Chapter 439: The Secret of Seeing the Future
Only by growing stronger can one survive...
Hearing Daren's seemingly playful remark, Redfield fell silent.
And not just him—the other criminals within Eternal Hell also lapsed into a long, heavy silence.
Only those who shared the same fate as wanted fugitives could truly grasp the weight behind Daren's words.
After all, they too had been hunted by the Marines and the World Government, living with bounties on their heads and enduring the endless pressure of being chased to the brink. They knew better than anyone the suffocating burden that came with it.
But what truly terrified them was the fact that Daren's "crimes" against the World Government far surpassed the sum of all theirs combined.
To say nothing of other deeds—just the number of Celestial Dragons who had died by his hand already exceeded the total killed by everyone else present.
As that thought settled in, their gazes toward Daren shifted, tinged not only with admiration but with a faint, hidden sense of... pity.
The kid might be monstrously strong, but his life probably wasn't easy either, right?
Otherwise, why would he change his name and sneak into a desolate place like Impel Down? Maybe the pressure of being hunted by the World Government had become too much, and he'd come here to lie low for a while.
The more they thought about it, the more convinced they became that this must be the truth. Their expressions softened as they looked at him.
After all, none of them really held any deep hatred for Daren.
He wasn't a Marine anymore, so there was no talk of opposing factions or enemy camps.
And to them, Daren had already earned their respect by slaughtering so many of those Celestial Dragon swine—something that had brought satisfaction to even the blackest of hearts. The man had guts.
It was only now that they fully realized another thing.
—Daren had never intended to kill them.
If he had wanted to, those ten brief minutes would have been more than enough time to wipe every last one of them out.
Daren wasn't "Red the Aloof," nor did he possess Observation Haki capable of reading minds. Naturally, he had no idea that this ragtag group of blood-soaked criminals had begun to regard him as one of their own.
He merely noticed that the way they looked at him seemed... strange.
'Did I hit them too hard earlier? Maybe I broke something.'
The thought flickered through his mind and faded just as quickly.
Oh well.
As long as they weren't dead, it was fine.
The World Government and the Marines hadn't imprisoned these dangerously powerful, world-class criminals in Level Six of Impel Down because they had too much funding—or out of any sort of humanitarian concern.
In this world, law-abiding citizens had no claim to fairness, so what "human rights" could monsters like these possibly demand?
The real reason they were kept alive was simple—most of them were Devil Fruit users.
If they were killed, their Devil Fruits would reincarnate somewhere out in the world, potentially falling into the hands of other criminals and giving rise to even greater disasters.
Thus, keeping them locked up here, extending the time before those powers could reappear, was the most practical solution.
Although Daren was no longer part of the Marines, there were still limits to how far he could go.
When he'd "negotiated cooperation" with Sengoku, one of the conditions the former Fleet Admiral had imposed was simple: no indiscriminate killing.
Of course, if these bastards ever pissed him off...
Whether something counted as "indiscriminate" or not—well, that would be for him to decide.
...
"I see..."
After a long moment, Redfield let out a quiet sigh, the look in his eyes toward Daren now carrying a trace of complexity.
"I suppose I was being narrow-minded. Thinking about it now, there must be a reason you've managed to grow into such a monster in such a short amount of time."
Daren shrugged.
"So what exactly did you mean earlier by 'the power of the heart'?"
At that question, everyone present—including Magellan—immediately perked up.
"Red the Aloof" Redfield was one of the most powerful men on the seas, his mastery of Observation Haki reaching heights few could dream of. If they could gain insight from his words...
"The so-called 'power of the heart' refers to the true essence of Observation Haki. It's not about 'seeing,' nor about 'hearing'—it's about feeling."
Redfield spoke steadily, his tone calm and measured.
"Normally, when people begin training Observation Haki, they start with traditional methods—covering their eyes or blocking their ears to sharpen their evasion. I assume that's how Zephyr taught you during your Marine training?"
Daren shook his head.
"I wouldn't know. My Haki awakened through real combat."
"Following a slow, step-by-step training regimen is too inefficient. It's faster to find a true master—or rather, a powerful opponent—and fight them head-on."
Redfield: "..."
"If you keep talking like that," he said coldly, gripping the crimson umbrella in his hand, "we might as well keep fighting. Either I'll kill you, or you'll kill me."
Daren quickly raised a hand.
"But that's how others train."
Redfield's mouth twitched, and he took a slow, deep breath before continuing.
"Observation Haki doesn't depend on sight or hearing."
"In fact, from what I've seen, many blind or deaf people across these seas awaken Observation Haki more easily than ordinary individuals. Having lost their sight and hearing, they're forced to learn how to perceive the world through their 'heart' much sooner."
"If I'm not mistaken, your Observation Haki has already hit a bottleneck, hasn't it?"
Daren glanced at his "panel data." The Observation Haki stat glowed with the number 89.887. He nodded.
"Yes. I've been trying to find a way to break through."
"So you infiltrated Impel Down to use me as your sparring partner, hoping to trigger that breakthrough?" Redfield asked sharply.
Daren nodded. "Exactly."
"Did it work?"
"Somewhat. Not much... but it's better than nothing."
At that, Redfield's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. He shook his head.
"That kind of progress won't last. Even if you kill me, you won't move forward anymore."
Daren blinked.
"Why?"
Redfield didn't hide anything. His tone was calm, even patient.
"Because your state of mind is wrong."
"To break through and step into the realm of 'seeing the future,' the first and most essential condition is composure."
He fixed his gaze on Daren, his words deliberate and steady.
"And you, Daren... in the state you were just in, there's no way you could maintain true calm."
"Your heart isn't pure enough."