This had never happened before.

The "suppression" Queen was talking about wasn't about power in the general sense—it was about being overwhelmed in a direct, head-to-head brawl.

There were countless powerhouses in this sea. While Kaidou's might was overwhelming, even he had to admit—compared to legends like Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki, Kaidou was still a notch below.

Even so, Queen had never seen his boss pushed this hard in a fight.

Not even the likes of Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, or Shiki had ever truly suppressed Kaidou in a straight-up physical clash. They might've gained the upper hand through sheer Haki mastery or advanced technique, but never by brute force alone.

But now...

What Queen was witnessing shattered his worldview.

The so-called "strongest creature on land, sea, and air," Kaidou of the Beasts, was being physically overpowered—completely—by that black-haired lunatic.

In strength, speed, and sheer endurance, he was being outclassed.

This was a pure difference in raw physicality.

In terms of body alone, Rogers Daren had already surpassed Kaidou-san... and claimed the throne of "strongest" on the sea.

"This can't be... there's no way..."

Queen trembled from head to toe, his body shaking like a leaf, face pale as paper.

"The first time I met that brat, he was just a regular human... how the hell did he become like this?"

He couldn't comprehend it.

If Daren had somehow mastered the Indestructible Body, Queen could've barely accepted it.

But what he was seeing now? It defied reason.

"Speaking of which... Daren actually mentioned this to me a few times,"

Dragon, standing nearby, caught Queen's muttered disbelief and picked up the thread.

"What'd he say again?"

He scratched his head, thinking—then suddenly smacked his forehead with a grin.

"Oh, right!"

"He said his strength skyrocketed thanks to hellish training, brutal combat, and barely surviving death again and again..."

"But besides that, there was one very special experience—he called it a turning point, a foundation that let him evolve into what he is now."

As Dragon spoke, Queen's face gradually lost all color. He even stumbled back a few steps, dread setting in as if he already knew what was coming.

Dragon chuckled.

"Daren still talks about how grateful he is for the way you tortured him back at the old Wano base!"

He winked at Queen, who looked like he was about to cry.

"He said your control over the virus was just right. Too weak, it wouldn't have done anything. Too strong, it would've killed him. But you dialed it in perfectly, and that tempered his body enough for him to eventually develop the Indestructible Body."

"No! That's not true! Don't make stuff up!"

Queen's face turned beet red. He pointed furiously toward the direction of Daren and Kaidou's battle, roaring,

"That has nothing to do with me!"

"I did the tests! No other subject survived the virus except that freak!"

Dragon blinked, then nodded thoughtfully.

"So what you're saying is... Daren reaching this level of power has absolutely nothing to do with you, a 'genius scientist'? It was all his own training?"

He muttered,

"I mean, I figured a discovery like that—giving a human the potential to surpass the 'strongest creature on land, sea, and air'—would put you above even Vegapunk. Could've made you the world's top scientist."

Queen froze.

His expression flickered.

And then—

"Well... since the truth's out, no point hiding it anymore."

Queen smirked, putting on airs.

"That's right! It was I—the greatest scientist in the world—who personally created the monster that surpassed Kaidou-sama!"

Hands on his hips, he burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHA—huh?"

His laughter cut off suddenly.

The smirk on his face froze.

Because that smile... had just been mirrored on Dragon's face.

"You admitted it yourself," Dragon said with a grin.

"Tight-pants fatty."

But Queen had no time to snap back. His body stiffened.

A towering figure, cloaked in shadow, had appeared silently behind him.

Black wings spread wide, casting a massive shadow over Queen.

"I'll be reporting this to Kaidou-san later."

King's cold gaze bore into Queen, his voice low and gravelly.

Queen looked like he'd been struck by lightning.

His jaw dropped, but no words came out. His round face flushed crimson with panic and regret.

Smack!

He suddenly slapped himself across the face.

But King didn't even spare him a second glance. He turned, eyes locking onto the hellish battlefield in the distance. His expression darkened.

A chill ran down his spine.

...

Boom!

The ground within a kilometer radius suddenly caved in, and countless fragments of stone and sand were shredded midair by the violent shockwave, churning into a raging sandstorm.

"Come on, Kaidou!"

From within the storm, Daren shot out like a rampaging beast, his body trailing a fiery tail of dust. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Kaidou, grinning like a madman.

"Let's have a good, old-fashioned brawl!"

"Don't get cocky, Daren, you brat!!"

Kaidou's hands flushed crimson as he gripped his kanabō with both arms and brought it crashing down with full force.

"Horai Hakke!"

Purple-black lightning crackled outward in a web, the power focused into a single devastating strike that split the atmosphere.

Daren's body suddenly surged with lightning. Moving even faster than Kaidou, his three-fingered dragon claw lashed out.

Clang!

Sparks flew violently.

He caught the kanabō and slammed it straight into the ground!

"Dragon Dive!"

A deep, bottomless fissure tore through the earth between them, erupting with a thunderous boom like a mountain collapsing. A fountain of dirt and debris shot into the sky.

At the same time,

Daren charged forward, laughing viciously as he launched a flurry of punches at Kaidou.

Each Haki-clad fist moved faster than lightning, igniting searing red arcs as they sliced through the air—like a storm of meteorites raining down on Kaidou!

"Magnetic Storm: Meteor Barrage!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!

A blinding storm of fists crashed down like a celestial strike. Explosions echoed with every hit, and the shockwaves from the barrage made the earth groan and crack under the unbearable pressure.

The entire island shook violently, trembling as if it were about to split apart.

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