One Piece: So What If I Sin, Lie, and Lust? I'm Still a Good Marine Chapter 857: Volume 4 – Chapter 376: Who Do You Think I Am?

When Daren entered his “madness” mode, he was like a pletely different person.

His entire presence shifted—like a war god born for nothing but destruction and bat. The aura he exuded was terrifying to the extreme, even making Dragon, leader of the Freedom Fighters, feel his heart pound in fear.

If Daren were his enemy, Dragon would never want to face him in that state.

It was horrifying.

It felt like he could be crushed into pulp at any second.

And yet, the terrifying, dangerous “madman mode”—which should’ve been a hidden trump card—was something Daren was now trying to integrate into his daily training.

To make things worse, Queen, that second-rate fat scientist, was actually excited to take part in the experiment... Dragon suddenly realized just how insane this world could be.

“Hey, suspenders... I suggest you step back a bit.”

The lower half of Dragon’s body had already begun to blur, transforming into a dark green vortex of visible wind, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

“When this guy goes into that state, just the pressure and aura alone might make it impossible for you to stay standing.”

Before executing his tactical retreat, he decided to give Queen a heads-up.

“Can't stay standing? Get real!”

The fat man in suspenders scoffed, clearly unimpressed. He casually pulled out a cigar, lit it, and bit down with an air of arrogance.

“Who do you think I am... you inked-up freak!”

“I’m the one and only ‘Plague’ Quee—”

Thud!

A sudden, heavy rumble cut Queen off mid-sentence.

His pupils shrank.

The sound was deep, strong, and powerful, rippling through the air with faint shockwaves.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

“What the...?”

Queen suddenly swallowed hard, his scalp tightening with a strange numbness.

He instinctively looked toward Dragon—only to realize that the guy had already vanished from his original spot, using his elemental powers to retreat at least 500 meters away.

He was grinning and waving mockingly in Queen’s direction.

Queen: “...”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The thundering pulse behind him grew louder, faster, building an eerie, heart-pounding rhythm—like a storm on the verge of breaking.

It was... a heartbeat.

Like the slow awakening of a long-dormant beast, its thunderous pulse echoing into the world.

At some point, cold sweat had formed across Queen’s forehead.

“Guh...”

The fat man's jowls trembled as he slowly turned around.

What he saw was a figure pletely engulfed in purple-blue lightning.

His upper clothing had been blown apart. Black hair whipped wildly in the surging storm. His eyes glowed a ghostly red, and his hands had instinctively taken on a three-fingered dragon claw stance.

With every thunderous beat of his heart, Daren’s chest visibly rose and fell. Beneath his thick muscles, veins bulged like writhing serpents, and his skin shone with a blood-red sheen.

He looked like a demon god crawling out of the depths of hell.

“U-Uh, hey... Daren, I mean, Daren-sama! It’s me, Queen!”

Queen’s scalp prickled as he stared at the figure exhaling searing bursts of hot air. He stumbled a step back and forced a nervous smile onto his pale face.

“No need to get so worked up, I'm just here to help you control that power—”

BOOM!!

An overwhelming surge of aura exploded from Daren’s body, like a tidal wave of raw force crashing outward, spreading across kilometers—maybe even tens of kilometers.

Black and red lightning erupted wildly in the air, spiraling around the demon-like figure. The surrounding earth visibly cracked and crumbled beneath the sheer pressure.

Queen’s entire body shuddered. His legs nearly gave out beneath him. Every pore on his body screamed in terror.

He stared at the monster in front of him, disbelief etched into every line of his face. He couldn’t accept that what he was seeing was real.

He felt a pressure unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

It even surpassed Kaidou-san’s full-power state.

It felt like he was being hunted by some primeval predator, some higher lifeform—and even the Brachiosaurus bloodline within him was being crushed into submission.

At that moment, Queen finally understood why Dragon had been so wary about testing Daren’s “Magnetic Field Rotation.”

Because once Daren entered this state... he was no longer something you could call human.

“What an irresistible power...”

At that moment, Daren leaned forward slightly, exhaling a wave of searing heat as he let out a hoarse, savage laugh.

“This body feels like it could explode at any second. Every cell, every muscle is overflowing with strength... like I could crush the entire world in my grip. It always stirs up this overwhelming urge to fight.”

“I feel like I’m about to lose control...”

He clenched his fists, and the air around him cracked with a sharp pop-pop-pop—the sound of a sonic boom.

Queen’s eyelids twitched violently, a chill crawling down his spine.

This lunatic... just clenching his fists caused a sonic shock?

He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if Daren actually threw a punch at him right now...

“No! You have to keep it together!”

Queen shouted in a trembling voice, panic rising.

But right then, Daren suddenly looked up.

Under Queen’s stunned, terrified gaze, Daren grinned at him.

“Fatty... if I remember right, you’ve got pretty solid defense, don’t you?”

Queen froze like he’d been struck by lightning.

Then, after a stunned pause, he frantically waved his hands and yelled,

“No!”

“I don’t!”

“Don’t say stuff like that!”

Roar!

A gust of wind surged. Queen’s vision blurred for a split second—Daren had vanished from sight.

And when he refocused, a pitch-black dragon claw wrapped in crackling lightning was already inches from his face, so close it filled his pupils pletely.

That speed... not even Observation Haki can track it...

The absurd thought exploded in Queen’s mind.

And with a wave of despair, he realized that in front of the demon Daren had bee, he stood no chance at all.

Just then—

Zzzzzzz!

A streak of violet lightning tore through the air. Thunder cracked violently, splitting the sky and gouging a deep trench into the ground.

“Raimei Hakke!”