This sudden, explosive clash sent a jolt through the chaotic crowd.
Before they could react,
Darren and Dragon had already moved—striking almost simultaneously.
Their boots crushed the rain-slicked earth as they lunged at each other like two tigers in a deadly pounce.
Their raw force slammed into the table and chairs between them, shattering them into splinters.
A black Dragon Claw and a detonating fist broke through the curtain of rain, meeting in the air with devastating impact.
A shockwave rippled out from where their strikes collided, sending a violent sideways rain across the street. The stone tiles of the road heaved like ocean waves.
Windows in taverns, restaurants, and shops burst into shards under the concussive blast. Civilians clutched their heads, screaming and scrambling for cover.
"Hahaha! Your strength... it's grown so much!!"
Dragon's eyes were bright with battle-frenzy as he laughed uproariously at the Marine commodore before him.
Darren just gave a small smile, saying nothing.
He stepped in closer.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
They clashed with blinding speed, fists and claws wrapped in Armament Haki, knees and legs slamming into each other in the driving rain, each impact a bone-deep thud.
Everything in their path—streetlamps, tables, signs, even the very walls—was smashed and sent flying like leaves in a hurricane.
Yet by some unspoken agreement, they fought their way toward deserted parts of the street, careful not to let their duel harm any civilians.
"They're... they're really fighting..."
Civilians who had fled to a distance gaped in horror at the buildings collapsing like sandcastles under the force of their battle. They couldn't believe their eyes.
One of them snapped out of it, gritting his teeth.
"Quick! Keep calling the Den Den Mushi! Tell the Marines to send reinforcements!!"
"If it's just that one commodore, there's no way he can win against that monster!"
"That man is a criminal—the one the World Government has declared an enemy of the world!"
At those words, the crowd didn't hesitate. They fumbled for their Den Den Mushi again.
This time, the line connected!
"It's working! The storm must have messed with the signals before!"
"Hello! We found... the criminal!! Dragon!!"
"Yes, yes! There's a Marine here fighting with everything he has to hold him back! Send reinforcements, now!!"
As he spoke, the civilian saw Darren—draped in his justice coat—flung through the air like a cannonball, crashing through two buildings in a spray of blood.
His eyes went wide, heart turning cold with fear. He roared into the Den Den Mushi:
"That Marine—Darren—he's losing!! He's coughing up blood! He can't hold on much longer!!"
"Yes, this is the exact location!!"
"Damn it! Stop wasting time! Get here now!!"
More than a hundred nautical miles away, two Marine battleships labored through the howling wind and sheets of rain.
Lightning split the sky.
A young Marine in a raincoat burst into the cabin, trembling, saluting with a shaky hand.
"Rear Admiral... Rear Admiral Sakazuki! Rear Admiral Borsalino! We found them!!!"
Sakazuki, who'd been hunched over a navigation chart under the glow of an oil lamp, went stiff and shot to his feet.
Borsalino pushed his sunglasses up his nose, a faintly amused smile on his lips.
"Here... here it is!"
The young Marine pointed at an island marked on the map, swallowing hard.
"Eyewitnesses on the island report that Commodore Darren is engaged in a fierce battle with the target. He's seriously injured and being pushed back. He... he might not last much longer!"
Sakazuki's face went dark as thunderclouds.
"Damn that Dragon..."
His clenched fist glowed red-hot, black smoke curling from it.
He turned, cold eyes fixed on Borsalino.
The latter raised his hands, shrugging with an almost playful nonchalance.
"Got it, got it... I'll head over first, then."
Sakazuki's voice was rough as he ground out his orders:
"You must hold Dragon back—no matter what. Don't let him escape!"
"...I'll be right behind you."
Borsalino strolled toward the deck, muttering to himself.
"I can only promise to try my best. After all, you know as well as I do... that guy isn't so easy to handle."
"He's Zephyr-sensei's student... and Vice Admiral Garp's son."
With those words, his form shimmered and split apart into countless golden photons, rising into the storm-wracked sky and vanishing in a flash of light.
Sakazuki watched the last glimmer of gold fade, his gaze shadowed.
He and Dragon had always clashed—again and again, their differing visions of justice erupting into all-out fights. He knew exactly how strong Dragon was.
He also knew the unspoken weight in Borsalino's final words:
'Are you sure you really want to face Dragon? Not even counting his power—he's still Zephyr-sensei's student... and Garp's son.'
Sakazuki was silent for a few seconds. His face blank, he picked up his peaked Marine cap from the table and pulled it low over his eyes.
His clenched fists trembled.
Darren emerged from the rubble of a shattered building, spitting out blood.
"Damn... that's intense."
He narrowed his eyes, wiping the blood from his lips as he looked at Dragon, who stood across from him, burning with battle spirit.
"You... you really do get carried away in a fight, don't you..."
"Hahaha!! Darren, how about that!! That last move—it was the ultimate strike of the Dragon Claw Fist!!"
Dragon threw back his head, laughing with savage pride.
"Channeling the claw's power—unleashing it all in an instant, like the breath of a dragon!"
"How about it!? Ready to try another one!? I've been dreaming of having a real fight with you!!"
Dragon raised his arm, palm open. A storm of emerald-green wind gathered there, whirling faster and faster until it howled like a blade, cutting the air itself.
It grew and grew, a towering column of wind thirty meters tall.
Even nearby buildings, only touched by its edges, were ripped from their foundations and sucked into the spinning maelstrom, shredded to dust in an instant.
Watching the terrifying sight, Darren's eye twitched wildly.