This Marine brat... he must've achieved his Indestructible Body during that rampage in Wano!
Shiki didn't know exactly what kind of training method Daren had used, but one thing was clear—he was sure of it.
And that could only mean one thing—Kaidou, that bastard, had deliberately kept Daren's true strength hidden from him!
A surge of fury erupted in Shiki's chest as he locked eyes with the Vice Admiral before him, a gnawing sense of dread creeping in.
No...
He couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
This Marine brat had clearly mastered the "Indestructible Body," which meant all those injuries from earlier had just been a performance.
Worse yet, his own condition was awful.
He no longer had the strength to take this brat down quickly.
Shiki may not have specialized in training his body, but he wasn't clueless either. He'd seen enough to recognize what he was dealing with.
He and Kaidou had both served under the Rocks Pirates. Even in the years following the God Valley Incident, he'd crossed paths with Kaidou more than once. He knew just how monstrous and difficult the "Indestructible Body" was to deal with.
Once someone mastered it, their physical durability and defensive power would reach levels unimaginable to ordinary humans.
Only extremely powerful Armament Haki capable of "Internal Destruction" could pierce through that defense.
To truly threaten someone with an Indestructible Body, you needed either immense destructive power—or mastery of Conqueror's Haki infusion!
But now, ever since that damn storm, there was a ship's steering wheel embedded in his head, constantly throbbing, pressing against nerves—it made it impossible for him to use his Conqueror's Haki...
Just as Shiki considered retreating, Daren moved first—without hesitation!
Boom!
The ground beneath him exploded into rubble as the Vice Admiral launched himself like a cannon shell, rocketing forward.
His speed surged to its peak in an instant.
Shiki's pupils shrank.
So fast!!
That's raw physical power—nothing artificial!
What the hell had this brat gone through!?
Strength rivaling a giant's, and now this godlike speed!?
In a blink, the Marine Vice Admiral was already at his side.
His fingers clenched together, forming a dragon claw—three black talons tore through the air, ripping open black shockwaves as they slashed toward Shiki's head!
"Ryusoken!"
Clang!!
Shiki swung both swords upward, blocking Daren's claws head-on.
The impact erupted into a shockwave that cracked the earth beneath them in all directions.
Sparks scattered wildly, casting a fierce glow across the Vice Admiral's defiant, grinning face.
"You chased me for a full day and night, cut me up good... and now you wanna run? You're dreaming, Shiki."
Shiki's eye twitched—but then he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Jihahahaha!!"
With a flick of his sword-wielding hand, his fingers twitched.
Suddenly, the ground burst upward—multiple stone pillars turned into massive spikes, stabbing toward Daren's face, throat, and chest!
Bang!!
The stone spikes shattered instantly, debris flying in all directions—but not a scratch touched Daren.
Shiki took the chance to retreat, trying to put distance between them.
But Daren moved even faster.
His dragon claw, cloaked in pitch-black Armament Haki, locked tightly onto Shiki's twin swords. Under the effect of the magnetic field, faint arcs of electricity crackled along the blades of the two Meito—"Oto" and "Kogarashi."
Shiki suddenly felt an overwhelming pulling force—he couldn't break free!
His expression froze. He looked up—and saw the Vice Admiral's savage grin.
"Momonga."
Daren flashed a smile.
Shiki's pupils shrank.
Don't tell me...
"50 Million Volts: Jamboule!"
A cold voice echoed down from the sky.
A blinding flash of lightning lit up the heavens.
Shiki looked up and saw the Marine brat with the Goro Goro no Mi bursting with crackling lightning. With a wave of his hand—
A colossal thunder dragon roared to life, as vivid as a creature out of legend. Its mouth, searing with lightning, opened wide as it plummeted from the sky!
"You maniac!!"
Shiki bellowed, eyes bulging.
That brat Daren... he really intended to take the full force of the thunder dragon's wrath alongside him, relying on that Indestructible Body!
The dragon crashed into the earth in a deafening roar.
For a moment, the world fell into eerie silence.
