The undisguised threat sent a chill down the hearts of everyone on the Oro Jackson, as if they had been thrown into an ice cellar.
Looking at the four Meito swords locked onto them from four directions, they felt all hope of survival being completely sealed off.
With their backs against each other, their expressions turned extremely grim, and none dared to make a move.
The sharp Meito swords emitted a biting, solemn aura, stirring strong winds that stung their skin.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that Roger's pirate crew, rulers of the seas, could actually be surrounded by four swords!
Shanks gulped hard, looking toward the Marine fighting with Captain Roger, whose body was already beginning to show wounds.
The fear in his eyes deepened.
"Damn it!"
Rayleigh gritted his teeth, sensing the eagerness of the four deadly weapons to strike, his heart sinking lower and lower.
This Marine brat Daren... he was too cunning!
How could he use such despicable, shameless methods to restrict their movements!
But what made Rayleigh feel even more powerless was that he truly had no way to break through Daren's trap.
Gaban had already made it ashore, and if even he left the pirate ship, under the threat of those four swords, not only would the crew be doomed, but even the Oro Jackson itself might be destroyed by the Marine.
Rayleigh tightened his grip on his sword, bloodshot veins gradually spreading across his eyes.
This was the most humiliating moment since he and Roger had set sail...
...
"Daren, you bastard! How could your physique have become even stronger!?"
Roger's incredulous roar echoed through the sky.
Taking advantage of Daren's momentary distraction, he swung his sword heavily, slamming Daren into the ground.
Boom!
In an instant, black-and-red sword energy exploded violently, stirring a tidal wave of dust into the air.
A crack hundreds of meters long tore through the ground, extending deep into the jungle and bringing countless trees crashing down.
The earth shook and rumbled.
Barely a second later, the figure of the Vice Admiral, wild and frenzied, shot out of the crack once again.
He stomped hard on the ground, the exaggerated force booming like muffled thunder.
His entire body, wrapped in rolling shockwaves, burst forward in a blink.
"Do you know how I spent this month!?"
"A month!"
Daren roared with bloodshot eyes, appearing above Roger in an instant.
His three pitch-black dragon claws erupted with boiling airwaves, unleashing a ruthless and overwhelming force!
Ryusoken: Dragon's Breath!
Roger stepped forward, gritting his teeth as he slashed upward with all his might.
"I don't want to know!"
Clang!
Boom!!
First came the sharp clash of metal on metal, then a roaring shockwave erupted outward from their clash, like a nuclear explosion.
A vast storm swept across the land, tearing the earth apart, surging seawater inland.
Countless trees and boulders were uprooted and swept into the air, churning like a sea.
Dragon claws and sword clashed violently, as the two combatants, eyes bloodshot, stared fiercely at each other, lightning seeming to crackle between their gazes.
Daren's chest and arms were soaked in blood, and a deep wound exposing bone slashed across his torso.
Yet his eyes burned fiercely with searing bloodlust.
He was getting closer!
Closer and closer!
After more than a month of relentless diarrhea and endless treatment in darkness…
He was finally getting closer to Roger, one of the strongest powers in the world!
Compared to their battle on Fish-Man Island, the pressure and injuries he now bore from Roger's Kamusari were clearly lighter!
He had also made clear improvements in endurance and recovery!
If, a month ago, he could barely last a day in a clean one-on-one against Roger before being defeated...
Now, he could fight for two full days!
Having drawn this encouraging conclusion, Daren's eyes burned even hotter.
His heart pounded like a raging engine, his blood boiling in his veins!
He stepped forward, threw punches, raised elbows, kneed his opponent, lashed out with whirling kicks...
All of his mastered close-combat techniques burst forth, overwhelming Roger's Conqueror's Haki-coated blade with sheer brute strength.
He completely abandoned defense and transformed into a beast of pure offense!
Blood splattered from his body as wounds multiplied, but the Vice Admiral's grin only grew more frenzied.
This was the feeling he wanted!
The sheer, unrestrained exhilaration of battling the world's strongest pirate head-on!
"This kid is crazy..."
Rayleigh watched from afar, feeling increasingly uneasy, a chill running down his spine.
Roger, caught up in the fight, probably hadn't noticed—and even if he had, with his reckless nature, he wouldn't have cared.
But as an outsider, Rayleigh could see it all clearly.
Roger's pirate crew had clashed with this Marine several times in less than two years.
From their first encounter in the first half of the Grand Line, where Roger casually slashed and nearly killed him on the spot;
To their brief meeting at the Battle of Edd War;
Then their clash at Fish-Man Island; and now, the scene unfolding before him...
With every collision and confrontation, this Marine showed strength far greater than the last.
From the cautious, calculating, and careful opponent at the start, to the probing and sparring at Fish-Man Island, to now, standing on equal footing and fighting fiercely, without restraint...
The transformation and growth of this Marine were truly chilling.
He... had gone from carefully testing Roger, to now enjoying the thrill of battling him—and it had taken him less than two years!
An unprecedented monster!
"I can't let you do as you please!"
At that moment, Gaban finally landed onshore.
With a leap, he appeared beside Daren, black lightning crackling from the giant axes in his hands.
Daren didn't even glance at him.
After taking a direct blow from Roger, he charged forward like a collapsing cliff, slamming toward Roger!
Boom!
The air exploded with a dull roar, and Roger felt as if he had been struck by a falling mountain, a salty taste rising in his mouth.
"Die!"
Murderous intent flashed in Gaban's eyes. How dare this guy ignore him!?
Fury surged within him, and he swung his axes down with all his might!
Clang!
Sparks flew wildly.
Several black threads slowly emerged from the void, firmly blocking Gaban's axes.
Gaban turned his head, only to see a blond young man at the other end of the threads, both hands taut, bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely, veins bulging across the backs of his hands—barely holding on.
"Sorry, your opponent... is me."
Doflamingo stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips.
Despite the heavy pressure Gaban exuded, an eerie and twisted smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake