The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History

Hearing that thunderous name, both Darren and Kuzan froze—pupils shrinking sharply.

Patrick Redfield.

Also known as the "Red Count" and "Red the Aloof," he was one of the legendary pirates of old. His strength was overwhelming—so much so that he was said to rival Roger and Whitebeard single-handedly.

Though that assessment came from Sengoku, who was often suspected of exaggerating his opponents, it still served to highlight how terrifying Redfield truly was.

After all, Darren clearly remembered that Redfield had real feats under his belt.

Before the Great Pirate Era began, he had once battled Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong for ten full days and nights. He narrowly won, only to collapse from exhaustion and be "cleaned up" by the belatedly arriving Vice Admiral Garp, who tossed him into the sixth level of Impel Down—Infinite Hell.

It was because of that infamous battle that Garp earned himself the odd nickname of the "Cleanup King"—or more accurately, the "King of Team-Ups"

So this was the decisive battle in the original timeline that led to Redfield's defeat.

The thought flickered across Darren's mind, but he quickly regained his composure.

That said, the nickname "King of Team-Ups" wasn't entirely unfounded.

Looking over Garp's storied career, nearly all of his legendary victories had come through teaming up.

At the God Valley Incident, a young Garp had joined forces with none other than Gol D. Roger to defeat the Rocks Pirates, earning him the title of Hero of the Marines.

In the battle between Kong and Redfield, Garp again "teamed up," arriving just in time to seal the victory—solidifying his image as the "strongest Marine."

Later, when the Golden Lion went berserk and stormed Marineford solo, it was Garp and Sengoku, together, who brought him down and locked him in Impel Down.

With the "team-up" buff active, Garp was utterly unstoppable.

But the one time he went solo—to Hachinosu Island to rescue his student Koby—he got stabbed clean through the chest by Shiryu and his fate became uncertain.

It didn't quite add up.

Looking at it that way… the nickname "King of Team-Ups" suddenly made a lot of sense.

Darren stroked the faint stubble on his chin, his gaze toward Garp growing subtly strange.

Before he could speak, Kuzan suddenly let out a wild yell beside him, startling Darren.

"I'm ready, Garp-san!!"

Darren twitched at the corners of his mouth and turned to look.

Kuzan's face was flushed red with excitement, his fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling.

"After this stretch of training, I've mastered all the camp's courses! I've also become adept at using Haki! I'm fully prepared to hunt down pirates and fight evil to the bitter end!"

Twin streams of white steam burst from his nostrils as he snapped to attention and bowed deeply to Garp, shouting:

"Please take me with you!!"

Darren: "…"

This guy really was enthusiastic.

Even as he rolled his eyes, Darren couldn't help but be impressed by Kuzan's progress.

This was a man known as a "monster," after all—one of the future Three Admirals. In just half a year, he had grasped Haki with skill, and judging by the aura around him, he was already no weaker than an elite Rear Admiral. His Devil Fruit control had surely advanced as well.

That kind of talent was beyond extraordinary.

"Bwahahahaha! You really are my student—full of spirit!"

Garp beamed at Kuzan, clearly pleased.

"But this time, you two won't be coming."

"Redfield's a lone wolf. He has no fleet, no pirate crew. If I bring you along, you'd have to face him head-on… and in the end, I'd probably have to split my focus to protect you."

He patted Kuzan's shoulder, smiling gently.

"You're the future of the Marines. I can't let anything happen to you."

"Otherwise that bastard Zephyr will be breathing down my neck."

When Sengoku involved Darren in previous missions, it was because Darren's Devil Fruit power happened to counter the target. He was never expected to engage in a direct fight—which is why Zephyr, fiercely protective as he was, had allowed it.

But who could've guessed that Darren would always end up in some weird situation, forcing him to clash with top-level pirates anyway.

"Damn it!"

Kuzan clenched his fists in frustration, clearly disappointed.

…

"Come on, Darren!! It's been way too long since our last proper fight!!"

At the abandoned port, Kuzan stood ready, eyes blazing as he locked onto Darren. Battle spirit flared from him like wildfire.

Darren scratched his head helplessly.

Garp had offered them a few quick pointers and then immediately boarded a warship to set out.

According to him, the latest intel confirmed that Fleet Admiral Kong had already engaged Redfield in battle—and Garp needed to support him as soon as possible.

The moment he left, Kuzan wasted no time grabbing Darren for a duel—leading to the scene before them.

"Alright. I'm curious to see how strong you've gotten."

Darren exhaled quietly and flicked his wrist.

With a sharp whoosh, two gleaming swords—one black, one silver—hurtled toward him from afar, hovering at his sides.

Enma. Kariumi.

Kuzan's eyes sparkled.

"You've got another sword now?!"

His eyes lit up.

"That's… so damn cool!!"

"In that case, I won't hold back!!"

With that, Kuzan raised his hand.

Blinding frost burst forth, rapidly condensing into a colossal ice bird. With translucent wings spread wide, it surged forward—freezing everything in its path with overwhelming force.

"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!!"

Kuzan had experienced Darren's terrifying magnetic swordplay firsthand. He knew better than to hold back—so he opened with a major attack.

In an instant—

The temperature plummeted. It felt as though a towering glacier was crashing down.

As the bone-chilling aura swept in, Darren smirked.

Kuzan really had gotten stronger.

With a twitch of his finger—

Both swords were instantly cloaked in jet-black Armament Haki.

Surging with magnetic force, they trembled violently, releasing white shockwaves as they launched forward like twin rocket blasts!

Boom!!

The blades collided with the ice bird in midair, unleashing a massive shockwave that shattered everything around them.

Ice shards scattered in all directions.

As the frozen mist cleared—

Darren and Kuzan burst through the curtain of frost simultaneously.

Their fists, wrapped in hardened Haki armor, slammed straight toward each other's faces!

Bang!

Bang!

Both took hits to the face, blood spraying from the corners of their mouths.

But their eyes remained bright and burning. Barely pausing for a second, they charged forward again!

"This is… the kind of battle that sets your blood on fire!!"

---

To be continued…