CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 47: SO THIS IS HOW IT FEELS

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Is that Marine trying to die?!"

Queen’s eyes bulged so wide they nearly fell out of his skull. He didn’t even notice the cigar singeing his lip—his gaze was locked, horrified, on the figure of Vice Admiral Darren, charging back toward Kaido like nothing had happened.

Not far off, King stood frozen mid-air, his eyes equally wide with disbelief.

Part of him respected the Marine’s resilience—his defiance, his monstrous endurance. But the rest of him... couldn’t make sense of it.

The battle should’ve been over.

Darren had already destroyed most of the Kuri Region’s armories—his mission was complete. Retreat would’ve been the logical, strategic move. Any further fighting against Kaido was not only reckless—it was suicidal.

Staying here meant risking his life. Worse, it meant getting trapped in Wano.

So why?

Why was he still fighting?

King’s eyes narrowed. Suspicion churned in his gut.

Does he have a trump card? Some hidden ace?

Or... does he really think he can beat Kaido?!

His instincts screamed that something was wrong. He’d fought this man before—had witnessed firsthand the cunning and deceit that defined Darren’s every move.

If Darren was still here, still throwing himself into Kaido’s blows, then he had to be playing some long game.

And then—

BOOM!!

Another clash.

Darren’s blood-soaked arm, wrapped in Armament Haki, collided with Kaido’s monstrous club. The shockwave blew their hair back, the sky trembling from the impact.

"Wororororo! You’ve lost it, Marine brat!" Kaido bellowed, laughing like a mad beast. His tail lashed behind him, stirring a storm. "No matter how many times you come back—I’ll break you every single time!"

"Not so fast," Darren replied, lips twisted into a savage grin. Blood ran down his chin, but he didn’t care.

His mind wasn’t on pain. It was on the Panel.

Physique: 0.396

Strength: 0.163

Speed: 0.145

Armament Haki: 0.732

Conqueror’s Haki: 1.512...

Closer. Every strike, every bone-breaking blow—he was getting closer.

His eyes burned with starlight, bright and focused. His entire body screamed in agony—fractured arms, cracked ribs, lungs raw with fire—but he felt it.

The growth.

Minute. Invisible. But real.

He could feel himself drawing closer to that realm—the one reserved for monsters. The level where the true legends lived.

And he welcomed the pain.

His grin widened, blood staining his teeth.

"You reckless fool!!" Kaido’s voice thundered.

His club, wrapped in Conqueror’s Haki, crashed down with the force of a collapsing world.

BANG!

The blow struck Darren full-force in the head. Blood exploded from his face. A tooth spiraled away in the air.

And again, he was flung like a missile, carving a trench through the battlefield that stretched for hundreds of meters, smoke and dust rising in his wake.

Before the dust had even begun to settle, Darren came charging back.

"HAHAHAHAHA!! Not enough!! You think that was enough?!"

His voice rang across the mountains, crazed and joyful.

Kaido’s eyes flared. "You want death? I’ll give it to you!!"

Black-red lightning crackled like thunder around his club as he raised it again.

Roaring Thunder Eight Trigrams!!

BOOM!!

The strike hit like divine judgment, hurtling Darren into the distant mountains with such power that the entire range trembled.

The shockwave spread like an earthquake, shaking Kuri to its roots.

"That... that has to be it," Queen whispered, his voice barely audible.

He stared at the smoking ruins of the mountain.

No one could survive that.

Not even him.

Not even Kaido’s own All-Stars.

And then—

A shadow moved in the dust.

A figure rose.

Wobbling. Blood-drenched. But alive.

Queen felt his breath catch in his throat.

"That... that’s not a person anymore," he stammered. "That can’t be human! Even awakened Zoans can’t..."

He stopped.

And stepped back.

Slowly.

Then gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

"Unless..."

A hand slammed over his mouth.

"Shut it," King hissed, his teeth clenched. His eye twitched violently.

Queen flailed, muffled protests spilling out as he pointed at the battlefield.

The figure emerged.

Darren’s voice echoed across the broken landscape—deep, low, and grimly amused.

"I never thought... I’d be the one to break through."

A blood-soaked boot touched ground.

BOOM!!

The ground cracked beneath his step, a shockwave shaking the nearby cliffs as if a giant had landed.

Dust spiraled skyward.

The Marine Vice Admiral stepped into view.

His body was ravaged—uniform torn, skin lacerated and swollen—but his eyes...

They burned.

Still burning.

Kaido narrowed his gaze.

He felt it then—a strange resonance.

Like looking into a mirror.

A twisted kinship.

That flicker of recognition sent a chill down his spine.

No more hesitation.

Kaido struck.

Swish!

His club tore through the air, launching a compressed wave of Conqueror’s Haki.

Whistling Arrow.

It wasn’t just brute force—it was refined, focused, deadly. A technique rivaling the sword auras of the greatest swordsmen.

But Darren didn’t block.

He didn’t dodge.

He ran straight into it.

Under the stunned eyes of Queen, King, and even Kaido—

He took it head-on.

BOOM!!

The impact roared across the battlefield. Light and force exploded outward in a ring of destruction, wind howling as the shockwave blew apart the dust.

But when it cleared—

Darren stood.

He wiped blood from his lip and tilted his head, smirking.

"Almost worked."

Unscathed.

Queen choked on his breath.

King’s eyes dilated.

Kaido froze.

A shimmering sheen pulsed faintly over Darren’s skin—like liquid light.

They knew what it was.

They all did.

Darren flexed, joints cracking.

His fists clenched, cracking the air around them.

His eyes gleamed with something near madness.

"So this is how it feels..."

Physique: 90 — Indestructible Body.

To be continued...