Gion's face twisted in shock.
Only now did she fully realize—Darren hadn't been fighting seriously. He was toying with them.
Tokikake specialized in close-quarters combat. His raw strength and physique were outstanding.
Yet his punches hadn't even scratched Darren.
Her eyes scanned Darren's bare torso, taking in the tangled mess of scars etched into his flesh. And a thought struck her:
His body... It's trained to inhuman levels.
He's not using Iron Body—his natural defense is already comparable to it.
The moment that realization hit, Gion didn't hesitate.
She launched herself forward, a blur of pink streaking across the dusty field.
Her golden-bladed sword flashed, gleaming in the sun. Her eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
There was no backing down now.
She and Tokikake represented Marineford—and with the entire base watching, they had to regain their dignity.
"Watch yourself, Captain Darren!"
In a blink, she appeared in front of him.
Her blade cut through the air with a shrill shriek.
"Draw Slash: Peach Smoke!"
The golden blade arced down in a graceful slash.
A deep crimson gash opened across Darren's chest, blood spurting from the wound.
But Gion's pupils shrank.
Her expression froze.
Her blade was stuck. The razor-sharp edge was caught in Darren's muscle.
It was cruel. Amused. A little unhinged.
A wide, unrestrained grin stretched across Darren's face.
"Feel the breath of all things... You've nearly reached the realm of cutting steel."
He licked the blood at the corner of his mouth and looked at her with something resembling admiration.
"You're truly a genius of Marineford. Just a step away from becoming a true swordswoman."
Before Gion could react, a violent gust of wind howled past her face—like her cheeks were being ripped apart.
The air exploded in front of her.
She tried to block on instinct.
Darren's boot slammed into the flat of her sword with earth-shaking force.
It felt like being rammed by a sea train at full speed.
She flew backward like a cannonball.
She crashed through several stone targets before rolling to a stop across the field.
Dust and debris rained down.
A thin line of blood trickled from her lips. Her hand trembled, her grip faltering. Her palm split open at the web between thumb and forefinger—blood dripping freely.
Staring at Darren, she was speechless.
His defense was monstrous... and that strength—it was close to a full-grown Giant.
"AAAAARGH!! YOU BASTARD, DARREN!! YOU HIT MY FACE!!"
A roar shook the field.
"My face is my livelihood, damn it!"
From the massive crater, Tokikake struggled to pull his swollen, pig-like head free. Gasping for breath, his eyes glowed red.
Something had changed.
The cheerful buffoon was gone. What stood now was a beast awakened.
"You actually made me use this power... Consider yourself honored."
His hunched body straightened. His uniform began to stretch.
Muscles swelled like molten rock under the skin.
With each surge of power, cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet.
The Marines watching paled.
"There was that much power hidden in his body!?"
"Is this the true strength of HQ's elites?!"
Tokikake charged forward, faster and more savage than before.
His speed and force nearly doubled from earlier.
He became a meteor flying across the field toward Darren.
—he went flying back even faster.
Blood sprayed from his mouth. His uniform shredded into scraps.
He rolled across the ground, wheezing and curled like a boiled shrimp.
Eyes bloodshot, mouth open, he looked like a fish gasping for air.
He vomited something vile onto the ground. The stench made the air itself gag.
The entire training ground was dead quiet.
Everyone stared, horrified.
Darren stepped forward slowly, casting a long shadow over Gion and Tokikake.
Looking down at the "inspectors" sent by Marineford, he smiled like a man basking in the sun.
"You two really are impressive elites..."
He blinked innocently.
"—I look forward to working with you."
"Damn it, Darren! You bastard! How are you this strong?!" Tokikake growled, blood and spit trailing down his chin.
Darren chuckled, as if remembering something amusing.
"Compared to the real monsters... I'm not strong at all."
He glanced down at the bleeding slash across his chest.
Ah. The bleeding had stopped. It was already starting to scab.
"Well, that was a fun warm-up."
"Now it's time for my real training."
Gion and Tokikake: "...???"
They stared, slack-jawed.
You were bleeding out!
Oh. Right. It's scabbing now. Never mind.
They looked at each other, wordless.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake.
Dust and gravel danced across the field.
Their brains went blank.
Darren was holding a massive black iron chain.
It was rusty, thick, over ten meters long.
The end of it was linked to a decommissioned warship at the edge of the training grounds.
His body, muscles bulging like volcanic stone, surged with strength.
He was pulling the warship.
Each footfall cratered the dirt beneath his boots.
Behind him, the massive ship dragged across the ground, carving deep gouges into the earth.
From where they stood, he looked like a tiny Marine dragging a goddamn ship.
Sunlight gleamed off his shoulders.
They couldn't speak. Couldn't blink.
A voice spoke beside them.
"You two just got here. You still don't understand a lot."
Momonga had arrived, arms folded, eyes gleaming with open admiration.
"Before Rear Admiral Sakazuki was reassigned to HQ, Captain Darren was his adjutant."
He stared at the towering man dragging a ship like it was a toy.
"Most of those scars on his body? They came from training duels with Sakazuki."
Gion and Tokikake gasped in unison.
Those scars... came from "training"!?
That wasn't sparring. That was animalistic bloodsport!!
To have survived that...
To have matched Sakazuki, the so-called "Monster"...
Their minds flashed back to what had just happened.
Their so-called "all-out effort."
It must have looked like children play-fighting to that madman.
"...Another monster..." Tokikake muttered, swallowing hard.
For the past year, a saying had spread across Marineford:
"Monsters come from the North Blue."
Because from that chaotic sea, two prodigies had risen:
They had stormed through Officer Training Camp in under six months, acknowledged as "monsters" by Admiral Zephyr himself.