Wait—so it wasn't just a bluff? I actually leaked real intel!?

No wonder those two, Kaidou and Big Mom, fell for it and rushed to North Blue before they'd even recovered from their injuries.

So the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi really is here!

Ever since Shiki fell in the North Blue, Daren had been scouring every source and intel network he could to track the fruit down—he never imagined it had ended up in the hands of the World Government.

Hearing the question from Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, Daren was momentarily stunned. He could hardly believe it.

That's the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi we're talking about!

Wasn't the chaos Shiki the "Flying Pirate" caused the World Government enough?

And yet, these Celestial Dragons are arrogant and stupid enough to use it as a prize in a hunting competition?

You already lost two god-tier Devil Fruits back at God Valley!

Daren suddenly realized he'd underestimated just how foolish the Celestial Dragons could be.

No wonder Doflamingo tossed the real Mera Mera no Mi into an arena. It's in their blood!

Then again, with how arrogant the Celestial Dragons are, they probably never imagined someone would dare defy their rule on these seas.

"So, it was just a guess all along…"

Saturn, catching the shift in Daren's expression, said coldly,

"Looks like I overestimated you."

Daren grinned suddenly.

"Good thing I know now."

Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, he spun around and bolted, launching himself from the ground with a thunderous blast.

Since this old man couldn't be killed, there was no point wasting time on him.

First, he had to secure the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi!

"Don't even think about it!"

Saturn's eyes narrowed. In an instant, he caught on to Daren's plan.

A blood-red gleam lit up his aging eyes, and a strange, oppressive force descended upon the Vice Admiral like a tidal wave.

The air grew heavy, thick like syrup. Daren felt as though he'd been trapped in a dense paste, his movements sluggish and strained.

Suppression!

"You won't leave this island alive!"

Saturn lunged forward, and two sharp, spider-like legs stabbed straight toward Daren's head!

Wreathed in harsh, cold Haki, they tore through the air with a piercing bang.

Boom!

With a sharp cry, Daren erupted with his own Haki. Black and red lightning crackled around him as he broke free from Saturn's bizarre ability.

As Kaidou-sensei once said—the greatest force on this sea isn't Devil Fruits, or technology. It's Haki!

Only Haki stands above all!

The moment his body was free, Daren's calloused hands shot out and caught Saturn's stabbing legs.

Blood sprayed. Under Gyūki's monstrous impact, the Vice Admiral was driven back dozens of meters, his boots carving deep trenches in the earth.

"Quite the ferocity, Saturn-sama."

Daren's black hair whipped in the wind as a feral grin curled on his lips.

With a deep breath, his arms bulged like mountains, muscles swelling to several times their normal size.

Rip!

The sound of fabric tearing echoed as his uniform burst apart under the force of his expanding, knotted muscles, revealing a body scarred by countless brutal battles.

Saturn's pupils contracted.

The aura and strength this brat now gave off were clearly far greater than when they first clashed!

"You know why I dared to lay my cards on the table?"

The Vice Admiral's rugged, defiant face loomed close, his powerful hands tightening their grip with terrifying strength.

With a sickening crack, he pried Saturn's spider legs apart by sheer brute force.

"It's not because you pushed me to the edge. It's because I'm strong enough!"

With a furious roar, the Vice Admiral drove his feet into the ground like stakes. In a massive burst of force, he lifted the towering form of Gyūki—six or seven meters tall—right off the ground.

Saturn felt the world spin around him.

In the distance, the Marines surrounding Kaidou and Big Mom heard the commotion and instinctively glanced over—only for their eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets.

That mountain-like monster, Gyūki, was being hoisted into the air by what looked like a lone, slender figure. And then...

He was slammed down hard into the earth!

Boom!!

Saturn's face smashed into the unyielding ground, his head twisting at an unnatural angle as blood poured from his nose and mouth.

The sheer force behind the blow sent cracks splintering across the terrain, collapsing the area within several hundred meters by a few more, and toppling countless towering pine trees in the jungle.

