The rhythmic sound of water droplets falling echoed in his ears—that was Darren's first sensation.
A strange stench filled his nostrils.
Damp, rotten, metallic... laced faintly with the harsh bite of strong liquor.
With immense effort, Darren cracked open his eyes. A flickering fire cast a dim, restless glow across the room.
His body was wracked with searing pain from head to toe. He tried to breathe deeply, only to cough up a mouthful of blood and sludge.
I'm... still alive...
The gravelly, thunderous voice rang out from the shadows, sending a jolt down Darren's spine. Every muscle tensed instinctively, but his shattered body had no strength left to respond. He couldn't even lift a finger.
Forcing his mind to focus, he blinked his eyes open fully, trying to make out his surroundings.
Bloodstained, blackened stone walls. Rusted iron bars. A moss-covered, damp floor... A prison.
Outside the cell sat a massive silhouette, exuding a crushing presence. Wild black hair flowed down his shoulders. Two sharp horns jutted from his head. His beard dangled like a dragon's whiskers.
He was bare-chested, a burn wound visible on his left side. The bleeding had stopped.
A purple coat hung at his waist, gold chains swaying from its hem. Loose dark green pants, a thick shimenawa belt, and a matching purple cloak completed the look.
The firelight on the wall threw his figure into looming, warped shadows—monstrous, demonic.
"Kaido of the Beasts..."
Darren's eyes went cold. He locked his gaze on the figure's broad back.
"If you don't want to die, I'd suggest staying right where you are."
Kaido's voice rolled like thunder.
As he spoke, he raised a tattooed arm and grabbed a gourd marked with the kanji for "Heaven." He took a long swig, his eyes briefly flicking toward the burn on his left side.
"That magma bastard... really packs a punch."
Darren froze—then it all came rushing back.
He'd been captured by Kaido.
Pain lanced through his skull. His memories felt like broken glass.
He remembered the last thing he saw: Sakazuki soaring from the ground, blasting away the Fire Breath with a magma fist—only to be smashed into the earth by a transformed Kaido's kanabo.
After that, his body gave out. Everything went dark.
And now... he was here, in this dismal cell.
No. Not at this point in the timeline.
Kozuki Oden hadn't left on his journey yet. Kaido wouldn't have allied with Orochi this early. That meant...
Darren sucked in shallow breaths, forcing himself to stay calm. His thoughts raced.
He was alive. That meant—for now—Kaido had no intention of killing him.
Whatever Kaido's plan was, it could wait. If he was still breathing, there was still a chance to escape.
But before that, he had to confirm two things: Kaido's current strength—and the guard force stationed at this prison.
His eyes flicked—ever so slightly—toward Kaido's injured side, then quickly back.
The Magma-Magma Fruit truly was the most powerful offensive Devil Fruit. Sakazuki's punch had not only blown apart Kaido's Fire Breath—it had scorched his supposedly indestructible body.
And that final blow from Kaido's kanabo... Darren had felt it.
He now had a rough estimate of Kaido's strength.
In his early thirties now, Kaido likely already possessed power on par with an Admiral—maybe even a notch above Sakazuki at this point, given the age gap.
But one thing was clear: Kaido hadn't yet reached the mythical heights of monsters like Roger or Garp.
Of course, "Admiral-level" was a vague term at best.
Not all Admirals were created equal.
Just look at Green Bull—who, in the main timeline, clearly ranked below Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji.
Admiral-level power was a necessary condition for the title—not a guarantee of it.
As Sakazuki once said, rank meant little.
Some Vice Admirals could chase the Pirate King across the sea.
And when it came to true monsters, unless you actually fought them, you'd never know who would win.
That was likely why Kaido hadn't pushed his fight with Sakazuki further.
No one knows just how vicious a cornered mad dog can be—
Even a mad dog soaked in blood.
Just then, a low groan echoed through the darkness.
Darren blinked and turned his head.
The firelight cast long shadows across the cell, revealing another figure slumped against the wall in a ragged heap.
Beaten bloody, wounds torn open and dried from the wind and filth. His left side was a patchwork of charred skin—burned black by Sakazuki's magma. One arm was gone, the wound still raw and horrifying.
He'd been captured too.
Darren's pupils contracted. A thought flashed through his mind—so ridiculous, he almost laughed.
Am I seriously sharing a cell... with Douglas Bullet?
"...Where... is this..."
Bullet rasped hoarsely. He looked up, saw Darren, then saw Kaido.
He fell silent—but the realization was clear in his eyes.
"Well, you're both awake. That's good."
Kaido tipped back the last of his liquor and stood.
The scent of alcohol clung to his massive frame. He walked forward, each step shaking the floor.
He towered over them, gazing down with glowing, slitted pupils. His grin widened.
"Wororororo... Boys, join me."
"I can give you anything you want."
"Power. Wealth. Status. Strength... Name it—I can give it to you."
He reached out a massive, tattooed hand.
"This world is too damn boring. But I can see it in your eyes—you're not the obedient type."
"Swear loyalty to me, and I'll take you both—"
"...and we'll tear this whole sea apart!"
Kaido's booming laugh echoed through the stone prison, shaking the very walls. Dust and mortar fell like snow from the ceiling, as if the entire world was trembling.