"Are you trying to kill me, Borsalino?"
Daren's voice, laced with a faintly mocking smile, echoed slowly through the deathly silent prison corridor. The reverberations rang out with chilling clarity, carrying a strange, rhythmic cadence. The curve of his lips alone was enough to make one's blood run cold.
Yet the prisoners of Eternal Hell had no mind to notice such details. They stood frozen in place, eyes locked on Daren, whose dark hair swayed amidst the flickering firelight and curling smoke. Their eyes widened, jaws hanging slack in disbelief.
"Gulp..."
"He... dodged it..."
"Just now... there's no mistake..."
"That feeling... only Observation Haki..."
"Could achieve something like that!"
"He did it..."
"He actually did it!"
"Monster!"
The sound of someone swallowing hard finally shattered the suffocating silence of the prison corridor. Gasps echoed one after another as the prisoners stared at Daren with expressions of pure horror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
That brat had dodged all three laser beams—fired at blinding speed and frequency—without a single scratch!
And don't forget—he was still wearing Seastone shackles. Not only was he unable to use his Devil Fruit abilities, but his immense power had been at least halved. His strength, speed, and reflexes couldn't possibly match what they were at full capacity.
Based on what they'd come to understand over the past few days of sparring—or rather, getting beaten senseless—by Daren, there was no way he could achieve this level of precision while restrained by Seastone.
Yet now, facing Borsalino's three laser beams, he had dodged every single one!
Under identical physical conditions of power, speed, and reaction time, being able to accomplish that could mean only one thing—
Daren's Observation Haki had successfully broken through to the level of "foreseeing the future"!
While the prisoners stood there in stunned silence, "Red the Aloof" Redfield, seated elegantly on the ground, allowed a satisfied smile to curve across his face.
"Your eyes are terrifying... but isn't that only natural, Daren?"
Facing Daren's question, Borsalino's smile didn't waver in the slightest.
He pointed to his own face, then to Daren.
"I'm a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, and you... are the World Government's most wanted criminal."
"If I get the chance, I wouldn't hesitate to take you out."
Daren narrowed his eyes slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint grin. With that small motion, his expression seemed to come alive.
"That's true."
Daren nodded.
"It makes sense."
Borsalino shrugged lightly.
"But things seem to be unfolding a little differently than I expected."
He scratched the back of his head with mild exasperation.
"Looks like we'll have to call it a day here..."
"Not necessarily."
Daren suddenly chuckled.
Everyone froze.
"Magellan, unlock it."
Daren's tone remained calm, but his smile deepened.
At those words, Magellan's eyes went wide—not because of the command itself, but because as soon as Daren spoke, every prisoner who had been watching the scene like spectators suddenly stiffened.
Then, like a pack of startled Nezumi, they scattered in a frenzy, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
One after another, they darted into their cells and slammed their doors shut with lightning speed. The thunderous echoes of the doors filled the prison corridor.
All that remained were scattered scraps of food... and wine glasses still spinning in place.
Magellan: "..."
His mouth twitched slightly before he hurried over to Daren, pulled out a key, and unlocked the Seastone shackles.
Clang!
The heavy Seastone restraints hit the floor with a crisp metallic echo.
Daren rubbed his sore wrists, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
It was as though he were adjusting his breathing—or perhaps feeling something deeper. In front of the trembling prisoners hiding in their cells, the dark-haired young man stood still, his entire aura drawing inward like a vast black vortex collapsing into itself.
The world grew eerily silent.
Then, in the next instant, every prisoner's face shifted to horror, their pupils shrinking in shock.
Before their eyes, a storm of Haki—tangible, almost solid—burst forth from Daren's body, swirling upward with immense force.
His black hair billowed as he suddenly opened his eyes. A fierce, blood-red gleam flashed deep within them.
"Want to go another round?"
He smiled at Borsalino, his upper body leaning slightly forward in an aggressively predatory stance.
Borsalino put on a look of mock fear, raising both hands.
"I can't possibly fight a freak—"
Boom!
The ground shattered as Daren's figure vanished from sight.
A streak of lightning tore through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Borsalino.
"—like you."
Before Borsalino could even finish his sentence, Daren grinned savagely and snapped his leg forward.
Frenzied Armament Haki combined with the explosive might of the Lightning Armor, unleashing a surge of overwhelming power.
The atmosphere groaned under the impact, the air itself twisting violently as the kick shot toward Borsalino's smug face!
But the instant it connected, Daren's expression changed.
Ssshhk!!
His kick went straight through Borsalino's body, tearing it apart effortlessly, splitting it cleanly in two.
Thud. Thud.
Landing firmly, Daren frowned.
Before him, the "Borsalino" he had struck began to dissolve. That mocking grin faded as his form broke apart into countless golden photons, scattering like stardust into the air.
"So that's it... This was your clone?"
The lightning around his body quickly subsided as his violent aura calmed. Daren turned slowly, his gaze shifting to the real Borsalino—standing far away at the entrance to the gate leading to the fifth underground level.
The Vice Admiral looked visibly relieved, wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow as he said with a half-smile,
"You nearly finished me off just now..."
Daren rolled his eyes.
His temple twitched as he glared at the man's irritatingly smug face, every fiber of him itching to activate his Magnetic Field Rotation and slam Borsalino into the ground for a proper beating.
Damn the talk about lifespan—it was just getting in the way.
He'd rather enjoy himself first!