yes. But his soul is sealed in this helmet. It's a long story—I won't bother explaining.
All you need to know is that you'll meet him in a virtual world.
He's dead, but within the helmet, he lives—and he can't resist my control.
We've struck a deal. You'll learn how to master the Sand-Sand Fruit from him."
Vivi blinked, stunned.
Dead but alive?
And she'd have to meet Crocodile again?
"Not following? Fine, I'll repeat it as many times as needed."
Ren patiently guided her through the surreal idea—this was the fastest way to turn her potential into power.
He wouldn't waste that chance just because of her hesitation.
Truthfully,emotionally and logically, Vivi couldn't defy his orders anyway.
'When I said "you belong to me," that wasn't a joke,' Ren thought.
After ten minutes of explanation, Vivi finally calmed down, donned the helmet, and entered the virtual realm.
She walked down a dark corridor and through a gleaming white door.
What awaited her was a hellish world—sand whipping across the ground in a raging storm.
Rivers of molten lava surged through cracks in the earth.
Thunder roared across the blackened sky.
And deep within that inferno, seated among ruins—was Crocodile, staring at the new arrival.
The inheritor of his Sand-Sand Fruit.
To be honest—when he realized the person who had taken his power was this girl—
and after Ren's earlier "briefing" about her background—
the ever-grim Crocodile must have shown a truly spectacular expression.
'Shame I can't see it,' Ren thought with amusement.
He looked down at Vivi, lying on the red-and-white bed, the helmet over her head.
It must be priceless, he mused.
After checking the equipment's stability for half an hour, Ren left the training room and contacted Kuma via Den Den Mushi.
Moments later,Bartholomew Kuma appeared on the balcony.
"If you were to travel," he asked, "where would you go?"
"Angel Island," Ren replied.
"I've heard of it, but I don't know its exact coordinates," Kuma admitted. "Still, I can send you to a sky route hub—an island cluster where people from Skypiea gather.
There, you'll find someone who knows the route to Angel Island."
He was honest—he didn't actually know the place Ren was referring to.
The Paw-Paw Fruit's teleportation required specific coordinates, after all.
"That works. How long will it take?"
"Three days."
"Then we leave tomorrow."
Ren made the decision on the spot and sent Nojiko with the Iron Knights to restock supplies.
Not long after, Robin appeared—seeking information about another Poneglyph.
"Boss."
"Don't call me that anymore," Ren said, waving a hand. "Baroque Works is history.
Our contract's done—you don't have to serve me anymore."
"Then what must I give to learn where the other Poneglyph is?"
Robin's gaze locked on him, her voice steady but her eyes blazing with obsession.
For her, anything tied to the Poneglyphs was worth any price.
If not for sensing that Nami and Nojiko were both close to Ren,she might've already tried to seduce him.
The crow beside her, unaware of her thoughts, still supported her mission to uncover the truth.
"Can you speak for the Revolutionary Army?" Ren asked.
"The Revolutionary Army will do its best to meet Miss Robin's request," said Karasu plainly.
Sabo had told him to leave a good impression on Ren—a man who clearly possessed dangerous amounts of knowledge.
"At most, one request," Ren said. "A single task or a single goal, aimed at the Revolutionaries as a whole.
Don't worry—I won't ask anything impossible, nor anything against your beliefs."
"…Alright."
Karasu thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Good. Then I'll be direct."
Ren pointed upward. "The Poneglyph I know of is tied to our next destination—ten thousand meters above sea level, in the White-White Sea.
Find a place called Angel Island. Turn it upside down, and you'll likely find it."
"I see. You've got an enemy there too, don't you?"
Karasu narrowed his eyes—seeing through the omission in Ren's words.
"Mutual benefit, right? I can't be the only one giving here."
Ren smiled.
Karasu fell silent for a few seconds—then agreed.
He requested to travel with them aboard the Enlightenment, bound for the White-White Sea.
(End of Chapter)