Lightning tore through the sky. Thunder roared across the land.

Bolts of lightning, visible to the naked eye, shot upward like a storm, shaking the surrounding jungle and snow-capped peaks.

Daren slowly stretched out his arms. Black and red lightning erupted from his fingertips, distorting and blurring the very air around him.

His fingers trembled slightly, as though even he couldn't fully control the power bursting from within.

An indescribable rush surged through his eyes.

Killing two Celestial Dragons had already boosted his Conqueror's Haki by 0.2!

That meant... each Celestial Dragon was worth an average increase of 0.1.

And right now, how many Celestial Dragons—those World Nobles—were active in the hunting grounds on Philseque Island?

More than 500.

Even if the effect of each kill gradually diminished, like the inevitable cooldown after a euphoric high, the heads of 500 Celestial Dragon pigs would be more than enough to raise his Conqueror's Haki—currently at 81—well past the 90 mark!

...

Watching the Vice Admiral unleash his Conqueror's Haki like a man possessed, a rare hint of gravity appeared on Saturn-sama's typically aloof and arrogant face.

The overwhelming pressure radiating from this young Marine was so intense, even he felt short of breath.

And then—Daren moved again.

His figure vanished like a flash of lightning, moving so fast it left afterimages rippling through the air.

In less than a hundredth of a second, he had caught up with a fleeing blond-haired Celestial Dragon.

"No! Don't kill me! I'll give you anything!!"

The blond Celestial Dragon screamed in horror, eyes bloodshot. In his panic, he grabbed a nearby companion and shoved him toward Daren.

"You bastard!!"

The black-haired Celestial Dragon who was pushed forward shrieked, his eyes flashing with rage. He spun around and stabbed at Daren with a spear!

Zzzzz...

A metallic screech rang out as the spearhead scraped across Daren's neck, throwing off a burst of sparks.

But when he saw that the spear hadn't even left a mark, the Celestial Dragon froze as if struck by lightning. A numbing cold ran through his entire body.

"M-monster..."

In the next instant, a hand clamped down on his skull.

"No!!"

The black-haired Celestial Dragon let out a blood-curdling scream.

Those who had fled farther away instinctively turned back at the sound.

And what they saw nearly made their souls flee from their bodies.

One of their own—Saint Harkness, a noble from one of the powerful families of the Holy Land—was being held by the head.

The Marine Vice Admiral's hand gently pressed down.

Then—

BOOM!

Saint Harkness' once-handsome head exploded into a cloud of blood mist, and under Daren's monstrous strength, the rest of his body detonated with it.

Thick gore splattered across the snow in a chilling display.

Only a pair of legs remained, bones and flesh exposed, still upright in the snow. The gold-embroidered hunting boots on his feet were soaked through with blood and tissue.

Conqueror's Haki +0.06!

Feeling his thoughts becoming clearer, his mind freer, and his mood euphorically calm, Daren didn't miss a beat.

He reached up and caught the silver spear that had been falling through the air.

Under the stunned, horrified gaze of the fleeing Celestial Dragons, the Vice Admiral stepped forward—like an ancient god of war—and hurled the spear with all his might.

BOOM!!

The silver spear burst forth with a sharp, deafening crack, whistling at such speed that it lit up with visible sparks.

It shot toward the blond Celestial Dragon who had started it all.

Thunk!

The spear punched straight through his heart, and without losing momentum, pierced through dozens of massive trees before vanishing into the distance.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

The blond Celestial Dragon collapsed to his knees with a dull thud, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. His face froze in a mask of utter terror, pupils rapidly dilating into lifelessness.

Even in death, he couldn't comprehend why those idiot Five Elders had pushed this demon so far.

"Hoo..."

Daren exhaled a long breath of white smoke, the cigar glowing at his lips. His eyes gleamed with a wild satisfaction, and it felt like a scorching current surged from deep within his chest, threatening to erupt in a primal howl toward the sky.

Conqueror's Haki +0.07!

This was the fastest, easiest increase he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

No life-or-death struggles.

No brutal brawls that left him bloodied and broken.

No stabbings, no clubbings.

No poison gas, no viruses, no freezing winds, no electricity, no searing heat.

Just the effortless slaughter of a pack of Celestial Dragon pigs who should've been struck down by divine judgment long ago—and his Conqueror's Haki kept rising and rising...

What kind of miserable life had he been living before this?

Eating nothing but garbage rations...

And he even had to pick a fight with Roger one-on-one!?

This damn Celestial Dragon sanctuary, Mary Geoise, was clearly the best power-leveling zone in the world!

"But... it's not too late now."

Daren murmured with a vicious grin.

His Conqueror's Haki had been stuck around 80 points for ages.

Even going head-to-head with Kaidou, Roger, or Whitebeard—taking hit after hit—never brought him a real breakthrough.

Which could only mean one thing:

Clashing with the likes of Roger, Whitebeard, or Kaidou no longer shook his spirit.

He'd already grown too used to their overwhelming presence.

He was getting closer to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

But the World Government... was different.

This ancient leviathan that had ruled the seas for 800 years, this Mary Geoise-like behemoth, stood as the symbol of absolute authority over the entire world.

Especially for Marines, that cross-shaped banner of power was like a towering mountain of pressure—crushing down with suffocating weight.

In that, Saturn-sama hadn't been wrong.

At the end of the day, the Marines were nothing more than the World Government's violent enforcement arm.

A powerful, disciplined military force.

And a military didn't need wild ambition or free will.

It only needed total obedience.

Marines had been trained to obey the World Government for decades—even centuries.

Defying that order was unthinkable.

So whenever a "deviant" like Daren emerged, the World Government would force them to conform.

Force them to obey.

Force them to carry out vile, soul-crushing tasks.

Like guarding Celestial Dragons.

Like executing genocidal missions against the innocent.

It was a loyalty test.

A psychological manipulation.

A full-blown psychological manipulation tactic.

Break the will of strong Marines.

Numb their minds.

Mold them into elite killing tools wielded by the World Government.

But now?

Daren was done playing along.

He was done pretending.

He'd torn away the mask—exposing not just the ugly truth of the World Government, but the suffocating shadow that had haunted his own heart.

Now, the skies were clear.

Now, he could finally breathe.

His mind was free.

...

And as Daren turned his gaze toward the terrified Celestial Dragons, something subtle shifted in his expression.

Beyond the pure rage and loathing, something new had begun to rise—a raw, unfiltered hunger.

The look of a beast once caged... now unleashed.

And now, that beast was baring its fangs at the hunters who had tormented it for so long.

"The World Noble Hunting Tournament... That's right."

Daren let out a savage laugh.

Then vanished.

"This Philseque Island... is my hunting ground now."

And the prey... was the so-called gods of the sea—the Celestial Dragons.