"Beyond what I can see in the future?"
Hearing Daren's words, Redfield instinctively furrowed his brow before quickly relaxing again. His voice was cold.
"Speed pushed to its absolute limit... So even future-foreseeing Observation Haki can't track your movements?"
With his experience and insight, he understood Daren's meaning almost instantly. The so-called ability to foresee the future was, at its core, the pinnacle manifestation of Observation Haki.
If the target's movement speed surpassed the sensory range of Observation Haki, then the foresight of the future would become distorted—Multiple possible futures appearing at once, all within the same instant.
"That question's yours to answer, isn't it?"
Daren let out a low, feral laugh as his figure vanished, transforming into a streak of lightning.
The next moment, he was already above Redfield. His right leg swung high past shoulder level, and the gleaming black military boot came crashing down like a meteor, carrying crushing, penetrating force.
Blue-violet lightning wrapped around his leg, intertwined with black and crimson flashes of Armament Haki, trailing a brilliant arc of light through the air. The illumination cast the dark-haired youth's face into a fierce, almost demonic glow.
"Thunderclap · War Axe!"
Redfield's expression changed slightly. For the first time, a flicker of genuine apprehension surfaced in his eyes. Through his own foresight, he had clearly seen the terrifying force behind that strike.
A crimson glint flashed in his pupils as the blood-red umbrella in his hand swept out in a crescent arc.
Clang!
The deafening impact roared like thunder, threatening to burst eardrums. The prison corridor's ground split open, forming a massive crater as dust surged upward like a coiling dragon.
A moment later, Redfield's body shot backward through the cloud of smoke. After several flips in midair, he landed steadily, sliding backward a dozen meters before stopping.
His gaze hardened. Looking down, he saw faint bruising already forming around his sword hand's wrist. That hasty defense against Daren's kick had sent a recoil so fierce it left his wrist strained and aching.
What absurd strength!
Even when facing that old fossil Kong back then, he hadn't taken such a silent loss.
"Not just speed... even his strength and explosive power have increased by at least thirty percent!"
Staring at the vague silhouette of the youth through the swirling dust, Redfield felt his heart sink.
What in the world was this brat's ability?
His Devil Fruit... wasn't it a Paramecia-type?
Yet this awakened form didn't alter the environment at all—completely unlike any Paramecia user Redfield had ever encountered across the seas.
From their brief exchange just now, his keen Observation Haki had also picked up something else—something deeply wrong about Daren's current physical state.
It was as if a monstrous engine had been installed inside his body, burning with uncontrollable power, overflowing and ready to explode at any moment.
Redfield took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm his thoughts. Lifting his gaze toward the billowing dust, he listened.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Steady, powerful footsteps echoed through the haze. Then, two crimson points of light appeared within the smoke.
They were Daren's eyes.
Redfield froze, his brows tightening further.
Even without using Observation Haki, he could feel it—the boy's aura was changing.
Within those glowing red eyes, madness and savagery were steadily taking form, breeding a bloodthirsty, destructive will that made one's skin crawl.
And it wasn't just him who felt it.
All around, the hardened criminals of Eternal Hell sensed the shift as well. Their faces turned pale as they silently stepped back.
These weren't the weak, worthless pirates of the outside world. Each of them had lived through countless killings, their hands stained with blood. It was their extreme danger that had earned them a place in Impel Down's deepest layer.
For men who lived by the edge of the blade, danger was instinct.
And right now—
The aura radiating from that youth made their hearts seize with dread. It was so suffocatingly intense, so primal and violent...
It felt like standing before a monstrous beast born to destroy.
"So that's how it is..."
Redfield exhaled slowly, his gaze steady and composed as he fixed on Daren, who was walking out of the dust.
"Forcing your body to endure stimulation from a mutated magnetic field to unlock greater potential and boost combat power?" He gave a low chuckle. "A fascinating method, no doubt..."
"But to recklessly burn through your body like that—you must be well aware of the side effects, aren't you?"
Daren's breath was so hot it came out in streams of vapor. He grinned viciously.
"Does that really matter?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he launched forward again.
As his knees sank, a surge of tremendous power erupted, shaking the ground beneath his feet. His body shot out like a rocket, the force of his speed tearing the air apart into concentric shockwaves.
"—Don't you dare die so easily!"
Lightning flashed across the void like a phantom.
"Thunderclap · Meteor!"
Redfield's eyes blazed with a furious crimson light, his Observation Haki pushed to its absolute limit.
In the next instant, he swung his umbrella in a sudden, fierce motion.
Clang!
The blood-red umbrella, wrapped in black and crimson Haki lightning, met a blazing fist head-on.
Blocked!?
Redfield's pupils constricted sharply.
He could see it—the Haki-coated umbrella was bending under the sheer force of that single punch!
Impossible...
"Your Observation Haki truly is remarkable. You've pushed foresight to its absolute limit... even managing to track my attack's trajectory."
"Of all the strong opponents I've ever faced, your Observation Haki stands above the rest."
Daren's eyes gleamed with savage light. A cruel grin spread across his lips as he sneered.
"But my fists aren't weak either!"
The instant he spoke, the Haki and power gathered in his fist detonated again with a thunderous roar.
Boom!!
Redfield was blasted backward, sent hurtling dozens of meters before crashing into a wall. The impact left a deep crater as a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't underestimate me, kid!"
He ignored the blood, planting one foot against the wall before propelling himself forward with explosive force.
In the blink of an eye, he was already at Daren's side.
Daren grinned fiercely and swung a punch.
But at that exact moment, a strange gleam flashed in Redfield's eyes—his body shifted sideways in an instant.
Roar!
Daren's fist grazed past his hair, the unleashed force blasting through the air in a spiraling gale that tore straight through several prison cells.
The strike that should have landed cleanly had missed, leaving Daren momentarily stunned.
And in that instant, a crimson sword beam filled his vision.