Ice crystals raced up Darren's body, the cold cutting deep enough to freeze his bones. His muscles stiffened, but instead of fear, a wild smile spread across his face.
"No matter the Devil Fruit... overwhelming Haki can crush it."
He clenched his fists.
Zzzzt!
Black and crimson lightning burst from his body, twisting the air around him. The creeping frost faltered—then cracked.
Crackle... Pop!
Shards of ice fractured, then exploded outward.
Kuzan's eyes widened. He had expected Ice Age to fail, but not like this—not shattered so casually by sheer will.
That Haki...
"This is insane!" Kuzan laughed, eyes gleaming with exhilaration. "Darren, you really are my greatest rival!"
He charged, fists refreezing into thick gauntlets. But before he could reach him—
A crimson blaze roared through the sky, melting the ice into clouds of steam.
"Hell Hound!"
Sakazuki's cold snarl ripped through the fog as a molten fist tore down from above.
"Come on then, Sakazuki!"
Prepared, Darren met him with a roaring counterpunch.
Black and red met molten gold.
BOOM!
The explosion of fists sent waves of heat and smoke crashing outward. Sakazuki skidded back, blood trickling from his mouth. Darren's right hand burned raw, flesh charred beneath the Haki shell.
But neither gave ground.
Both slammed their boots into the earth and lunged forward again.
Boom!
Another collision shook the field.
"Darren," Sakazuki growled, half his body liquefying into magma. "You're strong—but letting you run wild makes the Marines look like fools."
Darren grinned through the pain. "Good. I've been waiting for you to stop holding back."
"Oh? So serious now?"
The drawling voice came from behind.
Golden light flared—Borsalino, sword of radiance in hand, brought Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi down in a blinding arc.
Darren didn't even turn. His boot swung up.
Clang!
The Haki-coated kick crashed against the light blade, the shockwave splitting the clouds above.
"Two against one, huh?" Darren's grin widened, feral and sharp.
"Hahaha! Don't forget me, Darren!"
Kuzan dropped from the air, ice-clad fist descending like a hammer.
"You won't block this one!"
"Don't be so sure…"
Darren tilted his head back—and headbutted the icy fist.
Bang!
The impact blasted him backward. He twisted midair, using the recoil to dive straight back into the fray.
Magma flared. Ice surged. Light lanced downward.
Within moments, the battlefield became hell incarnate. Magma geysers erupted; ice birds screamed across the sky; golden beams cut through the haze.
And at the center—wreathed in storming black-and-red lightning—Darren moved like a phantom between the three elemental forces.
The Marines watching could no longer track them. They saw only flashes—red, gold, blue, black—crashing together with the roar of the end times.
One man against three future Admirals.
Vice Admiral Darren stood unbroken.
Beep... Beep... BOOM!!
A golden laser shot through the air—shattered by Darren's Dragon Claw, black lightning dancing across his fingers. Burnt smoke rose from his hand, the scent of scorched flesh thick in the wind.
Borsalino materialized above him, blade descending once more.
Clang!
The Dragon Claw caught the glowing edge mid-swing. Sparks burst between them.
"So, Darren," Borsalino drawled, grin lazy and sharp, "why stay behind and fight alone? What's your endgame?"
"Want to find out?" Darren bared his teeth.
The three froze for a heartbeat.
Zzzzzz—BOOM!
A storm of raw pressure erupted from Darren's body. The air warped, space itself trembling.
"This..." Sakazuki's eyes narrowed.
"How troublesome…" Borsalino sighed.
"Hahaha! Your Haki—it's even stronger now!" Kuzan's laughter rang with awe.
Even those watching from afar—Sengoku, the officers, anyone with Observation Haki—felt the pressure rising. The Vice Admiral's form blurred within a corona of crimson-black lightning. His aura no longer merely radiated strength—it evolved.
This was beyond willpower.
Beyond endurance.
It was transformation.
"As expected," Darren shouted, his voice carrying over the chaos, "only you three—with your ultimate Logia powers—could push me this far!"
Haki stormed around him, tearing the air apart. His laughter thundered above the din of battle, unrestrained and mad with exhilaration.
Just as I thought.
Under the crushing weight of the world's three mightiest Logia users, his Haki… had broken its limits once more.
Armament Haki: +0.217
Armament Haki: 79.378
To be continued...