Clang!
Boom!
The sharp ring of steel came first—then the shockwave that followed, sweeping outward like a battering wind.
In the next instant, the prisoners watched in stunned awe as two figures—one wreathed in blue-violet lightning, the other streaked in crimson—burst out of the dust and collided again and again in the endless corridors of Eternal Hell.
Their impacts were too fast for the eye to follow. Even with Observation Haki, most of the inmates could only catch slashes of color and the violent bloom of sparks. Every clash spat out storms of air that shoved the watching criminals backward, forcing them to retreat in panic.
And yet, for those who could truly read the exchange, one thing was obvious.
The purple-blue figure moved a fraction faster with every beat—always circling, always closing, always arriving first.
Darren had the edge in both speed and sheer power.
"This is insane…"
"He's a real monster!"
"No wonder the Marines and the World Government slapped a five-billion bounty on him!"
"I thought it was inflation!"
"He's actually… actually suppressing Red the Aloof!"
"Damn it. I was going to kill him and escape…"
"If you're not afraid to die, go ahead and try."
"You think I can?"
"I just think… how will you know if you don't try?"
"…"
Uneasy whispers passed between cells. Shock sat naked in their eyes.
Patrick Redfield—Red the Aloof—was one of the Sea's legends. With peerless swordsmanship and an Observation Haki so sharp it bordered on the unnatural, he could cut down domineering opponents without ever losing his calm.
Even Fleet Admiral Kong, the "Steel Bone" whose Armament Haki was said to be iron itself, hadn't truly overpowered him. Kong had ground him down over time—maneuvering, bleeding stamina, nearly ruining his own reputation in the process.
And now this kid was pressing Redfield.
Not only the inmates—Magellan, stationed by the gate, stared as if his eyes might tear.
He knew Darren-sensei was terrifying. He'd seen him send Sengoku flying at Marineford.
But he never imagined that in mere months, Darren-sensei's strength would swell into something this absurd.
So… is he already stronger than Fleet Admiral Kong?
The thought hit Magellan like a jolt. His hands trembled. Heat rushed to his face.
Then—
CLANG!!
A final, piercing ring split the air. Sparks erupted as the two blurs shot apart at the same time, landing lightly in opposite directions.
And at last, everyone could see them clearly.
The sight froze breath in throats.
Darren's body was laced with sword wounds—some shallow, some deep—blood slowly seeping from the cuts. White steam spilled off him in rolling waves, the heat of his body warping the air.
Yet he was smiling.
Not a sneer. Not bravado.
A smile of pure, wholehearted joy—satisfaction so complete it looked almost serene.
To the prisoners, though, it was worse than any snarl.
It was the smile of a devil enjoying himself.
Redfield wasn't in much better shape. Wounds covered him as well, but the worst was along his ribs—his chest grotesquely sunken, bone pushing against torn flesh at unnatural angles.
"So this is the power you gained after your Awakening," Redfield rasped, blood dripping from his forearms and the umbrella's tip. "Strength, defense, speed… I've never seen anything like it."
Darren bared his teeth in a grin. "Same goes for you. I've never met Observation Haki like yours."
Redfield pressed a hand to his shattered ribs and—under Magellan's horrified stare—forced the displaced bones back into place with a brutal snap.
The pain leeched the last color from his already pale face. He went ashen for a moment, breathing hard.
After a few ragged breaths, he flicked the blood from his umbrella and asked evenly, "So. Do we continue?"
"No. That's enough for today." Darren shook his head, smiling, and let the state go.
The blue-violet lightning peeled away from his body and vanished. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the cold floor, drained in an instant.
Magnetic Field Rotation: Low Frequency—ten percent.
His newest breakthrough.
With Queen's theories as a guide, Darren had finally carved out a safe boundary—ten percent, low frequency—barely within what his body could endure.
It would give him a real burst without chewing through his lifespan.
The price was immediate weakness after the fight.
In a way, it wasn't so different from Luffy's post-Gear exhaustion.
Ten percent, though, was a clean line—a limit he could trust.
Cross it, and the toll would come due.
But he didn't need more than that.
Even at ten percent, Darren could seize a clear advantage in speed and power against Admiral-level opponents and take control of the exchange.
As for the Redfield in front of him…
There was no doubt that, at his peak, this man had stood among the very top monsters of the Sea—comparable to emperors at their height, even brushing the edge of Whitebeard's domain.
But defeat, time, and years entombed in Impel Down had taken something from him.
That's why this ended so quickly.
Darren's grin deepened as he felt it—his "Perception" settling, his Observation Haki climbing by another 0.2. Satisfaction warmed behind his eyes.
"Out of respect for what you said," Darren went on casually, "I'll spare your life today."
Redfield's expression twitched.
That brat… he really knows how to twist the knife.
He stared at Darren in silence for several seconds, then spoke at last.
"If you want to sharpen your Observation Haki," Redfield said, voice low, "you don't need to push yourself to such extremes."
Darren's eyes widened a fraction, surprise flashing across his gaze.
So it's true.
Just like the rumors… he can see through people. He can read what's buried underneath.
To be continued...