The sky was blue, the sea was vast, and white clouds drifted lazily above.
A massive battleship steadily cut through the endless azure sea, its wake trailing behind like a long ribbon of white.
In the dimly lit cabin below deck, Darren sat cross-legged alone, eyes closed.
The glow from an oil lamp cast a faint, flickering shadow of him against the wooden walls.
Three smooth metallic spheres floated in midair, orbiting his body with flawless centripetal motion.
Anyone witnessing the scene would be utterly shocked—because even while circling rapidly around the Marine captain, the distance between the metal spheres never wavered. Not by a millimeter.
Such perfect control required immense mastery.
Time passed slowly.
With a subtle twitch of Darren's fingers, the three spheres morphed like liquid metal—stretching into sharp spikes, twisting into slithering chains, or flattening into shield-like panels of steel.
Then, at a certain moment, Darren opened his eyes.
The spheres drew together and melded into a silver metallic bracer that latched around his right wrist.
He exhaled slowly, a satisfied smile curving his lips.
Physique: 60.451
Strength: 55.890
Speed: 58.048
Fruit Mastery: 71.871
"As expected... real combat and bloodshed are what truly push you to grow."
Sensing his condition through the innate perception of his "Insight" talent, Darren couldn't help but murmur to himself.
Over the past few months, his training had gradually slowed. His progress in speed and Devil Fruit mastery had all but stagnated.
Even with intense regimens, his stats were barely rising.
But after the recent clash with Germa 66, both his physique and strength had increased by over a full point.
Under normal training, such gains would've taken at least a month.
"Shame Germa 66 was too weak... couldn't even get me warmed up," Darren said with a chuckle, lighting a cigar.
Germa 66 and Judge weren't weak by any means—but Darren's powers completely countered their technology.
In truth, had Darren not been there, Judge and his elite army could've easily overthrown the four northern kingdoms and seized total dominance over the North Blue.
"I miss sparring with that lunatic Sakazuki back in the day..."
A touch of nostalgia entered his gaze.
Before Sakazuki was transferred to Marineford for officer training, the two would often engage in brutal practice battles—devil fruit abilities prohibited.
Of course, to bystanders, those "sparring sessions" looked more like life-and-death brawls.
Sakazuki never held back. One slip, and you could end up dead—labeled as just another "training accident."
Back then, Darren pushed himself to the brink every day. It was exhausting, painful... but also the fastest he'd ever improved.
But that was in the past.
Sakazuki had since trained under former Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr. He had probably already mastered Haki by now.
The gap between them had widened.
After all, as Kaido once said—Haki is the strongest force on this sea.
With that thought, Darren rose from the floor.
He wasn't anxious. The third round of officer training was approaching, and he had secured a spot.
He wasn't a monster like Sakazuki or Borsalino. But Darren believed that with his talents and discipline, he could still carve out his place among the Marines.
Before that, however, he needed to forge the North Blue Fleet into a true force—armed with Germa's tech, loyal only to him, and answering only to his command.
Determination flickered in his deep-set eyes as he opened the door and stepped outside.
Sunlight bathed the deck, where Marines were maintaining weapons, patrolling, and checking the cannons.
Further ahead, Tokikake and Gion were drenched in sweat as they trained relentlessly.
Tokikake was doing handstand pushups—with a one-ton barbell balanced on his back—gritting his teeth, veins bulging from his forehead.
Gion, poised and composed, practiced her sword forms with surgical precision. Each stroke carved the air with sharp whistling sounds.
"...Are they possessed or something?" Darren asked, puzzled, as he walked over to Momonga, who was standing nearby.
Momonga sighed, rubbing his temple. "The Germa incident really got to them. Especially Tokikake—he's been training like a madman ever since we returned."
Darren remembered the sight of Tokikake getting booted in the face by Judge and laughed aloud.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a towering column of water erupted beside the ship.
Waves crashed against the hull, sending the entire vessel rocking violently.
