North Blue, Felsek Island.
"They escaped… all of them got away…"
"This… how is this possible…?"
"They did it so easily…"
"Most of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, has been destroyed…"
"…"
The Gorosei stared in stunned disbelief at the chaos flickering across the screen of the Visual Den Den Mushi, their faces drained, fury boiling beneath the pallor.
They had never imagined Darren could field such a disciplined airborne force. He had chosen the one moment when all five of them were away from the Holy Land and struck without hesitation, unleashing the Flying Fleet to blanket Mary Geoise in a ruthless carpet-bombing run.
What galled them even more was the Holy Land's feeble defense. The so-called North Blue Fleet had pounded them at will—then pulled out without suffering a single loss.
"What a pity we didn't flatten Pangaea Castle," Darren said, spitting blood and wiping his mouth. A crooked, arrogant smile tugged at his lips.
"I still haven't seen the 'eight-hundred-year legacy of the World Government' you Excellencies are so proud of."
That open taunt sent all five into a fury.
"You're courting death!"
"Brat!"
"Insolent!"
"Did you think you could escape?"
"..."
Their bodies swelled at once, towering like mountains as they turned into colossal, nightmarish beasts. Gyūki's spidered legs stabbed for Darren, Fengxi's horns drove in, Itsumade's breath scorched the ground, the Sandworm vomited venom, and Bakotsu's bone maw exhaled killing frost.
A storm of attacks crashed down. Darren slipped through it with blinding footwork, twisting past the killing blows by hairsbreadths.
"Very well, Excellencies. Let's end our little game here."
Four blinding lines slashed across the ground, severing the five giants in an instant.
Black smoke rolled off the burning carcasses as the monsters' bodies began knitting back together. Blood-slick but grinning, Darren rode a raging magnetic field up and away, arrowing into the sky.
"Damn it!"
"Don't let him get away!"
"Marines… stop him!"
"..."
Monstrous and wrathful, the five roared to the heavens. Lantern-sized eyes glowed blood-red with savage intent. As their bulk heaved, earth churned and snow turned to grit. Power poured off them in waves, hurling shockfronts across the island.
Trees shattered. Forests fell. Even the cloud-sea seemed to recoil.
The island shook under their howls.
"Mamamama! Looks like the show's over. Didn't get the Devil Fruit, but I got a fine performance." Big Mom laughed on the shattered ice, flames coiling around the Emperor Sword as she drove Sengoku back. Her gaze slid to the Marine Vice Admiral skimming low across the battlefield—hungry light sparking in her eyes.
"Darren!" she called, greedy and bright. "How about my offer? Be my husband. Together, even the World Government won't touch us."
"I'll give you half of Totto Land."
Before Darren could answer, Sengoku—grim and close—snapped, "Absolutely not!"
He drew breath to say more, when a desperate shout tore across the ice:
"Sengoku… stop him!!"
Sengoku froze. He glanced at the Vice Admiral racing toward them, something like reluctance flickering in his gaze—then hardened, a soldier to the core.
"Darren! Your crimes are unforgivable!"
Light burst from him in a blaze of gold. In a heartbeat, he swelled into the colossal Golden Buddha, a war god towering over the field.
"In my name as an Admiral of Marine Headquarters, you will not leave this island!"
With a thunderous crack, the Golden Buddha shattered the ice beneath its feet and leaped skyward.
Zzzzz… zzzzz…
Black-red lightning crawled over his massive frame—the full weight of Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki unleashed.
"I don't see myself as the villain here, Admiral Sengoku!"
Darren's grin turned reckless. Conqueror's Haki exploded from him in a rush, black as night and bright as falling petals, sheathing his fists.
They closed the distance like bolts.
A single, devastating punch.
BOOM!!
Their fists met.
A cataclysmic shockwave erupted outward, dense cords of crimson-black lightning ripping the sky. Color vanished from the world, leaving only red and black seething overhead. Rings of force hammered outward from the impact, rending earth and exploding ice for kilometers.
"In your condition, you're no match for me!" Sengoku roared, eyes shot with blood.
"How would I know if I don't try?" Darren shot back, blood running from nose and lips, eyes burning with a fierce, lucid madness. "Besides, I'm curious—how much backbone does your 'Justice that Reigns Over the World' really have left?"
The words struck like lightning.
Before Sengoku could answer, Darren's gaze sharpened. His Haki surged, black-red arcs coiling tighter, heavier—and in the next instant his pressure crashed down, crushing the Admiral in front of him.
"You've been the Celestial Dragons' lapdog from the start… and you dare talk about ruling the world?!"
Darren roared, eyes bloodshot, and brought his fist down.
"Seabed Drop!"
BOOM!
The blow crashed into Sengoku's face, shattering a tooth and driving him into the ground. He hit like a meteor, shockwaves tearing through the island as boulders and ice erupted into the air. A gaping, terrifying crater opened in an instant, leaving the distant Marines speechless.
"Marines… intercept him!"
A vast black shape vaulted into the sky. Wreathed in swirling smoke, Itsumade barked orders and shot toward the melee.
"Well, it can't be helped now, Darren…"
High above, a golden flash blossomed. Borsalino spread his arms, his body gleaming.
"You understand, don't you? I just follow orders."
He glanced down at the winded Vice Admiral, head tilted, voice lazy, unhurried.
A blindingly hot golden light surged upward with destructive force.
To be continued...