Then he would have the other party actively get involved. After all, there was no way this man held no grievances toward the World Government.
In the original story, the reason he joined the Marines was most likely because justice under tyranny was still better than chaotic war.
But if there were a better choice, Issho would abandon the order maintained by the World Government as well.
After all, the World Government's order could hardly be called absolute justice.
"Your confidence... had better be real."
With a complicated expression, Issho rose and left.
With that, one of the goals of this operation had been achieved.
Issho's strength in the original story was at the Admiral level.
Perhaps he could not compare to the strongest of the Three Admirals, but he was at least a fighter on the same tier.
His joining would give Ren far more confidence in the actions to come.
Only Sabo and Ren remained, staring at each other in silence.
"Thank you."
Sabo was the first to break the quiet, gratitude showing on his face. "I suppose you saw what happened on my side in advance too?"
"That is not a major problem. Letting you brothers reunite can be considered a good thing as well."
Ren nodded slightly. "Though I did not expect you to remember Luffy so quickly.
"I thought it would take at least a great deal of time, or some powerful shock, before you could."
"Hahaha, that? It's because I fought Luffy once. I was too familiar with his rubber abilities.
"So I sensed that something was off, and then remembered bit by bit."
"What about the other one?"
"I'm looking forward to meeting Ace," Sabo said, anticipation rising on his face.
"That's good."
Ren nodded. "It is a good thing for you brothers to reunite.
"But I still hope the next matter can be handled well. The Whitebeard Pirates are about to face the most direct threat.
"Regardless of whether Saint Shalria lives or dies, as the Celestial Dragons' spear, the God Knights are bound to enter the stage.
"And Whitebeard in this period is, just as I said, extremely powerful.
"This is an opportunity. If it can be done, then deal with them ahead of time."
At this point, he beckoned toward the door. The Angel of Glory that had originally been serving as a marker pushed the door open and entered.
It knelt respectfully on one knee before Ren and lowered its head in salute.
"My Lord."
"Act with him."
Ren gave the order, then said to Sabo, "If there is any need, I will immediately arrive at the battlefield where the marker is located."
"Isn't that a bit excessive?" Sabo seemed somewhat surprised.
"They are the Celestial Dragons' spear, after all. I do not know the level of their strength."
Ren showed an apologetic expression. "The truth is, being a prophet does not mean I can foresee everything."
"Understood."
Sabo nodded thoughtfully, then also rose and left with the angel.
Ren watched the two of them depart, while also reviewing his own plan.
He had always done things one link after another, and he liked wringing multiple gains from a single move.
Naturally, this time was no exception.
The situation was exactly as he had said. What the World Government absolutely had to resolve right now was the Whitebeard Pirates, who still had a Celestial Dragon in their hands.
The most suitable method would be to ransom Saint Shalria back from Whitebeard, then eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates.
They would restore the World Government's prestige and the Celestial Dragons' authority in the most violent way possible.
But... this was not an easy matter.
Because of Ren's interference, the Whitebeard Pirates had not suffered severe losses in the Marineford War.
None of their core members had died. A few unlucky ones were heavily wounded, such as Marco, who was wrapped in bandages.
Their subordinate forces had suffered no small number of casualties, but it had not reached the point of crippling them.
By contrast, although the Marine casualties had yet to be counted, Ren, who had been present at the time, could confirm one thing.
Of their ten-plus elite forces, at least more than half had been lost.
A large part of it was because the clash of Conqueror's Haki had caused mass unconsciousness, followed by secondary deaths from earthquakes and various disasters.
Nine Vice Admirals had also been lost. Most had died because the lower-ranking forces were swept away by Conqueror's Haki, forcing them to fill the gaps and leading to casualties.
It could be said that his deal with Whitebeard had basically been accomplished.
Under these circumstances, if the World Government wanted to reclaim its face, it would have to face a Whitebeard Pirates that was almost at full strength. It might even have to account for the influence of Red-Haired Shanks.
Since Shanks could appear at the Marineford War to save Ace, then if something happened afterward, he would inevitably shelter Ace as well.
Putting himself in their place, if Ren were one of the World Government's decision-makers, he would definitely choose to cut through the mess swiftly.
In a situation like this, there was no way they could continue negotiating with Whitebeard.
Leaving aside everything else, the mere fact that Celestial Dragons would be tagged with high ransom value was something they absolutely could not accept.
The best method would be to dispatch the God Knights and the Marines' top combat forces.
They would rescue Saint Shalria while completely destroying the Whitebeard Pirates, then announce it to the entire world!
It was even possible they might use the mysterious weapon that sank the Lulusia Kingdom in the original story.
Of course, the prerequisite was rescuing Saint Shalria. Only then would they possibly use that thing.
In other words, this was an opportunity to snap the Celestial Dragons' spear ahead of time.
Ren lacked information on the God Knights, because the plot he knew did not include detailed descriptions of them.
The only place where they were mentioned was in the God Valley storyline. They seemed to be the Celestial Dragons' own armed force.
What could be confirmed was that they were powerful Celestial Dragons who had eaten top-tier fruits, enjoyed slaughter and combat, and were specially cultivated as martial force.
