7 Chapter 7
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Chapter 7: Monsters from North Blue
"Damn!" Gion's expression changed drastically upon seeing the scene unfold before her. She realized that Darren possessed incredible strength. This must be teasing them! Kake, renowned for his close combat skills and exceptional physical prowess, attacked Darren but failed to inflict any damage. Observing Darren's bare upper body, adorned with scars, a thought crossed Gion's mind—this man's physical defenses might be beyond human, so tough that they rivaled the "Iron Body" even under normal circumstances.
As this realization set in, Gion didn't hesitate. She darted forward like a pink phantom, her eyes filled with intense fighting spirit. The golden knife in her hand gleamed with a chilling brilliance. There was no turning back now. She and Kake represented headquarters, and with so many Marine soldiers watching, they had to maintain their honor.
"Be careful, Rear Admiral Darren!" Gion called out just before she appeared before Darren. The golden knife sliced through the air, emitting a sharp crack. With a swift motion, "Draw out the knife Peach smoke!", she struck with a single blow. Blood sprayed as a vicious wound opened on Darren's chest.
Gion's pupils constricted in shock. There was no evasion? She stared at Darren, frozen in disbelief, as her knife was lodged in his muscular chest without piercing further. Then, she saw a smile—a cruel, joyous smile with a tinge of madness, curling up the corners of Darren's mouth.
"Feel the breath of all things... the realm of cutting iron?" Darren, licking the blood that had splashed onto his lips, looked at Gion with admiration. "As expected of a headquarters genius, you're only one step away from being a sword master."
Suddenly, a gust of wind attacked Gion's face, stinging her cheeks painfully. Such incredible speed! Her face turned pale, and she instinctively used her knife to block. A black military boot struck the blade with force. Gion was hit with immense power, as if a high-speed sea train had collided with her, sending her hurtling through the air and crashing into several heavy stone targets before tumbling to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and her sword hand trembled, the pain searing through her.
In the distance, she watched Darren, overwhelmed by disbelief and turmoil. This man didn't just have monstrous defenses; he was as strong as an adult giant!
From another direction, an angry roar erupted. "Damn it, Darren, you bastard! How dare you hit me in the face!" Kake, with a face swollen like a pig's, struggled to free his head from a pit, his eyes bloodshot with rage. His demeanor shifted, and he seemed to awaken like a wild beast. "You should feel proud to have pushed me this far."
With a hunched posture, Kake stood up, his uniform swelling as his muscles expanded like volcanic rock, his expression fierce. As he flexed, cracks appeared in the ground beneath him due to the intense pressure of his strength. The sight caused a stir among the observing Marines.
"What a powerful physique!" one Marine remarked.
"There is such strength within him!" another added.
"Is this the genius from headquarters?!" they collectively wondered.
They watched as Major Kake from headquarters advanced toward Darren, his aura exploding with intensity. His speed increased, and with it, his ferocity. He shot toward Darren like a meteorite but was repelled even faster than before. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his uniform was shredded by the rampant force, leaving him in tatters.
After rolling on the ground more than a dozen times, Kake curled up like a cooked shrimp.
Gake, with his mouth wide open like a fish deprived of oxygen, had his bloodshot eyes bulging from their sockets because of the pain.
"Vomit!!"
He spewed out a puddle of sour liquid, filling the air with the stench of nausea.
Silence.
The entire school ground fell into a deathly silence.
Under the shocked stares of everyone, the new North Blue admiral walked towards Gion and Kake with slow, deliberate steps.
His tall frame cast a shadow under the scorching sun, enveloping the two of them.
Darren looked down at the two "examiners" sent by the headquarters, condescendingly, with a sunny smile on his face.
"The two of you truly deserve to be the masters of this department..."
He winked,
"Please, teach me more in the future."
"Damn! Darren you bastard, how can you be so strong!?"
At this time, Kake, who had finished retching, looked up breathlessly, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Darren.
Hearing Kake's words, Darren seemed to recall something amusing, with a smile on his face.
"Compared to real monsters, I'm really not that strong..."
He smiled and glanced down at the scar on his chest.
Well, the bleeding has stopped, and it seems like a scab is forming.
"Okay, it was quite interesting discussing with you two."
He turned around and walked toward the distance of the school field.
"The warm-up is over; I have to start actual training now."
Gake and Gion were dumbfounded.
The fight just now was just a warm-up for him? He was even beheaded! But the bleeding has almost stopped, so it's fine.
They exchanged looks, the shock in their hearts beyond words.
Rumble!
As Kake and Gion stood overwhelmed, heart-throbbing sounds suddenly emerged from beneath their feet.
Dust and gravel vibrated on the ground of the schoolyard.
They looked up, sensing something.
The sight before their eyes left them blank.
One hundred meters away, the man who had just crushed them with his arrogance was holding a tremendous black iron chain.
The rusty chain, about ten meters long, stretched out and was linked to an abandoned warship outside the school grounds.
As his muscles bulged like hard volcanic rocks,
Darren gripped the massive chain with both hands.
He was actually dragging the six-meter-high medium-sized warship.
Step by step, each movement made by Darren's military boots left shallow craters in the ground of the school field.
As he progressed,
The warship he towed scraped a deep groove into the schoolyard, causing quakes.
From the direction of Gion and Kake,
The seemingly insignificant Rear Admiral Marine pulling the sizable warship cast a striking visual under the blazing sun.
Gion and Kake were astounded and speechless.
"You guys are new to North Blue; there are many things you don't know."
At that moment, Flying Squirrel approached Kake and Gion.
He admired the Rear Admiral Marine, who was laboriously dragging the warship forward.
"Rear Admiral Darren used to be Rear Admiral Sakazuki's adjutant before he transferred from North Blue to Headquarters."
"Most of the dense scars on Rear Admiral Darren were from sparring with Rear Admiral Sakazuki."
Hearing this, Gion and Kake inhaled sharply.
Those terrible scars were from sparring?
This seemed far more like a savage battle than a sparring session.
A man who could spar with the "monster" Sakazuki...
Reflecting on the "discussion" they just had, Kake and Gion felt embarrassed.
They probably gave it their all, but to that madman Darren, it was likely child's play.
"Another monster..."
Kake swallowed with difficulty, his voice dry.
The saying "North Blue produces monsters" had been widely circulating in Naval Headquarters Marineford for the past two years.
From the most chaotic of the four seas, two freaks emerged—Sakazuki and Borsolino, both with different personalities but equally terrifying power.
They shot up the ranks in less than half a year after graduating from the officer training camp, gaining recognition from Admiral Zephyr by earning the title of "monster."
But now,
It might not be long before
Another "monster" is born in this turbulent sea.
His name is Rogers Darren.
