The moment their hands met, something strange happened.
Or rather—nothing happened.
Kuma blinked.
Dragon's smug expression froze.
Darren just smiled, as if it were the most natural handshake in the world.
But both Kuma and Dragon found their gazes drawn to Darren's hand—specifically, to the unmistakable black sheen glimmering across his fingers.
"You… used Armament Haki?" Dragon blurted, staring in disbelief.
Kuma tilted his head, confused.
Darren shrugged, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "What? I just came from the restroom. Didn't wash my hands. You know… sanitation."
Kuma: …
Dragon: …ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
"You didn't wash your hands after the bathroom?!"
Darren gave him a deadpan look. "Do you?"
"…I'm not shaking it," Dragon muttered darkly.
Kuma turned to look at him, eyes wide. "You too…?"
Dragon coughed and looked away, flustered.
"Alright, alright," Dragon snapped. "Deactivate the Haki already. You'll block his ability!"
Darren sighed, but obliged, letting the obsidian gleam fade from his skin. "I was just being cautious. If Kuma accidentally launched me across the sea, who'd find the body?"
"Who would do that?!" Dragon shouted. "You're injured! Kuma's here to heal you! You idiot—do you not even trust me?!"
In truth, Dragon had intended for Kuma to treat Darren's injuries first. That way, when it came time to ask him for a loan, Darren might feel too awkward to say no. It was a classic maneuver—build goodwill, then strike while the guilt is fresh.
But now the moment was ruined.
What kind of normal person activates Armament Haki just to shake someone's hand?!
Darren gave a nonchalant shrug. "Habit, that's all. You've seen what kind of powers are out there: toys, slow-motion beams, people who can mess with luck itself. You want to know the only real counter?"
"Haki."
Dragon clenched his jaw.
"My bad," Darren added, offering his hand again. "Let's do it right this time."
Kuma nodded politely.
Clap.
This time, there was no resistance.
Kuma gently patted Darren's hand, his paw pressing against Darren's chest with almost imperceptible force.
And then—
Something shifted.
Darren's pupils contracted.
It hit him like a tide crashing through stone—a sweeping, euphoric lightness flooding every fiber of his body. Not a surface-level refreshment, not the healing of a wound.
This was deeper.
He could feel it.
The pain from Wano. The exhaustion. The fractures that had mended but still throbbed under pressure. The strain from endless battles. The silent burden of overtraining. The fatigue no doctor could diagnose.
It was all vanishing.
Not just from Kaido's brutal "lessons," but from everything that came before. Years of accumulated strain, hidden in the marrow of his bones, slipping away like fog in the sun.
Even a warrior as indestructible as Darren had learned: wounds could heal, but fatigue lingered. The kind of fatigue that medicine couldn't touch. The kind that robbed you of your edge, made your bones feel older than they were.
But now…
Gone.
He flexed his hands. His joints moved with a smoothness he'd never felt. His balance adjusted instinctively. The tightness in his spine—gone. The invisible ache in his knuckles—gone.
He activated his Perception Talent without thinking, scanning his internal stats:
Physique: 91.031 (Indestructible Body)
Strength: 81.891 (Giant's Strength)
Speed: 81.222 (Soru's Divine Speed)
Devil Fruit Ability Development: 85.445 (Island-Covering)
Armament Haki: 66.315
Observation Haki: 73.887 (Magnetic Field Sensing)
Conqueror's Haki: 64.091
His eyes widened.
Every single physical stat—except for Devil Fruit ability—had jumped by nearly a full point.
That kind of leap was unheard of at his level. Even under Kaido's brutal, soul-crushing combat training, gains of this magnitude took weeks, months—injury after injury.
Kuma's gentle pat had done what battle could not.
Hovering in midair was a dark red, paw-shaped aura—dense, fluid, glowing like congealed blood.
Darren stared.
"This… is my fatigue?"
He reached out instinctively, but paused.
The aura pulsed slightly, like it was alive.
Kuma nodded solemnly. "The accumulated pain and strain inside your body. I drew it out."
Darren's gaze lingered on the floating mass, a mix of awe and caution in his expression.
Devil Fruits truly were a realm of their own. This power—delicate and surgical, yet impossibly potent—was unlike anything he'd encountered.
Dragon watched Darren's stunned expression, puffing out his chest with pride.
"So?" he asked, clearly pleased. "How do you feel?"
Darren took a long breath, grinning as he clenched his fist.
The instant his fingers closed—
BOOM.
A muffled shockwave burst from his knuckles. The air cracked around him.
Dragon and Kuma both flinched, instinctively shifting half a step back.
That raw power—
It was even stronger than before.
Dragon stared at Darren like he was looking at a monster. "You… really did get stronger…"
Just one gentle pat had elevated Darren's combat capabilities—physically, perceptually, spiritually.
But there was still one issue.
Darren gestured toward the glowing mass of fatigue still hanging in the air like a ghost.
"So… what exactly do we do with this thing?"
To be continued...