A harsh wind ripped through the plaza, scattering dust and debris. Cracks crawled across the vast crater where blood still lingered, the only trace of the blow that had landed moments before.
The five Gorosei—the World Government's supreme authority—stood aligned, grim-faced, apprehension gathering in their eyes.
"I see it now."
"He really does wield some unfathomable power."
"His body's moving at an unnatural speed."
"…"
Even without Nusjuro's warning, they understood instantly just how devastating Darren's punch had been. It far surpassed what he had shown on Felsek Island six months earlier.
And that only deepened their confusion.
How could a human leap to this level in half a year?
They finally understood why Steel Bone Kong hadn't managed to stop him.
In this state, Rogers Darren would have overwhelmed even Kong head-on.
"You ancient fossils are such a pain," Darren said, sounding almost weary. "No matter how many times I knock you down, you keep resurrecting."
Standing atop the shattered Stairway to Heaven, he looked down at them with a mocking smile.
"But now I get it. This 'Undying Body'… it doesn't actually belong to you."
Saint Saturn, still in his half-human, half-beast Gyuki form, answered coldly, "This power is ours by nature. We are gods—immortal beings."
"You, on the other hand, are imprisoning a force that should run wild, forcing it to stay inside a mortal frame. You're trying to trespass into a realm meant only for gods. Did you think we wouldn't notice? That state of yours won't last."
"Compared to the berserk magnetic fields and chaotic energy you're forcing through your body, even an Indestructible Body seems fragile. That kind of power isn't yours."
"Is that so?"
Darren's grin sharpened. He raised his fist, clenching it until the crackling black-purple lightning shattered in his hand.
"Then you still don't understand what I meant."
Bang!
He dropped from the summit like a meteor, knees bending slightly as the Stairway's platform caved beneath the force.
Shattered stone burst outward as Darren shot forward—a streak of blue-violet light. His afterimage blurred across the Stairway as the shockwave beneath his feet crushed the white marble steps into powder.
Saint Saturn looked up, face tightening.
A black boot split the air, dragging crimson lightning behind it like a falling executioner's blade.
The speed stunned the Gorosei. None reacted in time. All they could do was watch Darren's heel descend toward Saturn's skull.
"Because your combat instincts and mastery of your own abilities don't match eight centuries of life!"
BOOM!
Darren's kick smashed Saturn's head into the earth. The Gyuki's spiderlike lower body flipped upward, blood bursting in a violent cloud.
Saturn's eyes bulged, pupils dilating as his skull and vertebrae shattered like brittle stone.
Cracks tore through the plaza, jagged as serpents racing across the earth, splitting half the square in seconds.
Hovering above, Doflamingo trembled with exhilaration, licking his dry lips.
He understood now.
Those five ancient fossils hadn't mastered Future Sight.
Otherwise, they never would've been caught like that.
The Godfather had been right. The Gorosei were terrifyingly strong, yes—but for beings who had lived eight centuries, they were shockingly average.
Future Sight.
Conqueror's Haki Envelopment.
At least for now—they hadn't mastered them.
Their talent must have been exceptional to reach their positions, but they weren't peerless monsters. If they were, centuries would've made them invincible.
And yet they possessed immortal bodies—something even legends like Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Garp, or Roger had never achieved.
This wasn't talent.
Nor effort.
Nor the weight of years.
The Undying Body… had been granted by someone else.
Far from the frontlines, Stussy shielded her face from the stormwinds, her breath catching as she stared at Darren.
Only now did she grasp the monstrous transformation his body had undergone.
"You're asking for death!"
The remaining four Gorosei erupted with fury.
Black flames engulfed their bodies as colossal beasts manifested:
A Sandworm drenched in green slime, jaw lined with rows of needle-teeth.
Itsumade, a chimeric bird with gigantic wings and a serpentine tail.
Fengxi, a mountain of muscle and tusks.
Bakotsu, a skeletal steed blazing with deathly fire.
A hellish aura surged outward, thunder rumbling through the air.
"This is the Holy Land Mary Geoise! We will never allow a criminal like you to run free here!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's Sandworm split its maw and roared, the sound shaking the air. A violent suction erupted from its throat.
Darren froze mid-air for the briefest second.
Then the Sandworm swallowed him whole.
Got him!
Its massive form writhed, convulsing as it attempted to crush its prey.
But a heartbeat later—
SHRIIIK!!
Its abdomen exploded open, spraying yellow-green bile across the plaza.
ROAR!!
The Sandworm shrieked in agony, its body twisting violently in the throes of death.
To be continued...