The intensity of his Observation Haki... was rising at an unprecedented rate!
As expected of a top-tier master!
This level of "instruction"—Daren had only experienced something similar at the hands of that fat guy Queen!
A heavy mochi fist caught him off guard, slamming into his face. Ripples spread across his skin and muscle as his head snapped to the side. Blood and bruising began to show on the surface.
Yet Daren's eyes shone brighter than ever, and the grin on his face only grew.
Observation Haki had always been his weakest area.
Because he relied too much on physical durability and magnetic field sensing, he had struggled to make any real progress with Observation Haki.
Even after enduring Zephyr-sensei's brutal special training—getting beaten half to death while shackled with Seastone—he had only barely managed to awaken it.
But strength-wise, his Observation Haki had barely improved. No matter how hard he trained, the results had remained disappointing.
Now, finally... Daren was experiencing that same mix of agony and exhilaration he once felt in the prison of the Beasts Pirates.
That's right—Daren wasn't just taking a beating.
That would've been far too simplistic.
In every clash with Katakuri, he was constantly analyzing, mimicking, and adapting to the way his opponent used Observation Haki—forcing his own body to adjust to that level of speed!
And little by little, as the storm of fists rained down around him, Daren began to see it more clearly—feel it more sharply.
The crimson glow in his eyes only deepened.
At the same time, Katakuri finally started to sense that something was off.
As the battle dragged on, he was stunned to realize that Daren's dodging speed, reaction time, and precision were all steadily improving!
Where he could land five clean hits out of ten before—now, not even two were connecting.
Then, all of a sudden, a horrifying thought surfaced in Katakuri's mind:
This guy's Observation Haki is evolving in real time!
"How the hell is that possible?!"
Katakuri gritted his teeth and roared, suddenly accelerating the speed of his punches!
A torrential downpour of fists fell, each one cloaked in Haki, dark and heavy like storm clouds, hammering down over Daren's head.
"Don't underestimate your potential, Katakuri!"
Daren let out a vicious grin, blood-streaked teeth gleaming.
A flash of eerie red light suddenly ignited deep within his pupils.
Observation Haki intensity... 60 points!!
Even Daren himself hadn't expected this. What was once his weakest ability had now overtaken his Armament Haki—breaking past the 60-point barrier first!
Everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl.
In that moment, all sound faded into the distance. His mind was clear—piercing.
The scene before him unfolded like a film reel in slow motion, frame by frame.
A supreme silence overtook his thoughts, sharpening his senses with cold focus.
In a single step, Daren's figure vanished like a ghost from his original spot.
It was as if a streak of blue lightning had flashed across the void. In the blink of an eye, the Marine Vice Admiral had crashed through the storm of fists—materializing at Katakuri's side.
His powerful thigh muscles stretched the fabric of his military trousers tight. The side kick that followed cracked through the air like a steel whip, carrying terrifying force as it drove straight toward Katakuri's gut.
Katakuri crossed both arms in front of him to block the blow—but the air exploded outward as a tidal wave of force slammed into him.
It felt like being struck head-on by a speeding battleship.
He vomited blood on impact and was launched backward like a missile.
He crashed through one building.
He barreled through more than a dozen structures before finally smashing into the distant ruins of Fukkura Town like a cannonball, sending a towering wave of dirt hundreds of meters into the air.
The island groaned under the pressure. Debris trembled and leapt from the ground.
"He's not dead, is he?"
Daren landed smoothly, raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and narrowed his eyes.
His Observation Haki had just broken through, and in that sudden rush, he'd ended up unleashing his full strength without thinking.
Katakuri's "lesson" had been too good to pass up—he hadn't planned on finishing him off this quickly.
A "master" wasn't easy to come by.
Sure, guys like Kaidou and Big Mom were also top-tier instructors in their own way—but when it came down to it, their fists did more talking than their teaching.
Fighting them was no joke.
One slip-up and you were dead. There wasn't any room to experiment or learn mid-fight.
But Katakuri was different. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel⦿fire.net
Even though he was only about twenty years old, he had already refined his Observation Haki to the point where he could see into the future. Still, in terms of raw power, he was far from the peak level he reached in the original timeline.
This current Katakuri was just right—strong enough for Daren to take seriously, but still within a range where he could be dominated without ruining the "lesson quality."
A sparring partner and mentor this good? No way Daren was letting him go.
You didn't harvest the crop the second it sprouted. Patience yielded better rewards.
He had only just pushed his Observation Haki past the 60-point threshold—there was still plenty of room to grow.
Compared to a certain someone who mastered future sight after just half a day of training, his progress was practically crawling.
"No way... There's no way I lost to you ..."
A hoarse voice rasped from the rubble.
A bloodstained hand pressed against the collapsed, ash-covered wreckage. Katakuri coughed violently as he slowly, unsteadily stood up, one hand braced against his knee, gasping for breath.
The wide scarf that had once concealed his face was gone, revealing a twisted, demon-like visage, fangs jutting forward in a grim snarl.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Daren, filled with agony and guilt.
"I swore I'd protect my little brothers and sisters..."
He lifted his head sharply.
"No matter what—I have to kill you! I'll avenge them!"
As the words left his mouth, he let out a roar so raw it tore at the throat.
And then... the ruins of Fukkura Town transformed.
The charred ground, the toppled buildings, crumbling walls, shattered trees...
All of it began to stir.
As if the dead had come alive, everything twisted and writhed, turning into surging masses of white mochi that churned like a storm beneath and behind Katakuri.
"The Devil Fruit... has awakened!"
Daren blinked in surprise—then his eyes lit up.
Observation Haki lessons weren't even finished yet, and now he was getting a crash course in Devil Fruit mastery?