"You think you're the only one who can call for backup?"
Daren's lips curled into a cold smirk.
Shiki, in his obsession with avenging Coin Island, had rallied Big Mom and Kaidou into a temporary alliance, storming Marineford in a mad assault.
Backup?
Shiki blinked, then realization struck.
He didn't quite understand the slang term "call for backup," but the mocking tone in Daren's voice made the meaning crystal clear—it meant bringing in outside reinforcements.
Gritting his teeth through the pain and dizziness from the steering wheel still lodged in his skull, Shiki forced his mind to function.
That sudden, massive storm—the one that completely flipped the tide of battle...
Control over the weather? No. It wasn't that.
With his vast experience and insight, Shiki was certain: no Devil Fruit user in the world had that kind of exaggerated ability.
That storm...
It was wind!
A glint of chilling clarity flashed in Shiki's eyes.
That brat who defected from the Marines not long ago...!
Garp's own son—Monkey D. Dragon!
If that was true...
It all clicked.
That storm was orchestrated by that damned Daren!
...
Before Shiki could fully piece it together, Daren had already taken action aboard the warship.
"Leave Shiki to me. You handle the Roger Pirates."
His voice was cold and resolute.
He bent his knees and dropped low—
Creak... groan...
A terrifying force rippled through the ship, and the massive warship groaned under the strain.
Right before Sengoku's and the others' wide eyes, the entire bow of the heavy vessel sank downward under Daren's pressure, plunging several meters deeper into the sea.
The ship tipped violently forward, with the stern rising high into the air!
Marines scattered across the deck, struggling to keep their footing as they stared in shock at the towering figure at the front.
He nearly flipped a warship just with the strength of his body!?
"You sure you can handle this alone, Daren?"
Sengoku braced himself, locking eyes with Daren and shouting urgently.
"Who knows?"
Daren's lips twisted into a wild grin. His eyes blazed with fierce ambition.
Gazing at the battlefield ahead—now a living hell—he felt the blood in his veins ignite.
The roaring sea, the scorching wind, the freezing rain, the thick stench of gunpowder hanging in the air,
...and that overwhelming presence of a legendary pirate—
Shiki the Golden Lion!
A flood of information, smells, and sounds surged into Daren's mind, seeping into his cells, into his very soul, making his entire body tremble.
But it wasn't fear.
It was excitement.
This was it—the great Battle of Edd War, a clash destined to be etched into the history of pirates!
A war worthy of the history books!
Except this time... it wasn't fate that decided it.
It was him.
The storm of destiny, the downfall of the Flying Pirates, the cursed steering wheel…
Daren never believed in fate.
Even if fate existed, he would carve it out himself.
And now—it was time to take on a true legend.
To clash with a monster like Shiki the Golden Lion!
His eyes flared with uncontainable battle lust. He took a final drag of his cigar, his knees coiled like springs, then—
BOOM!!
With a thunderous stomp, the speeding warship jolted backward nearly ten meters from the recoil alone!
Launched like a cannonball, the Vice Admiral rocketed through the air—
Crossing hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.
"Marine brat! You've got a death wish!!"
Shiki roared, eyes bloodshot with rage.
This reckless fool actually dared to launch a frontal assault on him!?
His twin blades slashed outward!
Dozens of golden sword arcs exploded forth, crisscrossing the sky and sea into a deadly lattice.
"Shishi: Senjindani!"
A strange red glow surged in the depths of Daren's pupils as his Observation Haki flared, perfectly predicting the paths of the incoming strikes.
Daren's figure weaved nimbly through the barrage, narrowly dodging Shiki's deadly blades.
"You think it's that easy!?"
A killing intent flashed in Shiki's eyes. He swung once more through the air.
Invisible force rippled outward, churning the calm sea once again.
A massive surge of seawater, lifted by Shiki's floating power, came crashing down. The torrent twisted and formed into a towering lion of water that blocked out the sky, descending toward Daren like a collapsing mountain.
Its jaws gaped wide, ready to swallow the Marine Vice Admiral whole.
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!"
A colossal shadow loomed overhead as if the heavens themselves were falling.
The salty tang of seawater rushed in, making Daren's skin prickle.
Seawater—the ultimate weakness of any Devil Fruit user!
If he took a direct hit, he wouldn't die—but he'd be incapacitated instantly.
"Enma!"
Daren's eyes narrowed. He shouted with force.
A streak of black light pierced through the air, growing in size the moment it shot forth.
"More More: Twentyfold Oni Slash!"
Shhk!!
The water lion was violently pierced by the amplified Enma. For a split second, it froze midair as a gaping hole tore through its core.
Seawater rained down in sheets.
In that instant, before the watery beast could close again, Daren accelerated, darting through the opening like a bullet—
Straight toward Shiki!
"Wahahaha!! Daren, I'm coming for payback!!"
A loud voice boomed from the side.
Roger launched himself forward, his blade crackling with black and red lightning, swinging down with ferocious power!
A deadly sense of danger surged—but Daren didn't even flinch.
Because a towering figure in a dog-headed cap had already appeared behind him.
A massive fist, also wrapped in black lightning, slammed forward with explosive force!
BOOM!!
The meteor-like iron fist collided with the world-cutting blade.
A gale like hell's breath exploded outward. Lightning flashed wildly through the air, swallowing the sky and tearing through the clouds.
The black clouds were split apart, a massive rift forming between the two fighters.
"Garp!?"
Roger gasped in shock.
Reflected in his eyes was a white cape billowing upward, the black kanji for "Justice" dancing like a dragon in the storm.
"Bwahahaha!! Roger, your fight's with me!!"
Garp roared with laughter, and before Roger could even react, drove a fist straight into his face.
BOOM!!
Roger's body shot like a cannonball into the side of the Oro Jackson, splintering a massive section of the deck.
A bloodied tooth clattered to the floor with a metallic ring.
"Damn you, Garp, you bastard!!"
Roger wiped the blood from his mouth and shouted, the gap in his front teeth making him lisp in rage.
...
Meanwhile, Daren lunged at Shiki like a starving wolf, fingers curled into a dragon claw, driving it straight toward the pirate's face!
"Shiki... gotta say, that steering wheel really suits you."
He grinned wickedly.
"After all, I made it just for you... your perfect little crown."