The upper halves of dozens upon dozens of buildings slowly slid along their smooth, severed edges, toppling down with a chorus of deep rumbles. Dust and smoke billowed into the air.
Dragon's eyelid twitched again.
Just the shockwave from that blade slicing through the air had cut clean through all those buildings.
Darren's slash—it felt almost at the level of a master swordsman's strike!
But unlike the smooth, flowing slashes of true sword masters, Darren's move was pure speed.
Infuse the blade with Armament Haki to the limit—then unleash a single, explosive surge of power through the demon blade.
Dragon could feel blood seeping from his palm, where he gripped Enma. A raw, burning pain. He cursed aloud.
Who the hell used a sword !?
It was crude, like throwing a cannonball by hand!
But just as Dragon was caught up in his thoughts, a low voice came from behind him.
He spun around in shock.
A black-armored fist, wrapped in thick Haki, exploded across his vision and smashed into his face.
The punch was so strong, Dragon's cheek rippled like water.
He was hurled back like he'd been struck by a battleship at full speed, smashing through half-toppled buildings in a blur of destruction.
Darren's white justice coat snapped behind him as he landed, knees bending into a crater that split the earth apart.
He launched forward again, using the recoil's power.
He couldn't give Dragon a single moment to breathe!
Like a wild beast, he crashed into the crumbling ruins.
Two shadowy figures, locked in a furious melee, burst from the rubble.
The distant onlookers watched in shock and horror, hands clamped to their ears. Each collision of these two was a deafening cannon blast.
"Darren, you bastard!! You hit me in the face!!"
Dragon's body blurred into a whirling cyclone, reappearing ten meters away, rage flashing in his eyes.
He swept a hand out—and a barrage of massive green wind blades screamed forward.
His face was visibly swelling, his nose blue and blood streaming down in twin rivers.
Darren punched one wind blade to pieces, two more carving deep X-shaped gashes across his chest. He lashed out with a brutal Rankyaku.
The pale green slicing wave split the ground, but passed harmlessly through Dragon's intangible form and carved a distant building clean in two.
"Tch, Logia types are such a pain."
Darren spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes flicking across the increasingly close harbor waters.
He seemed to find what he was looking for. A glimmer of light sparked in his eyes.
He threw his head back and let out a wild laugh.
"Come on, Dragon!! Let's settle this once and for all!!!"
Dragon's eyes widened, then blazed even brighter.
But as he spoke, the world around them suddenly twisted and changed.
Steel and iron shot out of the ground and the rubble, coiling together like a nest of black serpents, striking at Dragon from every angle.
"Pointless!! I'm a Logia!!"
Dragon laughed, body once more dissolving into a whirling hurricane.
The steel serpents snapped shut on nothing, only tearing up the earth in their fury.
A shadowy figure erupted from the swirling dust, moving so fast it was almost a blur.
"Trying to sneak up again!?"
Dragon's eyes widened, but then he laughed.
"You won't get me this time!!!"
His hand snapped into a claw, black Haki crackling as he lunged to catch Darren's fist.
Darren only smiled, lips curled in a bloodstained grin. He stepped in close.
Dragon's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He tried to pull back.
Dragon's claw tore deep into Darren's chest, leaving a gaping wound that bared white bone.
Blood sprayed hot and thick, splashing across Dragon's face.
Why... why didn't he dodge or block!?
"Don't look back, my friend."
A low voice in his ear. Before Dragon could react, he felt Darren's hand clamp down on his wrist.
The wounded Marine pivoted in the air, turning his whole body into a lever.
And drove a vicious knee straight into Dragon's gut!
Dragon coughed blood in a thick, ragged spray, his whole body doubling over like a broken doll.
The impact roared out, Darren's foot and Haki exploding with crushing force that sent Dragon flying.
He shot through the air, white shockwaves rippling out along his path like rings of a cannon shell.
Crashing through several half-shattered buildings, Dragon gasped and winced—
And suddenly the world opened up before him.
Damn it, Darren... are you really trying to kill me!?
A small, unremarkable merchant ship, surging across the water with impossible speed—straight for him.
He slammed down hard on the deck, splintering it into a crater.
"Hold on tight, sir."
The ship's captain faced away from him, hands steady on the wheel, voice low and calm.
"We're about to set sail."
Dragon climbed out of the wrecked deck, gritting his teeth, hand pressed to his side. He looked back instinctively toward the port.
There, kneeling on one knee, covered in blood, was Darren—watching him.
Almost like he was saying goodbye.
Dragon whispered, eyes glimmering red.
He forced back the urge to wave, to call out. He only wanted to say "Yeah," but before he could—
A flash of golden light split the black sky above them.
"Can't let you get away that easily..."