A vast and terrifying aura exploded from the enraged Kaidou, surging like a thunderstorm between heaven and earth. The thick sea of clouds rippled and scattered under the shock.

A gust of wind, charged with thunder and lightning, surged in from behind. A blood-red glint flickered in the depths of Daren's eyes.

The instant his Observation Haki activated, he sensed the kanabō wrapped in purple lightning almost brushing the back of his head!

"You're really not holding back. Your daughter's still here..."

Daren cursed under his breath. With Yamato's face flushing red, he reached out and pulled her into an embrace as arcs of blue electricity crackled around him.

Lightning Activity!

Physical activation... Lightning Armor!

Every cell in his body surged to peak performance under the lightning's stimulus.

In less than a millisecond, Daren vanished from where he stood.

Kaidou's furious strike missed completely. The force unleashed by his swing tore open the earth and shot into the distance, flattening a mountain tens of meters high. Thunderous rumbles echoed across the land.

"He dodged that? From such close range?!"

King's pupils shrank as he watched from afar, unable to believe his eyes.

If Daren had only managed to add lightning activation to his explosive attacks earlier, now he had fully integrated the lightning stimulation into his combat style!

Looking at the figure that now stood a hundred meters away, wrapped in lightning like blue flames, King opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

This kind of talent... was terrifying!

Barely half an hour had passed, and he was already using his new ability this proficiently!

King couldn't help but recall something Kaidou had once said to him while drunk:

"In terms of raw talent, Linlin is absolutely the strongest on this sea... but when it comes to realizing that talent, I think that kid Daren surpasses her."

This was a monster who could convert every ounce of his potential and talent into raw power!

"She's not my daughter!"

Kaidou's face darkened like a storm cloud, sharp teeth bared as he growled,

"My daughter should be a born pirate—one who raises the Jolly Roger high and dominates the seas when she grows up!"

"...Not some brat who spends her days swooning over tabloid pictures!"

"I'm not swooning over anyone!"

Yamato clung tightly to Daren's neck, poking her head out and sneaking a glance at him. Her face turned crimson as she protested,

"I-I didn't cut out Daren-san's photo and stick it on my pillow to pretend I was hugging him while I slept!"

What? Your dad didn't say you did that...

Several black lines appeared on Daren's forehead.

"And who even wants to be your daughter?!"

Clinging to Daren's neck, Yamato looked completely confident and secure. Her usual fear of Kaidou had faded. Puffing her cheeks, she shouted,

"You're ugly, lazy, and all you ever do is drink, beat people up, and try to kill yourself!"

"Uncle Queen's cried so many times because of you!"

Crack!

King and the other Beasts Pirates stood frozen like they'd been struck by lightning.

Queen's face turned pitch black. He waved at Daren, gesturing frantically, "That never happened."

Daren: "..."

He glanced at Yamato standing with her hands on her hips. What a loose-lipped little traitor.

Then he looked at Kaidou, still standing there gripping his kanabō. Bulging veins throbbed across his forehead like wriggling worms.

Daren's mouth twitched. He had a bad feeling.

And sure enough—

"RAAAAAAAAHH!! YOU... ALL... DIE!!"

Kaidou roared to the heavens, his voice piercing the sky.

Killing intent and fury surged from his body like a living storm. Just one step forward shattered the ground within a hundred meters into fine dust!

This wasn't brute force—this was pure, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki condensed into physical form, tearing the earth apart!

The wind howled. Crimson and black lightning tangled through the air in dense, jagged lines.

Daren's expression darkened. His heart thumped wildly.

Kaidou's aura... was even more terrifying than before!

What the hell?

Wasn't I the one here to be trained?

Why is the teacher getting stronger too!?

Don't tell me Yamato pissed him off so badly that he powered up?!

Honestly, since Daren's unexpected arrival, Kaidou's power during this period had already far surpassed what it was in the original storyline.

As a "master" tempering Daren, Kaidou was also evolving, growing stronger by the day. After all, at his age, he was still in his prime and climbing in strength.

Right now, the pressure Kaidou exuded was closing in on that lunatic Big Mom!

If Kozuki Oden had returned to Wano at this point in time, like in the original story, after Roger disbanded his crew...

He'd probably get the crap beaten out of him by this hellish demon!

The legend of "slicing the dragon with a sword" wouldn't even exist.

"You're so mad you can't even fight properly! Useless!"

Yamato chimed in self-righteously, her voice still soft and childlike as she added another blow.

"I told you, one day Daren-san would beat the crap out of you!"

Boom!!

Kaidou suddenly stomped down, cracking the ground open into a deep fissure. As smoke and dust blasted skyward, he shot forward from his spot, kanabō in hand.

"Damn it! Come on, Daren! Either you kill me today, or I kill you!!"

His overwhelming bloodlust and fury surged forward like a tidal wave, putting enormous pressure on Daren.

"Daren-san, knock him flat!"

Yamato wrapped her arms tightly around Daren's neck, her face lit up with excitement.

"I'll help you!"

Daren froze for a split second, but there was no time to think. He launched forward to meet Kaidou head-on.

Clang!

His military boots, trailing arcs of lightning and Haki, slammed hard into the kanabō.

A torrent of air burst out, the ground surging like a heaving sea.

"Now! Every time he attacks, there's a brief moment where he's wide open!"

Amid the struggle, Yamato's excited voice rang in his ear.

Without thinking, Daren stepped forward sharply.

"His left shoulder! He said he got injured there!"

Daren didn't hesitate. His dragon claw seized Kaidou's left shoulder.

"Ryusoken..."

Kaidou's pupils shrank into pinpoints.

Then—

"Dragon Reverse Throw!"

Daren bent his knees, dropped his waist, and twisted his body—grabbing Kaidou and hurling him over his head...

Slamming him into the earth like a falling meteor!

Boom!!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.