"...Justice as I please."
Sheets of white paper covered in experimental data and designs fluttered chaotically through the air. Black smoke billowed from the massive machine, and several signal lights flashed with a deep red glow.
The laboratory was dead silent.
To Vegapunk and the others, the figure of the black-haired young man looked impossibly tall and commanding in that moment.
They stared at Daren in shock. Stussy and Vegapunk both gasped for breath, their faces pale.
Vegapunk, especially, had cold sweat pouring from his oversized, misshapen forehead.
It was clear—if Borsalino hadn't appeared just in time to shield him from most of the Conqueror's Haki, he would've passed out on the spot like the modified creatures outside the lab.
Stussy wasn't faring much better. The back of her white dress was drenched in sweat, her lips had lost all color, and even her vampire fangs had involuntarily extended.
That terrifying aura Daren had released—despite not being directed at her—had still triggered an overwhelming sense of impending death.
It was suffocating, like the very air had frozen and even the void itself had solidified.
In that instant, she had a frighteningly clear feeling: if Daren unleashed his full Conqueror's Haki against her, she wouldn't even be able to lift a finger. Killing her would be as easy for him as crushing an ant.
This level of Conqueror's Haki was simply too terrifying.
And it wasn't just them—even Daren himself was stunned.
Did I... just break through?
His gaze was distant. He looked down, staring blankly at his hands, the knuckles sharply defined, momentarily unable to process what had happened.
His innate perception spread out instinctively—and at last, he saw it.
The strength data of his Conqueror's Haki:
Conqueror's Haki: 90.000!
Staring at that number, an overwhelming wave of emotion surged in his chest.
From 89.999 to 90.000—just a difference of 0.001.
But for Daren, that tiny gap had been like a vast, unbridgeable chasm.
No matter how strong his opponents, no matter how desperate the situation, he had never managed to cross it.
It had been so long.
Ever since his Conqueror's Haki had reached 89.999, he could no longer remember how long he'd been stuck.
Eventually, he'd even stopped actively trying to push further, focusing instead on physical strength, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki—things he could measure, things he could improve through systematic training.
After all, unlike the abstract and elusive nature of Conqueror's Haki—willpower, spirit, ambition—those other strengths were tangible.
Yet here, on Egghead, completely unexpectedly, he'd broken through.
But as the shock faded, realization slowly dawned on him.
Conqueror's Haki is, at its core, a manifestation of will and spirit.
The stronger the will, the bolder the spirit—the stronger the Haki.
In that brief exchange with Vegapunk, he had, without realizing it, reaffirmed his own beliefs. Once again, he had defined his "justice."
Combined with all the growth and experience he had built up until now, the foundation was already there.
And together, those factors had finally propelled him forward.
That 0.001—though minuscule in numbers—was, in Daren's eyes, a qualitative leap.
Because it meant… greater potential ahead!
Based on past training experience, once the "shackles" on a stat were broken, that stat would typically enter a phase of rapid growth shortly afterward.
And judging by the aura he'd just unleashed without even meaning to, that 0.001 difference was clearly far more significant in actual strength than the numbers suggested.
Daren's eyes gradually lit up. He subconsciously clenched his fists.
Zzzzz!
A streak of black and red Haki crackled across his palm—then shattered as he closed his fingers around it.
The sight made Stussy and Vegapunk flinch, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
Borsalino's grin deepened, a hint of intrigue flickering in his expression.
Daren, meanwhile, paused for a moment, frowning as he carefully recalled that sensation.
That feeling…
It wasn't just a jump in strength.
It was sharper, more precise, more refined.
It was like… his Conqueror's Haki had become more delicate and controlled.
If his previous Conqueror's Haki—below 90—had been like a savage T-Rex that tore through everything in its path the moment it erupted...
Then now, that same T-Rex hadn't just grown stronger—it had gained the composure and precision of a leopard.
Could it be…
Daren narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something.
If he kept exploring and developing in this direction... was it possible he could eventually master the technique of infusing Conqueror's Haki?
The thought made him let out a slow, deep breath, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
This was what clarity felt like.
Even if his Conqueror's Haki hadn't yet evolved into a new "ability," he knew that day wasn't far off.
"How terrifying... your Haki's gotten stronger again."
Borsalino's teasing voice suddenly broke the silence in the lab.
"This is such a headache, Daren..."
He scratched his head in mock frustration, spreading his arms with a sigh.
"With things like this, there's no way I could arrest a 'mortal enemy of the government' like you anymore."
"Your Conqueror's Haki is strong enough to affect matter... Under its pressure, even my ability to go intangible is starting to falter."
Daren rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Like you were planning to arrest me in the first place.
Truth be told, Daren was actually kind of hoping Borsalino would make a move.
Not for any particular reason—he was just genuinely curious about this guy's true strength.
After all, in under three minutes of conversation with Vegapunk, he'd gained insight that pushed his training forward. Even if that wasn't entirely Vegapunk's doing, the man's research on Devil Fruits was second to none.
And Borsalino?
He was the one granted full access to Egghead by the World Government itself.
The person closest to Vegapunk.