A flicker of confusion crossed Bullet's face.
He glanced at the black Seastone cuffs clasped around the wrists of the black-haired Marine, frowning.
"That's right," Darren replied, lowering his head to gaze at the pitch-black cuffs—emanating a vast, ocean-like coldness—and the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a wry smile.
"Seastone is essentially the ocean in solid form. It emits the same energy as the sea itself and possesses extremely high hardness, which allows it to suppress Devil Fruit abilities."
"When a Devil Fruit user comes into contact with Seastone, not only are their powers nullified, but their stamina and overall physical state are greatly weakened, plunging them into a state of exhaustion."
"Queen may possess Observation Haki, but Observation perceives aura..."
"And thanks to the Seastone, our auras have been suppressed to their lowest point. Naturally, Queen wouldn't be able to detect the increase in our physical strength."
As he said this, a strange look surfaced on Darren's face.
"If that fat pig Queen ever found out that under his 'torture,' not only did we not weaken, but we've actually grown stronger—quietly and steadily..."
"And that the one thing that could have allowed him to sense it—he himself removed by putting us in high-purity Seastone cuffs..."
"He'd probably blow up on the spot from sheer rage."
Hearing this, Bullet's eyelid twitched. He opened his mouth—then shut it again without saying a word.
...Was this really possible?
"...No wonder he's considered a genius scientist," he finally muttered after a long pause.
Darren chuckled softly and slowly stood, dragging the heavy Seastone cuffs as they rang out in sharp clinks.
He stretched, rolling his neck with a satisfying crackle—his movements fluid and steady. None of the weakness or stiffness from seven days ago remained.
"How's your body holding up against the Seastone?"
Bullet grinned viciously.
"It still feels unnatural... That drained sensation hasn't fully gone away. But it's no longer affecting my movement."
As he spoke, he too stood up. A fierce glint of battle spirit flared in his eyes as he looked at Darren.
Despite losing an arm, he showed no sign of defeat. On the contrary, his aura had grown more savage and unrestrained.
And after spending several days together as "cellmates," Bullet had gradually realized that this so-called "Disgrace", this Marine, actually shared a surprising number of similarities with him—in personality, habits, and above all, in their ruthless obsession with strength.
The unyielding will that endured despair, the terrifying tolerance for pain, the madness lurking in his bones...
Kaido had been right. Compared to the rules-bound Marines, Darren was more like a true pirate—wild and unchained.
Most important of all, this Marine's insanity during training and brutality in combat was the closest thing Bullet had ever seen to someone who could match—perhaps even surpass—himself.
Unconsciously, Bullet had begun to acknowledge Darren as a worthy rival.
Seeing his reaction, Darren smiled in satisfaction.
Seastone may block Devil Fruit powers and restrict movement—but people weren't all the same.
Depending on one's physical condition, the weakening effects of Seastone could vary greatly.
Some collapsed instantly at the slightest touch. Others could still move like normal despite wearing cuffs.
That was the meaning of Seastone resistance training.
Darren and Bullet had already trained their bodies to superhuman levels—monstrous even.
And thanks to the "injection therapy" of the past few days, their physiques had only grown stronger.
Even under the suppression of high-purity Seastone, they were slowly regaining some combat power.
Though nowhere near full strength—perhaps only ten percent—it was still better than lying on the floor like a dead dog, waiting to be butchered.
"What about... Armament Haki?"
Bullet slowly raised his hand and shouted coldly:
A visible patch of dark Haki surged over his palm—but vanished within a second.
He let out a muffled grunt. His body swayed, lips pale and cracked.
Seeing this, Darren shook his head.
"The Seastone suppresses our stamina. And Haki—any Haki—requires a massive amount of stamina to activate."
"Damn it," Bullet cursed under his breath, biting his teeth.
A flicker passed through Darren's eyes.
His own condition wasn't much better. Though his physique had clearly improved, just using Armament Haki to break free of the cuffs still seemed a long way off.
On this sea, the only Devil Fruit user who could do something like that... was probably Kaido.
Kaido had been captured by the Marines multiple times. Thanks to his indestructible body, he had endured forty executions.
Neither blade, axe, lightning, fire, poison, nor alcohol could harm him. Execution tools broke on his skin. Shackles snapped apart.
The world called him an immortal monster.
In truth, perhaps Kaido's "invincible body" had been forged by the World Government's experiments—cruel trials carried out by Vegapunk after Kaido was captured.
Thinking of this, Darren clenched his fists.
He looked down at his scarred and scabbed knuckles, a single thought rising unbidden:
How far am I... from Kaido's indestructible body?
"Hey, quit spacing out. Let's begin."
Suddenly, Bullet's eager voice cut into his thoughts.
"Three days left until our last chance. We don't have much time."
His eyes—filled with battle lust—locked fiercely onto the black-haired Marine. A crimson madness began to color his pupils.
Darren grinned and cast all distracting thoughts aside.
The moment the word left his mouth—
The two of them, like beasts unleashed, dragged their Seastone cuffs and slammed into each other!
At the edge of the Beasts Pirates' headquarters island, on the coastline...
"Be careful with my lab equipment, you bastards! Break one thing and I'll cut you all down!!"
Queen, riding in a beast-drawn war wagon, leapt off like a rolling ball, cigar clenched in his teeth as he shouted orders.
A pitch-black pirate ship—bearing the Beasts Pirates' skull flag—was docked at a crude port. Rough men in beast pelts and horned helmets were carefully unloading heavy crates from the deck.
"What's in this one? Meat? Send it to my place."
"This one? Slaves? Male or female? Males go to the factory as labor. Females... leave me a few."
"Those are the experimental supplies? To the lab, all of it!"
Queen, hands behind his back and cigar in mouth, strutted around the unloading site, pointing and barking orders.
In less than half an hour, every crate had been offloaded from the pirate ship.
Queen climbed into his wagon, satisfied, and sped off toward his lab—leaving a trail of dust across the brown earth.
The Beasts Pirates, weary from days at sea and constantly on edge, finally relaxed and headed off to rest, leaving only a few lackeys behind to guard the port.
At the stern of the pirate ship...
Ripples began to spread across the wooden wall of the storage hold—like waves in still water.
And from within that ripple emerged a young man with slicked-back hair, dressed in an elegant, high-end suit.
His expression was cold as he "floated" out of the wall like a phantom of water.
"Infiltration... complete."