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Chapter 23: As Expected Of A Genius
The blue sky met the blue sea as white clouds fluttered by. A massive warship sailed steadily across the endless blue sea, leaving a long white trail in its wake. In a dark cabin, Darren sat cross-legged on the deck, his eyes closed in solitary meditation. The flickering light from the oil lamp cast a faint shadow of his figure on the cabin wall.
Three smooth metal spheres floated in mid-air, orbiting his body in a centripetal dance. It would have surprised any observer, for these spheres flew around Rear Admiral Marine with such precision that their relative distance remained absolutely consistent. Such control required extreme skill.
As time passed minute by minute, Darren's fingers moved slightly, and the metal balls morphed, changing shape like liquid. They elongated into sharp spikes, twisted into sinister-looking iron chains, and expanded into a shield of solid steel. In a certain moment, Darren slowly opened his eyes, and the spheres immediately gathered to form a silver wristband, solidifying onto his right wrist.
He exhaled softly, a smile of satisfaction playing at the corner of his mouth.
Physique: 60.451
Strength: 55.890
Velocity: 58.048
Fruit: 71.871
"Real combat and fighting truly push me to grow faster," Darren mused as he checked his physical condition with his "insight" talent. Over the past few months, his progress had slowed considerably, and his speed and fruit ability had almost stagnated. Although his training intensity had increased and his physical stats were still improving, the rate of improvement was not what he desired.
However, since the battle with Germa 66, Darren's physique and strength had increased by more than a point—a feat that would have taken a month of training to achieve.
"It's a pity Germa 66 was too weak to push me into a real state," Darren said, lighting a cigar. Germa 66 and Vinsmoke Judge were strong, but their technological weapons were no match for his abilities. Without Darren's involvement, with the military might of Vinsmoke Judge and Germa 66, conquering the four kings of North Blue and dominating the region would not have been a problem.
"I miss the times I fought with that maniac Sakazuki..." Darren reflected. Before Sakazuki left for headquarters training in North Blue, they often sparred without using Devil Fruit abilities. To onlookers, their bouts were fierce, with Sakazuki never holding back. One wrong move could have been fatal, dubbed an "accident." Despite frequent injuries, it was during those duels that Darren's strength surged the most.
But those days were gone. With Zephyr's training, Sakazuki was likely to have mastered Haki, and the gap between them seemed infinite. Kaido had said Haki was the mightiest power in the sea.
With that thought, Darren stood. He wasn't concerned; he was bound to start the third officer training camp shortly. Even though his talent paled next to giants like Sakazuki and Borsolino, Darren was confident his abilities would earn him a spot in the Marine. But first, he had to establish the North Blue fleet as his own, obeying only his commands.
As Darren stepped out of the cabin into the sunlight, he saw a Marine soldier on patrol, maintaining the guns and artillery. On the spacious deck, Kake and Gion trained ardently, soaked in sweat. Kake struggled with a one-ton barbell, performing handstand push-ups with a fierce determination. Gion, serious-faced, practiced her swordsmanship with ordered precision, the blade whistling through the air.
"What's gotten into them?" Darren wondered aloud, as Flying Squirrel approached.
"The Germa 66 incident really got to them," Flying Squirrel said, rubbing his temple. "Especially Kake... He's been training like mad ever since we got back."
Darren laughed, recalling the sight of Kake being trampled and kicked away by Vinsmoke Judge. But his amusement was short-lived as a water column, tens of meters high, exploded alongside the warship, sending waves surging and rocking the vessel.
"What happened? Is it an enemy attack?"
"No! It's Sea Kings!"
Alarmed looks crossed the faces of the Marines. Quickly, they brandished swords, poised spears, and adjusted the ship's artillery. A gigantic shadow emerged from the splashing sea water, casting its form before them and nearly engulfing the entire warship. The blazing sun was eclipsed by the monster towering sixty to seventy meters high.
The black scales and gills made it resemble a huge eel. Its eyes, with pupils the size of lanterns, condescendingly gazed down at the Marine on the deck, and it slowly opened its bloody mouth filled with sharp teeth.
