"Fine," Kong and Sengoku muttered, slumping in their seats as they glared at the monster standing before them.
Only a lunatic would think to train their body by taking repeated, full-force strikes from Kaido himself. And yet... the logic was flawless. High-impact trauma, endured repeatedly, would force the body to adapt—to harden.
If you lived through it.
But their annoyance quickly gave way to something else—relief. Beneath their stern exteriors, small smiles began to form. Darren hadn't just achieved the fabled Indestructible Body. His strength, aura, and presence had skyrocketed.
In short: the Marines had gained another Admiral-class force.
At a time when war loomed just over the horizon, that was a blessing.
"In that case," Sengoku said, clapping Darren on the shoulder with a grin, "Kaido's yours, Young Darren. Time to carry a bit more weight."
Before, they'd been stretched thin. But the tides had turned. Sakazuki and Borsalino had both crossed into Admiral-level strength during the Battle of Marineford. And with the rise of a new age, the Marines were rich in talent again.
New recruits, stable funding from allied nations, full reserves of ships and equipment—the moment to strike had come.
As for Kaido? Darren would be his problem now.
Darren grinned. "No problem, Admiral Sengoku. I was planning to... drop in on Kaido again anyway."
There was something in his tone—a gleam in his eye—that made both Sengoku and Kong twitch.
This kid...
He said "drop in" the way most people said "burn it to the ground."
For a fleeting moment, they both gave thanks to fate that Darren had joined the Marines. If someone like him had become a pirate...
The world would've burned by now.
Kong sighed, then chuckled. "Just one thing."
Sengoku seemed to remember too. He gave Darren a side glance.
"Whatever you do," he said, tone oddly serious, "don't tell Zephyr how you broke through."
Darren blinked. "Why not?"
"Because the old man will lose his damn mind."
---
New World — Wano Country
"Achoo!"
Kaido sneezed.
A deep, bone-rattling sound, like a distant mountain shifting.
He stood atop a cliff in the Kuri region, overseeing reconstruction of one of the military factories destroyed in the last Marine raid. A faint shiver ran down his spine.
"A cold?" he muttered, rubbing his nose before taking a deep swig of steaming sake. "Bah. Ridiculous. I've got an indestructible body. Not even Queen's freak viruses can infect me, let alone a little sniffle."
But speaking of that bastard...
Kaido's face darkened. He turned sharply toward King, who stood nearby.
"Alber! Where the hell is Queen?!"
"We're busting our asses rebuilding the damn place, and that lazy blob is nowhere to be seen!"
Kaido's fury simmered as he glanced over the damage. Hundreds of Beast Pirates worked below, sweating under the midday sun.
The memory still stung: a certain Marine brat had broken into Wano, decimated a third of their military production, then casually declared he'd "visit again soon."
Visit?!
This is Wano, damn it! Kaido's domain! Not some damn carnival attraction where Marines come sightseeing!
Kaido's grip tightened around his kanabo. His knuckles whitened. His teeth ground together.
All of this...
All of this was Queen's fault.
If that overgrown idiot hadn't injected that Marine brat with his experimental viruses, Darren would've been long dead—crushed with a single blow.
Now?
That same brat had walked out stronger than ever.
King, catching a whiff of the killing intent wafting off Kaido, sighed. "Boss Kaido, Queen's been locked in his lab for days. He claims he's working on something... urgent."
Kaido's brow twitched.
"Urgent, my ass."
He spun, hefting his kanabo over one shoulder and stormed toward the lab.
"Let's go."
King flinched but followed quickly.
As they approached, Beast Pirates fled from Kaido's path like leaves before a storm. His footsteps alone sent tremors through the compound.
Then they heard it.
From behind the thick doors of Queen's lab—blood-curdling screams.
"Boss Queen, no! Please don't! I'll die!"
"Quiet! Once the virus kicks in, you'll be stronger!"
"I'm sorry! I only took a tiny sip of your red bean soup—"
"WHAT?! You stole my red bean soup?! You little bastard! Increase his injection dosage by twenty percent!"
"AAAAAGHHHHH!!"
A scream—raw, primal—ripped through the walls.
Then, silence.
Moments later, the lab doors burst open. Two hazmat-suited grunts staggered out, pale and panicked, carrying a stretcher between them.
On it lay a Beast Pirate—twisted, twitching, barely alive. His skin glowed with an unnatural blue hue. Whatever virus he'd been injected with had ravaged him inside and out.
"Damn it!" Queen's furious voice boomed behind them. "Another failure!"
He stormed into view, his massive frame barely contained by his bulging lab coat.
"This makes no sense! Darren survived! Why can't anyone else?!"
He kicked a crate across the lab.
"Next test subject!"
But before he could move, he froze.
A shadow loomed over him.
He turned slowly—eyes widening.
"B-Boss Kaido...?"
All he saw was kanabo.
BOOM!!!
Queen vanished like a meteor, his body slamming into a distant hillside with a thunderous crack. The earth shook. The crater smoked.
"You damn idiot," Kaido snarled, still panting, his kanabo dripping dust. "We're already short-handed! What the hell are you doing killing off our own men?!"
He turned, glaring at the growing pile of bodies behind the lab.
Queen had turned his workplace into a slaughterhouse.
Kaido's fury blazed anew.
To be continued...