Conqueror's Haki +1.04!
Conqueror's Haki: 76.889!
It moved!
It finally moved!
Feeling the surge in his spirit, Daren burst out laughing uncontrollably, his eyes flashing with wild, burning light.
Ever since Kaidou-sensei had "instructed" him back in Wano, his strength had been locked in a dead halt.
He still clearly remembered that after his fierce battle with Bullet, he had thoroughly assessed the state of his body.
At that time, his "stats" were roughly as follows:
Physique: 92.112 (Indestructible Body)
Strength: 83.291 (Giant's Strength)
Speed: 83.833 (Soru's Godspeed)
Devil Fruit Ability Development: 85.894 (Island-Wide Coverage)
Armament Haki: 72.715 (Internal Destruction, Devil Form)
Observation Haki: 75.121 (Magnetic Field Induction)
Conqueror's Haki: 75.577
Daren remembered that even after that intense battle with Bullet, his attributes had barely changed, especially his physique, which had only improved by less than 0.2 points.
Since then, even facing the likes of Gecko Moria or Mihawk hadn't brought any noticeable growth!
In the end, their strength simply wasn't enough to put real pressure on him!
But now...
Facing Gol D. Roger, the future Pirate King and one of the mightiest pirates alive, a single clash had completely shattered the shackles on his Conqueror's Haki, granting him a massive 1.04 boost!
With progress this visible, how could Daren care about the injuries littering his body?
It was so worth it!
This was a 1.04 increase!
It might seem minor, but if it were someone weak like Gecko Moria, Daren didn't even know how many times he'd have to crush him with Conqueror's Haki to achieve the same growth!
More importantly, after just one clash, Daren could clearly feel an unprecedented focus and sharpness in himself, likely driven by the tremendous pressure Roger had exerted.
His will, body, and combat instincts... were gradually merging and sublimating. His Observation Haki, too, had risen thanks to this perfect unity of spirit and flesh.
Observation Haki +0.86!
This was the first improvement in his Observation Haki since his "lesson" with Charlotte Katakuri had ended!
"Yes! This is it!!"
Blood poured from his arms onto the ground. Daren wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth with a hand, laughing wildly.
His black hair danced, and his bloodstained white cloak billowed madly behind him.
An even more violent aura, fused with his Armament Haki, erupted and turned into a dark red storm visible to the naked eye, cracking the ground and nearby buildings under its oppressive weight.
The Marine Vice Admiral threw his arms wide and laughed maniacally, his hands slowly clenching into fists. Red lightning crackled around his fingers and forearms, popping and hissing with violent energy.
"As expected, it's only fun when I fight a true monster like you... Roger!!"
Seeing Daren laughing like a madman, everyone in Roger's crew was visibly shaken, eyes wide, mouths agape.
"He's insane, completely insane..."
"Doesn't he feel pain?"
"He's clearly seriously injured..."
"This monster..."
Buggy and Shanks, especially, were shivering all over.
Faced with the overwhelming madness and demonic pressure pouring from the Marine Vice Admiral, cold sweat drenched their foreheads, and their lips turned pale, the terror from their first meeting flashing vividly back into their minds.
Rayleigh and Gaban, meanwhile, wore grim expressions. They exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same deep gravity.
Because they had clearly realized...
Despite his serious injuries, the Marine brat's aura wasn't weakening—it was growing even stronger!
He was rapidly adapting to the pressure of fighting Roger.
And now, with his willpower condensed to an extreme, his Armament Haki had begun to manifest red lightning—a phenomenon that only appeared when one reached a supreme level of mastery over their own Haki!
"This is trouble..."
Rayleigh pressed his lips into a thin line and instinctively narrowed his eyes.
"Wahahaha!! You've got some real skill, kid!"
Roger, however, seemed completely unconcerned by Daren's transformation—or maybe he noticed and just didn't care.
Holding the Supreme Grade blade "Ace," wreathed in black and red lightning, he looked at Daren with a gaze full of admiration and approval, laughing heartily.
"It's been a long time since I've felt like this..."
He suddenly turned his head and shouted toward Rayleigh and the others,
"Listen up—no one is allowed to interfere!"
Without even waiting for a reply, Roger turned back to Daren, battle spirit blazing in his eyes, and said loudly,
"Daren, you little brat, let's have a real, no-holds-barred fight!"
Daren took a step forward, palms pressing into the cracked ground, his body leaning forward like a restless beast. His eyes gleamed crimson like lightning as he grinned.
"Wouldn't have it any other way!"
Boom!
With explosive force from all four limbs, the ground under his feet shattered as he shot forward like a wild beast unleashed.
"Wahahahaha!!!"
Roger roared with laughter and rushed to meet him, sword in one hand!
The two charged at each other once more—and collided with a thunderous crash!
...
At the same time.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Admiral's Office.
Sengoku was in an excellent mood, preparing to enjoy a pleasant afternoon tea.
On the tea table, a pot of steaming hot tea was ready, and next to it, a porcelain plate held a pile of freshly baked, fragrant senbei crackers, filling the office with their rich aroma.
Recently, the Marines' development had been impressive. Led by Daren and the other monstrous youths of the "Golden Generation," new blood had steadily taken up important posts, becoming the backbone of the organization. Both morale and combat strength had seen a substantial leap.
In the past, with so few capable officers, Sengoku had been forced to personally oversee everything. After all, commanding Garp was practically impossible.
But now, with strong, reliable forces at his command—and after repeatedly suppressing the Great Pirates of the New World—Daren had even taken down Shiki, achieving the greatest feat since the Battle of God Valley!
Naturally, Sengoku's own star had risen... A promotion to Fleet Admiral was only a matter of time.
Though there had been the incident with Shichibukai candidates being hunted down, Sengoku, while outwardly complying with the government's strict orders to investigate, inwardly didn't take it too seriously.
Those candidates were pirates, after all. If they died, they died. Why waste concern?
Besides, if they were killed, didn't it just prove they were too weak to fulfill the role of Shichibukai?
Of course, government orders still had to be carried out.
When faced with that thorny issue, the first person Sengoku thought of was Daren.
Resourceful, powerful, and sharp enough to handle any problem... Daren was the perfect choice.
And Daren hadn't let him down.
Ever since Daren took action, there hadn't been a single similar incident.
"Everything's going smoothly. We'll have to speed up the process of promoting that kid Daren to Admiral candidate..."
Sengoku mused cheerfully as he sat on the sofa, pouring himself a cup of tea.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door to the office burst open.
A messenger stumbled inside, panic written all over his face.
"Admiral Sengoku, something terrible has happened!"
Sengoku shot him a disgruntled look and said calmly, trying to project authority,
"Calm down. With me here, there's no problem that can't be handled."
The messenger took a deep breath and forced himself to steady, though his voice still trembled,
"Vice Admiral Daren is locked in a fierce battle with pirates on Fish-Man Island!"
"Hm?"
Sengoku raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled, but still picked up his teacup with composure, smiling slightly.
"And what's the issue?"
"Fish-Man Island may be politically sensitive, but I trust that kid Daren can handle it."
"They're just pirates..."
He took a leisurely sip of his hot tea.
"It's Roger's pirate crew!"
Pffft!!
Sengoku sprayed tea everywhere, jolting to his feet as he stared wide-eyed at the messenger.
"What!?"