Their upper limit would absolutely not be low. They might even be extremely troublesome.
Under these circumstances, Ren believed the best method was to use this opportunity to have Whitebeard and the Revolutionary Army take action.
He might even personally enter the battlefield, using the strongest possible lineup to forcibly wipe out the God Knights.
He would cut away the World Government's wings!
No matter how ridiculous the combat power of the One Piece world was, it could not exceed the result of peak Haki, peak fruit Awakening, and abnormal physical talent combined.
And Dragon had already been confirmed to be at the world's peak. Whitebeard was at the summit of that peak.
Ren himself could also be counted as part of the Four Emperors' peak tier.
The compounded effect brought by the three of them joining forces would be utterly terrifying.
Now it depended on when the God Knights would step into the pit Ren had dug for them.
After arranging one link in the post-Marineford War plan, Ren activated Combat Dispatch and headed to the Judgment.
The goods here were extremely important, so he decided to personally stand guard.
The goods obtained from Impel Down were basically all in a state of confinement.
Caesar had provided a poisonous weapon—or rather, the prototype version of his Land of Death. It could leave people in a long-term petrified state after they were corroded by poison.
This scientist, who was passionate about researching weapons of mass destruction, still had not discovered who he was truly working for, thanks to Robin's methods.
Especially after the Angel of Glory's radio-wave technology appeared, his channels of external communication had simply come under Robin's personal control.
However, because of the existence of Miss Bakkin and Law, Robin believed he might already have understood his situation.
If possible, it would be best to prepare in advance.
Ren very much agreed with this.
"Caesar, huh..."
Ren sat on the sofa in the bedroom, holding a Den Den Mushi as he considered how to deal with Caesar.
This talented scientist was different from Bakkin and Law.
Once he sensed the situation, he would inevitably think of every possible method to escape control.
If he were killed directly... that would be far too much of a waste.
Although Caesar could not compare to Vegapunk, he was still a scientist in the tier directly below Vegapunk. There was no doubt about his research ability.
That had also been reflected on Robin's side.
"The scale of the Artificial Devil Fruit trees has already increased. The harvested fruits have been loaded into Chesters.
"Nojiko will take them to Kuja Island. I imagine they can be used on the angels on a large scale in a few days.
"The prototype version of Land of Death he provided also seems to have rather good effects.
"As for the race-gene aspect you requested, the current progress seems fairly smooth.
"Law said Caesar has contributed quite a lot, while that Bakkin is a skilled technician."
Robin continued reporting from the other side of the Den Den Mushi. "If Caesar is killed, the speed of the research projects will probably slow by quite a bit.
"Perhaps we can leave him with nowhere to go? For example, that matter."
She was clearly implying something.
"The Celestial Dragons? That still requires some time and preparation. Plotting against Akainu is not an easy matter."
Ren frowned slightly. "Even if preparations are made in advance, it is hard to say whether things will develop in the direction I expect."
"That is true."
Robin agreed with a nod, then changed the direction of the conversation. "But if it succeeds, we will gain an enormous advantage, won't we?
"The strongest Akainu will be unable to become Fleet Admiral. Kuzan, after losing the competition, will leave the Marines. In the end, the lazy Kizaru will become Fleet Admiral.
"For the next several years, there will be little need to consider the threat posed by the Marines."
"We will see."
Ren did not continue on that topic and instead said, "I'll leave Punk Hazard to you."
"Isn't that what I should do? Captain."
Robin gave a light laugh, then seemed to think of something. "Are you going to be busy next?"
"Hm?"
Ren let out a puzzled sound.
"Looks like nothing has happened yet. Captain, you'll know very soon."
Robin gave that vague sentence, then hung up.
Leaving Ren, utterly confused, staring at the Den Den Mushi as it returned to its original state. He scratched his head.
Wait.
What did that mean?
At the moment, aside from standing guard to prevent accidents, he should not have anything to do.
Leaving serious matters aside, Nami was steering the Judgment, so she would not have time. Hm?
Ren seemed to realize something and turned to look at the bedroom door.
At just that moment, footsteps sounded, accompanied by Vivi's voice.
"Ren?"
"I'm here."
With that exchange, the door was pushed open, and Vivi entered with a blush on her face.
She seemed a little nervous, but her uneasy expression could not conceal the charm of a peerless beauty.
Her water-blue hair draped over the back of a pink robe, while beneath the robe was a pure white outfit.
It was gorgeous, yet carried a hint of temptation. The golden ornaments were lifted high by the proud curve of her chest, and the deep valley between them drew the eye irresistibly.
Below that valley, interlaced golden decorations outlined a slender waist that looked as though it could be grasped in one hand.
Below it, the white hem of her skirt flared out rapidly, shrouding even more beautiful things in mystery.
Roughly speaking, it was like this: an outfit style that was difficult to describe, conservative yet carrying a touch of boldness.
But if one were to call it seductive, it was still not as alluring as the outfit she wore back at Whiskey Peak.
Instead... it felt more formal, as though this were some occasion that had to be treated seriously.
(End of Chapter)