In this world, Devil Fruits and Haki—those "spiritual" power systems—sat firmly at the top of the food chain. Technology, no matter how impressive, could only ever chase after their shadows.
At least, that was how Darren saw it.
Even those fearsome laser cannons, hailed as symbols of cutting-edge science, were nothing more than imitations—derivatives painstakingly developed from Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit. That was the ceiling of conventional weaponry.
As for biological weapons, the seas had mostly fixated on Lineage Factor research, gene replication, and the artificial synthesis of viruses.
And within that niche, Queen—this shameless, dancing fatso—was undeniably one of the greatest weapons scientists alive.
If all else failed, Darren knew there was only one real path left.
He'd have to seek out Vegapunk.
But reaching Vegapunk would be far from simple.
First, the World Government had that man under suffocating surveillance, without question guarded by forces that would give even Darren pause. Second, Stussy had warned him more than once—probing too boldly into Vegapunk's affairs was dangerous. The scientist's situation was still far from safe.
"You really want to use technology to get stronger?" Queen asked, catching Darren's murmur. Surprise flickered across his pudgy face.
Darren rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's right."
"I'm not interested in external toys like high-tech weapons," he said calmly. "What I want is to use technology to dig deeper into my own potential."
"And your brilliant plan is to keep injecting yourself with viruses?" Queen's jaw dropped. He stared at Darren like he'd just watched someone try to swim in molten lava. What kind of lunatic thinking was this?
"Haven't we already proved this approach can work?" Darren replied, utterly serious.
Queen fell silent. He wanted to shout that it had been a complete failure. He'd conducted all the damn trials himself.
More than a thousand human test subjects, injected with Ice Oni Virus of increasing concentration. Without exception, every last one had died—sometimes screaming, sometimes crumbling into ice statues, but always dead.
The Ice Oni Virus was simply too brutal. Its impact on the immune system was catastrophic, its reproduction rate terrifying. In just a few hours, the viral density inside a human body could reach instantly lethal levels.
And yet here stood the monster in front of him, who had just swallowed entire crates of the stuff like drinks on a hot day.
Queen's lips moved. In the end, he couldn't even find the strength to argue.
"Aren't you going to kick me out yet?" the Overalls Fatso finally sighed, fishing out a cigar and lighting it with a discouraged look.
He was an All-Star of the Beasts Pirates, the infamous Plague Queen whose name alone could silence taverns and freeze conversations.
Even when facing strong foes—Marine Admirals, Great Pirates of the New World—Queen had never thought of himself as weak.
With the raw power and ridiculous durability of his Ancient Zoan Brachiosaurus form, he could still scrap even if he was at a disadvantage.
If things really went south, he had a whole arsenal of twisted technology and bizarre bio-weapons to fall back on. Just enough to claw back some face.
But against Darren?
He had nothing.
The "Indestructible Body" made a mockery of the Ancient Zoan's famed resilience.
In brute strength, this guy could tear dinosaurs limb from limb and stomp giants into the ground.
Laser weapons? Darren's North Blue Fleet was already packed with them.
As for viruses…
Queen clicked his tongue, cheeks puffing out.
Utterly useless.
"He's leaving," he grumbled in his heart.
Darren chuckled, pulled a business card from his coat, and set it gently on the lab bench.
"This is my personal Den Den Mushi frequency," he said. "If you ever make a breakthrough in biotech, you can contact me anytime."
C… contact info?
Queen stared blankly, his jaw hanging open.
What the hell is this guy trying to do?
He actually still cares what I'm researching?!
"Enough already!"
Queen suddenly slammed his fist down on the bench, face flushing beet red as frustration boiled over.
"If you want to kill me, then kill me! Don't mess with my heart like this!"
Even before he finished shouting, his body began to swell and elongate.
In a heartbeat, the Overalls Fatso disappeared—replaced by a colossal Brachiosaurus, towering like a small mountain.
"This great one still has his pride!"
"Brachiosaurus Bomb!"
The massive dinosaur yanked its thick neck back, then whipped its Armament Haki–hardened skull downward with explosive force, like a falling peak of living steel.
"Plenty of energy, I see," Darren said with a slow grin, eyes narrowing as he charged straight at the descending head. "Good. Let's warm up a little."
BOOM!!
The impact of two forces colliding shook the entire island.
A shockwave blasted outward, shattering stone and hurling men like leaves in a storm.
Many of the pirates standing too close were instantly flung away by the roaring wind pressure. The sprawling laboratory—over two thousand square meters of reinforced steel and stone—collapsed in an instant, crushed to rubble.
Dust roared skyward as slabs of wall whistled through the air like thrown bricks.
"Gyaaaah!!"
The Brachiosaurus howled, stumbling backward in clumsy, thunderous steps. A huge, swollen bump smoked on its forehead.
"I refuse to accept this!"
Bloodshot veins crawled across Queen's eyes as he glared at the lone figure standing amidst the ruins, calm as a mountain, lighting a cigar like he'd just finished a stroll.
"Die!!"
The Brachiosaurus's massive jaws yawned open.
At the same time, its coiled tail unfolded mechanically.
Visible orange-red light began to gather wildly at both mouth and tail, condensing into blinding spheres in less than a second—
Then unleashed in twin torrents straight at Darren.
"Black Fire Light!!"
The laser plunged into the ground, swallowing Darren in a flood of incandescent destruction.
The world held its breath.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, sending a pillar of fire spearing into the sky.
The blast incinerated everything within a hundred-meter radius. Flames raged, sparks fanned out like a crimson storm, and thick black smoke billowed upward.
"D-did it work?"
"Boss Queen went all out just now!"
"That destructive power is insane!"
"Even an 'Indestructible Body' can't take a direct hit like that… right?"
The pirates hurled into the distance by the blast now lay sprawled across the shattered ground, faces pale, chests heaving as they stared toward the inferno in horror.
And then, they saw it—
At the very center of the flames, the fire suddenly folded inward and vanished, as if sucked away.
From the dispersing smoke, a towering silhouette stepped forward.
A black military boot hit the ground first, each step parting the lingering flames like water.
The black-haired youth emerged completely intact, his entire form wrapped in a suffocating mantle of dark Haki, the oppressive force of his presence more terrifying than the explosion itself.
The cigarette between his lips had been lit by the blast.
"Hah…"
He slowly exhaled a dragon-like plume of smoke, his gaze locking calmly onto the Overalls Fatso, whose face had gone utterly bloodless.
Then he grinned.
"So… are you ready?"
BOOM!!
A crushing aura erupted from Darren's body like a volcanic eruption.
Crimson-black lightning twisted wildly through the air, distorting the world around him.
For a moment, the sky itself seemed to warp.
Under the pressure of that Haki, Queen felt his chest seize up, his lungs locking as if a giant invisible hand had clamped down on them.
A suffocating sense of doom washed over him.
It's over…
This guy's power…
If he gets serious, I'm dead.
I have to do something—anything!
Queen gritted his teeth. His eyes, trembling a moment ago, suddenly hardened with a surge of desperate resolve.
Then, to his nearly unconscious subordinates' utter disbelief, his voice rose into a sharp, piercing scream that rattled the ruined lab:
"BOSS KAIDO!! SAVE MEEEE!!!"
To be continued...