Rocks flew in all directions.
Kozuki Oden's body slammed into the ground, embedding deep into it and leaving behind a massive, horrifying crater. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, flooding his face.
His pupils briefly lost focus. Blood gushed from his mouth, but he clenched his teeth and forced a fierce resolve into his eyes.
"Enma!!"
He reversed his grip on the black cursed sword Enma and thrust it toward Daren's abdomen.
In that instant, Enma seemed to come alive—like a ravenous demon from the depths of hell, frantically devouring Oden's Haki.
As the Haki in his entire arm was sucked dry, the flesh and skin on it shriveled and wasted away.
Black-and-red Ryuo surged along the blade, flickering like the flames of hell.
Daren's eyes narrowed.
He felt a chilling sense of death radiating from Enma.
This blade... something's not right.
It drained nearly all of Oden's Haki!
His heart skipped a beat. Daren instinctively twisted his body, abandoning his attacking stance.
With a grunt, the Marine Commodore tilted away just in time.
The razor-sharp blade of Enma grazed his waist, slicing through both shirt and flesh, leaving behind a gruesome gash as blood sprayed into the air.
Had he not dodged, that one thrust—powered by so much Haki—would've surely pierced straight through him.
Though his body had been tempered to a monstrous level, it was still nowhere near Kaidou's "diamond-hard" physique, protected by his dragon scales!
Seeing that even this desperate, all-out strike had failed to bring Daren down, Oden's face turned grim.
"That's a fine sword."
Daren sneered, seemingly unfazed by the wound on his side.
Then his brow lifted slightly.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blue streak diving at high speed over the sea.
A strange, pale blue flame streaked toward them with a piercing howl.
Marco?
The Whitebeard Pirates... are nearby?
"Let go of Oden!!"
Marco, in his phoenix form, let out a furious roar, his eyes filled with rage.
Massive balls of blue flame launched from his wings, hurtling toward Daren.
Daren glanced at him coldly. His gaze also landed on the nearby Moby Dick, its form like a colossal white whale. Standing on the prow was a commanding figure with a distinctive curved white mustache.
The towering blond man held a massive naginata in one hand. His white captain's coat billowed in the sea wind as he stared menacingly at Daren.
The fury radiating from him made the air and ocean tremble.
"Marine brat!! Let him go!!"
The Strongest Man in the World—Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
"So... is that supposed to be a threat?"
Daren narrowed his eyes with a cold smile, but a wild, defiant fire blazed in his gaze. He suddenly stepped forward.
As he passed by Enma's blade, he grabbed Oden's shriveled, bloodless arm.
Oden's pupils shrank sharply, a surge of panic hitting him.
He felt the terrifying strength surging through Daren's grip. His eyes turned red with rage as he roared and struggled to break free.
At the same time, he swung Ame no Habakiri at Daren!
"Not bad reflexes. But your Haki's already been drained by Enma."
Daren grinned viciously, ignoring the oncoming slash. He suddenly tightened his grip—
As Ame no Habakiri sliced into his shoulder and blood sprayed out...
Daren, his face twisted with malice, locked eyes with Oden's terrified stare—meeting the furious gazes of Marco and Whitebeard...
A provocatively defiant sneer:
"So what if you're the strongest man!?"
Rip!!
Kozuki Oden's entire arm—hand and sword included—was violently torn off!
"No!!"
Marco roared, his eyes wide with fury.
Blood sprayed like a crimson waterfall from Oden's severed arm, gushing wildly from the gaping wound. He clutched at the bleeding hole with all his strength, letting out a beast-like howl of agony.
With his Haki completely drained by Enma, his mortal body stood no chance against Daren's monstrous strength!
Just then, the blue flames of the phoenix came crashing down.
Rumble...
A massive shockwave erupted from the impact, sending pale blue fire surging across the ground.
The next moment...
Daren was blasted backwards from the flames, his military boots carving two long trenches into the earth.
He casually tossed the severed arm to the ground. Faint arcs of blue electricity crackled from his fingertips.
The cursed sword Enma—its blade etched with writhing purple-black flame patterns—launched itself from the discarded limb and hovered beside Daren, trembling non-stop.
The blade said to be able to destroy even Hell... Enma was now in his possession!
But recalling the sword's notorious tendency to devour its wielder's Haki, Daren didn't reach out to grab it. Instead, he used the power of the Jiki Jiki no Mi to restrain the restless blade.
"You bastard!!"
As the smoke and phoenix flames faded, Marco dove down, landing beside the gravely wounded Kozuki Oden and catching him before he collapsed.
His furious gaze locked onto Daren as the phoenix's blue fire flared from his palms, slowly healing the gruesome hole at Oden's shoulder.
Marco had long since accepted Oden as a comrade—someone he considered a crewmate.
And now, seeing Daren rip off Oden's arm, his hatred was so intense he could've ground his teeth to dust.
But then, through the clearing smoke, Marco got a good look at Daren's face—and froze.
"Wait... you're that Marine!!"
"The King of the North Blue! The one who took down Byrnndi World!"
Marco gasped sharply.
All at once, he remembered that recent meeting between Oyaji and Roger.
Roger himself had admitted it—this very Marine standing before them had once handed him a humiliating loss!
"So... my name's made it to the New World after all..."
Daren's white shirt was soaked in blood. Deep gashes marked his body, and he looked like a walking wreck, his lips pale from blood loss.
"Marco... my sword... Enma..."
Oden weakly opened his eyes. His remaining arm, soaked in blood, grasped Marco tightly, his face filled with panic and desperation.
Marco was stunned.
But before he could respond, a suffocating wave of killing intent swept over him like a storm.
That Marine... hadn't given up on killing Oden!
Marco's expression changed drastically.
In the reflection of his eyes, he saw it—Daren, eyes cold, raising one hand.
Arcs of blue lightning crackled in the air as the black cursed blade hovering nearby suddenly began to tremble violently.
"Submit to me, Enma!!"
Daren's voice rang out like thunder.
A magnetic field burst from his body, boiling with raw, violent force.
Enma let out what sounded like a piercing screech. Its long, sharp blade trembled even harder.
Then...
Right before Kozuki Oden's disbelieving eyes...
His own sword...
The blade known as the "Hell Destroyer"...
Wrapped in streaks of electricity...
Began to slowly turn...
Its jet-black tip... now pointing straight at him.
"Here's your sword back."
The Commodore sneered, his face streaked with blood.
The magnetic field exploded into chaos!