"...your execution on the spot!"
The cold voice of the Commodore thundered in Perospero and Daifuku's minds, sending a jolt through their hearts.
"Damn Marines! How did you find us!?"
Charlotte Daifuku stepped forward, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Daren in the sky, gritting his teeth.
The New World was vast; even the World Government and Marine Headquarters couldn't possibly have complete information on this sea. How did this Marine locate them so quickly?
"Our retreat route was clearly—"
Before he could finish, his pupils contracted.
Without any visible movement from the Commodore, two sharp Meito swords, one black and one white, shot out again.
Like twin silver bolts of lightning, they pierced toward the two men.
Daren attacked without warning, giving them no chance to catch their breath or react!
As for how he found them, it was actually quite simple.
Although the seas of the New World were complex and the weather unpredictable, there were only three routes from Coin Island to Whole Cake Island.
Considering that Charlotte Perospero and Daifuku were both seriously injured and fleeing in a panic, they would undoubtedly choose the fastest one.
Daren only needed to follow that route and use his magnetic field perception to catch up with them!
"This bastard!"
Charlotte Perospero cursed under his breath, shocked by the decisiveness and ruthlessness of this Marine.
However, as the eldest son of the Charlotte family, he had much more combat experience than Charlotte Daifuku.
The moment Daren made his move, Perospero slid sideways without hesitation, his remaining arm drawing a semicircle in midair to create a solid candy barrier in front of them.
"Candy Wall!"
Clang! Clang!
The black and white swords sank into the thick candy wall, stuck there, their tails shaking violently.
Shattered candy exploded into countless fragments, scattering like sparkling stars and obscuring their vision—a beautiful yet deceptive sight.
"He blocked it!"
A hint of joy flashed in Charlotte Daifuku's eyes.
"That's because he didn't coat his weapons with Haki... Don't underestimate him!"
Charlotte Perospero's forehead was slick with cold sweat as he shouted.
Though he had blocked Daren's attack, there was no sign of relaxation in his eyes—only heightened alertness.
He knew better than anyone the toughness of the candy he created.
Not to mention ordinary swords and knives, even repeated bombardments from heavy artillery might not break through the solid defense of the candy wall.
But the Marine's move, without even using Armament Haki, relying solely on the sharpness and powerful momentum of the Meito swords, nearly shattered the candy wall Perospero had created.
Glancing down at the wound on his severed arm that was still bleeding profusely, Charlotte Perospero gritted his teeth.
He couldn't let himself be hit!
He had to strike first!
In that instant, Charlotte Perospero activated his Devil Fruit ability, forming a new arm of candy at the site of his severed limb.
Amidst the falling candy debris, he locked onto Daren's figure in the sky and assumed a bow and arrow stance.
Pink sugar liquid quickly condensed into a bow and arrow, and a rain of arrows suddenly whistled through the sky.
"Candy Shower!"
"Let's see how you dodge this move!"
A fierce, cold smile appeared on Perospero's lips.
But in the next second, the smile on his face suddenly froze.
The Marine Commodore had no intention of dodging, allowing the rain of candy arrows to strike him unabashedly.
Then... they all bounced off!
Except for a few small tears in his clothes, there wasn't even a mark left on his skin!
Daren narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Even Haki is useless. Looks like you're the one who underestimated your opponent."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, his figure vanished.
Perospero and Daifuku's pupils shrank at the same time.
He's so fast!
A chilling sense of danger surged up their spines. Their Observation Haki flared instinctively, pushed to the limit.
"Your reactions are too slow."
A low voice rang out behind them.
A towering shadow loomed over the two instantly.
"No… more like your injuries are too severe."
A burst of fierce wind exploded behind them, sending a shiver down their backs.
A sonic boom!
This guy's strength is completely insane!
It wasn't just that his Devil Fruit had developed to the terrifying level of affecting an entire island—his physical strength, speed, and explosiveness completely overwhelmed them!
They couldn't believe it.
Back on Coin Island, they were too focused on "dealing with" Sengoku, the Marine Admiral, and only saw Daren as a Devil Fruit user.
Even when Daren blocked an attack from Shiki, they simply assumed Shiki hadn't gone all out.
After all, they hadn't fought him directly—the impact hadn't felt real.
But now, in this moment, they truly understood the overwhelming might of the Marine Commodore who had destroyed Shiki's flying fleet single-handedly!
"Damn it!!"
Perospero snarled, eyes bloodshot. In an instant, he yanked the unresponsive Daifuku behind him. As he turned, a suit of candy armor spread over his body.
"Candy Armor!!"
Reflected in his pupils, a blackened, three-fingered dragon claw came crashing down with a savagery that could tear through anything!
"Ryusoken: Dragon Claw!"
Crack!
The solid candy armor only held for a second before the indestructible claw shattered it with a thunderous impact.
The claw continued its assault, slamming brutally into Perospero's throat!
It felt like he'd been struck by lightning. His mouth opened reflexively, blood pouring out as his body bent forward violently.
