"As long as the Mother Flame is completed, Uranus can be activated. We will once again grasp the power to sink the world.
"When that time comes, it will be time to continue the war that has stretched on for eight hundred years.
"We will eliminate every force of resistance and offer the world to Lord Imu.
"In the face of that grand direction, authority and prestige no longer need to be considered. Those people of the world are nothing more than future slaves."
Saturn's words defined this failure as a minor issue.
This was not self-deception, but cold, rational thought.
With the current situation, mustering their strength to break through everything in one decisive move had already become impossible.
For old monsters like them, who had lived for who knew how many years, seeing the situation clearly was a basic skill.
The greatest problems before had been the excessively powerful Whitebeard and the attack on Mary Geoise, which had forced the Five Elders to abandon the Buster Call plan and return.
That directly led to the failure of the entire Buster Call plan, left Mary Geoise in chaos, and damaged the World Government's authority.
But… Whitebeard, the one who attacked Mary Geoise, was dead. In other words, the greatest problem had died from within his own side.
After sorting everything out, they would discover that the greatest uncertainty at present was Demon Ren.
The other party had interfered with the world's balance again and again. Judging by the direction in which he pushed events, he was clearly an enemy of the World Government.
His strength was immense, his Devil Fruit abilities were complex, and he was suspected of being a prophet.
Under such circumstances, obsessing over destroying the Whitebeard Pirates and Ace, or obsessing over the factor known as Ren himself, would be extremely difficult.
Because the other party possessed ultra-long-distance movement abilities. No one could guarantee that he would not attack Mary Geoise the same way Whitebeard had.
If something like that happened, Demon Ren would never fight to the death the way Whitebeard did. He could teleport away at any time.
That was exactly what the Five Elders feared.
At the same time, because of the Buster Call's failure, the current Fleet Admiral, Sengoku, would not continue serving as Fleet Admiral.
A selection would have to be made during this period. At the very least, the Navy, whose strength had been badly damaged, had to recover part of its power.
"Wait, then?" Saint Nusjuro frowned slightly.
"We have waited hundreds of years. A mere year or two is no problem at all," Saint Ju Peter said calmly. "Have the Navy begin the World Military Draft. Recover as much strength as possible. At the same time, order Cipher Pol to pay attention to the Demon Pirates and Demon Ren.
"A man like him will not stay quiet for long. The Cross Guild he established is currently targeting pirates.
"And Kaido, Big Mom, and Red Hair all have grudges with him. Perhaps we will not have to wait very long."
"The most critical matter right now is still the Mother Flame on Vegapunk's side."
Saint Mars set the tone, then looked toward Saturn. "How is the security situation on Egghead Island?"
"It is extremely tight. That island does not exist on any map in the world, and no Log Pose record has leaked out.
"The entire construction process has been kept confidential and handled by Cipher Pol. After the Shipping King finished transporting the materials, he was silenced.
"As for defense, a Navy fleet has already been dispatched there, led by Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"After this, I will also transfer Kizaru there. A portion of the Pacifista are stationed there as well."
Saturn seemed full of confidence. For the Mother Flame, which was of crucial importance to them, security would naturally not be lacking.
However… hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.
A messenger responsible for reporting important matters rushed over and brought a warning in the loudest voice possible.
"Terrible news! Terrible news! Egghead Island has been attacked!"
"What?!"
The Five Elders all stood up at once, furious and bewildered.
"Who is the enemy?!" Saturn demanded sharply.
"I—I don't know. We've lost contact with Egghead Island."
Time rewound to the period when Akainu retreated.
The battle in the sky above Kefi Island ended. Ren did not chase Akainu to the death and eliminate one of the Navy's top combat forces here.
Sakazuki was indeed the strongest of the Three Admirals. As an awakened Logia Devil Fruit user, he could basically be regarded as a humanoid volcano.
That did not only refer to destructive power. It also included his durability and Haki.
When Akainu chose to turtle up and endure, the battle between the two sides entered a prolonged stalemate.
After obtaining the power of the Gura-Gura no Mi, Ren completed a qualitative transformation in strength. But in the end, he had obtained it for far too short a time. That transformation merely allowed him to absolutely suppress Akainu.
If he wanted to end the battle in a short period of time, that was basically impossible.
This was something Ren disliked, because he still had things to do.
Things far more important than killing Akainu!
A blazing sun streaked across the sky. In a certain airspace, Ren found Marco and Kuma, who had come to rendezvous with him.
He handed Whitebeard's relics to Marco. This commander, who had served as the Emperor's right hand, had probably prepared himself mentally.
Although he found Whitebeard's death somewhat impossible to accept, he still understood what he had to do next.
With Whitebeard, the core of the Whitebeard Pirates, dead, the remnants had to face the predation of other pirates.
Kaido and Big Mom, for example, were troubles they would have to deal with.
In response, Ren offered assistance—so long as the Whitebeard Pirates chose to join the Cross Guild.
Then, in the process of purging pirates as a whole, the Angel Legion would assist the Whitebeard Pirates' side.
Marco did not immediately agree. He only said he would consider it.
