"You think you're the only one who can call for reinforcements?" Darren sneered, smoke curling from his lips, a cold smirk etched on his face.
Golden Lion stiffened.
Reinforcements?
The word hit him like a blow. He might not have understood the slang, but the meaning was clear. This brat had brought outside help.
His skull throbbed, the ship's wheel lodged within it grinding his nerves raw, dizziness clawing at him. But he forced himself to focus.
That storm… that colossal, unnatural storm that had turned the tide…
Not weather control. Impossible. He knew every Devil Fruit ability worth naming, and nothing of the sort existed.
But the wind—yes, that power, he knew.
His pupils flared.
That boy… the one who defected from the Marines.
Garp's son. Monkey D. Dragon.
Golden Lion's jaw clenched. So that was it. Darren had orchestrated everything.
Before he could recover, Darren's voice cut sharp across the deck.
"Golden Lion is mine. The rest of you—handle the Roger Pirates."
He bent low, knees coiled.
Creaaak… creaaaak…
The battleship itself groaned. To the stunned eyes of Marines on deck, Darren forced the bow down with sheer strength, the stern tilting high as the vessel pitched forward.
They staggered, barely keeping their footing.
He's capsizing a battleship… with his bare hands?!
Sengoku's face hardened. "Can you handle him alone, Darren?"
"Who knows?" Darren's grin widened, manic light blazing in his eyes.
Every nerve burned with exhilaration. The stench of powder, the roar of sea and sky, the heat of the storm—this was the battlefield of legends. And before him stood Golden Lion Shiki.
This was the Battle of Edd War. The greatest clash etched in history.
Except this time—Darren had written the script himself.
Fate? He didn't believe in it. If destiny existed, he would carve his own.
And today, he would carve it against Golden Lion.
He bit down on his cigar, coiling his knees tighter—
BOOM!!
The battleship shot backward under his kick, skidding across the sea as Darren blasted forward like a cannonball, tearing across the waves in an instant.
"Marine brat! You've got a death wish!!" Shiki roared, eyes bloodshot. His twin blades flashed, unleashing a storm.
Dozens of golden slashes howled outward, crisscrossing into a web of death, carving the ocean into ribbons.
"Lion's Thousand-Cut Valley!!"
Darren's eyes burned red. Observation Haki surged. The trajectories bloomed before him, every path clear.
He wove through the blades, each narrowly missing his flesh.
Shiki snarled. His swords swept again, unseen force surging outward, the sea convulsing under his power.
A towering wave rose, suspended in the air, twisting into the form of a colossal lion. Its gaping maw shadowed Darren, seawater dripping like venom.
"Lion's Might: Sea Scroll!!"
The air reeked of salt. The weight of the sea itself bore down on him. For any Devil Fruit user, it was death incarnate.
Darren's eyes sharpened.
"Enma!"
A black streak cut the storm, the cursed blade screaming as it swelled with amplified force.
"Momo—Twentyfold: Demon Slash!!"
CHIIH!
The black slash tore through the seawater lion's chest, leaving a hollow hole that gushed torrents downward. The beast collapsed in an explosion of waves.
Through the gap, Darren burst forward, closing on Shiki.
"Hahahaha!! Brat Darren, I've come for my revenge!"
A booming laugh thundered in from the side.
Roger. His sword crackled with crimson lightning as he swung down.
The killing edge bore straight for Darren.
But Darren didn't flinch.
A shadow loomed behind him, fists clenched like meteors.
BOOM!!
Garp's Iron Fist, black with Armament, crashed into Roger's blade, sparks devouring the sky.
The shockwave ripped the storm apart, tearing the clouds into shreds, lightning scattering like shattered glass.
"Garp?!" Roger's eyes widened. In the reflection of his pupils, a white cloak snapped in the wind, the kanji for Justice dancing like a dragon.
"Bwahahaha!! Roger! You're fighting me now!!"
With a roar of laughter, Garp's fist smashed across Roger's jaw.
BOOM!!
Roger shot backward like a cannonball, crashing through the Oro Jackson's deck, splinters flying. A bloody tooth bounced across the planks.
"Damn you, Garp!!" Roger spat blood, fury blazing through the gap in his smile.
But Darren was already on Shiki.
He lunged, fingers curled like claws toward the pirate's face, eyes blazing.
"Golden Lion…" Darren's grin turned cruel. "That ship's wheel suits you. Consider it the crown I chose for you myself."
To be continued...