"I didn't say that."
Darren drew out a cigar, bit down on it, and lit it. His pale face creased into a faint smile.
As Stussy disinfected and stitched his wounds, waves of searing pain drilled into his nerves, forcing beads of cold sweat to trickle down his forehead.
Even so, he still answered calmly:
"I went to Wano and had a heart-to-heart with Kaido."
Stussy's pupils shrank. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she blurted.
It had only been a few days since that brutal clash with the Gorosei and Marine Headquarters. His injuries were barely healed—and he'd already rushed off to Wano to fight Kaido?
Stussy had never seen anyone this reckless.
"My time is limited," Darren said with a careless grin. "I need to know exactly how strong I've become."
He added lightly, "And don't let my injuries fool you. You should see Kaido—he's in even worse shape than I am."
The "Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air," Beast Kaido, had grown stronger through their mutual training. He now stood firmly in the realm of Legendary-level combat power, far beyond his counterpart in the original timeline.
From Darren's vantage point as one of the Grand Line's top fighters, he could roughly sort the world's peak combatants into tiers:
First were the so-called Great Pirates—the many Warlords of the Sea and others of similar caliber. Each possessed the power to annihilate a nation. Only Marine Admirals could reliably suppress them. They were "Silver-tier fighters," qualified to vie for dominance in the New World.
Above them were the "Gold-tier fighters," represented by Big Mom and Kaido. These were true contenders for the Pirate King's throne. Their strength was so overwhelming that even Admirals struggled to defeat them.
In later years, Hawk-Eye Dracule Mihawk and Douglas Bullet would also be considered part of this tier.
But right now, Big Mom and Kaido had yet to reach their true peak. Their ambition and experience still lagged behind what they would one day possess as Emperors of the Sea—when they would ascend into what Darren regarded as the highest echelon of combat power.
Those few would become Legendary Great Pirates—King-level combatants.
The Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the "Strongest Man in the World" Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, and the Four Emperors Kaido and Big Mom all belonged to that pinnacle.
So while the current Kaido still couldn't match King-level legends like Roger and Whitebeard, the gap wasn't as vast as most would imagine.
Even one-on-one, Kaido could force something close to a 40/60 split against Roger, relying on his monstrous physique and the boosted power of his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. For a short time, even Roger at full strength wouldn't be able to put him down easily.
As for Darren himself, he estimated his current strength to be roughly on par with Kaido's—a true 50/50 matchup. The problem was that both of them were absurdly tough. Any clash between the two would be a drawn-out slugfest that could rage for days without a clear victor.
All in all, even though he'd come back from Onigashima bruised and battered, Darren considered the trip worth it.
On one hand, he had gained a clearer sense of his own limits. On the other, he had learned from Kaido the technique of "stimulating bodily activity with lightning," pushing his "Speed" stat past the critical 90-point threshold and finally overcoming his old weakness—lack of explosive power.
Darren figured that if he faced the Gorosei again now, he wouldn't be as helpless as before. By unleashing the explosive potential of his "Thunder Armor," he'd at least be able to seize the initiative.
The only thing that still stumped him was how to break the Gorosei's "Undying Body."
"Tch..."
Stussy rolled her eyes.
As the Queen of the Pleasure District, there was one truth she knew all too well:
A man's promises after taking off his clothes could never be taken at face value.
"Sometimes I really feel like, if you keep going this crazy, you won't live much longer," Stussy said, setting down her tweezers. While tending his wounds, she paused, her voice turning level and cool. "Wouldn't that be good news for you?"
Darren couldn't help chuckling. He winked at her. "If I die, your secret sinks to the bottom of the sea with me. No one will ever be able to use it to 'threaten' you into doing things you don't want to do. You should be happy if I die."
Stussy glanced up at him, a flirtatious smile suddenly blooming across her face. "No, you're wrong. If you die, I'll be absolutely overjoyed. Because then... I'll finally be free."
Darren exhaled a slow plume of smoke, still grinning. "Then you'd better pray I keep going crazy. After all, there aren't many people left in this sea who can bring down Rogers Darren."
Stussy fell silent, her gaze lingering on his sharp, intense features. After a long moment, she suddenly said, "Morgans sent us the latest intel on the Roger Pirates."
"Oh?" Darren raised an eyebrow.
Stussy took a deep breath, her tone turning grave.
"The Roger Pirates have disbanded. Roger was the first to disembark, and the rest of the crew vanished soon after."
She pulled a wanted poster from a nearby drawer.
"Just two days ago, the World Government and the Marines simultaneously altered all mentions of Roger's name in the newspapers and on his bounty posters. They changed 'Gol D. Roger' to 'Gold Roger.'"
"The Government... seems desperate to erase the true meaning of 'D'."
Darren paused, then a cold, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"So it begins... this pathetic attempt to rewrite history..."
Stussy watched his expression, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Do you know what the 'D' really stands for?" she asked.
Darren shook his head.
Stussy went on, half-thinking aloud,
"Based on the intelligence I've gathered over the years, the so-called Clan of D was once known as the Natural Enemy of the Gods."
"Those who bear the Will of D are likely the surviving bloodline of a nation from the Void Century."
"It's said that many Celestial Dragons believe that, if the World Government is ever toppled, the ones to do it will inevitably be members of the Clan of D."
"—They couldn't be more wrong," Darren scoffed.
"Why?" Stussy asked, frowning.
She had spent years piecing that information together. Some of it came from legend, but much of it was supported by hard intel.
Yet this bastard brushed it all aside as if it were worthless.
Darren glanced at her and said flatly:
"Because they've crossed me."
---
South Blue.
Baterilla Island.
"Where... am I?" Roger groaned, struggling to open his eyes. Every part of his body ached, and his head throbbed dully.
"You're awake?" A gentle voice drifted over.
Roger turned his head and saw a young girl in a simple dress walking toward him, cradling a bowl of steaming porridge in both hands.
She had long pink hair adorned with plain flower ornaments, and she wore a modest blue dress.
"You must've been shipwrecked, right? I barely managed to drag you ashore yesterday... You had a fever all night. I thought you were going to die."
She tilted her head, reached out to touch his forehead to check his temperature, then smiled in relief. "Looks like the fever's gone! Great! Come on, have some porridge."
Roger looked at her freckled, ordinary little face, then at the bowl of hot porridge in her hands. After a brief silence, he grinned.
"Sure!"
To be continued...