Ren had long understood the abilities of the Paw-Paw Fruit, yet every time he witnessed it in action, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of Devil Fruits.
With just a light touch from Kuma, the Enlightenment, a three-masted vessel, was sent soaring into the sky—flying at incredible speed toward its designated coordinates.
At that moment, Ren used the Revolutionary Army's network to contact Shanks.
The news had already exploded across the world like a bomb.As mortal enemies, Shanks would no doubt have seen it by now.
Ren's strategy was simple:use the Totem of Undying as insurance, and strike directly at Shanks' weakness.
The outcome, however, was still unknown.Ren had already commissioned the Revolutionary Army to gather intelligence and monitor any reaction from the Red-Haired Pirates.
As time passed, information flowed in through multiple channels, all coordinated via Den Den Mushi.
The World Government had officially confirmed Crocodile's death. With that, the title of the Demon Pirates—bestowed by the Marines—began spreading across the seas.
Bounty posters fluttered through the world alongside papers from the World Economic Journal.
Ren soon received his own bounty amount: 270 million Beli!
Given that he was the one who leaked the most information within the crew and had personally slain Crocodile, this number made perfect sense.
Still, when he noticed Zoro's bounty at 80 million, he was slightly surprised—until he realized the reason: Daz Bonez.
The development had already deviated from the original timeline.
The only unexpected one was Nojiko's bounty—30 million.
Apparently, among the bounty hunters she had taken down, several were well-known figures with decent strength and reputation.
As for Nami, she hadn't even been listed. Her starting bounty was simply too low.Most people probably thought she was just a pretty face.
And Vivi—there was no need to mention her.
When Ren left, the newspapers in Alabasta had only just begun reporting the disappearance of the princess. A bounty would come only after she accomplished something noteworthy.
In short, the Alabasta Incident had finally come to a close.
Now, it was time for Ren to turn his earnings into strength. He recharged 5.2 billion Beli into the Dimensional Roulette—a Yonko's bounty, enough to fill over half the progress bar!
"Once the Skypiea arc passes, I should be able to hit the 10-billion jackpot."
Ren began outlining his plan. Their next destination was, naturally, Angel Island—the heart of the Skypiea saga.
Enel and his Four Divine Priests ruled over the so-called Kingdom of God, which consisted of Angel Island and Apayado Island.
Angel Island served as the main settlement for the Sky People—a town, or even a small kingdom in the clouds.Apayado, on the other hand, was half of Jaya Island, the legendary site of Mock Town.
The "City of Gold" mentioned by the great liar Mont Blanc Noland—Shandora—had been blasted ten thousand meters into the sky by a monstrous Knock-Up Stream.
The legend spoke of a city forged entirely of gold, with a golden bell whose chime resonated through the heavens.
Beneath that bell lay a Poneglyph, inscribed with the true history of the Void Century.
Nearby also stood Cloud Hidden Village, where the descendants of Shandora—the Shandians—resided.
"The best method," Ren pondered, "would be to find Noland's descendant in Mock Town and bring him to Skypiea, so the Shandians can fulfill their mission. Then, by working with them, I could destroy Enel's priestly hierarchy and naturally claim Shandora for myself."
"Though honestly, with my current strength, cooperation is optional. The Shandians' combat ability isn't that impressive—perhaps only Wiper is worth noting."
Ren continued refining the blueprint in his mind.
"If I rely solely on my own strength, I'll need overwhelming power. Enel is a Logia user with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, able to move through conductive materials or air at lightning speed and unleash direct electrical attacks."
"His maximum output reaches two hundred million volts, and he can power machinery or superheat air into plasma. He can also trigger lightning strikes through the clouds and use electromagnetic waves combined with Observation Haki to eavesdrop across vast ranges."
In short—he was incredibly fast, far beyond ordinary reaction speed.His attacks were devastating, capable of rivaling Ren's lightning strikes back in Alabasta.
Given time to go all-out, Enel could annihilate an entire island with ease.
Take the Raigo, for instance—created using the Ark Maxim's thunderclouds.It could reduce an entire sky island to dust, not just kill the inhabitants.
And as a Logia user, unless faced with Armament Haki or Seastone weaponry, he was untouchable.
Ren's mind grew sharper as he analyzed.