Ren was not in a hurry for any result either. He began the next plan with Kuma—or rather, several plans at the same time.
The primary plan was a surprise attack on Egghead Island!
Mary Geoise had been attacked. The Five Elders had returned to defend it. The Navy that carried out the Buster Call had suffered a severe loss of vitality.
All three Admirals were returning to Marineford with injuries. Although that island was already battered and broken, the new Marine Headquarters had not yet been established.
In other words, there was an extremely obvious window of opportunity.
No matter who it was, no one could stop Ren's actions during this window.
The secondary plan was to make certain arrangements on the Sabaody Archipelago.
One tier below that was having cadres like Robin lead a large number of angels to begin purging pirates from smaller forces.
The Cross Guild's declaration was not empty talk. He needed to farm reputation from these small mobs.
The mobility of the Paw-Paw Fruit remained excellent as always.
Very quickly, the two of them arrived at Egghead Island.
It was a half-finished futuristic island with an intensely sci-fi atmosphere, basically the sort of style displayed in works about the future.
However, Ren did not pay much attention to it. Today, he was the enemy.
Observation Haki and Premonition Perception swept across the island in tandem. Then Ren removed the purple gourd earrings and threw them toward Egghead Island.
"Sumeru: Captive Cage!"
Untempered lightning surged from the mouths of the two Sumeru Gourds. Under Ren's control, it spiraled outward and expanded, covering the island below.
Interlacing lightning transformed into a spiraling net that directly blanketed the entire island. Then the mesh became denser and denser.
Only when it reached a density where even a finger could not pass through did this layer of blockade stop tightening.
Below, on the warship in the harbor, Onigumo had already assumed a battle stance. He stared solemnly at the lightning net before him, then raised his head toward the sky.
The path into Egghead Island had been sealed off. This method… reminded him of someone.
When his gaze landed in the sky, a piercing light abruptly appeared, then transformed into a second sun.
'Why is he here…?'
Vice Admiral Onigumo's heart suddenly sank. In his memories, the omen of Demon Ren's arrival had been updated as the man continued causing incidents.
A thunderstorm was no longer the defining feature. The sudden appearance of a second sun was!
As expected, the blazing sun fell in the next instant, descending straight toward the warship.
Onigumo's expression tightened. Eight blades were drawn as he unleashed a Flying Slash.
That was a technique he took pride in, but the scorching light swallowed everything.
Ren's five fingers reached out from within the blazing radiance and clamped around Onigumo's neck. Even with Armament Haki defending him, Onigumo's flesh was scorched black and split open.
"Ren…" Vice Admiral Onigumo forced out the word with difficulty.
Yet the other party merely glanced at him, then casually flung Onigumo deeper into the warship.
What followed was the release of a massive amount of high-temperature, high-energy power. In the next instant, surging energy engulfed the warship.
Boom—!
A fireball rose. Amid the rolling heat waves, Ren raised his hand and tapped repeatedly.
Short, sharp blue lasers shot out one after another, blowing up all the nearby warships as quickly as possible.
Throughout the process, he did not even look at Vice Admiral Onigumo.
Back in Mock Town, Vice Admiral Onigumo had been someone he had to treat cautiously. To the current him, he was nothing more than someone who could be dealt with casually.
After destroying all the nearby warships, Ren expanded Premonition Perception and checked the other areas.
The other Navy warships on patrol were also being handled by Kuma at this moment.
"This level of defense… within expectations."
Ren withdrew his hand. Large amounts of electromagnetic lightning arcs surged from his body. Multiple abilities, combined with his understanding of electromagnetic-wave technology, allowed him to instantly sever Egghead Island's communications with the outside world.
He turned this place completely into an isolated island.
After finishing all this, Ren walked straight into the lightning curtain and entered the future city that was still under construction.
The moment he stepped into the futuristic city, he saw a group of construction workers and researchers staring in stunned silence.
Ren raised his eyes. Conqueror's Haki pressure was released along with it, sweeping through without the slightest obstruction.
At this stage, he was simply too powerful. In a one-on-one situation, forget Akainu—even Whitebeard without any restraints might not necessarily be his match.
Of course, there were still moments when he had to stop.
Conqueror's Haki pressure targeted living creatures. Machinery was not included.
As though realizing that an enemy had invaded, a large number of Pacifista were activated and charged toward the enemy.
Several of those Pacifista held specially shaped firearms in their hands.
Vegapunk's new creation—the Bubble Gun.
It could release tough bubbles imbued with the energy of the sea. Once Devil Fruit users touched them or were wrapped inside, they would lose their strength.
Behind the Pacifista, there was also an iron giant advancing.
Vegaforce-01!
"What rapid development. But toys like these can't stop me."
Ren made a finger-gun gesture. A cluster of blue light gathered at his fingertip, forming a small sphere.
Biu—biu—biu.
He silently mouthed the sound effects.
Along with them came the blue rays he fired.
A Pacifista accelerated forward, raised its arm, and swung it with force. A transparent bubble appeared and transformed into a shield.
(End of Chapter)