"...Zoan Awakening rarely grants true immortality," Dragon said evenly, arms folded across his chest.
Queen snorted. "You're not even a Zoan user, let alone Awakened. What would you know?"
Dragon's face stiffened. Gritting his teeth, he snapped, "Just because I'm not Awakened doesn't mean you are, you spandex-wrapped Fatty! And even if I'm not a Devil Fruit user, or Zoan-type, that doesn't mean I don't understand how any of this works!"
Queen twisted his lips into a contemptuous sneer. "Ah, right, I almost forgot," he drawled. "You're the Marine Hero's precious son. Of course you'd have access to secret intel the average guy would never see. How impressive..."
He dragged out the last word, pursing his lips to make his contempt obvious.
Dragon's face flushed red. Steam seemed ready to hiss from his ears.
"You damned Fatty!" he roared. "I, Dragon, cut all ties with the Marines long ago to found the Freedom Fighters! Every accomplishment I've achieved has nothing to do with that unreliable old man!"
He spat each word with venom.
Queen raised an eyebrow and let out a mocking, "Really?"
Dragon puffed out his chest, pride written all over his face. "Absolutely!" he declared. "My current glory is entirely the result of my own efforts... and, of course, the great and selfless support of Rogers Darren-san!"
Queen rolled his eyes. I thought I was shameless, he muttered inwardly. Turns out this guy's skin is even thicker than mine.
"Hmm..."
A low, pained groan drifted through the air.
Dragon's eyes lit up. He whipped his head around, delight bursting into his voice. "Darren! You're awake!"
Queen: "..."
Darren forced his eyes open, his face ghostly pale and utterly drained. He shot Dragon a tired, irritable glare and rasped, "...Even if you say that, you still owe me money."
Dragon's grin froze. A heartbeat later, he let out a sheepish laugh. "With our relationship, talking about money just cheapens things."
Darren shook his head, too exhausted to argue with this man whose shamelessness had only grown since founding the Freedom Fighters. He let his gaze travel across the ravaged, purgatory-like wasteland before them.
"Where's Kaido?" he asked.
Dragon's expression tightened. Clenching his fist, he declared, "You won. Kaido himself admitted defeat."
"From this moment on, you're truly the strongest creature in the world—on land, at sea, and in the air."
Darren froze, about to respond, when a massive, fleshy face suddenly filled his vision.
"..."
Overalls Fatso squatted right in front of him, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared Darren down without blinking.
Just as Darren started to feel thoroughly creeped out—fingers curling, ready to deck him—Queen abruptly broke into a fawning grin, his gaze gleaming with anticipation and barely contained excitement.
"Say... how about you beat me up sometime?" he asked.
Darren: "???"
His eyes widened slightly as he stared at the fanatical Fatty, momentarily speechless.
Dragon was just as dumbfounded.
What's gotten into this guy? Has he completely lost his mind?
"...Are you serious?" Darren finally managed, still at a loss.
"Mhm, mhm!" Queen nodded vigorously, that sycophantic smile never leaving his face, his eyes shining with eager expectation.
"The kind where you beat me to a pulp."
Darren: "..."
"Hold it right there!"
Dragon snapped awake, glaring at Overalls Fatso as though he were insane. "You don't seriously think that if Darren beats you up like Kaido did, you'll awaken your Devil Fruit too, do you?!"
Darren nodded. "He's got a point. If I went all-out, you'd die— Wait! Kaido awakened his Devil Fruit?!"
He stared at Dragon in disbelief, only now processing the implications of what had been said.
"If I'm not mistaken, that seems to be the case," Dragon replied, smiling wryly.
Darren: "..."
He sagged back, staring dazedly up at the sky. The whole situation felt unreal.
I spent years fighting, risking my life again and again, desperately searching for some so-called 'renowned master.' Only under the 'guidance' of the Commander of the Knights of God did I finally manage to awaken my Devil Fruit...
And Kaido gets his Awakening from just one fight with me?
How is that even remotely fair?!
---
"This is perfectly logical!"
In the makeshift laboratory, Queen stood in a white lab coat, pointer in hand, gesturing animatedly at a whiteboard crammed with diagrams and notes. A wide grin split his face as he explained:
"Devil Fruit Awakening is definitely not some instant shortcut. From the outside, it might look like a sudden step, but in reality, it requires years of relentless training and accumulated experience from the user."
"You'd already pushed the Magnet-Magnet Fruit to the limits of what's possible in the 'ordinary' realm. All you lacked was a spark of inspiration."
"So when you faced an opponent far stronger than yourself—and that opponent just happened to be the Commander of the Knights of God, someone with deep insight into Devil Fruit cultivation—you managed to seize that critical moment of inspiration, break through your limits, and successfully awaken your fruit. That's completely reasonable."
Wrapped head to toe in bandages, Darren leaned back against the hospital bed, slowly puffing on a cigar as he listened.
He had to admit, while Overalls Fatso wasn't exactly the most hardworking fighter—always slacking on his own training—his knowledge really was extensive, even when it came to the fine details of Devil Fruit development.
Then Darren remembered: before joining the Beasts Pirates, this guy had worked in the same research team as Vegapunk.
Vegapunk, the world's greatest authority on Devil Fruits—the man who had even uncovered the Lineage Factor hidden within them.
Given Queen's time as his colleague, it was no surprise his Devil Fruit knowledge ran deep.
"What about Kaido?" Dragon suddenly asked.
Queen shot him a disdainful look. "What, did you think Boss Kaido was just trying to kill himself for fun all those times he wandered the world looking for death?"
"Or that Marine Headquarters could've 'captured' him so easily, when he can turn into an Azure Dragon and fly wherever he wants?"
Dragon fell silent.
Indeed, with Kaido's Devil Fruit powers, he could transform into an Azure Dragon at will, riding the clouds and wind. No matter how strong Marine Headquarters' forces were, they could never have repeatedly captured someone like that by force.
So all those years Kaido spent roaming the world seeking death, clashing again and again with the Marines...
Had it all been his way of throwing himself at the strongest opponents he could find, desperately pushing for Devil Fruit Awakening, trying to climb to even greater heights of power?
What a madman.
To be continued...