He had reconstructed the original storyline countless times in memory—and the more he thought, the clearer Enel's threat became.
To be frank, if it weren't for rubber's natural immunity to electricity, Luffy wouldn't have stood a chance.
What's more—lightning's destruction wasn't limited to electricity.
It also produced immense heat.
Ren suspected that Luffy's resistance to lightning back then wasn't due to normal rubber elasticity,but rather the Nika essence of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which negated both the electric and thermal damage.
After all, he was the Sun God.
Fortunately, Ren himself wielded dual lightning and fire powers.The Fire Calabash template allowed him to absorb and convert extreme heat,while the Thunder Spear and Thunder's Protection would keep him from being instantly fried by Enel's strikes.
Still—that alone might not guarantee victory.
"Then I'll need to perfect my Haki system—both Armament and Observation," he mused."And perhaps it's time to try drawing the Calabash Brothers' template too…"
"The 10-billion jackpot only comes once. I'm still three short of the Seven-in-One fusion."
Ren finalized his plan and began preparing for the lottery.
He first took out a Lucky Charm and performed a Sea Offering.
This time, his offering was the Crafting Table from Minecraft—seemingly mundane, yet an exceptionally valuable tribute.
[Sea Offering Judgment: Overwhelming Success!]
[Rule Creation: Another World]
[Great Fulfillment — Triggered!]
That was new. It seemed the Crafting Table had deeply amused the goddess Mazu.
Ren didn't dwell on it. He made his wish, then activated the Lucky Lighter's twin effects.
When his luck reached its zenith, he spun the Golden Roulette.
Thirty times!
Three billion Beli vanished in an instant, the counter freezing at two point two billion.
In exchange came a cascade of flashing messages:
{Extracted — Armament Haki Aptitude}
{Extracted — Observation Haki Aptitude}
{Extracted — Armament Haki Aptitude}
{Extracted — Observation Haki…}
Seventeen times for Armament, thirteen for Observation.
Yes—all thirty spins, all thirty billion Beli, were directed toward Haki aptitude through his wish.
Ren understood the Haki system well enough. It required both immense potential and natural talent.
This power was incredibly talent-dependent.
Among millions of Marines, only about ten thousand could use Haki. Those who mastered it? Ten times fewer. And the higher the level, the rarer the practitioner.
More importantly, the Marines' millions were already elite—handpicked, trained, and battle-hardened.
Even after systematic training, few could grasp both Armament and Observation. Perhaps one in dozens could even begin to sense it.
That's how rare Haki truly was.
Even the Marines could only deploy soldiers with dual-color Haki in the New World—hence why every grunt there seemed to wield it.
But look closer, and you'd realize those "grunts" all wore Justice coats—officers, not ordinary soldiers.
In other words—if Ren relied solely on his natural potential, it might take him decades to master Haki.
He preferred efficiency—to be a Haki genius, not a lifelong grinder.
When the lottery ended, Ren felt a surge course through his body—an indescribable force rushing from his soul into every nerve and vein.
Then came the pain.
Agonizing, bone-deep pain,like countless ants gnawing through his marrow and nerves all at once.
Ren clenched his teeth, his fingers digging into his thighs until blood ran down his legs.
Haki was power drawn from within the human body—it had always existed there.
Suddenly amplifying it dozens of times naturally caused a violent backlash.
His body was being forced to expand its limits, like a vessel cracking open to become a larger one—shedding old skin, evolving to a new level.
And with it came change—profound, intricate change.
Zoro had often shared insights on Haki with him. Ren had always listened, but it was like hearing through a thick pane of glass—he knew it was there, but could never touch it.
But now—that barrier shattered effortlessly.
He could clearly feel a current of energy flowing within him,moving like a stream through every bone and muscle.
That—was the difference of talent.
As the saying went: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Few remembered the rest of the quote: "That one percent is more important than all the rest."
That was why geniuses were geniuses.
If effort alone could surpass them, then they would no longer be called geniuses.
Ren agreed wholeheartedly.
"With my boundless wisdom and peerless talent, months of cultivation will bring me to heights unreachable by mortals—Deep Blue, add points!"
He laughed through the pain, enduring the torment that clawed at both body and soul—refusing to pass out, forcing himself to grow stronger through sheer will.
Ren knew exactly who he was—and what he was becoming.
(End of Chapter)