He had been right all along!

As Daren felt the roar of strain erupting from his muscles, nerves, and even his very cells under the immense pressure of the world's three strongest Logia users, his outstretched fingers trembled uncontrollably.

This was the feeling!

That constant, spine-chilling sense of danger—as if death could come at any moment, his life dancing on the edge of a blade!

Only this kind of external pressure could force his Armament Haki to evolve—could drive it to the brink of transformation!

Because only overwhelming, overcharged Haki could resist the powers of a Devil Fruit!

Heat billowed from Daren's breath, and his gaze burned with intensity.

Ever since the battle on Philseque Island, ever since facing the Five Elders and their bizarre, unnatural "Immortal Body" abilities, he had been searching for a countermeasure.

Physically speaking, he was already at the pinnacle of the sea.

Even natural-born monsters like Kaidou and Big Mom couldn't match him in raw strength or durability.

And yet, even with power strong enough to "tear apart" a member of the Five Elders, he still hadn't managed to inflict any real damage on that so-called immortal body.

Which raised the obvious question:

Was it because his Haki wasn't strong enough?

Even with his knowledge as a transmigrator, Daren had little concrete information on the Five Elders' combat prowess.

If he truly wanted to find a way to deal with those five demons, he'd have to test bold theories—then confirm them through battle.

If brute strength wasn't enough… what about Haki pushed to its absolute limit?

His Armament Haki wasn't weak, but compared to his freakish body and strength, it still lagged behind.

And when it came to forging stronger Haki through combat, there was only one group that came to mind—the three strongest Logia users in the world: the future Admirals of Marine Headquarters.

After all, he'd already squeezed all the "experience" he could out of Kaidou and Whitebeard, and he'd beaten most of the major pirates into the ground.

But the Marines… this batch of "crops" was still thriving.

A thousand thoughts flashed through Daren's mind as he threw himself forward again, body covered in wounds, charging straight at Sakazuki and the others!

"Still going, huh..."

Borsalino let out a helpless sigh. His body blurred into light particles as he swiftly retreated, narrowly dodging Daren's ferocious dragon claw strike before raising his hand and firing a blazing laser beam.

Daren narrowed his eyes. With a flick of his finger, a cluster of floating metal fragments twisted violently and rose into the air.

The world fell silent.

Zzzzzzt...

Within the raging magnetic field, the metal shards morphed into a concentrated beam, wrapped in spiraling arcs of blue lightning.

Roar!

Super Railgun!

The two beams collided high in the sky, erupting in a massive explosion of light. A searing white flash overwhelmed everyone's vision.

Boom!!

Scattered light particles rained down on Daren's body, detonating on impact and igniting searing flames across his form.

Armament Haki +0.187!

Amid the surging blaze, the Vice Admiral stomped the ground and charged forward like a madman, tearing through the smoke as he closed in on Sakazuki once again!

"He's lost it!"

Seeing the madness blazing in Daren's eyes, Sakazuki frowned, his right arm swelling before erupting into molten magma like a volcanic blast.

The strongest punch of searing magma...

"Bring it on, Sakazuki!!"

Daren let out a wild laugh as the two closed in.

They struck at the same time!

"Dai Funka!"

"Genkotsu Meteor!"

Boom!

A massive shockwave exploded between them. Both men grunted from the impact, sliding backward dozens of meters across the scorched ground.

Armament Haki +0.211!

The moment Daren regained his footing, he slammed his foot down hard.

The blood-soaked ground beneath him shattered violently, as if a swarm of dragons were writhing beneath the surface.

The encroaching frost instantly cracked and crumbled. With a sweep of his arm, four radiant, spiraling Haki-infused sword slashes howled toward Kuzan like specters of destruction.

The air boomed with pressure—it was clear he wasn't holding back at all!

"Oi oi oi, Daren! You trying to kill us here?!"

Kuzan cursed as he launched a counterattack.

Ice crystals surged across his arm, instantly forming into a massive ice bird that spread its wings wide and barreled toward the incoming slashes.

"Pheasant Beak!"

But against four Meito blades wrapped in Haki and moving at their peak speed, even an ice construct capable of freezing anything only held for a split second before being shredded into shards, erupting into a blizzard of ice fragments.

Mist surged through the air—and Kuzan's figure vanished.

A chill swept in from behind. A shadow loomed.

Frost surged upward behind Daren, swiftly forming Kuzan's silhouette. He threw his arms open and lunged to embrace him!

"Dahahaha! You're not slipping away this time!"

"This move—I crafted it just for this showdown!"

"Ice Time!"

Kuzan's arms locked tightly around Daren from behind.

In an instant, an overwhelming wave of cold surged forth.

Ice crystals bloomed from Kuzan's arms, visible to the naked eye, creeping over Daren's devil form and slowly eroding the black Haki that wrapped his body—like white ink bleeding through dark oil, the frost spread rapidly.

"Got him!"

A glint of fanatic glee flickered in Kuzan's eyes.

As the user of the Hie Hie no Mi, he could freeze anything he touched, transform any part of his body into ice, and shape pale-blue ice into any form to create weapons and launch attacks.

"Ice Age" was without question his most powerful large-scale technique. At full strength, it could freeze an entire small island solid for days without melting.

But "Ice Age" was a wide-range control move—effective in battlefield control and suppression, but less so against top-tier opponents.

After all, the wider the range, the more the freezing effect diluted.

But "Ice Time" was different.

An ultra-concentrated blast of cold air, fired point-blank without dispersing even a trace—focused entirely on one target.

In terms of raw freezing potential, its power far surpassed Ice Age.

This was Kuzan's ace technique—developed specifically for close-quarters combat.

The frost spread relentlessly. Under the relentless cold, the Vice Admiral's body locked up where he stood.

Bit by bit, a crystal-clear layer of ice encased him completely, finally forming into a gleaming iceberg nearly ten meters tall.

The ice sparkled under the faint sunlight, casting radiant beams. Inside, Daren's terrifying, demon-god-like figure remained perfectly preserved—like a frozen sculpture of war.

"He did it!"

"Vice Admiral Kuzan landed the hit!"

"That was insane!"

"..."

Kuzan peeled himself away from the iceberg and staggered to the ground, gasping for breath.

Hearing the cheers and admiration erupting around him, he blinked in surprise—then scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled.

"Aw, come on… I won't let it get to my head even if you flatter me like that."

Still, he quietly puffed out his chest, his face tinged with a faint blush.

Then suddenly, all the noise stopped.

Kuzan froze.

Why did they go silent?

He looked up—only to find the Marine officers staring behind him, every face frozen in horror.

They were locked onto something behind him—something terrifying.

And then—

Kuzan heard it.

The sound of ice cracking.

Crack!

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