With the strike landing cleanly, Daren used the moment it took Saturn to begin regenerating to vanish from the billowing dust, disappearing deep into the jungle in a flash.

"What… what the hell was that…"

"Vice Admiral Daren—no, criminal Daren—he just slammed one of the Five Elders, Saturn, into the ground like a ragdoll?!"

"Don't tell me... the Five Elders are that weak?"

"That's impossible! It's just that Vice Admiral Daren is insanely strong!"

"He's like a god or a demon!"

"…"

The Marines watching from the icy battlefield broke into cold sweat.

Sengoku's expression turned grave, his pupils shrinking.

The power Daren was displaying now… it was far beyond anything he had seen before.

"Dahahaha! That's my 'eternal rival' for you!"

Kuzan's gleeful laughter rang out in the distance, making Sengoku's eye twitch.

"Shut it if you don't wanna die, you brat!"

He shot Kuzan a glare before pushing down the shock and charging back into the fray.

But a flicker of dread and solemnity passed through Sengoku's gaze.

Daren… even with this boost in strength, if this is all you've got, it still might not be enough...

...

Deep within Philseque Island.

The snow-covered jungle floor was littered with tiny, blood-red footprints.

"Hahahaha, don't run, Hancock! You're mine!"

"I'll treat you well—just be obedient!"

The green-haired Celestial Dragon's bloated face was drenched in sweat as he panted, brandishing a pistol in one hand, a twisted grin stretched across his face as he closed in on the cornered girl.

"You're delusional!"

The black-haired girl stood defiantly in front of her two trembling sisters, her eyes full of fear but also disgust as she glared at the man.

Her pale feet were cut and bloodied by thorns and rocks, staining the snow beneath her.

In her hand was a short dagger, stolen from the corpse of another Celestial Dragon. Though her hands trembled with fear, her expression was resolute—like a dog backed into a corner. Her face radiated raw contempt and loathing.

"I'd rather kill myself than ever submit to filth like you!"

But Hancock's defiance only made the green-haired Celestial Dragon more aroused.

"Yes! That's the face I love!"

"Hancock... you truly are blessed with unimaginable talent!"

"Flawless beauty, genuine pride and scorn with not a shred of pretense... You'll be my finest masterpiece! My queen!"

His eyes were alight with fanatic reverence, staring at Hancock's proud, disgusted expression. His crotch bulged with excitement.

He pulled a wooden box from his coat and opened it to reveal an exquisitely shaped Devil Fruit.

"See this? A gift I prepared just for you—the Mero Mero no Mi!"

"I've searched long and hard for the right person for it."

"And you... you're the perfect one."

The fruit was small and delicate, made of two red-purple cherries connected by a green stem. Tiny heart-shaped patterns dotted their surface.

His gaze twisted with greed and obsession.

"I promise you—there's no need to obey me. I'll even call you my master!"

"My Queen Hancock! You'll have everything—wealth, glory, status!"

"Your Majesty... you and your sisters will live in a luxury most people can't even imagine!"

"You can whip me, step on me, slap me… anything you want!"

He stepped toward them, a crazed blush spreading across his face despite the cold wind.

"Because a woman as beautiful as you… no matter what you do, you can always be forgiven!"

As he finished speaking, the three Hancock sisters suddenly tensed, their pupils narrowing as they stared past him.

The Celestial Dragon paused.

He turned around.

A tall, blood-soaked figure stood silently behind him. He hadn't even noticed when he got there.

"Quite the pervert, aren't you?"

The man's voice was calm.

His left hand was still dripping with blood.

In his right hand, he held a blood-streaked Devil Fruit.

The Celestial Dragon turned ghostly pale, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

The Marine Vice Admiral didn't spare him a glance. He slowly turned his bloodstained gaze toward the black-haired girl, dipped his head slightly with quiet grace, and gave a faint smile.

"Good evening, beautiful ladies."

"What comes next might be a bit unpleasant. Would you kindly close your eyes for a moment?"