The moment that thunderous name left Garp's mouth, both Daren and Kuzan froze in place, their pupils narrowing sharply.
Patrick Redfield!
Known as "Red the Aloof" and "Red Count," he was one of the legendary Great Pirates, a man so powerful it was said he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard on his own!
That reputation, though it came from Sengoku—who had a habit of exaggerating the strength of his opponents—was still enough to confirm just how terrifying Redfield truly was.
Daren remembered clearly: Redfield had a very real and terrifying record.
Before the Great Pirate Era even began, he had battled Fleet Admiral Kong for ten days and ten nights, narrowly securing victory with a final blow. Exhausted, he was eventually "picked off" by Garp, who arrived late to the scene and captured him, sending him straight to Level Six of Impel Down's Eternal Hell.
It was that very battle that earned Garp the infamous nickname: "King of Pickups" or more politely, "King of Teamwork."
So this must be the moment in the original timeline when Red the Aloof was defeated.
That thought flickered through Daren's mind before he steadied himself again.
Thinking back, Garp's "King of Teamwork" title wasn't exactly undeserved.
Looking at his entire career, every one of his legendary achievements had some element of "teaming up" behind it.
At the God Valley Incident, a young Garp joined forces with Roger—then a rising pirate—to take down the Rocks Pirates, earning himself the title of "Hero."
In the fight between Kong and Redfield, Garp teamed up with Kong and successfully swooped in to finish the job, further cementing his status as the "strongest Marine."
Then came the time when Shiki went berserk and attacked Marineford alone—Garp and Sengoku teamed up to defeat him and send him to Impel Down.
Whenever the Teamwork Buff was active, Garp was invincible.
But the moment he went solo—like when he charged into Hachinosu to rescue Koby—he ended up getting stabbed through the chest by Shiryu and left for dead.
Something about that just didn't sit right.
'Thinking about it now... "King of Teamwork" kind of fits.'
Daren rubbed the stubble on his chin and glanced at Garp with a slightly odd expression.
Before he could speak, Kuzan suddenly let out a bizarre cry that startled Daren.
"I'm ready, Garp-san!!"
Daren turned his head, his mouth twitching. Kuzan's face was flushed with excitement, his fists clenched tight, his whole body trembling with energy.
"After all this training, I've mastered everything the training camp has to offer! I've got a handle on Haki, too! I'm ready to take down Great Pirates and fight evil to the very end!"
Twin streams of white steam puffed from his nostrils as he straightened up, gave Garp a deep bow, and shouted,
"Please take me with you!!"
Daren: "..."
This guy was way too enthusiastic.
Even as he rolled his eyes, Daren couldn't help but feel impressed. Kuzan's growth was nothing short of monstrous.
No wonder he'd become one of the future Three Admirals. In just half a year, he'd already mastered Haki, and judging by his aura, he wasn't far off from being on par with elite Vice Admirals. His Devil Fruit powers had probably advanced just as fast.
That kind of talent was outrageous.
"Bwahahaha! That's the spirit! You really are my student!"
Garp laughed heartily, looking at Kuzan with satisfaction.
"But... I won't be taking either of you this time."
"Redfield is a lone wolf. No fleet, no crew. That means if I bring you two along, you'll be facing him directly. And if that happens, I might end up having to protect you instead."
He raised a hand and gently patted Kuzan's shoulder, smiling.
"You're the future of the Marines. You can't afford to get hurt."
"Otherwise, that bastard Zephyr will never let me hear the end of it."
Sengoku had involved Daren in previous missions only because his Devil Fruit abilities countered specific targets, and he never intended for Daren to go toe-to-toe with any legendary pirates. That was the only reason Zephyr had reluctantly agreed.
No one expected Daren to keep ending up in direct combat with Great Pirates anyway.
"Damn it!"
Kuzan punched the air in frustration, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.
...
"Come on, Daren! It's been way too long since we've had a proper fight!"
In the deserted harbor, Kuzan struck a stance, eyes blazing with intensity as his fighting spirit surged like wildfire.
Daren scratched his head with a sigh.
Garp had only offered a few quick training tips before rushing off to sea. According to the latest intel, Fleet Admiral Kong had already engaged Redfield—battle had officially broken out. Garp needed to head out and back him up immediately.
The moment Garp left, Kuzan could barely hold himself back and dragged Daren into a match, which led to the current scene.
"Alright then," Daren said with a chuckle, "I'm actually pretty curious about how strong you've gotten."
He took a calm breath and flicked his fingers.
Two razor-sharp Meito blades—one black, one silver—whistled in from the distance and floated steadily by his side.
Enma. Kariumi.
Kuzan's eyes lit up.
"You got another sword?!"
His gaze sparkled.
"That's... seriously badass!"
"In that case, I'm not holding back!"
As the words fell, Kuzan raised his arm.
A surge of freezing ice burst forth, rapidly forming a massive ice bird with transparent wings that swept across the battlefield, freezing everything in its path as it lunged straight at Daren with overwhelming force!
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Having experienced Daren's terrifying magnet-controlled swordsmanship firsthand, Kuzan didn't dare to pull any punches—he opened with a full-power attack.
In a flash, the chilling air slammed forward like an avalanche crashing down.
As that bone-deep cold and mounting pressure hit, a smile crept onto Daren's lips.
Kuzan had really gotten stronger.
With a slight motion of his finger, both swords behind him were instantly coated in jet-black Armament Haki.
Propelled by a violent magnetic field, the blades trembled violently before erupting in bursts of white air pressure—launching forward like rockets fired from a launcher!
Boom!
The twin blades slammed into the ice bird midair, and the resulting shockwave blasted everything around them apart.
As ice shards rained down from the sky...
Daren and Kuzan burst through the crumbling wall of frost at the same time.
Their fists were wrapped in hardened Haki, each swinging a punch straight at the other's face!
Bang!
Bang!
Blood splattered from the corners of their mouths as both took direct hits.
But their eyes burned with fire, bright and intense—barely a second passed before they charged each other again without hesitation!
"Now this—this is what I call a real fight!"