Then—
Boom!!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted where the lightning dragon struck. Waves of electricity burst in all directions, the ground rolled like ocean swells, and massive rocks and trees were uprooted and flung into the air.
The entire island trembled violently.
Thick black smoke billowed upward, darkening the sky.
...
The next instant—
Two figures, wreathed in smoke, shot out from the explosion's epicenter and crashed to the ground.
Daren casually patted out the lingering flames on his body. His face was dusted in ash, his eyes cold and focused.
"Damn it..."
Shiki staggered upright, staring in disbelief at the Marine Vice Admiral nearby.
"Why didn't the lightning affect you!?"
His body was charred, his golden mane-like hair scorched and curled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Not even the Indestructible Body should've shrugged off that kind of lightning strike so easily!
Daren gave a small smile, but didn't say a word.
He darted forward again.
After all, Momonga's development of the Goro Goro no Mi had been under his direct guidance. Daren had even used lightning from that fruit to temper his own body. A blast like that? It was never going to work.
"Get out of my way!!"
Shiki roared, eyes bloodshot. He drew both blades, unleashing dozens of golden slashes.
Shishi: Senjindani!
Boom!!
The slashes tore into the ground, sending up clouds of dust.
Shiki didn't even look back. Activating his Devil Fruit ability, he levitated and shot into the sky.
He'd had enough.
He'd never been in a fight this miserable and suffocating in his life.
He had to constantly keep his Armament Haki active to protect the steering wheel lodged in his head.
After a day and night of relentless pursuit, his stamina was nearly drained.
And now he had to deal with Daren, a monster who just wouldn't die...
If this dragged on, he really might end up buried here.
This was the North Blue!
Who knew what other tricks this Marine brat still had up his sleeve!?
Swish!
A sharp streak of black light tore through the air.
"More More: Tenfold Slash!"
Enma!
Shiki's face shifted. He brought up both blades just in time to block the strike.
The black tip of Enma hovered inches away, still trembling from the force of impact.
"Your reactions are slowing down, Shiki..."
A mocking voice rang out behind him.
"If I'm right... your Observation Haki gave out a while ago, didn't it?"
Shiki's heart jolted violently.
Before he could react, a jet-black three-clawed hand sliced through the air, aiming for the back of his head.
"Damn it!!"
Shiki roared.
Years of battle-hardened instinct made him jerk his head aside just in time, dodging the strike and swinging his blade in return!
Clang!!
The dragon claw caught the blade, but the Haki-coated tip still pierced deep into Daren's abdomen.
Unfazed, Daren pressed down with one hand, expression flat. His body twisted mid-air, right leg spinning up high—
And came crashing down like a war axe onto Shiki's back!
Boom!!
Shiki coughed up blood and plummeted like a cannonball, smashing into the earth and carving out a crater nearly a hundred meters wide.
The ground quaked violently. Dust poured into the sky.
...
"I'm not letting you get away, Shiki."
Daren landed softly, frowning.
Blood flowed freely from his abdomen.
Even without Conqueror's Haki, Shiki's swordsmanship was terrifying. With Ryuo infused into the strike, it had broken through even the Indestructible Body.
"Heh..."
A raspy, devilish chuckle came from within the dust cloud.
"Jihahaha... Jihahahahaha!!"
The laughter grew sharper and more frenzied, descending into madness.
"If I want to leave, there's no one in this sea who can stop me!!
"Wasn't it the same at Marineford!?"
Clutching his blood-soaked twin blades, Shiki climbed out of the crater step by step.
Daren watched him silently, then let out a faint sigh.
"You're right. That's true."
There was resignation in his voice.
"If you truly wanted to run, I couldn't stop you."
But then his tone shifted.
"That's why I chose this place as your burial ground."
He turned toward another direction.
"Doffy, it's your turn."
"Yes, Godfather-sama."
A low, mocking laugh rang out from the shadows.
Shiki froze.
Then his expression changed drastically—like he'd just seen a nightmare unfold.
From that direction, countless white threads exploded into the sky!!
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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