Splat.
Yellow-green slime burst from the gaping wound in the Sandworm's abdomen, hissing as it hit the ground. The corrosive fluid ate through the bricklike floor in seconds, leaving charred pits that smoked with a sharp, acrid stench.
The Sandworm writhed in agony, thrashing wildly across the plaza and kicking up clouds of dust that forced even the five Gorosei to fall back. Immortal or not, torment still felt like torment.
From the oozing tear in its flesh, a silhouette stepped forth.
Darren emerged slowly, black-purple lightning crawling over his skin like living armor, shielding him entirely from the corrosive bile.
"Filthy worm," he said, gripping the creature's body with visible disgust. "Didn't anyone tell you your stomach reeks?"
Under the horrified stares of CP0 and the Holy Land Guards, Darren braced his legs. His arm swelled with explosive force as he heaved the mountain-sized Sandworm overhead.
With a roar that split the air—
Boom!
He hurled it across the plaza, the monstrous body smashing through several buildings and flattening the entire district.
"Insolent brat! Do you think a strange little power makes you worthy to oppose us?!"
A rasping voice echoed from above.
The sky darkened.
Darren looked up.
A monstrous Strange Bird, the Itsumade, swept overhead—bird's skull, serpentine body, wings spanning the sky. Its beak yawned open as heat gathered in its throat, glowing crimson and bright enough to stain the clouds.
The yokai said to breathe fire fierce enough to battle Dragons.
With a piercing shriek—
ROAR!
A roaring sea of red flame burst forth, flooding the world below.
Even a hundred meters back, Doflamingo felt the heat tearing at his coat, scorching the air. The Gorosei might be "average" in technique, but their raw firepower and eerie abilities were nothing short of monstrous.
With Darren's speed he should dodge easily—
What is he doing?
Doflamingo froze.
Because Darren didn't move.
He simply grinned into the oncoming inferno.
BOOM!!
Flames swallowed him whole. The heat twisted the air, melting the ground into pools of glowing slag.
The firestorm raged—until a hand swept through the blaze.
A gust of wind laced with Haki extinguished the flames in a single motion.
A path opened through the inferno.
Darren stood at its center, one arm still extended, black hair stirring from the heat. The cigar between his teeth glowed, newly lit.
"Your fire's a little weak," he said. "Kaido's Heat Breath burns hotter."
Itsumade's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Before he could answer, Darren vanished.
A thunderclap split the sky.
Darren appeared above him and brought his heel down.
Clang!
Itsumade snapped his wings open, claws tearing the air as they caught Darren's kick. Sparks and Haki flared violently where they collided.
"Don't underestimate us," Saint Mars growled from within the winged monstrosity. "The Gorosei stand atop the Celestial Dragons."
Black and crimson lightning crackled around him as Conqueror's Haki flooded the sky.
"At least you're quicker than the spider," Darren said, amused, before unleashing his own Haki.
BOOM!
Thunder surged as their wills collided. Clouds exploded outward, color bleaching from the world in the burst of overwhelming force. The shockwave rippled for kilometers, knocking unconscious countless Celestial Dragons and Holy Land Guards.
Evenly matched.
Saint Mars' eyes gleamed with confidence—until Darren spoke.
"But whoever said this was my full strength?"
Saint Mars stiffened.
A blur—then weight slammed onto his back.
High above, Darren stood atop the Itsumade, hands gripping its wings. His grin spread, feral and delighted.
Tear!!
Blood sprayed across the sky.
Itsumade screamed as Darren ripped both wings from its back and crushed them to dust. The creature plummeted from the heavens, howling in pain.
Darren dropped like a thunderbolt.
Violet-blue electricity burst around him as he met Bakotsu head-on. One kick sent the skeletal steed tumbling hundreds of meters across the plaza.
The ground heaved.
A mountain-sized shadow launched upward.
"Damn brat!"
Saint Warcury—transformed into the colossal Fengxi—charged skyward, tusks gleaming, fury shaking the air.
A fierce pride burned in his eyes.
Among the Gorosei:
For bizarre and mystical power—Gyuki Saturn stood first.
For speed and killing strikes—Bakotsu Nusjuro reigned supreme.
In agility and aerial dominance—Itsumade Mars held the edge.
In regeneration and vitality—Sandworm Peter was unmatched.
But in sheer physical hardness…
In brute, unstoppable force…
In a head-on collision…
He—Topman Warcury, Warrior God of Justice—was unquestionably the strongest.
To be continued...