In this vast sea, whether or not one has mastered Haki is the clearest line between the strong and the weak.
Armament Haki can greatly enhance both the user's defense and offensive power. It's also the only method besides Seastone that allows someone to counter Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Observation Haki, on the other hand, grants the user an acute sense of aura, allowing them to predict an opponent's movements and attacks with incredible precision.
With his strength, Daren was undoubtedly "invincible" in the North Blue!
But out here, on the boundless ocean, without having mastered Haki, he still appeared helpless and powerless in the face of a legendary pirate like Byrnndi World.
Even if his physical body and Devil Fruit abilities had reached an inhuman level.
Daren staggered to his feet, his body low and tense like a crouching leopard ready to spring. Pain shot through his arms, but his eyes were clearer than ever.
Thick smoke rose in the distance, and from it, a black boot slowly stepped out.
Daren's eyes followed upward to see Byrnndi World's burly figure emerge from the smoke.
His body was scorched with burns. Even full-body Armament Haki hardening couldn't completely shield him from the North Blue Fleet's fierce bombardment.
"Marine brat... You feel it, don't you? The gap between us!!"
Byrnndi World's eyes were wild as he stared at the distant Marine Captain, breathing heavily with a vicious tone.
He had never been this angry in his entire life.
He was Byrnndi World—the World Destroyer!
A pirate who stood alongside Whitebeard and Roger!
And now, he'd been tripped up in some backwater corner of the North Blue!?
Absurd. Laughable. Unforgivable!
"Don't think you've won just yet. Even if that bastard Sengoku's on his way to back you up, I've got plenty of time to kill you first and bail after I reconnect the Den Den Mushi."
"Then come and try. You're running out of time."
Daren grinned, his gaze defiant.
"You're dead meat!"
Boom!!
Within a ten-meter radius, the ground suddenly collapsed a full meter, and countless piles of snow blasted upward from the shockwave.
Byrnndi World vanished in an instant.
Too fast to track!
"More More: 50x Speed!"
The world fell silent.
Daren's senses sharpened to the extreme, faint arcs of purple electricity dancing between his fingers.
An invisible, eerie magnetic field radiated from his body, enveloping an area over a hundred meters wide.
The falling snow seemed to slow in midair.
Inside his mind, the magnetic fluctuations of every living being within range appeared with crystal clarity.
Then—
A flicker of blue light flashed in his deep eyes.
Got him!
Above!
The instant that thought formed, a sharp gust exploded overhead.
A boot cloaked in black Armament Haki came crashing down like a steel battle axe splitting stone—
Daren shifted sideways just in time, the boot grazing past his hair before slamming into the ground.
BOOM!!
A thunderous roar echoed out. Dust and snow erupted like a raging dragon.
A massive fissure, stretching hundreds of meters, tore from the impact point all the way into the distant jungle. Trees on both sides collapsed inward, swallowed by the rupture.
Debris scattered. Byrnndi World's pupils shrank.
This Marine brat… predicted my move again!?
That wasn't luck!
As he froze for a split second, the Marine Captain had already closed the distance.
In a flash, the space between the two similarly-built men vanished.
Daren slammed a hand onto Byrnndi World's face, a wicked grin tugging at his lips.
"Let's test how tough you really are."
And then—
He drove the pirate's head into the ground!
Crack!!
BOOM!!
A massive crater, dozens of meters wide, instantly formed, its surface covered in dense fractures.
Fierce wind howled, whipping the Marine Captain's bloodstained white cloak like a battle flag. His figure stood tall and ferocious.
"Did it work?"
Buried deep in the crater, Byrnndi World stared up at Daren with mockery in his eyes. His body was wrapped in armor-like Armament Haki.
He grabbed Daren's arm with one hand and swung him to the side like a whip!
Bang!
Daren slammed into the ground, the impact rumbling through the earth.
Blood spilled from his lips, salty and warm, yet the smile on his face only grew more crazed.
With a swift roll, he sprang up and unleashed a sideways kick at Byrnndi World's neck just as the pirate was getting up.
Bang!
A shockwave burst out. Byrnndi World's body staggered, his vision blurring from the blow to the neck.
Even with Armament Haki's defense, he couldn't fully absorb the monstrous force behind Daren's attacks.
A sudden wave of fury surged in him. Byrnndi World lunged forward, slamming his fist into Daren's abdomen.
Bang!
The moment his punch landed, Daren's whip-like leg struck his nose.
Blow after blow, the two exchanged vicious attacks. Each clash left trails of blood spraying from the Marine Captain's body.
Fists collided. Muscles clashed. The snow around them churned and flew with their fierce combat.
It was brutal.
"You damn lunatic!!"
Byrnndi World suddenly roared, glaring at the Marine brat whose blood-covered face only added to the madness.
Despite not having mastered Haki, Daren endured with his bizarre perception and monstrous physical strength, holding out against the pirate's relentless assault!
"Hahaha!! Come on!! Let's keep going!!"
Blood flew as another punch sent Daren sliding back several meters, his face smeared with red.
But he was laughing.
It felt amazing!
Facing Byrnndi World's overwhelming power, he felt like he'd reached the peak of his life!
That feeling of dancing on the edge of life and death...
The raw sensation of fist meeting flesh...
The pain, the salty blood in his mouth and nose...
It was like a seductive lover, stirring his primal instinct for battle, provoking the savage thrill buried deep in his soul...
That real, intense, unmistakable feeling of being alive!
Pushing the limits!
A powerful urge surged within him.
He wanted to know—
Without Haki, just how far could he go against a pirate like Byrnndi World?
Even if it was just one more minute—
No—just one more second—
That would still be breaking his limits!
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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