The sudden turn of events made the chaotic crowd freeze in place.
Before anyone could react, Daren and Dragon moved almost simultaneously.
Their military boots splashed through puddles as they lunged at each other like ferocious beasts. The sheer force of their clash shattered the nearby table and wine glasses into pieces.
Black dragon claws and explosive fists tore through the downpour, colliding midair with overwhelming power!
A powerful shockwave burst out from the point of impact, sweeping outward in all directions. The torrential rain was blown sideways, and the stone pavement beneath them was lifted and flung like ocean waves.
Windows of nearby taverns, restaurants, and shops shattered with a deafening crash. Terrified civilians clutched their heads and scrambled to escape, their ears ringing.
"Hahahaha!! Your strength... has improved a lot!!"
Facing the fierce Marine Commodore, Dragon's eyes lit up with battlelust as he laughed heartily.
Daren just smiled in silence and closed the distance in a flash.
Bang bang bang bang!!
The two clashed at high speed. Fists, claws, knees, and whip-like kicks—each coated in Armament Haki—collided violently in the rain, sending out deep, booming echoes.
Everywhere they fought, streetlights, tables, signs, even buildings—were swept away like debris in a hurricane, reduced to rubble.
And yet, as if by mutual understanding, their battle moved toward uninhabited areas, keeping civilians out of harm's way.
"They're really fighting..."
Farther away, fleeing civilians stared in shock as building after building crumbled under the force of the clash. They gasped, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Someone snapped out of the daze and shouted through gritted teeth:
"Quick!! Keep calling the Den Den Mushi! Notify the Marines—we need backup!!"
"That Commodore alone won't be enough to handle that guy!"
"That man is a criminal wanted by the World Government!!"
Without hesitation, the civilians dialed again.
This time—the line connected!
"We got through! It must've been the storm messing with the signal earlier."
"Hello! We've spotted the criminal—Dragon!!"
"Yes, yes!! A Marine is risking his life holding him off! Send reinforcements now!!"
Just then, the civilian holding the Den Den Mushi saw Daren—his Marine cloak fluttering—sent flying like a cannonball. He crashed through two buildings, blood gushing from his mouth.
The civilian's pupils shrank in horror. Heart pounding, he roared into the Den Den Mushi:
"The Marine named Daren—he's about to lose!! He's spitting blood! He can't hold on much longer!!"
"Yes, that's the location!!"
"Damn it—stop wasting time!! Get someone here now!!"
Over a hundred nautical miles from the island where Dragon and Daren were locked in battle, two Marine warships struggled forward through a violent storm.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared.
A Marine in a raincoat burst into the cabin, panicked and breathless, saluting with trembling hands.
"Rear Admiral Sakazuki! Rear Admiral Borsalino! We found him!!"
Sakazuki, who had been reviewing the nautical chart under the dim glow of an oil lamp, stood up abruptly, face darkening.
Borsalino, standing to the side, adjusted his sunglasses with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The young Marine pointed to an island on the chart, swallowed hard, and said with difficulty,
"Eyewitnesses on the island report that Commodore Daren is in fierce combat with the target. He's been seriously wounded and is being overwhelmed. He might not last much longer!"
Sakazuki's expression turned stormy.
His clenched fists began to glow red-hot, black smoke curling from his skin.
He spun around, eyes icy as they locked onto Borsalino.
Borsalino raised both hands and shrugged, clearly resigned.
"Yeah, yeah... I'll head over now."
"Hold him back. Don't let Dragon get away."
"...I'll be there soon."
As Borsalino walked out of the cabin, he muttered,
"I'll do what I can... But you know as well as I do, that guy's not exactly easy to deal with..."
"He's Zephyr-sensei's student, and Vice Admiral Garp's son."
With those words, his body dissolved into a flurry of golden photons, which shot into the sky and vanished into the storm in an instant.
"Of course I know that..."
Sakazuki's gaze darkened as he watched the light disappear in the distance, muttering under his breath.
He and Dragon had always been at odds—constantly clashing over their opposing ideals of justice. He knew all too well how powerful Dragon truly was.
And he also understood the unspoken meaning in Borsalino's words.
'Do you really want to go after Dragon? Strength aside... he's Zephyr-sensei's disciple, and Garp's own flesh and blood...'
Sakazuki was silent for a few seconds. Then, without a word, he picked up his duckbill cap from the table and pulled it down low over his face.
The brim cast a shadow over his eyes.
His fists clenched tighter.
"Set course!" Latest content published on novel·fire·net
Daren staggered out of the building's rubble, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
"Damn, that hit hard."
He squinted toward Dragon, who stood in the distance, brimming with fighting spirit. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he muttered,
"You really go all in once a fight gets going, huh..."
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Hahahaha!! Daren, how about that one?! That was Ryusoken's finisher!"
Dragon laughed with excitement, pride glowing on his face.
"Channeling the technique of the dragon's claw, I condensed all my power into a single burst—like a dragon's breath!"
"Well? Ready for the next one?! I've been dying to have a proper fight with you!"
With that, he raised his arm. A swirling mass of dark green wind began to whip around in his palm.
The air churned like blades, spinning with terrifying speed. The vortex expanded rapidly, growing until it formed a towering column of wind over twenty meters high!
Its sheer force and distortion were so extreme that buildings nearby were ripped from their foundations and sucked into the eye of the storm, shredded to splinters in an instant!
Watching the devastating scene unfold, Daren's eyes twitched violently.