"Kill!"
"They're getting away!!"
"Damn it! Take them down!!"
"They're still wearing Seastone shackles! Their power's been weakened!"
"Get them!!"
...
Malice and furious roars surged from every direction like a rising tide. Members of the Beasts Pirates, seeing Daren and Bullet break out of prison, charged in from all sides with weapons drawn, shouting as they surrounded them.
There were so many of them that dust was kicked up from the brown earth, forming thick clouds that made the scene from afar look like a churning, unstoppable tide.
Within seconds, the pirates had closed in, forming a massive encirclement that cut off every possible escape route for Daren and Bullet.
"Never thought I'd be teaming up with a Marine one day."
Bullet cracked his knuckles, his aura flaring higher and higher. A murderous scarlet gleam burned in his eyes, and his messy golden hair whipped wildly in the gusting wind.
Daren shifted into an attack stance. The Seastone shackles clinked noisily as he let out a cold, defiant laugh.
"Just don't slow me down."
With the pirates closing in like a flood, the two stood back to back, wild grins flashing in their eyes—arrogant and unrestrained.
One second.
Two seconds.
As the pirates rushed up, raising kanabō and other weapons high overhead, grinning viciously just before they swung—
"Let's go!!"
Their gazes sharpened, and with a simultaneous roar, they burst into action.
Daren slipped to the side in a swift sidestep, narrowly avoiding a massive sword crashing down from above. As the attacking pirate's face twisted in fear, Daren lashed out with one hand.
The chain of his Seastone shackles whipped forward with a metallic rattle, wrapping around the pirate's neck. Daren let out a savage laugh.
"Beasts, huh? Let me show you what a real beast looks like!"
He yanked hard with both hands!
The chain snapped taut with terrifying strength, and the pirate's face went deathly pale.
Slash!
The pirate's head flew into the air, and scalding blood sprayed from his neck like a fountain, drenching the black-haired Marine in crimson.
At that moment—
Several weapons of all shapes and sizes came crashing down on Daren.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Instead of the sound of blades sinking into flesh, what rang out was the unmistakable clash of metal.
The pirates froze, eyes wide in disbelief at the sight before them.
A hammer smashed into Daren's head, but all it did was tilt it slightly.
Blades that struck his back snapped with a loud crack, their broken fragments flying through the air.
Two kanabō locked against his neck didn't even budge.
"Monster..."
"That's... 'The Man of Steel'..."
"The exact same physique as Kaidou-sama!!"
"How is this possible!?"
The pirates were frozen in terror, despair flashing in their eyes.
At that moment, Daren suddenly grinned.
"All done? Then it's my turn."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he charged headfirst into the stunned, panicked group of pirates.
Elbow strikes, chokeholds, knee slams, punches, sweeping kicks, throat jabs... The most refined close-quarters combat skills on the seas—fusing orthodox Marine techniques with brutal battlefield killing arts—erupted with terrifying power!
Attack!
Attack!
Attack!
Daren didn't bother defending or dodging. The pirates' attacks all landed on him, but none had any effect. Nothing could slow him down.
Bullets bounced off his body like pebbles.
Some Beasts Pirates even hauled out a portable grenade launcher and blasted him directly—but it only made him stagger slightly. Moments later, he burst back through the smoke and flames like a demon.
In contrast, Daren's own attacks were simple and clean.
Yet no pirate could last even a single exchange against him.
One blow crushed their hearts, tore their limbs, or twisted their heads clean off.
Wherever the black-haired Marine passed, it was a rain of blood and a trail of corpses.
The pirates nearby, rushing up to reinforce the encirclement, were visibly shaken.
"Hey, hey, hey—are you guys just tickling him or what?"
Bullet muttered with a hint of annoyance as he watched.
As he spoke, he dodged a battle axe swinging in from the left, grabbed a pirate's head with one hand, and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!!
The earth burst open, scattering debris everywhere.
Compared to Daren's reckless, defense-free assault, Bullet fought with more control.
Though he too had trained his body to superhuman levels, his raw durability wasn't nearly as monstrous as Daren's. And missing an arm in this kind of melee was no small disadvantage.
Even so, his offense was brutal.
He darted through the crowd with deadly speed, sending pirates flying left and right, limbs flailing and blood spraying.
No exaggerated Haki blasts.
No earth-splitting, mountain-crushing power.
Just pure hand-to-hand slaughter.
Every part of his body became a lethal weapon, driven by the human instinct to kill pushed to its limit.
In that moment,
Daren and Bullet were drenched in blood, laughing maniacally as they fought.
As if only this kind of madness could remind them...
They were truly alive.
...
Far from the prison—
Faster!!
Faster!!
Senor, submerged underground, had bloodshot eyes as he frantically propelled himself forward through the earth, carving a long trench in his wake.
To avoid losing it mid-operation, he hadn't stashed the Seastone shackle key in his pocket. Instead, he clenched it tightly between his teeth.
He didn't choose to "deep dive." That would've increased stealth, sure—but the deeper underground he went, the greater the pressure, and the slower his speed. His body wouldn't last.
Faster!!
The prison near the mountainside was already in sight. Senor could just barely make out two lone figures surrounded by a sea of pirates.
Daren-sama and Bullet!
They'd broken free!?
He froze for a second, then gritted his teeth.
Seeing that no one had blocked his way along the route, and that the prison was swarming with Beasts Pirates—
He instantly understood. Daren-sama was risking his life to buy time... for him.
But just then—
"You damned thief!! You dare steal my key!?"
A furious roar exploded behind him. The sheer volume hit like a shockwave, sweeping forward in a suffocating tide.
"You're dead!!"
RUMBLE—
Heavy footsteps thundered from behind, drawing closer at terrifying speed. Senor instinctively turned to look, and what he saw made his blood run cold. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
A massive figure in black-and-white overalls was barreling toward him, roaring like a wild beast. Each stomp cracked the ground, sending up clouds of dust.
It charged like an unstoppable war machine.
Ancient Zoan-type Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Brachiosaurus.
Beasts Pirates All-Star...
"The Plague" Queen!!
He's caught up!!
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake