"Tatakae!!"
The giant's earth-shaking roar thundered across the sky.
Dust swirled wildly, slime splattered everywhere. Under the crushing weight of the colossal, skyscraper-sized body, vast swathes of jungle and snow-capped peaks crumbled and collapsed, churning up blizzards of snow and shockwaves of icy wind.
The deafening roar, the cataclysmic movement, and the ground-shaking footsteps instantly drew the attention of everyone on the island.
The fleeing Celestial Dragons...
Civilians and slaves trembling in the shadows...
Dragon, locked in guerrilla combat with Saint Mars in his monstrous bird form...
Even Kaidou, Big Mom, Sengoku, and all the elite Marines stationed on the frozen sea far from the island…
All of them instinctively turned their heads, their eyes widening in horror as if they had just witnessed something beyond comprehension.
A hundred-meter-tall, black-haired giant stood amidst the chaos—bare-chested, muscles like coiled steel, his body streaked with blood and wounds.
Like a savage warrior from a primeval hunt, he held the massive Sandworm high above his head, slime dripping down his body, and let out a thunderous roar to the heavens.
It was a sight that would be forever burned into the memories of everyone on Philseque Island.
One of the Five Elders, the "Warrior God of Agriculture" Saint Shepherd Ju Peter... in the form of the demonic Mythical Zoan Mongolian Sandworm... was being hoisted into the air like a freshly hunted beast!
The giant's bellowing cry echoed like a declaration of victory to the world.
The Marines stood in stunned silence, gazing up at the black-haired colossus deep in the heart of the island. His war cry shook their souls, and none of them could believe what they were seeing.
After all, Marine Headquarters had its own Giant Corps.
Adult giants, by virtue of their immense size and strength, were considered on par with Vice Admirals.
Which is why every giant enlisted in the Marines held at least the rank of Vice Admiral.
But compared to the mountain-like figure towering in the distance, their usual twenty- to thirty-meter-tall giants looked like children still waiting to grow up!
"What... is that...?"
"A giant?"
"That's impossible... Not even the giants are that big!"
"Unless... he's from the Oars clan, with oni blood!"
"No—wait, that face... He looks familiar!"
"Wait a minute! That's our Vice Admiral Daren! No, our enemy—Vice Admiral Daren!"
"He turned into a giant!?"
"And he's tearing the Five Elders apart with his bare hands?!"
The moment the realization hit, the Marines gasped in unison, eyes darting between each other.
The scene unfolding before them was so surreal it scrambled their thoughts. None of it made sense.
Wasn't Vice Admiral Daren supposed to be fully human?
How could he transform into a giant?
Could he have Elbaph blood hidden in his lineage? Or even the legendary bloodline of the "onis"?
"Dahahaha!! Daren is so cool! He can turn into a giant!!"
Kuzan forgot all about the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes sparkling like a kid at a festival as he stared at the towering black-haired giant.
Even Sakazuki paused mid-movement, a flicker of disbelief flashing through his usually stern gaze.
Borsalino, lazily stroking the stubble on his chin while holding the Ama no Murakumo sword, chuckled with a smirk.
"So you're the one hiding the biggest secret... What's your connection to Elbaph, Daren?"
Kaidou gripped his kanabō tightly, chest heaving with ragged breaths. His eyes burned with furious disbelief, his sharp teeth clenched so tightly they looked ready to shatter.
"I knew it! That guy's body isn't normal!"
"There's no way he could've trained something like the Indestructible Body on his own!"
It was as if he had finally found the justification he needed. He let out a roar, almost in self-denial.
Yeah, that had to be it!
That damned brat Daren didn't gain the Indestructible Body because of Kaidou's beatings.
It was because he already had a powerful bloodline from the start!
That was the only explanation!
If getting stronger just took a few beatings, that idiot Queen would've achieved the Indestructible Body long ago!
Big Mom, on the other hand, erupted in delighted laughter, her cheeks flushed with excitement, shoulders trembling as she cackled.
"Mamamama... So this is the man I chose!"
She licked her luscious red lips, staring at the black-haired giant with eyes so feverish, she looked ready to devour him whole. Her entire body quivered with anticipation.
"The bloodline of the highest-ranking giants... such a powerful and flawless body... I must have his genes!"
"I'll create the strongest army of giant warriors in Totto Land!"
"—Over my dead body!"
Sengoku charged in fury, transforming into the golden Great Buddha and unleashing a devastating punch.
A burst of golden light erupted.
His heart was filled with shock.
Daren... actually carried the top-tier bloodline of the giants!?
If that were true, could he be connected to Elbaph, the strongest nation in the world?
Even if there was no link, just this overwhelming strength alone was enough to dominate the seas!
An Indestructible Body, a terrifying oni-giant form, mind-bending physical power, and the strange mechanics of the Jiki Jiki no Mi—Daren's combat potential had long since defied all logic!
Storming fortresses, seizing territory, even transporting islands—none of it would be beyond him.
And yet, someone with power that could shake the world was forced into direct opposition to the Marines by the Five Elders!
At that moment, for the first time in his life, Sengoku felt a faint but undeniable crack in his faith in the judgment and authority of the World Government.
"Mamamama! Why wouldn't it be possible?"
BIG MOM laughed sweetly while brandishing her flaming blade, parrying the Admiral's assault.
"Daren's no longer one of your Marines. The World Government left him no choice but to defect."
"Sengoku, tell me—now that Daren's cut ties with the Marines, with that 'rebel' streak of his... don't you think he'll finally embrace the life of a true pirate, free to sail the seas?"
Her words hit like a bomb.
Sengoku's pupils shrank.
Caught off guard, he took a direct punch from BIG MOM to the face, staggering backward as his cheek visibly swelled.
That brat Daren... a pirate?
He didn't even care about the searing pain on his face—his complexion drained of color, and his heart thundered wildly in his chest as a terrifying image flashed through his mind.
With Daren's monstrous strength and the flight power of the Jiki Jiki no Mi...
The man once seen as a top-tier Admiral and future Fleet Admiral suddenly gulped in dread.
This was another "Flying Pirate" Shiki in the making—a disaster waiting to be unleashed upon the world.
No—
What Daren had shown today... his power, his threat level...
He had already surpassed the Golden Lion, Shiki!
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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