The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History-Chapter 245 - 147: Can You Even Handle It?

Damn—he's fast!

Just how long had Darren been at Marine Headquarters?

And yet, in that short time, his strength had exploded to a level completely beyond Momonga's grasp!

What the hell had he been doing there?

Was he doping!?

Momonga's heart pounded wildly as the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.

To him, Darren's movements were nothing short of lightning. His silhouette blurred, vanished, and then reappeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

With an inhuman force behind his pitch-black fist, it looked like even the air itself was being torn apart.

"You're trying to kill—!"

Bang!

The punch slammed straight into Momonga's face.

If time could slow, one would see his facial muscles ripple like waves across water under the force of the blow.

The next moment—

His body shot backward like a fired cannonball, crashing through several humanoid stone targets before embedding itself deep into the wall of a three-meter-high cannon platform.

A massive boom resounded, the structure crumbling instantly into rubble, smoke billowing high into the air.

"Only real pressure can force you to adapt—to master the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," Darren said with a relaxed puff of smoke, a pleased grin playing on his lips.

Damn, it felt good to crush someone again.

This past half-month had been one brutal uphill climb. One battle after another against opponents stronger than himself.

First, a joint assault on Douglas Bullet alongside Sakazuki—where Darren had been clearly weaker, still fumbling through Armament Haki and relying on Sakazuki to take point.

Then getting captured by Kaido, tortured by Queen.

Then the jailbreak, fighting both Queen and Kaido again, with no clear victory to show for it.

And right after, he'd gone toe-to-toe with Oden and even Whitebeard.

Sure, he'd bragged his way through it—but deep down, Darren knew he was still far from being on par with the so-called "Strongest Man in the World."

In short, things had been... frustrating.

Whitebeard and Kaido were one thing.

But getting bullied by Gion and even Toki?

Now, finally—finally—he had a punching bag.

And he wasn't going to waste it.

"Y-You bastard... You really didn't hold back, huh..."

A hoarse, resentful voice echoed from the ruined platform.

Zzzt!

Streams of lightning burst forth, shattering the rubble as they coalesced back into humanoid form.

Momonga wiped the blood from his mouth. His face had swollen visibly, and he glared at Darren with indignation.

"You call that pressure?! You were trying to kill me!"

"Oh?" Darren scratched his head with exaggerated innocence. "You're still alive, aren't you?"

He grinned.

"Besides... looks like you're getting better at turning into lightning."

"You think!?" Momonga snapped. "If I hadn't managed to elementalize just now, I'd be lying here with a damn concussion—!"

He froze.

Looking down at his hands, he experimentally clenched his fists.

Crackles of electricity surged across his palms—then vanished—then sparked again. Back and forth. Effortlessly.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's true... the transformation between solid and elemental states—it's getting smoother. Not nearly as clumsy as before."

"Now you see?" Darren nodded seriously. "This is the most efficient training method we learned at the Elite Officer Training Camp."

Momonga narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You sure you just didn't want to beat me up?"

Darren nodded with a perfectly straight face. "That, too."

"...You son of a—!"

Momonga's eyes burned red, electricity erupting from his body in violent surges, blue lightning roaring like flames.

He raised his hand, and a thunderbolt half a meter thick blasted toward Darren like a dragon's roar.

Far stronger than his earlier attack—faster, too.

Good. More power. And judging by the biological magnetic field I'm sensing—his Haki signature is growing stronger, too...

Darren's eyes sharpened. His smile widened.

He didn't know all the ins and outs of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

But one thing was clear:

Nothing pushes growth better than real battle and overwhelming external pressure.

More importantly...

He could feel it—his physical stats, long stagnant, were shifting again.

After Queen's "special training," Darren's body had been honed to near perfection. He was inching closer and closer to Kaido's famed indestructible body.

But ever since then—apart from his fight with Oden—his growth had hit a wall.

Until now.

The lightning was shaking him loose from that plateau.

There was no way in hell he'd miss this opportunity.

"Come on, Pikachu. Charge me up!"

Eyes gleaming with manic excitement, Darren launched himself straight into the oncoming lightning—

BOOM!!!

A thunderous explosion tore through the training ground, flames and smoke rising in a red-tinged mushroom cloud.

...

Half an hour later.

Darren, his body smudged black with soot, gleamed with joy as he nudged a crumpled Momonga with his foot.

His voice burned with feverish anticipation.

"Hey. C'mon. That was only five million volts..."

"Can't you go any higher...?"

Momonga wheezed for air, lying limp on the scorched earth.

He looked dead. Pale as a corpse. Sunken eyes. Black-and-blue bruises painting his face like abstract art.

Around them, the training ground had become a charred wasteland. Smoke curled from every crater and crack.

When Darren spoke again, Momonga flinched.

"N-No more... I'm done..." he gasped.

Even lifting a finger felt impossible.

Tears of despair welled in his eyes.

---

To be continued...