"Come here, what are you doing crouching there? Aren't you going to participate in training?"
Seeing Magellan sneaking around, Daren couldn't help but smile.
At this moment, Magellan didn't have the sinister and terrifying look he would have in the original story. At sixteen or seventeen years old, though he had strange devil horns and wings, his overall build wasn't strong, and his shy, evasive demeanor gave off a clear sense of social anxiety.
"No, I can't go over there."
When Magellan saw Daren waving at him, he immediately shook his head like a rattle and said in a muffled voice,
"I have the power of the Doku Doku no Mi, and I release poisonous gas all the time. I'm afraid I'll harm you, Daren-san."
"I'm also afraid of harming my classmates, so I didn't participate in the training."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at the lively scene on the training field in the distance. A hint of envy flashed in his eyes as he muttered dejectedly,
"People like me should stay in a dark, closed-off space... If possible, it would be best to shut off my heart too."
This kid is actually pretty gentle...
Daren smiled, feeling a bit emotional.
He understood Magellan's personality well.
It was precisely because of the "special nature" and "dangerousness" of his Devil Fruit that this naturally warm-hearted kid was forced into a lonely, isolated life.
He, too, yearned for the lively days of playing and training alongside his peers, but he couldn't bear the thought of hurting his companions.
Moreover, he had heard that this poor guy had been "abandoned" by his original branch before being sent to Marine Headquarters for training.
"It's okay. I'm not like the others. You must have heard the rumors about me. My physique is tougher than most."
Daren calmed down and spoke patiently.
In the original story, Magellan had guarded Impel Down almost single-handedly, becoming an unstoppable force. With the cramped structure of the prison and its unique environment, he achieved the legendary feat of "defeating three Yonkōs alone," showing just how terrifying his Devil Fruit ability could be.
But now, at just sixteen or seventeen, Magellan's basics and fruit development were still immature.
Daren didn't believe that a little poison gas could affect him.
"Really?"
Magellan's eyes lit up, a glimmer of hope flashing across them.
But soon he remembered something and shook his head pitifully.
"No, it's still not good. Zephyr-sensei said the same thing once, but after that, he never came within three meters of me again."
Daren raised an eyebrow.
Even Zephyr-sensei couldn't withstand this kid's poison?
"Are you sure?"
Magellan hugged his head and nodded firmly.
"Yes. I heard that after that day, the toilet in the chief instructor's office was clogged for three days."
Daren: ...
Is it really that fierce?
He still couldn't quite believe it.
After all, he had been an excellent student personally "guided" by Queen, that fat man in suspenders.
No matter what, his resistance to poison should be decent!
So he confidently patted his chest and laughed,
"Come on, sit next to me."
"I have an Indestructible Body. A little poison is nothing."
Magellan looked at Daren's confident smile, took a deep breath, and cautiously walked over.
"Then, then, Daren-sensei... Please be careful."
He carefully sat down beside Daren, stiff and awkward, as if the seat was scorching hot.
Daren shot him an annoyed glare.
Just as he was about to say something, his nose twitched.
A wisp of purple poisonous gas drifted from Magellan's body and slipped straight into Daren's nostrils.
Daren suddenly froze, his expression stiffening.
"Daren-sensei?"
Magellan froze as he saw Daren suddenly stop moving. His face turned deathly pale, and he asked in a trembling voice, panicking,
"Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry!!"
Staring fearfully at the Marine Vice Admiral before him, Magellan watched as Daren's complexion visibly turned a sickly purple. With a startled jump, he stumbled back several meters, shaking uncontrollably.
"It's over... Even Daren-sensei has been poisoned... I've killed the future admiral of the Marines..."
Magellan muttered, his face ashen. Seeing Daren lying still, as if he had lost all signs of life, an overwhelming sense of guilt flooded him.
"I killed Vice Admiral Daren..."
"I... I... I..."
His face twisted with guilt and despair.
Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, yanked the military sword from his waist, and cried out,
"I will commit seppuku to atone for my sins!!"
Before the words had even finished, he flipped the knife in his hand, closed his eyes, and thrust the blade hard toward his abdomen!
Bzzzt—!
A sharp humming noise suddenly rippled through the air. Magellan felt an unstoppable force yank at the sword. Before he could react, the blade was torn from his grip and stabbed deep into the ground nearby.
He gasped for breath and opened his eyes wide.
A handsome but slightly wicked-looking face loomed right in front of him, startling him out of his wits.
"D-Daren-sensei?"
"You're still alive!?"
"Wait, please, stay away from me!!"
Magellan tried to retreat, but Daren reached out and seized his shoulders, locking him firmly in place.
"Magellan..."
Daren stared at him expressionlessly, his voice rough, strange, and trembling uncontrollably.
"Exhale some more poison gas."
"Huh?"
Magellan froze in confusion.
A thin wisp of deep purple poison gas uncontrollably escaped from his nostrils and mouth.
"No!"
Magellan panicked, quickly covering his mouth and nose.
But the next scene nearly made his eyes pop out of his head.
That small cloud of poison... was inhaled directly into Daren-sensei's body!
"You, you... No... Antidote..."
Magellan was so frantic he almost burst into tears, cold sweat pouring down his face.
He knew better than anyone just how lethal his poison was. Even a massive dinosaur would collapse and die after inhaling just a trace.
And yet Daren-sensei had inhaled all of it!
It's over…
Now he really had killed Vice Admiral Daren...
Face crumpled in despair, Magellan couldn't help but glance around, searching for the knife again.
"I didn't expect this... I really didn't expect this..."
At that moment, the Vice Admiral before him suddenly opened his eyes. The burning intensity in his gaze, like roaring flames, made Magellan freeze mid-movement.
"Magellan, will you become my student?... From now on, let me personally oversee your training!!"
"Huh?"
Magellan stood there completely dumbfounded.
The light bursting from Daren's eyes as he looked at Magellan was blinding, as if he were staring at a mountain of treasure!
Because, just moments ago, when he inhaled that wisp of poison gas, he distinctly felt a faint, almost imperceptible change within his body...
—Physique +0.04!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake