In the ruins of the 3A box, Daren stood calmly, overlooking the chaos of the auction hall below. From his elevated position, he took in the entire scene at a glance.
High in the air, Borsalino and King clashed repeatedly, their figures flickering like lightning as lasers and flames collided and scattered in every direction. The shockwaves from their battle struck countless unlucky bystanders.
But while King fought with everything he had, Borsalino appeared relaxed. He casually raised a finger to fire off a few lasers, swung the Ama no Murakumo sword theatrically, and even added an infuriating commentary as if to say, "I'm just playing along."
Facing the combined assault from the Charlotte brothers, Sengoku displayed absolute dominance.
The towering golden Buddha stood imposingly at the center of the hall. With a single wave of his hand, he unleashed a massive shockwave that sent Charlotte Perospero and Charlotte Daifuku reeling, blood spewing from their mouths as they staggered back.
Daren glanced over, then quickly shifted his gaze away.
Though Perospero and Daifuku had respectable strength—they had both mastered Haki and developed their Devil Fruit powers well—they were still only around twenty years old. Their power was far from its peak as shown in the original storyline.
Even at their best, they were never a match for Sengoku, the veteran admiral.
They stood no chance.
As for the Moa Moa no Mi...
Pirates and members of the underworld, driven by greed, charged the auction platform like madmen. Eyes bloodshot, they surged forward in waves, fighting each other to get ahead.
Lu Feld's subordinates barely managed to hold them back with superior firepower.
After observing for a few seconds, Daren came to a conclusion:
At least for now, those pirates wouldn't be getting their hands on the Moa Moa no Mi.
"So... when exactly are you going to show yourself, Shiki the Golden Lion?"
Daren narrowed his eyes, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.
He tilted his head slightly, gazing up at the sky above the open-air auction site.
It was as if he were waiting for something.
Suddenly, one of the auction site's walls collapsed, sending debris flying in all directions.
In the rising cloud of dust, dozens of pirates burst out in panic, scrambling for the exit in terror.
"KAHAHAHAHA!! I knew it!!"
A coarse, raspy laugh exploded from a corner of the venue.
A black military boot stepped out from the dust.
With a sickening crunch, it stomped down on the head of a badly wounded pirate, bursting it into a spray of blood.
The sheer force of that step was beastlike, strong enough to make the entire auction floor tremble.
A towering, ferocious figure emerged from the smoke, stepping through the blood and bodies, clutching an unconscious pirate in one hand.
The man wore a sharp black military uniform, exuding a wild, murderous aura. His eyes gleamed with savage intent, and his long golden hair whipped wildly in the wind.
Throwing the pirate in his hand against the wall like a ragdoll, blood splattering everywhere, the blond youth suddenly raised his head. His eyes blazed with battle lust as he let out a wild laugh.
"Daren! The moment you started bidding, I knew it was your voice!"
Douglas Bullet locked eyes with the Marine Commodore standing amid the ruins of the upper box, his metal arm pointing straight at him.
"It's been a long time!"
As his words fell, a terrifying aura exploded from Bullet's body like a tidal wave, surging in all directions as a violent storm of Haki.
In an instant, the entire venue fell dead silent.
It was as if the world had lost all color, fading into a dull gray.
The pirates in the middle of fierce combat suddenly froze, their movements halted, eyes beginning to go blank.
They stared in fear at the golden-haired youth unleashing an overwhelming torrent of Haki—and recognized him in an instant.
"A member of the Roger Pirates!"
"Douglas Bullet! The demon who wiped out an entire national army!"
"The 'Demon Heir' with a 300 million Belly bounty!"
"His aura... it's like a walking nightmare!"
The pirates clenched their teeth. The weaker ones couldn't even stay standing—some dropped to one knee, raising their arms to shield their faces as terror filled their eyes.
Another wave of immense Haki burst from midair.
It was the Marine Commodore!
Everyone struggled to open their eyes and look up.
From the Commodore's body surged a Conqueror's Haki no weaker than Douglas Bullet's, bursting out with overwhelming force.
Their Haki collided in the sky like two clashing storms, red and black waves twisting violently against each other.
Countless bolts of red and black lightning crackled through the void, appearing and vanishing in a dense web of energy.
A hellish storm swept across the venue, shaking the walls, cracking the floor, and splintering seats—everything began to fracture under the pressure.
The sky darkened. The earth trembled.
"A clash of Conqueror's Haki..."
Sengoku struck the Charlotte brothers with a single palm, sending them flying ten meters back. A massive golden shockwave tore a deep trench through the ground. He instinctively turned his head.
Squinting, he looked at the golden-haired youth laughing madly and frowned, muttering under his breath.
"So that's Douglas Bullet? His Conqueror's Haki is this strong... Even Roger's crew is showing up now..."
Suddenly, Charlotte Daifuku leapt from Sengoku's flank, blood dripping from his mouth as he let out a cold laugh.
The giant blue genie raised its naginata high and brought it down hard toward Sengoku's face!
"This is getting ridiculous..."
Sengoku raised an eyebrow. At last, a flash of anger flickered in his eyes.
He had been holding back, just in case Shiki showed up.
But these two reckless fools wouldn't quit. Did they really think that teaming up could put them on his level?
"If you want me dead, send your mother to try it herself!"
Sengoku finally lost his patience. His body erupted in blinding golden light.
The massive golden Buddha extended its giant hand with unimaginable strength, seizing the naginata of the genie in its grip.
In Charlotte Daifuku's bloodshot, nearly bursting eyes, the colossal golden Buddha struck down with a crushing palm!
Like a mountain collapsing. Like a tsunami crashing down. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel·fire·net
A deafening roar exploded through the hall. Nearly half of the auction venue collapsed under the force of Sengoku's blow. Walls shattered. The ground splintered.
Dust shot skyward as the storm of colliding Conqueror's Haki finally subsided.
"Daren! Let's have a good, old-fashioned brawl! Kahahahaha!"
Bullet stomped onto a chunk of broken stone, laughing maniacally, eyes burning with fervor.
But Daren didn't even glance his way. His voice was cold.
"I don't have time to play with you. Go find someone else."
Bullet's grin froze on his face.
Before he could react, the sky above the auction hall suddenly darkened.
Thick clouds rolled in like ink, blotting out the light.
A suffocating aura swept across the sky—cold, murderous, and reeking of blood—blanketing all of Coin Island in an instant.
As it descended, Daren, Sengoku, Bullet, and all the elite fighters in the area felt their expressions shift. Their pupils contracted.
"Jihahahaha!! What a lively scene!"
A cruel, defiant laugh rang out from behind the thick clouds.