It was hard to believe that someone as bulky and dumb-looking as Pica could have such a ridiculous, high-pitched voice.
A massive shadow loomed behind the Marine Captain, completely engulfing him.
Yet Daren showed no sign of surprise or panic at the sneak attack. It was as if he'd anticipated it all along. He stomped his foot into the ground.
Rocks scattered beneath his boot as a cold, mocking smirk curled at the corner of his mouth around the cigar. The Marine Captain suddenly twisted around and slammed his fist backward with full force!
Against someone like Pica, who relied on brute strength, the only way to beat him... was with even greater strength—to crush him!
Only a savage, head-on fight like this could give Daren the kind of raw, bone-crunching thrill he craved.
In the next instant...
Two fists—one massive, one normal-sized—collided in midair like a meteor smashing into the earth!
Boom!
It was like an ancient bronze bell had been struck, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
But the clash lasted only half a second—
As the rocky giant's face twisted in horror and disbelief, the enormous fist, arm, shoulder—and even its massive body—began to crack apart.
Countless fractures spread outward from where Daren's punch had landed, webbing across the entire surface of the 20-meter-tall stone titan.
An overwhelming force, like a dragon's roar, surged from the Marine Captain's fist.
Boom!!
The rock giant instantly crumbled, exploding into a downpour of rubble that rained from the sky.
Amid the falling debris, Pica—clad in golden armor—floated in midair, completely stunned. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Daren vanished from where he stood.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared above Pica.
His black military boot rose high, trailing a white air current—and came crashing down toward Pica's head...
Like a war axe!
Bang!!
Pica's body slammed into the ground like a meteorite, triggering a thunderous boom that echoed through the town center.
The ground within a hundred-meter radius sank by half a meter, while a massive plume of dust and debris shot skyward.
"Overheat!!"
A raspy, furious roar rang out from the distance.
A silk thread, hundreds of meters long, suddenly lashed down from above, looking like a divine slash descending from the sky—striking Daren midair and sending him crashing into the ground.
The sharp thread buried itself into the earth as violent tremors rippled outward. A deep gash split the street in the center, caving in toward the middle.
Buildings on either side of the street tilted, then collapsed with a deafening roar, throwing up clouds of dust.
A hundred meters away...
Doflamingo, drenched in blood, crawled out from the rubble with difficulty. Gasping for breath, he locked his eyes on the smoke-filled center, gritting his teeth so hard that blood kept spilling from the corners of his mouth.
The arrogance and swagger he had when he first stepped onto Rubeck Island were long gone.
His sunglasses were cracked all over, ready to shatter at any moment.
His short blond hair was matted with dirt and blood, a sticky mess.
One side of his ribcage was caved in, and his face had gone deathly pale.
"Did I get him...?"
Doflamingo stared through his broken lenses at the smoke-covered impact zone, completely ignoring the injured and unconscious cadres scattered around him.
Overheat was the strongest technique in his arsenal—so powerful it could easily split a pirate ship clean in two.
Even that monster... he couldn't possibly—
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Doflamingo's eyes shrank to pinpoints, bloodshot and trembling in terror.
As the thick smoke was slowly swept away by the wind, a tall, imposing silhouette began to emerge from the haze.
"Hoo..."
Doflamingo heard a long exhale.
The cigar smoke slowly curling out condensed into a banner in front of the terrifying figure. Footsteps echoed softly. The first thing to step out of the smoke was a black military boot, followed by long, straight legs, a sharply defined, muscular torso, and a cold, handsome face with an unruly edge. The cigar between his lips still burned, flickering red with each breath.
On his chest was a glaring wound, blood still streaming from it. A sharp thread was deeply embedded in his flesh, unable to cut through the bone.
"Hm, interesting... you actually managed to injure me."
Daren glanced down at the noticeably thicker thread, wiped some blood with his fingers, and licked it off the corner of his mouth.
Doflamingo's entire body broke out in chills. His pores stood on end, and he started trembling uncontrollably!
This guy... he's smiling!
He's actually enjoying the fight—enjoying getting hurt!!
"Well then, I think that's enough fun."
Daren casually yanked out the thread stuck in his flesh, twisted his neck, and looked up at the blond brat... flashing a savage grin.
His knees bent slightly.
Push.
Boom!!
The ground and ruins behind him collapsed in waves, sending out massive fan-shaped craters. Daren's figure blasted forward like a cannonball, moving too fast for the naked eye to follow.
So fast!!
Too fast!!
Doflamingo's pupils shrank in shock. Before he could react, a fist slammed hard into his gut.
Bang!
He doubled over, vomiting blood, his eyes bulging from the impact.
Bang!
Another punch rocketed upward, smashing into his chin.
Crack!
He heard his jawbone break.
The blow sent his body flying into the air.
In the next instant, Daren shot up from the ground as well, appearing in front of him in a flash—and launched a kick.
Bang!!
Doflamingo was sent flying sideways.
Before he even hit the ground—
A brutal knee strike crashed into his back from behind...
...
On the edge of a distant island, Momonga watched through his spyglass—and the scene made his scalp go numb.
That blond brat with the so-called "noble" blood of the Celestial Dragons was being tossed around in midair like a ragdoll. Daren was pummeling him relentlessly—kicks, punches, knees, elbows...
Blood sprayed in every direction.
He looked absolutely pitiful.
Around the ruined streets, several of Doflamingo's heavily injured family officers were already pale with fear, staring in shock at the overwhelming sight before them.
...
Exactly one minute later, with a sharp kick from Daren, Doflamingo—his body torn open, at least twenty bones fractured—smashed violently into the ground.
Daren landed steadily.
He flicked the ash from his cigar, clamped it between his teeth again, and began walking step by step toward Doflamingo, who was convulsing on the ground, drenched in blood like a walking corpse.
By the time he reached him, Doflamingo was barely managing to pry open his swollen eyelids.
Daren reached out his large hand, grabbed Doflamingo by the head, and hoisted him into the air so their eyes were level.
The setting sun pierced through the rain-cleared clouds, casting a thin veil of blood-red light over the world.
Amid the smoke-filled, shattered ruins stood a towering Navy Captain, nearly three meters tall, holding a blood-soaked blond kid who barely reached his waist.
Blood dripped steadily from the smaller figure, pattering onto the ground below.
Daren stared silently at the nearly unconscious Doflamingo. Suddenly, he grinned.
"So, can we talk now?"
He paused, as if something had just occurred to him, then added:
"Ah, right. How rude of me to forget the introduction."
A stream of smoke slipped from the Captain's lips.
"My name is Rogers Daren, Supreme Commander of the North Blue Marines. Most people call me the Admiral of the North Blue,' but I prefer another nickname..."
"—'Scum of the Marines.'"
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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