One Piece: So What If I Sin, Lie, and Lust? I'm Still a Good Marine Chapter 262: Volume 2 – - 164: Don’t Look Back

Boom...

The upper halves of dozens—maybe hundreds—of buildings slid down along clean, smooth cuts, collapsing in a chain reaction. The ground trembled, thick smoke billowed up, and clouds of dust filled the air.

Dragon's eyelids twitched again.

Just the air pressure from the blade slicing through the sky at high speed had cleaved through everything in its path.

The power of Daren's "slash" felt almost indistinguishable from that of a true great swordsman!

But unlike a true master's smooth, natural, and exhilarating strikes, Daren's technique was all about raw speed!

He first infused his blade with Armant Haki to boost its toughness and cutting power, then in the blink of an eye, pushed the Cursed Sword's force to the absolute limit...

"This is insane!"

Dragon felt his grip around Enma grow so tight that blood began seeping from between his fingers, pain flaring sharply as he cursed under his breath.

Who the hell uses a sword like that!?

It's like hurling a cannonball with your bare hands—completely barbaric!

"My turn."

Just as Dragon was montarily stunned, a low voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Eh!?"

His eyes widened, and he instinctively turned.

"You're sneak atta—"

Bang!!

A fist, shrouded in a dense layer of jet-black Haki, zood into his view and slamd hard into his face.

The blow was so powerful, the muscles in his cheeks rippled like waves.

Boom!!

The next second, it was like a speeding warship had ramd into him—Dragon was sent flying dozens of ters like a cannonball, smashing through several partially collapsed buildings.

Daren's white cape fluttered as he landed firmly, knees bending slightly. The ground beneath him exploded as if struck by anti-aircraft fire, blasting open a massive crater.

Using the recoil from that impact, Daren launched himself forward again with a thunderous burst.

No way he was giving that bastard Dragon a mont to breathe!

Like a wild beast, he dove straight into the wreckage of the collapsed buildings.

A second later—

Two figures, locked in a furious lee, shot out of the rubble.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Under the terrified and stunned gazes of the trembling crowd in the distance, Daren and Dragon were locked in a brutal brawl, their rapid-fire clashes triggering one explosive shockwave after another, the noise so deafening it left their ears ringing.

"Daren, you bastard!! You hit in the face!?"

Dragon's body suddenly unraveled into a whirlwind and reford ten ters away. Enraged, he swung his arm.

Several massive, dark green wind blades instantly ford and slashed through the air toward Daren.

His face was visibly swollen, nose black and blue, with blood streaming from both nostrils.

Daren shattered one wind blade with a punch, but the remaining two carved a cross-shaped wound into his chest. Without pause, he lifted his leg and fired off a Rankyaku.

Whoosh!

The pale green Rankyaku tore across the ground, slashing straight through Dragon's form—and vanished into a distant building, slicing it clean in half from top to bottom...

"Damn, Logia types are such a pain."

Daren impatiently spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze sweeping across the approaching sea near the port.

It looked like he'd finally found sothing. A sharp glint flashed deep in his eyes.

Finally...

With that thought, Daren suddenly burst into laughter.

"Co on, Dragon! Let's settle this once and for all!!"

Dragon froze for a mont, then his eyes flared with even greater intensity.

"Bring it on!!"

But before the words had even faded, the surrounding environnt suddenly shifted in a bizarre way.

Countless steel bars and scraps of tal shot up from the ground and the ruins of nearby buildings, twisting and writhing like a swarm of black giant serpents, lunging at Dragon to crush him.

"It's useless! I'm a Logia!"

Dragon laughed it off and once again transford into a hurricane.

The tallic serpents missed, tearing up the ground and stirring clouds of dust.

In the next instant—

A figure, wild and unhinged, burst through the dust cloud like a feral tiger, closing in on Dragon with terrifying speed.

"Another sneak attack!?"

Dragon faltered for a split second before bursting into laughter.

"Not this ti!!"

His five fingers curled into sharp dragon claws, instantly coated in black Armant Haki, ready to seize Daren's oncoming fist.

But just then—

The Marine Commodore suddenly grinned at him and, without warning, closed the distance.

Dragon's pupils shrank into pinpoints!

He tried to pull back—

But it was too late.

Slash!!

The dragon claws, strong enough to shred steel and crush mountains, tore through the Commodore's chest, carving a deep, bone-exposing gash.

Scalding blood sprayed out in a torrent, splattering across Dragon's face.

It was like a bolt from the blue.

Disbelief spread across Dragon's face.

Why... didn't he dodge or defend!?

"Don't look back, my friend."

A low voice echoed by his ear. Before Dragon could react, he felt Daren's steady grip tighten around his hand.

The blood-soaked Commodore kept a straight face, twisted in midair, and—

With all his might, delivered a crushing kick into Dragon's gut!

Bang!!

Dragon spat blood, his body curling like a boiled shrimp, his eyes nearly bulging out.

Boom!!

Another blast rang out as the second wave of Armant Haki exploded. The sheer force behind Daren's kick launched Dragon through the air.

He flew so fast, he left behind rings of white shockwaves.

After crashing through several buildings, Dragon grimaced in pain—then suddenly, everything opened up before him.

The sky.

No—the sea!

Damn it, Daren, are you really trying to kill !?

But at that mont, Dragon noticed sothing strange.

A small, nondescript rchant ship was speeding toward him across the water at an incredible pace.

Given his current falling trajectory...

His eyes lit up.

The next mont—

Bang!!

Dragon slamd hard into the deck of the small rchant ship, smashing a hole straight through it.

"Hold tight, guest."

The ship's owner, back turned, calmly steered the vessel and spoke in a low voice.

"We're setting sail soon."

Dragon climbed out of the hole, wincing as he rubbed his head, then instinctively looked back toward the port.

There stood the Marine Commodore, drenched in blood and kneeling on one knee, silently watching in his direction—calm, as if bidding farewell.

"Daren..."

Dragon muttered under his breath, eyes misting.

He fought the urge to wave and was just about to give a quiet nod when suddenly, a dazzling golden light burst through the dark sky in the distance.

"I can't let you get away that easily..."