The earth convulsed in colossal waves, the sky quaked, and clouds shattered like glass beneath the weight of unleashed force.
The warships of the North Blue Fleet reeled violently under the tangible shockwave. Engines roared at maximum strain, fighting to hold their positions against the storm.
Marines staggered across the decks, clinging desperately to masts and railings. Faces were drained of color, mouths open in silent terror. Weaker sailors collapsed entirely, eyes rolling back as consciousness slipped away.
Momonga's expression hardened, his jaw clenched. The crushing pressure forced his body to crackle with blue lightning, his form threatening to slip into elemental transformation without his will.
This was Conqueror's Haki of the highest order.
The spirit of a ruler. The roar of a lion echoing across the Four Blues.
But it did not end there.
Before their eyes, Golden Lion let loose the full weight of the Haki he had long suppressed. His body convulsed—and suddenly a storm of blood sprayed outward.
The Seastone bullets buried deep in his flesh exploded free, flung from his body by the surge of his spirit.
They cut through the air, trailing bloody arcs before slamming into earth and stone, blasting smoking craters wherever they fell.
"Jihahaha! Yes—this is it! This is the feeling!!" Golden Lion roared, charred golden hair flying in the wind as his laughter shook the heavens.
Blood poured from him—eyes, nose, ears, mouth—until he seemed a grotesque wraith risen from the flames. And still, his body began to rise.
The island convulsed in his wake. Chunks of earth ripped upward, trees and stone shattering as they were pulled into the air. Living things and dead matter alike were dragged skyward in a furious swarm.
The chaos gathered, reshaping itself—until a colossal lion loomed, vast enough to strain against the Birdcage that bound it.
"Darren! He's going all out!"
Momonga's heart lurched. His instincts howled, and he roared, "Retreat! Now!"
He didn't need Observation Haki to know the truth. Golden Lion was finished—flesh crumbling, organs failing, body torn apart by wounds too deep to mend. The gaping hole left by the ship's rudder made survival impossible.
There was no need to fight. They only needed to endure this final blow.
Golden Lion was already dead.
But then—Momonga froze, his eyes burning red.
On the shattered battlefield, Darren did not retreat. His boots stayed rooted in the broken earth.
Slowly, he raised his head.
The overwhelming aura of the Great Pirate towered above him, yet Darren moved in a way no one could have predicted.
He sank slightly, right hand thrust forward, left hand drawn back. His fingers locked into the Three-Fingered Dragon Claw. Jet-black Armament Haki poured down his hand, coating the talons like liquid steel.
A coiled dragon, ready to strike.
It was an offensive stance.
Facing the lion's final roar, Darren made his choice.
And in that instant, the numbers within him—the accumulation of battle since the Edd War—rose again.
Armament Haki: +0.91
Armament Haki: 70 [Internal Destruction]!!
Conqueror's Haki: +2.11
Conqueror's Haki: 70!
Darren laughed, head thrown back, blood trailing from his lips. His aura swirled into a crimson vortex, resisting the Golden Lion's tempest with sheer defiance.
"Come on, Golden Lion!!"
His grin was savage, his eyes alight with unrestrained fury.
Golden Lion stiffened, a flicker of surprise in his burning gaze. "You're not running, Darren?"
"You're one of the strongest of this era," Darren answered. His voice was fierce, unwavering. "You're worth meeting head-on."
He stepped forward.
ROAR!!
The heavens shook with the cry of a dragon.
Under the stunned eyes of every Marine, Darren's aura transformed. His Armament Haki flowed like molten iron. His Conqueror's Haki blazed crimson. Will itself took shape.
A colossal dragon phantom, crimson and terrible, coiled around him.
"This ends here!"
Golden Lion froze, then roared with laughter. "Jihahaha! Excellent!"
Gone was his scorn, his venom, his contempt. What burned in his eyes now was recognition—the primal acknowledgment between equals.
"Strength, vision, cunning, will… you've surpassed your peers, even your age itself!" Blood flew as he laughed. "Darren, I acknowledge you! If I fall here, then so be it!"
He tightened his grip on his twin blades, stomping the ground with savage force. The massive lion beneath him shattered apart.
Black-crimson lightning coiled around his body. Oto and Kogarashi gleamed, their edges fused with his fury as he hurled himself downward at blinding speed.
He descended like a meteor, burning away his life as black-crimson lightning shaped itself into the phantom of a lion.
The twin blades became its fangs.
"This is…" Darren raised his head, his eyes blazing.
"The final strike!"
He lunged forward.
The scarlet dragon lifted its head in defiance, crackling with crimson light.
In the next instant—
Before countless horrified eyes—
The diving lion howled, the soaring dragon roared.
And they met.
Beast against beast. Man against man.
"Lion Demon: Fangs!"
"Dragon's Breath!"
The world stilled for a single heartbeat.
Then white light swallowed everything.
BOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave tore outward, annihilating all in its path. The island itself split apart, stone and soil crumbling into ruin as the storm spread for dozens of kilometers.
To be continued...