The clash of supreme Conqueror's Haki shattered the world.
An unimaginable suffocating pressure swept over the sea.
The battleship's hull and deck groaned under the crushing winds, fine cracks spiderwebbing across the wood, sharp creaks splitting the storm.
Before Darren's eyes, the world shook violently.
Space itself seemed to ripple — distorted, trembling — as if reality were being pulled apart at the seams.
Everything he could see rippled like a disturbed reflection on water.
"This... this is the pinnacle of the seas!!"
A wild grin broke across Darren's face. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
His face remained pale — but his eyes burned brighter than ever.
As a thousand thoughts flashed through Darren's mind, the duel between Garp and Roger reached its climax.
The black-red sphere of energy compressed tighter, tighter, between the Iron Fist and the Captain's blade.
A thunderous explosion tore through the sky.
The ball of black-red lightning detonated, unleashing a shockwave that flooded outward in every direction, shaking the heavens.
Both figures recoiled, pushed apart.
"Hahahaha!! I knew it! Fighting you is the most fun, Garp!!"
Roger roared with laughter, exhilarated.
"Don't be ridiculous!! I'm here to arrest you!!"
Garp bellowed back, kicking off the air itself and charging once more.
Fist met blade again and again in midair, each clash sending ripples of force bursting outward, rattling the storm.
But then — out of the corner of Roger's eye — a movement.
"Hm? That Marine brat... what's he up to?"
He caught a glimpse of Darren leaping from the battleship's prow, a twisting, stream-lined platform of solidified metal forming under his feet, propelling him upward into the sky.
Roger hesitated for just an instant —
And that moment was enough.
Garp's fist crashed toward him like a meteor, cutting the air itself apart with its force.
"You're getting distracted mid-fight!? Are you underestimating me, Roger!!?"
Roger cursed, slashing to block the devastating punch.
Sparks exploded in a blinding spray. Roger's face darkened.
Because above him, he saw Darren — floating high, glaring down — a single coin held between two fingers.
The coin spun upward.
A chilling sense of danger clutched Roger's heart.
Deep in his sharp eyes, a crimson glint flickered — instinct warning him of a terrible future glimpsed through Haki.
Roger's shout rang out across the deck, snapping every Roger Pirate to attention.
High above, Darren grinned — savage, merciless — looking down at them like a god passing judgment.
Blue arcs of lightning crackled wildly between his fingers.
The sky was pitch black.
Lightning danced across the clouds, flickering light across the storm.
The spinning coin caught and reflected the flashes of light, mirrored in the wide-eyed, horrified faces of the pirates.
Hovering there, cold and unmoved, Darren watched them.
Until the coin began to fall.
He snapped his fingers.
"Magnetic Overload: Railgun!!"
Before anyone could react—
A searing orange-red beam of pure energy erupted from Darren's hand.
The night sky turned to fire.
The beam tore through the clouds, carving ripples across the heavens, a howling spear of annihilation streaking straight toward the Oro Jackson.
"What the hell is that?!"
The heat blasted down onto the Oro Jackson, choking the air from their lungs.
Rayleigh's face twisted in alarm.
Even the legendary Adam Wood hull of the Oro Jackson wouldn't survive.
It would melt through.
But a biting wind howled behind him.
Rayleigh's blade locked against Dragon's blackened claw, sparks flying between them.
"You left yourself open," Dragon gasped, grinning despite his exhaustion.
Rayleigh's heart lurched.
A blast of violent wind engulfed him.
From the shadows of the cabin, Buggy and Shanks watched, terror written across their faces.
They saw the blazing red beam growing larger — and closer — with every breath.
"He's going to destroy the Oro Jackson...!!" they whispered, horrified.
But a new roar tore through the storm.
"You think we'll let you destroy our ship — our dream — you bastard Marine!!"
A figure burst out from the ship's lower decks — twin axes gleaming.
The twin axes flashed, weaving a shield of steel and courage against the incoming beam.
The skies split apart.
Waves of energy tore across the Oro Jackson, shattering planks, blasting debris into the storm.
Fire swept the sky like enormous wings.
The heat seared skin, boiled the rain.
Buggy and Shanks covered their ears, their heads ringing from the deafening impact.
Through the flickering flames, they saw Darren — black-haired, cloak whipping in the wind — a shadow of terror burning into their minds.
This madman... he doesn't even care if he kills his own allies!
The rain finally quenched the fires.
Gaban stood, axes crossed, the shredded remains of the spinning coin crushed between them.
The energy dissipated.
The ship — barely — survived.
Relief flooded the pirates' faces.
"You Marine bastard!!" a new roar thundered.
Roger's blade blasted Garp back in a wild clash.
He kicked off the shattered deck, launching himself like a cannonball.
Black-red lightning wrapped his sword, his eyes blazing with murderous rage.
He tore across the sky.
The Marines' desperate cries echoed across the storm.
Darren looked up — and saw him.
The King of the Seas.
Every instinct screamed.
Every fiber of his being froze.
A wave of death crashed over his mind.
If he took that slash head-on...
Every muscle in his body trembled.