Blood splattered into the air, landing across Shiki's face and making him look even more savage and terrifying.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded by the scene before them.
Snap!
Suddenly, a hand shot up and grabbed the razor-sharp, peerless Meito sword.
The twisted grin on Shiki's face froze instantly.
"That really hurt... You almost gutted me right there…"
Daren suddenly raised his head, panting and grinning, locking eyes with the legendary Great Pirate before him—his gaze cold to the extreme, and just as mad.
Shiki's pupils shrank.
To his shock, his blade had sunk into the Commodore's chest muscles—only to get stuck tight. It wouldn't budge another inch!
The pitch-black Armament Haki began to slowly recede from Daren's chest. Around the bleeding wound, the muscles—like stone, yet seemingly alive—clamped down hard on Kogarashi, emanating a cold, iron-like pressure.
This was... Armament Haki combined with the Marines' Rokushiki technique, Tekkai!
No...
If that were all, there's no way he could've taken my strike head-on!
Shiki's eyes locked onto the wound—muscle, skin, bone...
"A steel-like body!?"
His pupils quivered violently as the words slipped out in shock.
Daren grinned wide.
So, in the end, Zephyr-sensei... Observation Haki doesn't matter much after all.
Only raw physical strength—that's my foundation in this sea!
With a low, thunderous growl, Daren's left hand curled into a claw. Wrapped in Armament Haki, it shot straight toward Shiki's groin with vicious intent!
What a dirty move!
Shiki's hair stood on end. He tried to yank Kogarashi free from the Marine brat's grip, but to his surprise, the blade didn't move at all!
That bloodstained hand was clenched tight like a steel vise—completely immovable.
This Marine brat... His raw strength is actually greater than mine!?
Block!
With his left hand, Shiki raised Oto to deflect Daren's claw strike. Sparks burst from the clash.
Daren's strike failed to land, but he didn't give Shiki even a second to breathe. Ignoring the blade tearing into his palm, he yanked hard on Kogarashi, dragging Shiki—sword and all—toward him with a wild grin.
Shiki stumbled through the air, completely off balance.
"Admiral Sengoku!!"
Daren roared, eyes bloodshot.
This wasn't some reckless ambush. He'd come prepared to take down Shiki.
The real threat with a master swordsman like Shiki wasn't just his blade—but his use of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. That floating ability gave him extreme mobility, letting him launch devastating mid-to-long range strikes.
In the original story, that's how he single-handedly broke into Marineford, wreaked havoc across half the base, and only lost when both Garp and Sengoku teamed up against him.
Which meant—if you wanted to truly defeat this man, the first step was locking down his movement!
"Hahahahaha!! Beautifully done, brat!!"
A massive golden figure suddenly appeared behind Shiki. His admiral's cloak billowed wildly in the wind.
Sengoku raised his fist, golden light surging around it—and slammed it down like a mountain falling from the sky!
That punch carried all of Sengoku's power.
A violent surge of Haki roared above Shiki's head. The surrounding air compressed to the extreme as black and red lightning shot down in streaks...
"Don't make me laugh!!"
As Sengoku's devastating blow closed in, Shiki roared with bloodshot eyes.
Zzzzz!!
Black and red lightning exploded around him, boiling and crackling as Conqueror's Haki surged outward without restraint.
"I'm the man who will rule the world!!"
Daren, at point-blank range, was struck as if by lightning.
The sudden burst of Conqueror's Haki at such close range sent the already wounded Daren reeling, dizzy from the impact.
His vision blurred. In front of him, the ground, turrets, rubble, and collapsing buildings seemed to shatter and sink into chaos—like a mirror breaking into countless pieces.
With a reversed grip on Oto, Shiki swung the Meito in a wide arc.
Boom!!
The blade collided with Sengoku's descending fist like a comet slamming into the earth, unleashing a massive shockwave that tore through the air.
Blood trickled from the corners of both their mouths.
Sengoku was forced back.
But Shiki, unfazed, grinned savagely and lashed out with a kick toward Daren's abdomen.
Daren's expression shifted. Fighting off the dizziness, he dropped into a crouch to block it.
Bang!!
A sharp crack echoed from his shin—his leg bones beginning to fracture. Daren let out a muffled grunt of pain.
This bastard… Even his roundhouse kicks are infused with Haki!!
"Jihahahaha!! Daren, I'll admit you're strong… but do you even know what real combat is!?"
Shiki laughed wildly. Though Kogarashi was still locked in Daren's grip, his legs struck with terrifying speed and force.
His kicks—master-level techniques!
Each strike thudded against Daren's body, bursting open blood mist on impact.
"Use everything… Every part of the body becomes a weapon… That's how I've conquered the seas—"
Bang!!
A brutal headbutt cut his words short and jammed them right back into his throat.
Twin streams of blood sprayed from his nostrils.
His head jerked back, eyes flashing with shock.
He's already this badly injured… yet this brat can still—?
"Of course I do!!!"
Daren's black hair whipped in the wind as he roared like a beast, blood-red eyes twisted in a feral grin.
His body was soaked in blood, his Marine uniform completely drenched in crimson.
He curled the fingers of his right hand.
Index and middle fingers pressed together, ring and pinky fingers aligned—like a dragon's claw!
"That stance…" Sengoku's eyes widened.
"Come on!!"
Daren's expression was wild, but his gaze was colder than ever.
"Ryusoken!!"
"Jihahahaha! You're an amusing brat!!"
Shiki burst into mad laughter.
"Zanpa!!"
Amid black smoke and dancing flames, both wore crazed smiles.
They struck at the same time!
The Meito Oto—
The black Dragon Claw—
The two attacks passed each other perfectly…
Their targets—each other's bodies!!
Both completely abandoned defense!!
Shhk!!
Shhk!!
Blood sprayed into the air.
Sengoku's pupils shrank sharply.
Time seemed to freeze.
Shiki, still wearing that vicious grin, had already buried Oto deep into Daren's abdomen, blood gushing from the wound.
Daren's eyes were like ice, his bloodied right hand locked tightly around Shiki's Kogarashi.
And his other hand—
The three-fingered Dragon Claw—had raked a deep, bone-revealing gash across Shiki's chest.