"Young master!!"
"Doffy!!"
"Damn it!!"
Trebol and the others turned pale with terror as they watched their young master dragged forward by the monstrous force of the Marine. Panic overtook them.
They snatched up their weapons and charged toward Darren, desperate to save Doflamingo.
They didn't even have ti to grieve the dozens of Donquixote Family mbers who had just been gunned down.
Ti seed to slow.
Darren's cold smile deepened as he dragged Doflamingo closer. His presence was imnse, his aura deep and crushing. The "Justice" cape billowed behind him, untouched by wind, while his clenched fist crackled the air like a drawn bow.
In a blink, he closed the distance.
His fist shot out like a teor.
Boom!!
The sheer force of the punch distorted the air itself, and the pressure alone made Doflamingo's young face bulge.
Cracks spread across his signature sunglasses.
Terrifying power.
This Marine... he's a beast in human form!
How is soone like this even stationed in the North Blue? Shouldn't he be in the Grand Line or even the New World?
The thought flashed through Doflamingo's mind as his vision blurred, Darren's punch dominating his view.
If I take that punch head-on... I'll die!
With a roar, Doflamingo broke the threads binding them, raising his clawed hands. Dozens, then hundreds of threads exploded outward, weaving into a massive white spiderweb that stretched between buildings and the earth itself.
"Spider Web Wall: Defense!"
The fist collided with the wall of threads.
Darren didn't flinch. No change in his stance. Just pure, relentless force.
Wind ripped around him as his fist drove forward like a collapsing mountain, wrapped in spiraling pressure.
The mont the fist struck the web, it stretched and bent — but didn't stop.
It kept surging toward Doflamingo.
The young warlord's heart nearly burst.
"Damn bastard!!!"
"I won't lose here!!"
A roar of kingly rage exploded from Doflamingo, sweeping through the town like a storm.
The sky dimd. The world turned black and white. A wave of spiritual pressure radiated outward.
Trebol and the others stumbled mid-charge, overwheld.
"That's the young master's Conqueror's Haki!"
"True kingly spirit!"
"He really is Doffy!!"
They struggled to remain standing as his Haki surged. A chosen one in millions.
They had sworn loyalty to him for this very reason.
But then—
Another wave erupted.
Stronger. Heavier. Deeper.
Boom!!
Their eyes widened in horror.
It was also Conqueror's Haki.
The sa kind of spirit—but colder, sharper, more commanding.
Darren.
The Marine.
A Marine with the spirit of a king.
Impossible! Diamante nearly scread, his painted face going pale.
Two overwhelming waves of Haki collided midair.
Black-red lightning exploded. Wind tore stone from the earth, swirling into the storm.
"A clash of kings..."
Trebol whispered as he dropped to one knee, unable to stay standing.
"You... you have the sa spirit as !?"
Doflamingo howled, face twisted in disbelief.
Darren snorted. "Conqueror's Haki is rare, but not sacred. In the New World, you'd be just another one of many."
As he spoke, Darren's muscles bulged, his uniform shredding at the sleeves.
With a roar, he let loose another punch.
Boom!!
His Haki began to overwhelm Doflamingo's.
"Why?! Why is your Haki stronger than mine!?"
Blood burst from Doflamingo's hands as he strained to maintain control over his strings.
"I am... Donquixote Doflamingo!!"
"I'm a Celestial Dragon—"
"—I don't give a damn. I take down Celestial Dragons for fun."
Darren's cold voice thundered as he stomped down.
The earth shattered beneath him. Shockwaves rippled in all directions.
Harnessing that force, he unleashed his full strength.
Cracks spread. The spider web wall began to strain.
Then—
Crack! Rip!
Web and buildings alike were torn from their foundations.
Darren's fist ripped through it all.
He didn't break the web. He tore out everything it was anchored to.
Boom!!
His fist slamd into Doflamingo's gut.
A ring of shock erupted behind him.
Doflamingo's eyes rolled back, blood gushing from his mouth as his body bent in half.
Then he flew.
Crashed into Trebol.
Smashed through a streetlamp.
Blasted through houses, walls, everything in his path.
Until he finally embedded into a building—
Which collapsed on top of him.
---
anwhile, on the far side of Rubeck Island...
A Marine warship waited on the coast.
Dozens of North Blue Marines stood ready.
Groups of panicked civilians were being evacuated by orderly teams.
"Report: evacuation complete, sir. Periter secured."
Momonga, watching through binoculars atop a rooftop, didn't turn.
He simply waved acknowledgent.
Then he heard the distant rumble.
Smoke curled into the sky.
He lowered his binoculars and sighed, palm to forehead.
"He really doesn't hold back, does he..."
A twitch tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Like a father beating his own son..."
---
To be continued...
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