Threat Era?
Why did that sound so familiar?
When Darren heard Steel Bone Kong say it aloud, he paused—surprised, almost amused—before realization set in. As strange as the phrasing was, it wasn't entirely wrong. He had used a scorched-earth strategy to corner the World Government, forcing a fragile, uneasy balance into existence.
"When you put it like that, it actually sounds pretty badass, Fleet Admiral Kong, don't you think?" Darren said with a crooked smile.
"This is no laughing matter, Darren." Kong's tone snapped like a whip. His face darkened at the sight of that smirk. "The entire world is teetering on the brink because of your recklessness. The World Government's eight-century political order is unraveling, and the peace that once steadied this Sea has been replaced by fear and chaos."
His fist tightened, veins bulging like cables along his arm.
"Do you understand? Because of your impulsiveness and self-indulgence, everything the Marines have built—all the blood, all the effort to uphold Justice and preserve peace—has been thrown away."
There was rage beneath his voice, held in check only by discipline.
"You know—"
"So what you're really saying," Darren cut in coldly, "is that I should've stood by and watched the Celestial Dragons massacre every last civilian under my protection." His voice sharpened, ice wrapped around steel. "Or perhaps you, Fleet Admiral of the Marines, with all your power and your spotless devotion to duty… secretly believed the tens of thousands on Felsek Island ought to have died without complaint."
Kong's expression stiffened.
Darren's smile deepened into something cruel.
"Under Justice… they deserved to die?"
"Or is it that the Celestial Dragons' little extermination games carry some kind of divine legitimacy in your eyes?"
Kong fell silent.
He opened his mouth, searching for a response, but nothing came.
At that moment, applause drifted in from beyond the window—slow, ceremonious. Saint Saturn's voice carried on the wind, heralding the imminent arrival of Figarland Garling, Commander of the Knights of God.
"Did you hear that, Fleet Admiral Kong?"
"Figarland Garling—higher in power and privilege than nearly anyone alive—is about to stand at the summit." Darren gestured toward the distant plaza. "A 'King of God Valley,' they call him. But he's just trash who butchered helpless civilians and slaves. And yet that murderer is drenched in glory and honor."
"Enough!"
Kong burst forward, fury exploding through his restraint.
Bang.
Their fists collided, locking at the elbows. The impact rippled through the chamber.
Kong glared at the young man he'd once placed such hope in. "Sometimes sacrifice is necessary, Darren—sacrifice for a greater Justice, a greater peace."
"Politics, war, global stability… they're more complicated than you could ever imagine!"
"Do you grasp what kind of catastrophic war will erupt if you tear down the World Government's political system by yourself?"
Darren's muscles bunched beneath his black suit, fabric stretching taut. Locking arms with Kong, he bared his teeth in a feral grin. "Is that so? Then I can't wait."
Kong's tiger-like eyes burned red with fury. "Darren, you damned fool! Is the hard-won peace of this world a joke to you?"
"I thought you'd be different from Garp and Zephyr—that you could see Justice from a higher vantage point. But in the end, you're just like them. Acting on your own emotions. Your own beliefs."
He lunged, knee crashing forward with the force of a lightning strike.
"Peace? Where is it? I've never seen it!" Darren laughed, lifting his own knee to meet the blow.
A dull thud cracked through the chamber as their strikes collided. White shockwaves burst outward, scattering documents in a swirling storm.
Papers rained down like snow.
Both men let out a rough exhale before charging again, tiger against tiger, fists roaring through the air.
For reasons neither voiced—perhaps instinct, perhaps respect—they held back their full Haki. Instead, they compressed their monstrous strength into fist and bone. Even restrained, every blow carried a weight that could stagger the strongest warriors in the world.
Boom.
Their fists smashed together, crimson-black lightning splintering across the room.
"So you insist on this path?" Kong snarled through clenched teeth. "This is no place for your childish whims!"
He could feel it—Darren's raw power, immense and honed with terrifying speed. In brute strength and explosive force, the youth matched him blow for blow, something only years of relentless training had ever granted Kong himself.
How far has this brat pushed his body? he thought, stunned at the sheer physicality pressing back against him.
And behind that strength… something deeper. Something monstrous. His Observation Haki brushed against the presence sleeping inside Darren—a hidden force so overwhelming it made his own heartbeat stutter.
If unleashed, it could obliterate Mary Geoise.
So the intelligence was right.
This kid really was harboring something terrifying.
"Then stop me," Darren hissed, madness flickering in his gaze. "Aren't you curious, Fleet Admiral? About what's waiting at the end of that tunnel? About what secrets lie buried there?"
Kong's pupils shrank, his assault flaring hotter.
"None of that matters!"
"Darren, you've truly disappointed this old man!"
"The world's Justice… I will protect it!"
With a guttural roar, his uniform tore apart as his muscles expanded. Black-red lightning danced across him, and gleaming black Armament Haki coated his skin. It shifted, hardening into a metallic exoskeleton that radiated cold, immovable strength.
To be continued...