Hearing those words, Dragon—locked in elemental form, entangled in combat with three CP0 agents—staggered midair, his mouth twitching uncontrollably and his face covered in black lines.

"I never realized Daren's mouth was this foul... he might actually rival Sakazuki."

Besides both being called "monsters" in Marine Headquarters, Dragon and Sakazuki had once been classmates at the Naval Academy.

Back then, they were proud, headstrong geniuses—full of ambition and unwilling to back down from anyone. During their time at the academy, they constantly butted heads, considering each other archrivals and always competing, whether out in the open or behind the scenes.

Be it physical training, tactical theory, or live missions, they fought tooth and nail. Their heated clashes often drew curious spectators—especially Borsalino, who loved watching the chaos.

In the end, Dragon and Sakazuki both graduated at the top of their class, tying for first place and sharing the honor of being the "top of the class."

Even after graduation, the "rivalry" between them didn't die down. In fact, it intensified—especially given their fundamentally different interpretations of "justice." Their conflict only grew deeper with time.

But it was precisely because of this rivalry that Dragon knew Sakazuki better than most.

Setting aside Sakazuki's terrifying combat talent, his gift for trash talk was also absurdly high—monster-level.

Dragon couldn't count how many times Sakazuki's infuriating mouth had provoked him into throwing punches... nor how many times he'd burst into laughter watching him roast pirates on the battlefield.

And now, Daren's mouth was every bit as lethal.

Given their shared stint together in the North Blue...

Dragon couldn't help but wonder—who taught whom?

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but his expression soon darkened.

Because the moment Michael revealed that strange werewolf transformation, Dragon clearly sensed it—his aura was shifting.

It was growing stronger.

The instant that realization hit, Dragon's movements sped up instinctively.

He couldn't afford to waste any more time. Even if it meant taking serious damage, he had to finish off the three CP0 agents as quickly as possible and rush to support Daren!

No matter how powerful Daren was, at their level, actual combat differences weren't so wide that a solo fight would resolve quickly.

And Michael wasn't just any Celestial Dragon—he was the Supreme Commander of God's Knights… the so-called "strongest Celestial Dragon" in the world.

If they were truly going to carry out Daren's plan—to take down the head of the God's Knights—then he had to join the fight, now!

...

Crackling black and red Haki tore through the sky like thunder, filling the entire battlefield.

Hearing Daren's sharp provocation, the silver-furred werewolf's glowing red eyes flared with killing intent.

"Let's see if you're still smiling in a few minutes."

Claws gripped tight around the silver Western sword, and the Frostshadow Silver Wolf vanished like a specter.

Roar!!

He darted through the void faster than light, leaving behind a howling vortex that ripped through the ground in a spiraling shockwave.

That speed...!

Daren's pupils narrowed, a strange red glint flashing deep in his eyes. Blue lightning surged violently across his body.

With his Observation Haki pushed to the limit—and the Lightning Armor fully activating every cell in his body—his senses reached their absolute peak.

At that very moment, a Western sword wrapped in black and crimson lightning descended silently from thin air!

The atmosphere distorted into ripples, yet no air pressure followed—Michael's strike was pure speed incarnate!

Coated in Haki and radiating bone-chilling light, the blade hurtled straight toward Daren's face.

A pitch-black three-fingered claw swept up through the darkness.

Clang!

Sparks exploded violently. At the moment of impact, the ground beneath Daren's feet let out an anguished groan, then split downward in a flawless fracture. The shockwave spread in all directions, only stopping after tearing through a full kilometer of earth.

The terrain collapsed into a massive crater. Chunks of rock hurled skyward were instantly pulverized by the raging energy.

At the center of the blast zone, Daren stood motionless.

His entire body now radiated a deep obsidian sheen, exuding an aura of ruthless, demonic force.

He hadn't budged an inch.

Devil form!

His ferocious dragon claw gripped the Meito-grade Western sword tightly—its blade frozen just centimeters from his brow!

"Oh? Not bad."

Saint Michael tilted his head slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he watched Daren react in time to his attack.

"Like a devil... covering your entire body in Armament Haki and boosting your explosive power through large-scale Haki output?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that technique originated from Douglas Bullet of the Roger Pirates... So you've learned that too."

He narrowed his eyes, studying the black-haired youth before him with renewed interest.

"Ryusoken, developed by Dragon... Bullet's Devil Form... Kaidou's lightning-based activation technique and Indestructible Body... and this close-quarters combat style—it all reeks faintly of Garp and Zephyr's influence too…"

"Incredible. To think someone could master so many disparate and chaotic abilities… That kind of integration defies all logic. Just what secrets lie within your body?"

"Looking at it now, perhaps you, Rogers Daren, are the true 'ultimate test subject' the World Government should have been studying all along."

Daren grinned.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I've already taken part in more than my share of experiments."

"And I'm not—"

He stopped mid-sentence. His expression shifted in an instant as he sharply tilted his head to the side.

Without warning, the Frostshadow Silver Wolf—Saint Michael—opened his jaws wide, unleashing a freezing beam of ice-cold energy straight from his mouth!

Hiss!

The beam that could freeze anything skimmed right past Daren's neck, then drilled silently into the distant ground.

Whoosh!

The ice beam made no sound upon impact. Not a ripple, not a boom—just an eerie silence.

Then came the horror.

In an instant, a massive stretch of land in that direction was consumed in pure white frost. Endless sheets of ice spread across the terrain, rolling toward the sea.

The roaring waves froze solid mid-motion, and the icy layer extended outward for over a kilometer, vanishing into the distance.

Clang!

Both men slid back simultaneously from the force of their clash.

Daren reached up and touched his neck—now covered in a thin, frozen crust.

With a surge of Haki, black and red lightning erupted from his body and shattered the icy layer to pieces.

"How underhanded of you, Supreme Commander."

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