Kuzan gritted his teeth as he dragged himself up from the jagged ice hole, cold mist clinging to his body. His eyes flicked over the scene before him, dazed.
The battlefield had transformed.
Marines surged past him in waves, their swords drawn, their faces taut with murderous resolve as they stormed the Oro Jackson across the frozen sea.
Moments ago, the fighting had been chaos. The warships were too tightly packed, their formation broken. Ships jostled against each other, and the men in the rear had been left uselessly shouting while those at the front resorted to scaling ropes onto the Oro Jackson's decks in brutal close combat.
But now—everything was different.
The ocean itself had hardened into a vast white plain. The Oro Jackson's hull was locked in place, trapped beneath the ice. There was no escape.
"Rear Admiral Kuzan is incredible!"
"He's every bit as fearsome as Vice Admiral Darren!"
"He's broken the stalemate by himself!"
Marines streamed past, throwing him quick salutes and words of awe, their admiration plain in their eyes.
Kuzan blinked, startled. Then, scratching the back of his head, he let out an awkward laugh.
"Haha… don't flatter me too much."
The bitter wind cut like knives. High above, Darren was nothing but a crimson streak tearing across the sky, the roar of battle dwindling behind him as black storm clouds whipped away.
From behind came a bellowing laugh, wild and merciless.
"Jihahaha! Marine brat, finally done running?!" Golden Lion's voice crashed like thunder. His blades gleamed as he closed the distance with terrifying speed. "What happened to all that arrogance? You stirred up a storm to match the heavens, only to flee with your tail between your legs? Jihahaha! Pathetic!"
His twin swords flashed, unleashing dozens of golden slashes that screamed through the air toward the fleeing Vice Admiral.
Darren's pallid face twisted, his pupils flaring with a sinister red glow. His magnetic field roared outward, exploding with force.
A thunderclap split the air as Darren's speed spiked, his body slipping just past the cascade of blades.
Shink! Shink! Shink!
The sea beneath them split into a colossal grid, fountains of seawater erupting skyward in violent pillars. Darren shot through the water curtain like a spear, escaping by a hair's breadth.
But as he emerged, his lips curled into a mocking smile.
"So what?"
His voice was sharp with contempt.
"In the end, you've already lost, Golden Lion."
"Your so-called invincible Flying Fleet? I've annihilated it twice over."
"And your laughable dream of ruling the world? I've crushed it to dust."
Darren's eyes gleamed as he looked back, his voice rising with scorn.
"Your whole life amounts to nothing but failure!"
"At God Valley, your captain Rocks was crushed by Roger and Garp!"
"You couldn't defeat Whitebeard, let alone surpass Roger!"
"That's why you've always scuttled about like a rat, hiding behind fleets and chasing after ancient weapons like a beggar grasping at scraps."
His words lashed like whips, every syllable cutting into Golden Lion's pride.
"You? Dare to stand equal to Roger?" Darren spat, his laughter poisonous. "Roger scoffed at ancient weapons. He didn't need them! That's the difference between you. That's why he'll always tower above you. And you—you'll always be a joke. His shadow. His footnote."
The words stabbed into Golden Lion's heart. His bloodshot eyes flared, veins bulging, his chest heaving with a fury that could split the world.
"You insolent brat!" he howled, spittle flying as his voice cracked with rage. "Roger was a fool! He had power enough to rule the seas, yet he wasted it chasing dreams! He wasn't even a real pirate!"
The denial rang hollow. To Darren, it was the howl of a loser trying to bury his own shame.
"Those are nothing but excuses!" Darren's snarl turned into a savage grin. "Face it, Golden Lion—you're just a failure."
His gaze sharpened. "And if I'm not wrong, you're even afraid to unleash your Conqueror's Haki now, aren't you?"
Golden Lion's expression faltered, the wheel embedded in his skull burning like a curse.
Darren's laughter tore through the air.
"You're terrified that if you use it, your body will shatter beyond repair. Isn't that right?"
Golden Lion's jaw locked, his teeth grinding so hard the sound cracked through the wind.
Darren read the answer in his silence and laughed harder, cruel and triumphant.
"So you've lost even your Conqueror's Haki…" His voice dripped with venom. "Tell me then—what right do you have to rule the world now? You're nothing but a washed-up relic!"
"Damn you!!!" Golden Lion's scream split the skies, his face contorting into a monstrous mask of rage. "Even without Conqueror's Haki, I'll crush you like an insect!"
"Then come!" Darren roared back, his laughter wild. "Show me, Golden Lion!"
His hands warped into dragon-like claws, black as night, and with a vicious swipe he unleashed arcs of searing energy that ripped through the sky toward Shiki.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Golden Lion's twin blades cleaved the blasts apart, his fury propelling him forward in relentless pursuit.
"Darren!" he roared, his voice a storm. "You think you're clever? That you've outplayed me? Then remember this—you'll die by my blade today!"
"I'll carve Roger's secrets from his corpse if I must! The Ancient Weapons are mine, and when I have them, the world will kneel!"
Obsession burned in his chest like wildfire. I haven't lost yet. I can't lose. Kill this Marine, seize the weapons, and the seas will bow to me.
But then—Darren's mocking voice drifted back, light as a dagger sliding into flesh.
"Tell me, Golden Lion… who do you think leaked those clues about the Ancient Weapons in the first place?"
The words struck him like lightning.
Shiki's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His breath caught, his thoughts spiraling.
What…?
A torrent of realization surged through his skull.
The Underworld whispers. The clash at the Edd War Sea. Roger with the clues. The sudden Marine ambush.
The timing. The precision.
It was all a web.
Golden Lion's face twisted, veins standing out, his gaze locking murderously on Darren's fleeing back.
This brat… he orchestrated everything.
He destroyed everything I built.
His roar shook the heavens.
"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART, YOU DAMNED BRAT!!!"
To be continued...