"Damn it! Let him go!!"
Charlotte Daifuku's eyes nearly popped. He immediately activated the power of the Hoya Hoya no Mi, summoning a massive blue genie, as large as a small mountain.
"Majin Saidan!!"
The genie seemed to feel his master's fury. It let out a deafening roar and brought its naginata down in a furious arc!
Clang!!
A booming metallic ring exploded through the air, followed by a piercing soundwave that made their eardrums ache.
The naginata, powerful enough to cleave a warship, smashed into the Marine Commodore's broad chest—only to spark uselessly on impact.
"No way…"
Daifuku's already pale face turned ghostly white, filled with disbelief.
Even though he was seriously injured and far from his full strength, the result was still too shocking.
He couldn't even break through this guy's defense!?
Staring at the expressionless Marine before him, Charlotte Daifuku felt an icy chill surge up from the soles of his feet, racing along his spine and burrowing into his brain.
In that instant of stunned clarity, he realized—this Marine's oppressive presence… was nearly on par with Mama's!
"Daifuku… run…"
Blood gushed from Perospero's mouth and nose as Daren held him suspended by the throat. He forced out the words with difficulty.
But Daifuku stood frozen, as if he couldn't hear him, face ashen.
He was only 18 years old… and his courage had been utterly shattered.
Perospero clutched at Daren's arm with both hands, pink candy spreading from his fingers, crawling along Daren's arm—clearly trying to trap him using his Devil Fruit.
"Quick... run…"
"It's over."
Daren's eyes narrowed as he gripped Charlotte Perospero's throat and slammed him down with brutal force.
Boom!!
The ground within a hundred-meter radius collapsed again, forming a deep crater laced with cracks.
Perospero's bloodshot eyes twitched once before quickly going dull.
Charlotte Perospero, officer of the Big Mom Pirates, bounty: 210 million Belly... dead.
"You... you killed Perospero Nii-san…"
Blasted back several meters by the shockwave, Charlotte Daifuku landed hard, coughing up blood, his face filled with terror. He stared at Perospero's blood-soaked corpse, body trembling as he scrambled backward.
"Mama won't forgive you… Mama will never forgive you…"
Daren approached without expression, blood still dripping from his Haki-coated hands.
"Yeah, crossing Big Mom is a hassle, but too bad—you almost killed one of my men."
He stepped toward Daifuku, each slow footstep echoing like a death knell.
"I'm from the North Blue."
"Maybe you don't know this, but in the North Blue, being unable to protect your own subordinates is a mark of failure."
"And I'm someone who holds the rules of the North Blue in high regard... In this line of work, it's either you kill me or I kill you."
"…There's no such thing as 'the Big Mom Pirates can kill others, but no one's allowed to kill them' in this sea."
Seeing Daifuku still frantically crawling back, Daren curled a finger.
Enma and Kariumi flew toward him, piercing both his legs and pinning him to the ground.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
Under the excruciating pain, Daifuku let out a demonic howl, screaming in rage,
"You're dead!! Mama will never forgive you!!"
"Yeah? I'll be waiting."
Daren kept walking forward.
Just then, a raspy woman's voice rose from the ground nearby.
"Mamamama... What an interesting little Marine. Are you really not afraid of me?"
Daren stopped and turned toward the sound—he spotted a Den Den Mushi.
He walked over, picked it up, and frowned.
"Big Mom?"
"Mamamama... That's right, I'm Charlotte Linlin."
A cold, eerie laugh came from the Den Den Mushi.
"You're the Marine who took out Byrnndi World, embarrassed Roger and Whitebeard, and wiped out Shiki's fleet?"
Daren glanced at the barely breathing Charlotte Daifuku at his feet and said flatly,
"That's right."
"Mamamama!! How fascinating! Truly fascinating!! I'm very interested in you! I have a proposal—"
Daren shook his head.
"Not interested."
As soon as he finished, he lifted his right foot...
In Daifuku's horrified eyes—
Smack!!
His skull exploded like a watermelon under Daren's boot. Blood splattered everywhere.
Charlotte Daifuku, officer of the Big Mom Pirates, bounty: 180 million Belly... dead.
The world fell into a moment of eerie silence.
"But you didn't even hear my proposal…"
Big Mom's voice rang out again—not from the Den Den Mushi, but from… behind him.
Daren crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand, face still expressionless, and slowly turned around.
Up in the sky—
A mature, voluptuous figure stood atop a black thundercloud, exuding a terrifying aura. She rested a massive blade on her shoulder, its sinister grin seemingly alive, and looked down at Daren with piercing eyes.
Her long pink hair whipped wildly in the blood-scented sea breeze, spilling out from beneath a hat adorned with pink polka-dot ribbons.
Blood-red lips curled slightly, dripping with seduction.
Big Mom licked the corner of her mouth, eyes glinting with greedy hunger as she gazed at the Marine Commodore, smiling with dangerous allure.
"I want you to be Charlotte Linlin's husband—my husband."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake