As Darren activated his Perception Talent, the progress of all his training metrics surfaced clearly before his mind's eye.
Just as I thought…
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
The physical stats that had been pushed to the brink of bursting under Magnetic Field Rotation had now all snapped back to their original levels.
His Physique, Strength, Speed, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki had indeed improved slightly compared to before the battle—but these minor gains were nothing compared to the overwhelming force he'd just wielded. After tasting that crushing, godlike power, these modest increases felt painfully underwhelming.
Even so, Darren wasn't particularly discouraged. He'd more or less expected this outcome.
Magnetic Field Rotation was a technique that forcibly twisted his body's internal magnetic field, pushing every system into overdrive and unleashing combat power far beyond his baseline. While in that state, his Physique, Strength, and Speed all temporarily transcended human limits, granting him battlefield dominance like a rampaging demon—crushing everything in his path.
But that "surge" wasn't permanent. Once he left that state, the amplified stats faded with it.
In simple terms, it was like a "Cosmic Burst"—a "burst mode."
The more ridiculous the power spike during the burst, the deeper the emptiness that followed when it burned out.
And yet—
Darren quietly probed the subtler changes in his body, thoughts racing. Gradually, his expression shifted.
He'd sensed something odd—faint, almost imperceptible adjustments happening inside him.
Those stats that had been completely stuck before… now seemed ever so slightly loosened.
Could it be…?
An idea that sounded almost absurd at first suddenly rose in his mind and left him stunned.
By all logic, his physical attributes should have been frozen in place. His Strength and Physique hadn't budged even after that deathmatch with Kaido.
But this time, after fighting Saint Michael, his Physique had climbed by nearly a full point.
Did that mean the Commander of the Knights of God was stronger than Kaido at full power?
Not necessarily.
Thanks to his Mythical Zoan Awakening, Saint Michael did have stronger durability than Kaido, who hadn't awakened his own fruit yet. But when it came to pure offensive power, he was still inferior.
More importantly, Kaido was a T0-level teacher.
Even he hadn't been able to help Darren break through his Physique and Strength bottlenecks.
There was no way some Celestial Dragon could accomplish what Kaido himself couldn't.
Which left only one reasonable explanation…
"Magnetic Field Rotation forced my body beyond its original limits. It wrecked me with brutal side effects—but now my body is adapting to that transcendent state."
Darren's eyes snapped open, his deep gaze blazing.
That's it.
That had to be it.
Nothing else could explain how his long-stagnant Physique had suddenly shot from 98 up to 99.
Because at the peak of Magnetic Field Rotation, his body had already touched 99.999.
Some roads that seem impossible the first time… become far easier to walk once you've forced yourself across them.
Because you've already survived that agony once.
Maybe… that's the true meaning of Magnetic Field Rotation.
Not just to unleash monstrous power in a desperate moment, overturn the impossible, and slay an enemy you otherwise couldn't touch.
More importantly, by surpassing his limits, he'd brushed against a higher realm of existence—and in doing so, shattered his bottleneck.
This could be a completely new cultivation method.
By manipulating the body's magnetic field to place it under extreme pressure—like training in a high-gravity chamber from some sci-fi story—he could force a dramatic leap in strength.
As the idea settled, Darren's eyes grew brighter, almost feverish. If his body weren't still in the middle of emergency repairs, he might already have lost control and tried to trigger Magnetic Field Rotation again on the spot.
The lifespan drain? That didn't worry him much.
This world was overflowing with different power systems: advanced genetic engineering, human modification techniques, Lineage Factor research, and countless Devil Fruit abilities. Darren believed that once he was strong enough, he'd eventually find a way to overcome the problem of lifespan reduction.
If those five old undying fossils in Mary Geoise had achieved "eternal life," then why couldn't he?
And even if he couldn't find some trick to extend his life, the Giant's Body had already lengthened his natural span far beyond that of a normal human.
At least for now, the lifespan burned away by Magnetic Field Rotation wasn't something he needed to panic over.
"If I push it to full power, I can probably use it only two or three more times…"
"But what if I hold back?"
"If I rotate my body's magnetic field at the lowest possible speed and frequency… could I accelerate my cultivation?"
"In that case, the lifespan drain should be smaller. The other side effects should also ease up…"
"That seems very likely. Once I'm healed, I need to test it properly…"
"Best-case scenario, I'd need a proper scientific monitoring setup… which means I'll have to deal with that Overalls Fatso more often…"
At some point, Darren had lit another cigar and was quietly smoking, fingers brushing over the stubble on his chin as he sank deeper into thought.
His expression changed from moment to moment—gloomy one second, delighted the next, then manic, then sly.
Sitting nearby, Dragon watched all of this with a twitching mouth.
For some reason, ever since Darren's Devil Fruit Awakening, something about him felt… off.
He just seemed to be getting more and more unhinged.
---
At the same time—
On the Red Line, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Inside the Pangaea Castle Chamber of Deliberation, the air felt so dense it was on the verge of solidifying, heavy enough to drip.
Stussy, dressed in a white suit-dress, knelt on one knee on the frigid marble floor, two CP0 agents beside her in the same posture. All three kept their heads bowed, barely daring to breathe.
The Gorosei didn't spare them so much as a glance.
Their gazes were dark, their expressions thunderous, the fury behind their eyes like a gathering storm.
A World Government official stood before them, shaking so hard the document in his hands rustled audibly. His voice quivered as he forced the words out:
"Saint Michael, Excellency… and the two Knights of God, Excellencies… their Vivre Cards have… completely burned out."
As the report fell,
beneath Stussy's mask, her beautiful eyes narrowed to pinpoints.
To be continued...