"How do you even know what shit tastes like? Don't tell me you've eaten it?"
Watching Momonga lying there, gagging with a flushed face, Daren couldn't help but smirk smugly.
The taste of a Devil Fruit really was unbearable. It was like a mix of sewer stench and foot odor—bitter, astringent, and absolutely disgusting. Anyone who'd tasted it once would never want to go through it again.
Hearing Daren lounging on the sofa, casually smoking and mocking him, Momonga's face turned red with fury.
He tried to suppress the acid rising from his stomach as he struggled against the restraints.
But with his limbs pinned to the floor and a powerful magnetic field in effect, he could barely move.
Momonga felt his mind go blank, as if something incredible had just awakened inside him.
In an instant, the entire office lit up with a blinding flash, as though a thousand birds were shrieking at once.
Stunned, he looked down and watched in disbelief as his body visibly "melted," transforming into a mass of blue plasma.
His limbs, now turned into crackling arcs of electricity, passed effortlessly through the metal restraints—as if they were fluid—and broke free from Daren's bindings with incredible agility.
The flickering electricity reformed into Momonga's body.
He stood there, wide-eyed, watching his own hands crackling with lightning. The wild, explosive power coursing through his body left him momentarily speechless.
A dull piece of blackened shrapnel popped out of his left knee and clattered onto the floor.
Momonga froze when he saw it. His gaze shifted, becoming complicated.
He could feel it—clear as day.
The chronic pain that had tormented his knee for years... was gone.
"This is elementalization," Daren said, lighting a fresh cigar with a grin.
"Congratulations—your body's now made of lightning."
Momonga focused, trying to fully process the change.
He felt incredibly light, like he weighed nothing at all.
And yet, at a moment's notice, he felt like he could unleash a force powerful enough to obliterate everything in sight.
Of course, he knew this was likely just a sensory illusion brought on by the dramatic surge of power after consuming the Goro Goro no Mi.
He took a deep breath and focused, trying to rein in the chaotic energy with sheer will.
As he concentrated, the lightning dancing across his body slowly faded, and in no time, he returned to normal.
"Unprecedented... power."
Momonga was silent for a moment, then exhaled slowly and looked up at Daren.
"Still think eating that was a waste?"
Taking a drag from his cigar, Daren suddenly remembered something and grinned.
"C'mon, let's head to the training ground. Test it out a little."
A bizarre thought popped into his head—
Momonga had eaten the Goro Goro no Mi...
So didn't that make him a "Raichu (Lightning Mouse)"?
Momonga blinked, then his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
He wanted to see just how powerful the Goro Goro no Mi really was—
And just how far he could push it.
"Hey, who's that next to Base Commander Momonga?"
"That's...That's Daren-sama!" Check latest chapters at NoveIＦire.net
"Daren-sama is back!!"
"Daren-sama! How's life over at headquarters?"
"I heard you fought Kaidou of the Beasts!"
On the way to the training grounds, Daren's arrival immediately caught the attention of the Marine soldiers.
They stared in amazement at the Commodore, chewing on a cigar with both hands in his pockets. Their eyes were filled with adoration and fervor that words could hardly describe.
The name Rogers Daren carried a legendary, irreplaceable weight for the North Blue Marines.
Under his leadership, the North Blue Navy had become the undisputed ruler of the region. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers now enjoyed benefits far beyond what other forces could offer.
It was no exaggeration to say that the North Blue Fleet's current size and strength existed because of this one man.
Every single Marine in the North Blue sincerely admired—and was grateful to—this living legend.
Even though Daren had stepped down from his position as North Blue Admiral and moved to Marineford for advanced training, any news about him that reached the North Blue would immediately stir up excitement among the troops.
Rogers Daren's strength was the strength of the North Blue Fleet.
His glory was the glory of every soldier who served in it.
"Long time no see, everyone."
Daren smiled brightly as he waved to the Marines who had rushed over upon hearing the news.
After chatting briefly with them, he gently waved his hand.
"Back to your posts."
The soldiers saluted in unison and wisely withdrew.
In no time, the training ground was empty again.
A sharp sea breeze swept across the space, stirring up gusts of howling yellow sand.
Daren and Momonga stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
"Come on," Daren said.
"Hit me with whatever technique you can come up with."
Momonga had just eaten the Goro Goro no Mi. He had little to no practical knowledge of how to use its powers, and his mastery of it was virtually zero.
This test was simply to see how well he could grasp the fruit's potential.
"You sure? The power of the Goro Goro no Mi feels a little... Never mind, I forgot you've got a monster's body."
He slapped his own forehead, gave a resigned sigh, then got serious.
Taking a deep breath, Momonga raised his hand and locked onto Daren.
"Vari: 100,000 Volts!"
The moment the words left his mouth, his entire arm morphed into surging arcs of lightning.
It rapidly condensed into a roaring bolt of thunder and cracked through the air, whipping straight at Daren!
The twisting lightning split the air with a roar. Every place it passed over was scorched black by intense heat.
Even though Daren's physique was inhumanly tough, Momonga still held back, just in case.
He let the bolt slam into him.
Scorching electricity instantly wrapped around his body like a net of needles trying to puncture flesh.
His uniform's upper half was fried to blackened shreds in an instant.
"Hmm. Not bad. But if you're holding back, don't bother."
Daren grinned, raised his hand—
—and shattered the lightning as if it were nothing. It dispersed into the air like mist.
He tore off what remained of his smoking uniform and launched forward like a cannon.
The sheer force of his movement blew open a crater beneath his feet, as if struck by artillery. The whole training ground trembled.
"Looks like I'll need to give you some pressure."
Daren said with a crooked smile.
Momonga's expression changed dramatically.
His pupils contracted.
He couldn't even see Daren move—
All he saw was a pitch-black fist wrapped in crushing energy exploding in his vision.