"Small Sea Kings?"
Darren observed the "strange fish" in front of him with great interest. At that time, Vegapunk had not yet figured out how to install seastone on the bottom of the warships to allow the Marines to pass through the Calm Belt. In other words, the Sea Kings could still sense the presence of the warship.
Flying Squirrel next to him instinctively reached out and grabbed the handle of his saber as if he was about to act. Darren pressed on his shoulders and shook his head. Flying Squirrel was startled but then heard a strange shout from the deck.
"Hahahahaha!! What perfect timing!! Let's use this little reptile of yours to test the cultivation results of this genius!"
As the arrogant laughter rang out, Kake stepped on the ship's railing and shot back like a cannonball. The Sea Kings creature, with blood-red eyes flashing a touch of human anger as if irritated by the "ant" in front of it, let out a deafening roar. The powerful sound waves caused many Marines on the deck to fall over. The Sea Kings opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and swallowed the leaping Kake in one gulp.
Boom! Kake punched out, and visible ripples spread through the air. The pupil of the Sea Kings froze, and its expression became confused. Under Kake's punch, dense cracks formed in its teeth, and they shattered. The creature's eyes brimmed with hot tears.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the sound of a famous sword being unsheathed resonated. The golden sword sliced through the air, sending a golden sword glow that disappeared into the void. A thin bloodstain slowly appeared on the neck of the unfortunate Sea Kings creature, and its head was cleanly severed from the body, falling into the sea and causing turbulent waves again. The blood dyed the sea red.
On the deck, Kake landed steadily, striking what he thought was a handsome pose. Gion sheathed her sword indifferently, his cloak fluttering behind him. The other Marines, dumbfounded, watched Gion and Kake dispatch the Sea Kings monster effortlessly. After a moment of silence, they erupted in joyous cheers. Some even swiftly cast their fishing nets, preparing to add to their meal.
"As expected of a genius from the headquarters... a future candidate for Admiral..." Darren watched the scene and muttered to himself, moved. From the actions of the two, he could tell their strength, speed, and physical skills had improved by at least 30% since they first arrived in the North Blue. And Gion had even mastered the "flying slash," able to cut sword light and suddenly enter the realm of a swordsman. It had only been a few days! This terrifying talent was not far behind "monsters" like Sakazuki and Borsolino.
"Hahahahaha!! Darren, did you see that!!!" Kake approached with a beaming face, raised his arms, and flexed his biceps to show off. "A Sea Kings that big, and I just shattered all its teeth with one punch today. Can you—"
Boom! Another huge wave exploded on the sea as if attracted by the blood of the Sea Kings. One by one, a total of eight Sea Kings creatures, each over 100 meters tall, emerged, roaring and causing the sea to churn with their echoing bellows. The comparatively "little" warship trembled before the imposing presence of the eight larger Sea Kings.
Darren beckoned, and his metal wristband fell off. It then morphed and stretched into a sharp spear, shooting through the air. Terrifying magnetic forces propelled the spear, causing white ripples to bloom in its wake, invisible to the naked eye. In an instant, it was moving at an incredible speed. To those on the deck, it was just a silver blur as it darted through the void.
The Sea Kings creatures froze as their bodies exploded with densely packed tiny holes, blood spurting out like geysers. They collapsed, sending jets of water skyward. While Darren reformed the metal spear into a wristband and casually slipped it on, eight lifeless Sea Kings continued to fall into the sea behind him. He turned to the astonished Kake and asked, "Major Kake, what were you trying to say just now?"
Kake, the corner of his mouth twitching, replied with a smile, "I said that you can definitely do better than me!" Darren glanced at him, patted his shoulder, and looked toward the horizon.
The outline of an island gradually appeared in the distance. "Let's get ready. We're going to land on the island soon," Darren remarked with a corner of his mouth curved in a sardonic smile. "Our mission this time is to protect the great, sacred, and noble Celestial Dragons."