Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

The sharp sound of shattering ice echoed one after another, sending chills down Kuzan's spine and making his scalp prickle with dread.

"No way..."

He stood there, frozen, watching the stunned, terrified faces of the Marines in the distance. The corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.

Crack!

The sound of something breaking came from behind—the iceberg.

A bitter smile crept across Kuzan's lips as he turned around stiffly.

Zzzzzzt...!

Arcs of black and red lightning surged from the cracks in the ice, growing more intense with every burst, tearing fissures wider and wider until they wove together into a storm of lightning.

And then—

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but in that instant, Kuzan saw it—

Daren, frozen solid inside the iceberg, moved his eyes slightly...and grinned at him.

A savage, feral grin.

Hisss...

Kuzan sucked in a sharp breath.

And in the next moment—

The storm of black and red Haki exploded to its peak, and the entire iceberg detonated in a burst of crystal shrapnel.

The frost shattered into dust. The Vice Admiral stepped forward through the haze, wrapped in a raging aura so intense it was visible to the naked eye—his presence overwhelming.

Armament Haki +0.418!

Armament Haki +0.333!

Armament Haki +0.403!

...

Armament Haki strength... 83.477!

At the same time, Daren could feel a faint, monstrous power slowly awakening in his arms.

That surging sense of dominance—of complete control, as if he could obliterate anything in his path—nearly made him want to howl in triumph.

"What... is happening...?"

As Daren's body unleashed wave after wave of black-red lightning, wrapping around him in spiraling chaos, the distant Marines suddenly felt like they couldn't breathe—an invisible pressure choking the air from their lungs.

Despite the severe burns and frostbite marring his flesh, with parts of his skin scorched and rotting away, Daren's body pulsed with power, muscles rippling and twitching as if giant serpents coiled beneath his skin.

With that blackened, deathly form wrapped in pure Armament Haki, Daren now looked like a true demon god risen from the pits of hell.

Several Marine commanders gulped nervously.

"Am I... seeing this right?"

"Vice Admiral Daren—no, Rogers Daren—his Haki is still growing stronger."

"What's going on here?"

"Has he been hiding his strength this whole time?"

"Don't be ridiculous! If Daren was holding back, why didn't he just storm Mary Geoise and flatten it?"

"Shh! Quiet! You trying to get yourself killed?"

...

"He... got stronger again!?"

Kuzan's eyes widened in disbelief.

In the blink of an eye—Daren vanished from view!

Bang!!

Agonizing pain erupted in Kuzan's gut. A fist wreathed in black lightning slammed into his abdomen, a shockwave rippling out from his back in a flash of white force.

His eyes bulged, body folding like a boiled shrimp. He gagged violently, mouth hanging open.

"Thanks, Kuzan."

Daren's voice came from beside him, low and quiet.

The Vice Admiral appeared at Kuzan's side as if from thin air.

Kuzan bit back the blood in his throat, rolled his eyes.

That's your idea of gratitude!?

Before he could even retort, a military boot drove into his chest with crushing force, sending him flying.

And just then—

A flash of deep, dangerous crimson filled Daren's pupils, expanding rapidly, filling his vision.

"Meigo!"

The Magma Fist roared out at an unimaginable speed, like a rabid dog lunging for the kill.

This was... Sakazuki's strongest strike!

Hiss!

A stream of molten flame grazed the Vice Admiral's side, scorching away flesh and instantly carbonizing the tissue!

He missed!?

Sakazuki's pupils shrank sharply.

A large, knuckled hand clamped down firmly on his arm.

"The explosive force of the Magu Magu no Mi really is insane. Even with the boost from my Devil Form, my Indestructible Body can barely hold up."

Daren panted lightly, blood dripping from the torn ends of his hair.

Sakazuki froze.

Before he could react, Daren's other bloodstained, calloused hand suddenly shot forward and clamped around his head.

Darkness immediately swallowed his vision. As Daren's fingers tightened, a dull, crushing pain spread through Sakazuki's forehead—his skull felt like it could shatter under the pressure of that inhuman grip.

Then Daren's feet slammed into the ground like twin hammers, launching him into the air with a thunderous blast.

The sudden rush of weightlessness overwhelmed Sakazuki. He gritted his teeth and tried to break free, but Daren's arms were like iron poured into a mold—utterly immovable. At this range, he couldn't do a thing!

Faced with that overwhelming, brute-force strength, the power he had once taken pride in felt no stronger than cotton.

Then, through the roaring wind, came the thick stench of blood and a low, menacing voice.

"Don't die so easily, Sakazuki."

As the words landed, a wave of dizziness hit him like a hammer to the skull.

With the nearby Marines frozen in stunned silence, Daren raised Sakazuki high with one hand and, under the pull of gravity, began to plummet like a meteor...

Like a dragon's dive, black lightning erupted around Daren's body, flaring outward like a black dragon's wings.

Still gripping Sakazuki's head, he drove him down like a blazing meteorite.

"Devil Form: Dragon's Dive!"

BOOM!

The ground screamed under the pressure, groaning into a wail as it buckled beneath the impact.

Towers of dust surged into the sky. The shockwave shredded Sakazuki's cap and uniform into fluttering scraps.

His pupils lost focus, blood pouring from his mouth and nose in steady streams.

His flesh tore apart and burst into molten chunks, flung into the air and scattered across his own savage, battle-worn face.

A massive chasm split the ground at the point of impact and tore through the land, stretching several kilometers into the distance, its end nowhere in sight.

The deafening noise of destruction echoed endlessly as the widening rift devoured buildings on either side, launching clouds of debris skyward.

And then—

BOOM!!

A colossal pillar of magma erupted with a deafening roar, its searing red torrent staining the sky.

The scorching wind swept outward with terrifying force. Countless Marines were thrown like sand into the raging sea, hurled away by the blast.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki… was smashed straight into the ground!"

"This is insane!"

"If Marineford weren't built with such a solid structure… If this were just an ordinary island…"

"That one blow could've shattered the whole landmass!"

"…"

The Marine officers were forced to retreat another three kilometers, only stopping once they had reached a safe distance. From there, they stared in shock at the center of the fiery storm.

From within the torrent of lava, the battered figure of the Vice Admiral emerged, staggering forward with smoke billowing off his body.

Under Sakazuki's desperate counterattack, the Armament Haki armor covering him began to crack inch by inch, before shattering like glass and falling away in glittering dust.

He stood there, drenched in blood, with large portions of his skin sloughing off—some areas even looked partially melted.

"This lunatic…"

After several flashes, Sengoku finally returned to the battlefield, his face darkening as he looked at Daren's bloody, broken form, barely able to believe what he was seeing.

"Well then… Thank you all for the guidance."

The Marine Vice Admiral forced a grin, baring bloodstained teeth.

He gave a slight bow—and then, brilliant black lightning surged from his body like a blooming lotus, wild and magnificent!

Armament Haki Strength: 85,000!

"May fortune favor you in battle!"

With those words, his figure shot into the air.

Driven by a magnetic field, he broke the sound barrier in an instant and vanished into the distant sky.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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