A colossal crimson sword beam, like a vast crescent moon, swept across the land of Eternal Hell.
The immense shockwave unleashed a spiraling hurricane, hurling dozens of criminals into the air.
Whoosh!!
The crimson blade, carrying unstoppable momentum, instantly engulfed Daren's figure before surging forward for over a hundred meters. Only then did its energy fade, scattering into countless motes of light.
For a moment, the fighting criminals froze in place, gasping in shock.
Where it had passed, a deep gash lay carved into the ground.
At the end of that gash stood the dark-haired youth, his hand still raised in a grasping motion. His jet-black, three-fingered dragon claw smoked faintly from the heat. His upper garments had been shredded by the violent shockwaves, hanging in tatters from his body and revealing sharply defined muscles—along with a shallow slash across his chest.
"Broken... his defense is broken!"
"That strike... finally broke his defense!"
"..."
Seeing the blood on Daren's chest, the criminals first stood stunned, then erupted into wild cheers.
So it wasn't that Daren's body was unbreakable—it was simply that their strength hadn't been enough!
Yet, watching the "result" of that strike, "Red the Aloof," holding his blood-colored umbrella, frowned deeply.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
No one knew better than he did the cutting power of his own swordsmanship. At such close range, with Armament Haki wrapped around his blade, to leave only this shallow mark on that brat?
Drip.
A single drop of blood fell from the gash on Daren's chest, hitting the ground softly. But the corners of his lips curled upward into a mad grin.
"Quite a sharp strike... if only the force had been a bit stronger..."
A sudden gust of wind cut his words short.
In the blink of an eye, Redfield's figure vanished from sight, reappearing directly in front of Daren.
Daren's pupils contracted slightly.
This guy's speed... compared to that "Ghost Shadow" from before, it was several times stranger—so fast that even his nerves struggled to keep up.
"No problem."
As Redfield's calm voice fell, the crimson umbrella once again sliced through the air.
Sizzle...
Black lightning danced across the umbrella's edge, trailing streams of vanishing light.
Shhhh!!
A column of blood burst from Daren's chest, spraying outward. Crimson droplets scattered across the air like stars.
Magellan's face went pale as his heart trembled violently.
Daren stumbled back several steps, arms falling limp at his sides. His gaze was unfocused, as though unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"I must admit," Redfield said evenly, his gaze fixed on the unmoving youth before him, "you have tempered your body to an unimaginable degree—far beyond anything I can comprehend."
He continued slowly, voice calm and steady.
"An indestructible physique, defense surpassing the Giants, strength and explosiveness rivaling thunder, reflexes sharper than lightning... combined with your fierce and domineering martial arts, there are few on these seas who could match you in combat."
"But you seem to have forgotten something, boy."
"True strength doesn't come from stacking abilities together. It comes from how one merges their powers, applying each advantage in the way most suited to themselves."
"Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, martial arts, swordsmanship... these are all external tools. What truly governs them all should be the power of the 'heart'."
Having said this, Redfield shook his head, flicked the blood from his umbrella, and turned away.
He walked slowly back toward his cell.
"Go back. You're a student of Zephyr and Garp. For their sake... this old man won't kill you this time."
"As for this Impel Down, I will leave it—but not today."
The nearby criminals slowly dispersed, clearing a path for him. Yet their eyes flickered uneasily, subconsciously drifting toward the gate leading to Level 5.
"...Actually, you've forgotten one thing, old ghost."
Just as the criminals exchanged glances, quietly scheming to slip away, a deep voice sounded once again.
Redfield's footsteps halted.
"Oh?"
A faint smile curved across the corner of his mouth.
Daren lifted his head and casually tore away the tattered remnants of his shirt, revealing a torso crisscrossed with scars. He wiped a streak of blood from his chest, then licked his fingers, a wild, genuine grin spreading across his face.
"Is the lack of strength simply because the stacked abilities aren't strong enough?"
Redfield froze.
A crimson gleam flared deep within his pupils, his expression tightening as he caught sight of an unbelievable future.
The next instant—
Zzzzzzt!!
Violent, crackling lightning flared to life, roaring like blue flames as it engulfed Daren's body in a blazing surge of power.
A massive shockwave rippled outward. In the criminals' frozen gazes, faint red light began to pulse from every muscle on Daren's body.
"Magnetic Field Rotation · Low Frequency · 10%!"
As his knees sank, Daren smirked. Hot air hissed from his mouth as he leaned forward like a predator about to pounce.
Then—
Boom!!
Like a jet-propelled rocket, Daren's figure blasted from his position.
No high-speed techniques. No Haki propulsion. Only the purest, most extreme—physical explosive power!
Roar!!
Turbulent air currents howled through the corridor of Eternal Hell. The criminals couldn't see a thing. They only felt a blur flash before their eyes, followed by a violent storm that forced them back, faces twisted in shock.
Redfield's expression changed drastically.
The elegant, composed smile he had maintained from the beginning finally shattered.
"How...!?"
The crimson glow of his Observation Haki—symbolizing foresight—flickered rapidly within his eyes.
In that single instant, dozens of entirely different scenes burst through his mind.
Each one showed Daren striking him with a meteor-like punch—from dozens of completely different angles!
That meant...
Cold sweat beaded across Redfield's forehead. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his Haki to its absolute limit. Then, with a sharp pivot, he slashed fiercely toward a point in the void!
Clang!
Boom!!
Sparks erupted as violent air pressure exploded outward.
With a hiss of friction, Redfield was sent skidding backward hundreds of meters by the sheer force of Daren's punch, carving two long trenches into the ground.
But he barely noticed. Staring at the face that had appeared just inches from his own, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Your speed... has surpassed the future!?"
"No," Daren replied, grinning broadly. "It's only surpassed the future you can see."
"Now then... let me witness this 'power of the heart' you spoke of."