At such close range, that rough, calloused hand seemed to Saka as if the sky itself were collapsing. The palm's lines were clear as day, magnified endlessly.

There was no escape!

In the next instant, darkness swallowed him whole.

But to the other criminals imprisoned in Eternal Hell, the scene appeared completely different:

"Brute Strength" Saka stood motionless, as if petrified by fear. The black-haired youth's movement wasn't even that fast—yet Saka could only watch in disbelief as that hand pressed against his face.

Then—

A sharp glint flashed in the young man's eyes. His five fingers clenched, the muscles in his right arm bulging like molten rock, tearing through the sleeve of his suit!

As the fabric burst apart, the criminals watching were struck speechless in terror. In the next heartbeat, Daren slammed Saka—head and all—into the ground with a single, brutal blow!

BOOM!!

A thunderous roar echoed through the prison. The entire sixth level of Impel Down shook violently. The floor caved in, exploding into a storm of shattered bricks and flying debris.

Dust surged upward. The so-called "Brute Strength" Saka had half his head buried in the ground, his face drenched in blood, his pupils lifeless.

"Gah!!!"

The crowd gasped, their faces twisted in shock.

Impel Down was built to contain world-class criminals—its structure ten times stronger than the Marine Headquarters fortress, its walls harder than steel and virtually indestructible.

Under normal circumstances, even the heavy cannons of Marine Headquarters could barely scratch its inner walls.

But now...

Staring at the massive crater beneath Daren's feet, every criminal fell silent. The weaker ones gulped nervously, their throats dry.

Terrifying...

That kind of power—was it even human?

Compared to this monster, Saka, wielder of the Riki Riki no Mi, was like a rabbit trying to fight a tiger. Utterly foolish!

As insignificant as an ant!

This wasn't just a gap in strength—it was a difference in how that strength was unleashed!

Just as the crowd stood frozen, a sinister figure appeared soundlessly behind Daren.

He materialized as if from thin air—no one even caught a glimpse of his movement.

"Your strength is impressive... but what will you do against absolute speed?"

The gaunt figure let out a cold, mocking laugh. His form blurred into a flurry of afterimages.

"Soku Soku no Mi!"

"It's 'Ghost Shadow' Kark!"

"His speed... it's even greater than before he was imprisoned!"

"What a terrifying talent!"

"It grants unmatched speed and phantom-like attacks!"

"..."

Gasps filled the air as the prisoners watched Kark move.

His speed surpassed what the eye could follow—almost too fast even for Observation Haki to sense! He had broken past the limits of human reaction.

"Ghost Shadow" Kark's hands turned into claws, slashing down in a storm of shadowy strikes aimed at Daren.

A strange crimson gleam flashed in Daren's eyes. Purple lightning suddenly crackled across his body, his nerves firing beyond their natural limit.

Lightning Armor!

Zzzzzzt—

Sparks flew as Daren's lips curled into a grin, his body already in motion!

Matching Kark's blinding speed, his figure flickered across the ground, effortlessly evading each attack.

Kark's gaze froze, horror twisting his face. He realized that this brat was slipping past every one of his strikes—by the thinnest of margins.

Even when he pushed his Soku Soku no Mi to the absolute limit, striking faster and faster, the result never changed. He was always just a fraction too slow—never once touching Daren!

That absurd reality sent waves of panic through Kark's mind.

No matter how much he pushed his Devil Fruit's power, he couldn't see the end of this man's limits!

That calm, unhurried composure... there wasn't a hint of pressure at all!

"You freak!!"

At that moment, the fear inside "Ghost Shadow" Kark finally reached its limit. He let out a hysterical scream as a blood-red glow burst from his body.

He abruptly stopped his assault, and without a moment's hesitation, spun around and bolted—his body transforming into a streak of crimson light speeding straight toward the gate.

"Not good!"

Magellan's face twisted in alarm.

With his Observation Haki still far from proficient, he couldn't even track Kark's shadow. He could only rely on a wide-range attack.

"Poison Hydra!"

Without thinking, Magellan's body melted into venom, and as he raised his arm, a colossal purple hydra roared forth from the toxic surge. The raging beast surged forward, nearly sealing off every inch of space ahead.

But that blood-red flash forced its way through the gaps in the hydra's assault, slipping through a sliver of open space.

"Hahahahaha! I don't even have to fight you!"

Seeing himself escape the Poison Hydra's pursuit, with the gate to the Fifth Layer almost within reach, "Ghost Shadow" Kark burst into manic laughter. His face twisted with wild excitement.

"Once I'm out of here, with my speed—"

A dark violet arc of lightning suddenly flashed across the void. It shot through the passage of Eternal Hell in an instant—moving at a speed twice that of the Soku Soku no Mi.

"Speed is power, sure... but compared to a certain sneaky bastard, yours doesn't even come close."

The cold voice echoed out, freezing the feral grin on Kark's face. A gleaming black military boot appeared right before his eyes, completely blocking his path to freedom.

"Thunderclap · Godspeed Kick!"

Boom!

A white shockwave burst outward. Kark's face twisted grotesquely from the impact. Blood sprayed as his body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing straight into "Brute Strength" Saka, who had just managed to climb out of a pit. The two were smashed together and buried deep into the prison wall.

Boom!

The walls and ground quaked once more as dust rained down.

When the others finally reacted, the dark-haired young man was already standing back in his original spot like a ghost.

"So... who's next?"

Daren exhaled a puff of smoke, smiling faintly.

...

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