Yes—pushing the limit!
Because right now, in this exact moment, Darren could feel it—
The strength that had long plateaued…
His speed, his endurance, his power—
All of it was rising, surging upward at a rate he'd never felt before.
Physique: 62.251 (+0.08, +0.05, +0.06...)
Strength: 59.311 (+0.05, +0.04, +0.03...)
Speed: 61.623 (+0.04, +0.06, +0.03...)
Speed had seen the most dramatic jump.
After breaking the 60-point threshold, his acceleration and burst movement had undergone a qualitative leap—
He could now flicker across short distances at blinding velocity.
If this kept up—if he kept pressing forward like this—
Within mere minutes, Darren might not just replicate, but fully master the Marine technique known as Soru, one of the six powers of Rokushiki, just by fighting Byrnndi World!
That thought fired through his mind like lightning.
His enhanced magnetic field perception amplified everything—
Every twitch of World's muscle fibers, every shift in balance, every breath before a step…
He could see it.
And then—
"Die, Marine brat!! You think you can stall me?!"
World erupted in fury, his massive form appearing above Darren in a flash, foot raised high in a sky-splitting stomp.
Wind howled under the pressure—
The air screamed as his kick came crashing down.
Darren's eyes snapped wide open.
FWIP!
The snow beneath him exploded.
World's pupils dilated in disbelief.
BOOM!!
The stomp cratered the earth. Snow and dirt erupted into the sky like an avalanche.
But the Marine brat—he was gone.
Gone.
A wave of disbelief surged in World's chest.
Soru.
He'd used Soru.
That Marine brat had just used Rokushiki.
"What… What!?"
World's voice cracked in shock.
After trading blows with him so long, he'd measured Darren's strength precisely.
A superhuman body.
Freakish reflexes.
That bizarre magnetic field technique...
It was enough to be proud of—but it wasn't enough to beat a pirate of his level.
If not for his monster-like durability, Darren would've been dead ten times over.
But now…
In under two minutes, this little Marine bastard had mimicked one of the core techniques of Rokushiki!?
No—
World shook his head, face dark.
His gaze locked on Darren, who was gasping and bloodied, having reappeared several meters away.
But even now… he was evolving.
With every second, his speed, strength, reaction time—
Everything was rising.
World clenched his fists tighter.
This reckless Marine brat was using him—Byrnndi World—as a training dummy to push himself further!
"Do you even realize who you're fighting!?"
Rage surged in World's bloodshot eyes.
With a snarl, he vanished.
"Mo Mo: 100x Speed!!"
He reappeared directly in front of Darren, fist already pulled back—
Wrapped in obsidian Armament Haki, glistening with lethal intensity.
The pressure from the blow warped the very air.
Darren's pupils shrank.
Too fast!!
This was on another level entirely.
Faster than Soru—ten times faster.
The fist that followed was monstrous—
Crushing. Unstoppable. A killing blow forged in fire and fury.
No escape.
Darren's magnetic field had sensed it. His brain had predicted it.
But even so, his body couldn't keep up.
This was death.
But—
Darren grinned, eyes wild, lips curled into a bloodstained sneer.
If this was death…
Then let it be head-on.
He clenched his fist—and threw his own punch straight at World.
The space between them vanished.
Like two beasts leaping for each other's throats, their fists became fangs—colliding in a violent, soul-rending roar.
BOOM!!
CRACK!!
Both punches landed.
Bones shattered.
Darren's chest caved in under the blow. He gasped, a jagged wheeze escaping as blood burst from his mouth.
But his fist—his counterpunch—smashed across World's jaw, leaving a nasty bruise and a thin trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
BANG!!
A second Haki shockwave detonated, blasting Darren's body hundreds of meters backward. He smashed into the snowy side of a distant mountain, embedding deep into the rock.
A muffled boom echoed through the mountainside.
Snow poured down in cascading avalanches, crashing like a white tsunami across the landscape.
World stood still, slowly wiping the blood from his lip with his thumb. He took a step toward the collapsed mountain.
"All that effort… almost got yourself killed…"
He looked at the red stain on his thumb and let out a cold chuckle.
"All that… just for one drop of blood?"
Inside the collapsed cliff, Darren lay in a massive crater, coughing up blood, struggling to breathe.
"...That one drop is enough for me."
His uniform was tattered, his body torn and bleeding.
But his eyes—his damn eyes—still gleamed with defiance.
Blood gushed from his nose and mouth. Muscle fibers visibly writhed beneath his shredded skin. His body was ruined.
But his spirit?
Still burning.
"'The World Destroyer,' the legendary Byrnndi World… injured by a brat without even Haki…"
He laughed.
He laughed.
His teeth were stained crimson, but his smile was pure madness.
World blinked, and for the first time, he didn't get angry.
He stared at the bloodied, broken Marine.
"...I'll admit it, Darren. I've never met anyone quite like you in all my years at sea."
His voice turned solemn. Sincere.
"If you had more time… you might have reached the top of the world."
"...But sadly—"
World's body blurred as he shot forward like a cannonball, fist cocked back.
"You die here."
His Haki-coated fist grew larger, closer, closer—
Darren didn't flinch.
He just grinned.
"Well… That might be true. But you know what?"
"This sea's fastest man is on our side."
And in that instant—
FLASH!
A golden beam split the air.
Particles of light converged midair into a single, glowing foot clad in a white leather shoe.
It stopped World's punch cold.
BOOM!!
The impact unleashed a crushing shockwave, whipping a Justice cloak violently through the air.
A lazy voice followed.
"My, my… how scary. You almost killed our dear Captain Darren."
Light particles gathered and formed a shape—leg, torso, face—
And then the ridiculous sunglasses appeared.
Borsalino.
Grinning, relaxed as ever, he turned back toward Darren.
"If you died here, Admiral Sengoku would've been real pissed at me."
Darren chuckled, blood still running down his chin.
"I thought even someone at the speed of light would be late… Rear Admiral Borsalino."
---
— To be continued...