North Blue, Philseque Island.

"They escaped, all of them..."

"How... how is this possible..."

"It was so easy..."

"Half of Mary Geoise has been destroyed..."

"..."

The Five Elders stared at the chaotic images projected by the Den Den Mushi in shock, their faces filled with disbelief as a tidal wave of emotion surged in their hearts.

They had never anticipated that Daren possessed such a powerful and elite air combat force—nor that he would choose the exact moment of their departure from the Holy Land to make such a bold and insane decision: to unleash the flying fleet upon Mary Geoise in a full-scale carpet bombing.

What enraged them the most was how utterly useless the Holy Land's defenses had proven to be. The so-called North Blue fleet overwhelmed them with a one-sided bombardment—then withdrew completely intact.

"It's such a pity we couldn't destroy Pangaea Castle."

Daren wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and his face, then grinned, a wild gleam in his eyes.

"...And I didn't even get to see what you all meant by 'the World Government's 800 years of heritage.'"

Such blatant provocation made the Five Elders explode in fury.

"You're looking for death!"

"Daren, you brat!"

"How dare you!"

"You think you can escape?!"

"..."

Their bodies swelled at once, rising like mountains as they transformed into monstrous and terrifying beasts, charging at the Marine Vice Admiral in unison.

Gyūki's spider legs stabbed forward, Houki's horns crashed down, Itsumade's breath scorched the air, Sandworm spewed venom, and Bakotsu exhaled freezing mist...

A deluge of attacks rained down on Daren, but he weaved through them with agile precision.

"Well then, let's end the game here for today."

Four razor-sharp beams of light sliced across the ground with terrifying speed, instantly cutting the five massive beasts in half.

Seizing the brief window as the black smoke burned and their bodies began to regenerate, Daren—drenched in blood—let out a cold laugh and launched himself forward, propelled by a surge of magnetic force.

"Damn it!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Marines... stop him!"

"..."

The monsters that the Five Elders had become roared up at the sky, their blood-red eyes the size of lanterns brimming with savage, murderous rage. As they struggled to rise, their massive bodies crushed the ground into clouds of dust and snow. Violent waves of energy exploded from them, kicking up terrifying shockwaves.

Trees shattered, the jungle crumbled, and the cloud sea recoiled from the blast.

The entire island shook and trembled under the might of the Five Elders' fury.

"Mamamama! Looks like the show's over. Didn't get the Devil Fruit, but what a spectacle!"

Big Mom laughed heartily as she stood atop the frozen, broken battlefield. Flames wrapped around the Emperor Sword in her hand as she forced Sengoku back, then turned toward the Marine Vice Admiral streaking in low from the distance. Her eyes lit up with greed.

"Daren! What do you say—why not accept my offer?"

"Become my husband. With our strength combined, even the World Government wouldn't be able to touch us!"

"I'll even give you half of Totto Land's vast territory!"

Before Daren could respond, Sengoku's expression changed drastically.

"No!!"

He was about to speak again when the Five Elders' furious roar echoed from afar:

"Sengoku... stop him!!"

Sengoku froze, staring at the approaching Vice Admiral. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes—but it was quickly buried beneath the resolve of a soldier obeying orders.

"Daren! You've committed an unforgivable crime!"

He roared, golden light erupting from his body as he transformed into a towering golden Buddha.

"In the name of the Marine Headquarters' Admiral—I swear you won't leave this island alive!"

As the words left his mouth, the golden Buddha shattered the ice beneath its feet and leapt into the air.

Zzzzzzz...

Black and red lightning surged across his body—Sengoku had unleashed his Conqueror's Haki!

"I don't believe I did anything wrong, Admiral Sengoku!"

Daren grinned wildly, and his own Conqueror's Haki burst forth, dark and flowing like falling sakura petals, coating his arms.

The two charged at each other at blinding speed.

Both fists flew.

Boom!!

The impact of their clash detonated a colossal shockwave. Black and red lightning intertwined and tore through the sky, piercing the cloud sea.

The world was drained of color in an instant—only black and red remained, engulfing the heavens.

Waves of overwhelming force rippled out from the epicenter, ripping the earth, fracturing the ice, and spreading for kilometers in every direction.

"In your current state, you're no match for me!"

Sengoku roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"How would I know if I don't try?"

Blood poured from Daren's nose and mouth, but his gaze burned with a brightness and madness like never before.

"Besides... I'm really curious—how much of that 'justice that rules the world' do you even have left!?"

Those words struck Sengoku like a bolt of lightning.

Before he could respond,

Daren's eyes sharpened, and the Haki bursting from his body surged violently. Black and red lightning twisted and crackled through the air, and in that instant, his presence completely overpowered the Admiral standing before him.

"You've spent your life playing the Celestial Dragons' dog... and you dare speak of ruling the world!?"

The Vice Admiral's eyes flared red as he roared and hurled a fist downward.

"Blue Hole!"

Boom!

A punch with the force to shake the sea slammed straight into Sengoku's face, shattering one of his teeth and driving him brutally into the ground.

Boom!!

The Admiral crashed like a meteor, slamming into the earth as it erupted into waves of stone and dust, as if the land itself were a raging sea.

A massive crater tore open the ground, leaving every Marine watching from afar in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.

"Marines... Stop him!"

A monstrous black shape suddenly took flight. Itsumade, wreathed in black smoke, soared through the air as it gave stern orders, racing toward the battlefield.

"There's no way out of this now, Daren..."

A streak of golden light shot into the sky.

Borsalino spread his arms wide, his body gleaming brilliantly with radiant light.

"You understand, right? I'm just following orders too."

From above, he looked down at the panting Vice Admiral, muttering slowly as he tilted his head with a vacant expression.

Scorching, destructive golden light surged rapidly into the sky.

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