The sea, islands, towns, drifting clouds... everything blurred into the distance behind him at an unimaginable speed.
The oncoming wind, sharp as blades, slashed across Daren's skin, while the large Vice Admiral's cloak whipped fiercely behind him.
With his current level of Devil Fruit mastery, the fully activated magnetic field propelled him through the skies at supersonic speeds. His body, tough as steel, easily withstood the pressure of breaking the sound barrier.
As he sped through the sky toward Totto Land, Daren fell into deep thought.
That speech at the graduation ceremony was only the first step.
Its purpose was to exploit the Marines' deep hatred toward pirates, pushing the top brass into accepting the inevitability of war.
The second step was convincing Kong, Sengoku, and the others to accept his plan for a surprise attack. With Sakazuki and Borsalino's support—and a "zero-cost" mobilization—gaining their approval wasn't hard.
But the third step... that was the true heart of the plan.
To build a loyal team, bind the entire Marine force to the war machine, and claim control over G5, Daren needed real, tangible results.
Words alone meant nothing.
Even the most stirring speech could only ignite short-lived emotions. Without action, the fire would die out quickly.
And he'd publicly vowed to "lead them to true victory."
So he needed a target. A big one. This content belongs to novel fire.net
A dramatic success would rally morale across the ranks and raise his reputation even higher. It would also be a show of strength—a warning to the other Yonkōs—paving the way for his future rule over G5.
As for the choice of target, he didn't have many options.
Going after Big Mom and her Totto Land was a last resort.
Kaidou's base had already been destroyed by him and the Marines. And although Kaidou might be eyeing Wano now, nothing had been confirmed.
Daren couldn't afford to make a wasted trip.
Wano's situation was politically sensitive, too. If anything went wrong, it could stir up a whole storm of trouble.
As for Shiki, that guy had no fixed territory or power base. Even if he was rebuilding his fleet, it would be through raiding and looting—unpredictable and hard to track.
Which meant, of the three Great Pirates who had invaded Marineford, Daren's only viable target left... was that lunatic, Big Mom.
"This is gonna be a mess," he muttered bitterly.
If he had any other choice, he really wouldn't want to face Charlotte Linlin.
He'd rather go head-to-head in a brutal brawl with Kaidou.
He sighed and forced himself to refocus. Spreading out his perception, he began scanning his current status.
Physique: 88.212 (Steel Body)
Fruit Ability Development: 83.211 (Island Coverage Level)
Armament Haki: 58.035
Observation Haki: 47.117
Conqueror's Haki: 59.301
After the battle at Marineford, all of Daren's core stats had risen considerably.
His physique, which had plateaued for over a month, had finally jumped by 2 points. Both strength and speed had increased by more than 2 points as well.
Armament and Conqueror's Haki had also shown solid growth.
But the biggest leap was in Observation Haki—nearly 10 points gained from that one battle!
Of course, that was also because his Observation had started out so low.
As lousy a teacher as Silvers Rayleigh was known to be, Daren had to admit, the old man was right about one thing:
Only by fighting the strong can your strength truly evolve.
At Daren's level, especially in core attributes like physique, strength, and speed, even intense daily training had minimal effect.
If he relied solely on long-term training, it might take a year—or more—just to gain two points.
The closer one got to the summit of this vast sea's power scale, the harder it became to climb.
Daren quietly clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with fierce confidence.
Back in the Battle of Marineford, both Sakazuki and Borsalino had managed to break through that invisible wall, finally stepping into the realm of Admiral-level strength.
He had seen it all clearly.
Those two had been stuck just short of that threshold for ages, and under the pressure of facing Shiki, their breakthrough had been inevitable.
Daren stared at his personal data panel, a rough theory already forming in his mind.
If he could raise both Strength and Speed above 80, he might unlock a brand-new ability—something akin to the Devil Fruit's "Island-Level Coverage," or his Physique trait "Steel Body."
And if, on top of that, his Armament Haki and Observation Haki both surpassed the 60-point mark, then reaching the Admiral-level tier would be inevitable.
That would be the foundation for his domination over this sea.
Admiral level—this was the dividing line between gold-tier and silver-tier fighters on the ocean.
If you weren't in the gold-tier, facing monsters like Shiki, Roger, or Whitebeard could mean getting one-shotted the moment you met them.
Unless, of course, you were a monster yourself—like Daren, Sakazuki, or Borsalino.
Need a real-world case study? Just look at Gear Fourth Luffy vs. Wano-arc Kaidou.
Silver-tier Luffy goes all in with Gear Fourth, screaming about bonds, friendship, and protecting people, charging in with righteous fury...
Only to get flattened in a single hit.
It wasn't until Luffy underwent "intensive training" under the Hundred Teachers Squad and mastered Ryuo that he finally scraped his way into the gold-tier—Admiral-level combat strength.
Then came Kaidou's one-on-one crash course: a lesson in Ryuo, then in Conqueror's Haki infusion, and finally in awakening...
And just like that, Luffy power-leveled all the way to mythical Sun God status.
Bottom line? Admiral level is a watershed moment.
And even then, not all Admirals are created equal.
Some Admirals get paralyzed by the mere presence of Conqueror's Haki from someone across the battlefield.
Others? They go toe-to-toe with the strongest man in the world, not only holding their ground but blasting his head off.
Having checked his stats, Daren steadied his breath, tuned his body to peak performance, and accelerated again.
In less than three hours, the shape of an island began to appear on the horizon.
Daren reached into his coat and pulled out an image Den Den Mushi.
This one had been specially modified by the Science Division: fitted with a strap, snug and secure, and even wearing a pair of windproof goggles. The squishy little slug blinked up at him with a determined glare, its serious look giving it an oddly cute vibe.
Daren chuckled and strapped it to his forehead.
Who could resist a man with a camera strapped to his head?
"Alright then... curtain up."
He pressed the broadcast button, initiating a global live feed.
Then, for the first time, he spoke into the stream.