As the ice crystals crept up his body, the chill pierced Daren to the bone, threatening to freeze his cells. His muscles stiffened rapidly, yet instead of panic, a delighted grin spread across his face.
"No matter what kind of Devil Fruit ability it is… overwhelming Haki can counter it."
The Vice Admiral murmured as he clenched his fists tightly.
Zzzzzzt!
Black-red lightning suddenly burst from his body, twisting and crackling through the air, warping the space around him.
The advancing ice halted for a moment before a sharp cracking sound echoed out.
Crack!
Visible fractures spread across the frost coating his legs—then shattered completely.
Kuzan's eyes went wide, disbelief written all over his face.
He had known his Ice Age alone wouldn't be enough to take Daren down—but he hadn't expected Daren to break free so effortlessly!
That Haki...
"This is incredible!!"
Kuzan laughed with exhilaration, his gaze locked on Daren with blazing intensity.
Frost reformed over his fists like gauntlets as he shot forward once more.
But someone else was faster.
A flash of crimson light streaked across the frozen battlefield, radiating heat so intense it melted the ice in an instant, releasing a thick plume of steam.
"Meigo!"
A cold shout rang out.
A magma fist burst through the fog, blazing with destructive power, aimed straight for Daren's head.
"Bring it on, Sakazuki!"
Daren, already anticipating the attack, let out a savage grin and threw a punch of his own.
Black and red fists collided in midair, unleashing a violent crimson shockwave.
Sakazuki grunted, stumbling back a few steps as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Daren also staggered, his fist searing with pain.
He didn't need to look—he could already feel it. Sakazuki's magma had burned through his Haki and skin, leaving his hand scorched and mangled.
But the next instant—
Both men stomped the ground, steadying themselves, then lunged forward again like wild beasts!
Boom!
Another explosive clash of fists!
"Daren… I don't know what you're trying to prove by staying here and continuing to fight, but if we let this madness go on, it'll make the Marines look utterly powerless!"
Sakazuki's voice was cold, half of his body now molten magma, smoke pouring off him.
"I've been waiting for you all to stop holding back, Sakazuki."
Daren bared his teeth in a grin, his gaze burning even brighter despite his injuries.
"Oh? Then I guess I'll need to take this a little more seriously—can't have you thinking I'm easy prey..."
A lazy voice suddenly echoed from behind.
Countless golden photons coalesced into a human form as Borsalino appeared, gripping the Ama no Murakumo sword in one hand. He swung it mercilessly toward Daren's back!
Daren raised an eyebrow and kicked backward without even looking.
Clang!
His Haki-covered boot met the glowing blade head-on, triggering a thunderous shockwave.
"Two-on-one now?"
Daren narrowed his eyes, lips curling into a grin.
"Dahaha! Not just two—count me in too, Daren!"
Kuzan suddenly leapt into the air, his frost-coated fist slamming down with crushing force.
"You won't block this!"
"Wanna bet...?"
The Vice Admiral sneered, then in a move that bordered on madness, flung his head backward to smash it directly into Kuzan's incoming punch!
Bang!
The impact triggered a deep, resonant shockwave. Using the force of it, Daren rocketed backward—then whipped around and charged straight at Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan once more!
Lava roared, burning everything in its path.
Frost spread, bitter and biting.
Golden beams shot across the land, ripping through the battlefield.
Within a kilometer, the terrain turned into a living hell. Columns of magma surged skyward, icy pheasants soared through the air, and laser beams tore the sky apart. The battlefield became a forbidden zone, a death trap no one dared enter.
The Marines watched in horror as Daren moved through red, yellow, and blue, clashing with all three admirals, surrounded by a storm of black-red Haki.
Their hearts pounded in awe and disbelief.
With the naked eye, they couldn't even follow the battle—only flashes of different colors colliding midair, each impact echoing like thunder.
This wasn't anything like those earlier one-on-one fights.
Right now, Vice Admiral Daren was actually taking on a full assault from Marine Headquarters' three "monsters" alone!
With raw physical might, brutal combat instincts, and explosively agile speed, Daren's black, unyielding figure held its ground—and more.
Drip… drip… BOOM!!
A golden beam shot through the air—but was instantly crushed by Daren's dragon claw, wreathed in crackling black lightning.
Black smoke billowed from the claw, carrying the scorched scent of burned energy.
Borsalino appeared above the Vice Admiral in a flash, bringing his sword down in a sharp strike.
Clang!
Daren's dragon claw locked tightly around the light blade, sparks flying as they lit up Borsalino's teasing grin.
"So, Daren... what's your reason for staying behind to fight alone?"
"Wanna know?"
Daren grinned wide.
Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan all froze at once.
Zzzzzzt!!
Boom!
A vast and overwhelming surge of Haki exploded from Daren's body, the sheer force blurring the forms of the three admirals.
"What the hell is that..." Sakazuki's pupils shrank sharply.
"This is getting pretty scary..." Borsalino muttered with a resigned expression.
"Dahahaha! Your Haki... it got even stronger!" Kuzan's eyes lit up in shock and excitement.
And it wasn't just the three of them.
Around the battlefield, many Marine commanders who had awakened their Observation Haki—along with Sengoku, who had just leapt from the distant fortress wall—were all staring at Daren in stunned silence. His figure was now wrapped in a storm of crackling Haki, his aura surging higher and higher.
This wasn't just willpower.
It was a leap in Armament Haki.
"As I thought... only the three of you, with the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities, could push me this far!"
Daren let his Haki pour out freely, the gleam in his eyes impossible to hide.
He broke into wild, unrestrained laughter, completely ignoring the magma burns and laser wounds across his body.
So it was true!!
Under the pressure of the world's three most powerful Logia users, his Armament Haki—
After that fight on Philseque Island against the Five Elders, it had loosened again!
Armament Haki +0.217!
Current Armament Haki Strength: 79.378!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon(.)com/PinkSnake