"What was that?!"
"Enemy attack?!"
"No—it's a Sea King!!"
The Marines scrambled into action. Swords were drawn, rifles loaded, and cannons swiveled toward the disturbance.
A massive shadow loomed beneath the waves, rising toward the surface. It swallowed the sun above.
Then emerged—a colossal beast nearly 70 meters tall, with black scales, gills, and the serpentine shape of an enormous eel.
Its eyes, like twin lanterns, peered down at the Marines, maw opening to reveal rows of jagged fangs.
"A small Sea King, huh?" Darren remarked with mild interest.
At this point in time, Vegapunk had not yet developed seastone-lined hulls to make ships invisible to Sea Kings.
So it made sense that these creatures could still sense passing vessels.
Momonga reached instinctively for his blade—but Darren placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
Just then—
"Hahaha! Perfect timing!! You ugly lizard, you'll be my test dummy today!"
With a thunderous laugh, Tokikake launched himself from the deck like a cannonball, aiming straight at the Sea King.
ROOOAR!!
The beast's crimson eyes gleamed with rage, clearly offended by the tiny "insect's" arrogance. Its jaws snapped open, ready to swallow him whole.
BAM!!
Tokikake punched.
A shockwave burst forth, visibly rippling the air.
Cracks webbed across the Sea King's teeth. Then they shattered like porcelain.
It stared, dumbfounded.
Just then—
CLANG!!
The hum of a blade echoed as Gion's golden sword flashed through the sky.
SCHNK!!
A thin red line traced across the Sea King's throat.
In the next moment—
BOOM!!
Its massive head tumbled into the sea, followed by its limp body. Waves surged upward, blood blooming across the ocean's surface.
On deck, Tokikake struck a dramatic pose, basking in the moment.
Gion sheathed her blade, cloak fluttering behind her.
The crew stared, then erupted into cheers. Some were already casting nets for the meat.
"Impressive... the Headquarters' geniuses really are cut from a different cloth," Darren murmured.
He could see it clearly—their strength had grown significantly since arriving in the North Blue.
Tokikake's strength, speed, and physical conditioning had improved by at least 30%.
Gion, meanwhile... had grasped the "Flying Slash," stepping into the realm of swordmasters.
And all this—after only a few days!?
Even if they weren't quite monsters like Sakazuki and Borsalino, they weren't far behind either.
"Hahahaha! Darren, did you see that!?" Tokikake strutted over, flexing his biceps. "That Sea King? I smashed its teeth with a single punch! You—"
BOOM!!
A massive surge of water exploded beside the ship again.
One.
Two.
Three...
Eight towering Sea Kings rose from the ocean, each over a hundred meters tall. They roared in unison, shaking the heavens.
Waves crashed over the deck as their immense bodies writhed and charged toward the ship.
The battleship shook like a leaf.
Darren raised a hand.
The metallic bracer on his arm detached, twisting and stretching into a spear.
With a sharp sonic boom, it fired, propelled by an intense magnetic force.
Air rippled as the weapon blurred forward at blinding speed—too fast for the eye to follow.
The eight Sea Kings froze.
Then—
SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!
Tiny puncture wounds exploded across their bodies. Blood sprayed like fountains.
BOOM!
The titans collapsed, one after another, crashing into the sea and drenching the ship.
Darren recalled the spear, which morphed back into a bracer. Calmly, he fastened it around his wrist.
Behind him, the corpses of eight Sea Kings floated lifeless in the blood-red sea.
He turned to Tokikake and asked casually:
"Now, what were you saying?"
Tokikake's face twitched. "I was saying... you'd definitely do it better than I could."
Darren gave him a pat on the shoulder, then looked toward the horizon.
An island silhouette appeared in the distance.
"Get ready. We're making landfall soon."
His lips curled into a smirk.
"Our mission this time—"
"Is to protect the great, noble, and most holy Celestial Dragon."
---
To be continued...