Marine Headquarters.
Ren lay on the mermaid girl's fishtail, making her blush as she massaged him. It was pure bliss.
"Lord Ren, we've arrived at Marine Headquarters," the escort said respectfully as he approached Ren.
"If you all want to see Marine HQ, come along. The Marines won't give you any trouble," Ren said to the merfolk.
Compared to the people in the Sabaody Archipelago, this place was more tolerant.
A large group marched toward the plaza in front of Marine Headquarters. There wasn't a single civilian in sight, and the Marines were keeping their distance.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, where's Garp?" Ren asked directly, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Garp is in the New World, hunting pirates," Sengoku replied.
"Heh. So he heard I was coming and decided to avoid me? Fine. Tell him this—if he doesn't come back, I'll take a little trip to the East Blue," Ren said.
As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he naturally knew how to get under Garp's skin.
After contacting Garp via Den Den Mushi, Sengoku turned to Ren and said, "Lord Ren, Garp will return soon. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Challenge strong opponents. Become stronger. That's all," Ren replied.
Looking at the empty town, he suddenly had a deeper understanding of the weight behind the name "Celestial Dragon."
This identity truly was infamous.
"Lord Ren, you defeated Rayleigh as a swordsman. I want to challenge you," a tall female soldier from Tsuru's unit stepped forward.
Tsuru tried to stop her, but seeing Ren turn his gaze toward Gion, she knew it was pointless. She could only watch.
If Ren showed even the slightest intent to enslave Gion, she'd take her away immediately.
"Make your move," Ren nodded. As a swordsman, he never feared a challenge from another swordsman.
With a kick of her long, beautiful leg, Gion lunged toward Ren. Her right hand gripped her blade tightly—Iaido.
"So fast! Vice Admiral Gion... I can't even see her clearly!"
"She's gotten even stronger. Her sword is no longer hesitant."
Ren stood unmoving. His powerful Observation Haki made Gion's attack appear slow.
At this point in her life, she was still a bit inexperienced.
Ren decided to show her just how wide the gap between them really was.
Gion's attack arrived—a swift Iaido slash.
Ren blocked it the moment she drew her blade, meeting her strike head-on and interrupting the technique.
"How is this possible?" Gion's pupils shook in disbelief as she stared at the scene before her.
She had always considered herself a powerful swordswoman.
Even if she was slightly weaker than Ren, the gap shouldn't be this wide.
But what just happened shattered everything she believed.
Ren didn't even use much strength, yet still caught up to her Iaido strike.
It meant there was an enormous gap between them.
"Tsuru, Gion's not going to lose all confidence from this, is she?" Sengoku, a seasoned Marine, could clearly see what had happened.
He knew Gion couldn't even withstand a single move from Ren.
"Gion's will won't be so easily broken." Tsuru replied confidently.
But even she understood—the difference between them was far too great.
Gion would lose soon.
"You've now seen the gap between us. What will you do?" Ren pointed his blade at her heart while she was still stunned.
"Huu~" Gion took a deep breath.
"Lord Ren, I will now go all out. Forgive me for what's to come."
"Good. Entertain me." Ren waited for her to finish preparing, sensing she was about to use a big move.
As a female swordswoman, she might not have the raw power of male swordsmen, but in speed—few could rival her.
That was her edge.
Her advantage when fighting men.
With a gust of wind, Gion's figure vanished.
Ren used Observation Haki to catch her movement.
"Impressive. She really is strong. Definitely worthy of an admiral's title."
His Observation Haki was nearly maxed out, and even then, he could barely track her.
It meant that if she used this move, few across the seas could stop her.
From the navy's perspective, they only saw her vanish.
Each time the wind blew, it revealed her movement path.
"One Sword Style Secret Technique—Sakura Slash!"
In less than a second, the distance between them vanished.
Gion's blade slashed toward Ren's neck.
Ren raised his mighty sword, blocking the attack and diverting her slash.
To the side of his body, the ground was sliced clean in two—evidence of how terrifying the attack was.
"Oi, do you think Marineford's plaza repairs itself for free?" Sengoku muttered painfully, staring at the long crack across the ground.
"Sengoku, just apply for the funds. Say I approved it." Ren replied casually.
After all, he was loaded with money.
"Hu, Gion."
"Donquixote Ren."
After exchanging names, Ren drew his blade — a seemingly ordinary strike.
But in Gion's eyes, this slash was completely unavoidable.
Of course, she could ask Admiral Sengoku to block it for her, but doing so would mean she, as a swordswoman, had no path left to improve.
"Gion!" Sengoku moved to act. That slash could easily cut her in half.
"Gion won't lose to herself," Tsuru said firmly, her eyes full of conviction.
Gion swung her sword too. It was also a flying slash, but she angled it so cleverly that Ren's attack veered off its original path. She came out nearly unscathed — only a strand of her hair was sliced off.
At that moment, Sengoku transformed into his Great Buddha form.
A shockwave burst forth to deflect the redirected slash that was flying toward the town.
It was only then that the other Marines understood what Ren's attack truly meant.
"Congratulations. You survived by relying on your own willpower. I believe you'll grow even stronger. When that time comes, I welcome you to challenge me again," Ren said with a smile.
"You bastard! Do you even know how much destruction you just caused?" Sengoku had returned to his human form, clearly annoyed.
The plaza was practically in ruins. If not for the powerful Marines, the nearby town would have been hit too.
"Hehe… Ren-sama, thank you for your guidance. But next time, I'll defeat you," Gion smiled as well, full of gratitude.
At this moment, she could honestly call him her teacher. Witnessing his strength had lit a fire in her heart to become stronger.
Ren said nothing. He sheathed his sword and turned his gaze to the other Marines.
Their eyes now held a trace of awe. This was a feeling no other Celestial Dragon had ever earned — a kind of respect.
No one dared challenge Ren now. Instead, he signaled for his guards to bring out a lounge chair. His eyes landed on a beautiful mermaid girl with sky-blue hair.
Instantly, her face turned bright red. Steam seemed to rise from her head. She moved stiffly as she sat on the lounge chair, and Ren laid his head on her lap, eyes half-closed.
Surrounded by a crowd, the mermaid looked like she wanted to die from embarrassment.
Yet, a strange sense of joy also bloomed in her heart. She didn't seem to dislike it. In fact, she began gently massaging Ren's temples.
Gion looked at this scene and could only laugh helplessly. It was as if that intense battle had never even happened.
Several male Marines looked on with envy. After all, most mermaids were incredibly beautiful, and in a world where good looks were rare, they were considered top-tier.
"Ren-sama, after challenging Garp, do you plan to keep fighting other strong opponents?" Gion asked.
"No. My next destination is Fish-Man Island," Ren replied honestly.
As soon as he said that, all the nearby mermaids stiffened. Their expressions turned uneasy. They clearly didn't want Ren to go there. After all, he was a Celestial Dragon.
But Ren didn't care about their reaction. One couldn't enjoy the privileges of being a Celestial Dragon and still expect to have a good reputation. That was obviously impossible.
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