"That's all you've got...?"
Daren shot Momonga a disdainful glance, his face full of disappointment.
Momonga: ¥#@¥%#@¥...
I just ate the Goro Goro no Mi! Holding out for half an hour under that kind of intense output is already impressive, alright?
Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and flopped onto the ground of the training field, stretching out comfortably as he half-closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.
That lunatic Daren had actually tanked his lightning bombardment with nothing but raw physical endurance—and the more he got blasted, the more excited he became, with that twisted grin spreading wider across his face each time.
What the hell is up with this guy?
It seriously feels like he came back from the Grand Line even more deranged than before...
Wait a minute!
Could this be the "get stronger by taking a beating" training method?
Was Daren not joking after all?
While Momonga's mind spiraled with random thoughts, Daren let out a regretful sigh and also lay down on the training field to rest.
Using Momonga's Goro Goro no Mi attacks to temper his body wasn't something Daren had initially planned.
But he had to admit—it worked surprisingly well.
In just thirty minutes, under lightning strikes nearing 5 million volts, his physique stats had improved by nearly a full point!
It might not sound like much, but Daren hadn't forgotten how monstrous his current stats were. For someone whose physical attributes had already reached a level ordinary people couldn't even begin to fathom, gaining even one point was no small feat.
After passing 70 points, progress slowed to a crawl. To get any improvement in just half an hour? That was way more effective than any random durability training he'd been experimenting with.
Sure, his body had started to adapt to Momonga's lightning over the course of the session.
But that was only 5 million volts.
As Momonga continued to develop his Goro Goro no Mi, his lightning would only grow stronger.
10 million volts... 30 million... 50 million... 100 million...
Maybe even reaching or surpassing Enel's legendary 300 million volts!
With that thought, Daren looked at Momonga like he was some kind of priceless treasure.
He had a hunch—if he kept forging his body with lightning, he could push his physique closer and closer to Kaidou's "indestructible body."
And maybe... just maybe... there would come a day when he could casually take a thunderstrike from Big Mom like it was nothing, then laugh and shout, "Because I have guts!"
That image made Daren chuckle softly to himself.
His thoughts gradually turned inward as he focused on his stats:
Physique: 79.812
Strength: 70.513
Speed: 70.899
Armament Haki: 37.035
Conqueror's Haki: 52.301
Yeah... the gains in physique had clearly spilled over into his Armament Haki, strengthening it significantly.
The other stats hadn't improved much.
But overall, this had opened up a whole new approach to training.
And Daren was confident—as lightning-forging intensified, the gains in physique would feed back into strength and speed as well.
After all, stronger skin, muscle, and bone were crucial for overall physical advancement.
"Momonga... thought of your Admiral title yet?"
Daren suddenly turned his head, smiling as he looked at the battered Marine Captain lying beside him.
"Admiral?"
Momonga froze for a second, then gave a dry laugh.
"You really think highly of me... We're talking about a Marine Admiral here—the strongest fighting force under the World Government."
"For a monster like you, becoming an Admiral might just be a matter of time. But for people like us…"
He gazed calmly at the blue sky where white clouds drifted lazily. A faint trace of melancholy and longing flickered in his eyes as he muttered,
"That's a dream we might never reach in a lifetime."
"Not necessarily."
Daren smiled, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"Don't underestimate your potential."
In the original storyline, Momonga was one of the few elite Vice Admirals in Marine Headquarters—a true pillar of justice. When it came to talent and potential, he was anything but lacking.
Trusted by top brass, formidable in combat, and among the top in both martial arts and swordsmanship within the Vice Admiral ranks, he mastered both Armament and Observation Haki, and had even been tasked with the mandatory summon of the Pirate Empress.
Now, with the addition of the Goro Goro no Mi… If he could develop it to the level of Enel, reaching Admiral-tier strength wouldn't be out of the question.
After all, even someone like Ryokugyu made it to Admiral.
And besides, Daren could lend him a hand.
"We'll see…"
Hearing Daren's loaded words, Momonga fell silent for a moment. He slowly clenched his fists and murmured.
As he'd said, becoming a Marine Admiral was the dream of every Marine.
If there was even the slimmest chance, he'd fight for it—without hesitation, even if it meant laying down his life.
"How long are you planning to stay this time?"
Daren lit a cigarette, resting his head against his hands as he puffed.
"Wasn't planning to stay long, but now things have changed."
"Why?" Momonga blinked.
Daren winked, smiling.
"Sticking around to help you develop the Goro Goro no Mi."
Momonga: ...
You just want to use me as a lightning generator to help with your training!
His eye twitched.
Now it made sense.
Helping him develop the Goro Goro no Mi? That was just a front.
Maybe that was part of it—but what Daren really wanted was a walking lightning machine for his own body training!
But Momonga had grown numb to it by now.
He knew how unorthodox Daren's training methods were.
No normal person could keep up.
"Ah right, almost forgot this."
Daren muttered as he pulled a Log Pose from his coat and handed it to Momonga.
"What's this?" Momonga frowned.
"It points to an uncharted island," Daren said casually. "I left a stash of wealth there. Planning to use it all for developing and expanding the North Blue fleet."
"A stash of wealth? Why not keep it for yourself? Life at HQ must be expensive."
Momonga shook his head, turning him down.
"The North Blue fleet's current budget is holding up fine… The tax revenue from Doflamingo's territory is still growing by the month."
"…Besides, expanding the North Blue fleet isn't something you can do with just a couple hundred million Belly."
Momonga seriously doubted Daren could scrape together much money at Marineford.
With that many top officers around, there was no way he could run North Blue-style operations openly in Marine HQ.
"I know the cost of expanding the North Blue fleet is astronomical. That's exactly why I dug up this treasure for you."
Daren replied impatiently.
Momonga gave him a skeptical glance.
"That island… how much money are we talking about?"
Daren shrugged.
"No idea. You know I'm not interested in money. But rough estimate? Could be anywhere from hundreds of billions to over a trillion Belly…"
"—W-What?!"
Momonga's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
His hand trembled so hard he nearly dropped the Log Pose.