The training ground was a cloud of dust and tension.
Darren, Gion, and Tokikake stood apart, facing each other in a triangle. Pressure rolled off their bodies like waves before a storm.
Wind howled through the open yard, snapping at their cloaks and whipping sand into the air. The Marine 321st Branch had gathered, completely surrounding the field, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Vice-Commander Momonga, do you think Commander Darren will lose?"
A young Marine asked the man with crossed arms and a slight smirk.
Momonga didn't answer.
Lose? That word didn't exist in Darren's dictionary.
A more accurate question would be: Just how badly will those two HQ prodigies get wrecked?
"So, Captain Darren," Tokikake asked, full of confidence, "which one of us do you want to spar with first?"
He even tossed his hair dramatically—not that there was much to toss—and threw a charming grin toward the female Marines watching from the sidelines.
His ego swelled. Back at HQ, he had trained under several top fighters. Even Admiral Sengoku had complimented his talent. Among his peers, only Gion rivaled him.
He could already imagine it: knocking Darren flat with a clean blow, basking in the cheers and adoring gazes of every woman watching.
Darren glanced at him, then shook his head.
"No need to waste time. You two come at me together."
Tokikake and Gion froze, both momentarily stunned... and then enraged.
This guy... how arrogant can you be?!
"You'll regret that! I was going to go easy on you!"
Tokikake ground his teeth.
He would show this North Blue bumpkin the power of a true Marineford elite!
He bent his knees slightly, every muscle in his body tensing with explosive force.
The ground beneath him cratered as he launched forward like a cannonball.
This wasn't Soru, the Navy's famed high-speed technique—Tokikake and Gion hadn't yet entered the Officer Training Camp and hadn't learned the Rokushiki yet.
This was pure, raw power and speed.
The Marines watching gasped in unison. Tokikake vanished from view.
In less than a second, he closed a gap of over ten meters and appeared in front of Darren with blinding speed, muscles coiled, fist crashing straight toward Darren's gut!
No feints. No tricks.
Just raw force focused to its peak.
Darren stood still, not moving a muscle, not even blinking.
Tokikake's lips curled into a victorious grin.
I can already see him flying backward and vomiting all over the dirt!
That's for showing off your muscles!
That's for seducing Lady Marguerite!
That's for pretending to "care for the people!"
Take this, you bastard!
The punch landed squarely on Darren's chiseled abs, sending a shockwave rippling through the air.
Tokikake's grin froze.
Something... was wrong.
It felt like he had punched a steel wall.
Darren hadn't moved an inch.
Gion, who had been poised with her blade, ready to back him up, blinked in disbelief.
Tokikake stared upward, meeting Darren's calm, slightly amused expression.
"...Lieutenant Commander Tokikake, I appreciate you holding back," Darren said with a smile, "but please—take this seriously."
Tokikake's mouth twitched.
"Tokikake! What are you doing?! Stop playing around!!" Gion shouted.
Tokikake: '...I wasn't playing around.'
Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath, his arm muscles bulging, and launched another punch—this time with everything he had.
Another shockwave. Dust swirled wildly around them.
Tokikake was stunned again.
...Is this Iron Body?
Even though he hadn't learned Rokushiki yet, he knew what Tekkai—Iron Body—looked like. It was a technique that hardened one's body to the strength of steel through rapid muscle contractions and blood flow acceleration.
But this—this was different. He couldn't feel any tension or build-up in Darren's body. It was as if he were just... naturally this unbreakable.
Darren's calm voice came again.
"Really, Tokikake, there's no need to hold back. I truly want to see what you're capable of."
"Tokikake! Are you messing around?! I told you to go all out!" Gion snapped.
Tokikake's expression was on the verge of tears.
Gritting his teeth, he swung wildly with both fists.
A storm of punches battered Darren's chest, stomach, legs—even his head.
Blows that could shatter stone walls struck again and again... but Darren didn't take a single step back.
He stood there like a monolith in a storm.
Unshaken. Unmoved. Unfazed.
It's really not working...
Tokikake's eyes widened as he looked up at Darren's calm face—smiling faintly, as if he were just warming up.
Then Darren grinned and spoke.
"Because if you are... it's my turn."
Tokikake's heart dropped into his stomach.
A chill ran down his spine and exploded behind his eyes.
A rough hand lunged toward him—fast, too fast to dodge.
In his widening pupils, the image of Darren's palm grew closer and closer.
His face twisted in horror as the truth finally hit him.
This guy... is strong enough to crush me!
"Wait—no, not the face!!"
Tokikake screamed—but it was too late.
Darren's massive hand clamped over his face.
Under Gion's disbelieving gaze...
Under the shocked silence of the Branch 321 Marines...
Under Momonga's resigned sigh...
And beneath Tokikake's shrill, pig-like wail...
Darren took one heavy step forward—
—and slammed Tokikake's head into the ground.
The earth shook violently within a 20-meter radius. A crater erupted, with jagged cracks spider-webbing across its surface.
Tokikake's head was buried in the dirt, his legs sticking out upside-down in the air, twitching slightly in the breeze.
Dust rose like a dragon's breath.
Everyone present grimaced instinctively.
Even watching that hurt.