Boom. Boom. Boom.
The heavy detonations echoed through Infinite Hell like funeral bells ringing from the depths of the abyss.
The brutal clash had continued for three full days.
Douglas Barrett, the Demon Heir, had already unleashed his monstrous form.
Jet black Armament blended seamlessly with his muscles, transforming his body into a pure engine of destruction.
His speed and strength had reached their peak. He looked like an ancient beast that had finally broken its chains.
And yet, even like this…
The young Navy Rear Admiral standing before him continued to take every attack head on.
Silence rippled through the spectators holding Renn Hawk's Justice cloak.
They had already rotated three times.
On the first day, it had been Zoro and Sanji.
After witnessing a battle between kings, their hearts were shaken in a way they had never experienced. Once they understood the gap between themselves and the apex of the world, they could not suppress the trembling or the hunger burning inside them. They left voluntarily for Level 5, the Frozen Hell, to begin their own forging.
On the second day, it was Skylark and Peacock.
After watching for an entire day, the two flowers of the Marines gained a new understanding of strength. They stepped back quietly, devoting themselves to developing their abilities with renewed urgency.
Now, the one watching was Hannyabal, his face full of feverish admiration.
He held Renn Hawk's Justice cloak reverently. A delicate case rested atop it, containing the four golden transponder snails that had been retrieved and secured.
Just then, a bubbling sound echoed.
Magellan emerged slowly from the direction of the nearest restroom, clutching his stomach, and came to stand beside Hannyabal.
"Hannyabal, it is your turn?"
Hannyabal nodded vigorously, then lowered his voice.
"Magellan, what level is our idol at now?"
"This..."
Magellan's expression grew solemn in an instant.
"On the first day, the strength Rear Admiral Hawk displayed was only a single step away from the level of an Admiral."
"At that time, both sides were still testing each other and not using full power."
"On the second day, Barrett released his monstrous state, and Rear Admiral Hawk showed clear improvement, stepping firmly into the combat power of an ordinary Admiral."
"And now..."
Magellan drew a deep breath and looked toward the battlefield.
At the center, each collision of flesh and muscle caused the air itself to quiver.
Armament-coated fists struck again and again.
Observation Haki clashed constantly in the invisible realm.
Even their Conqueror's Haki, shared only by kings, had collided several times within Infinite Hell.
Magellan spoke slowly, with absolute certainty in his voice.
"Rear Admiral Hawk's current strength is already close to the three highest active combat powers of Marine Headquarters."
"The highest active combat powers..."
Hannyabal sucked in a sharp breath, his voice cracking.
"Admiral Akainu and the others?"
Magellan nodded.
"Shocking, is it not?"
From the initial disbelief, to watching through severe stomach pain, and finally to now...
He was numb. Completely accustomed to it.
The growth speed of this young man defied every rule of the world.
Perhaps this was why the Fleet Admiral and the three Admirals were supporting him at all costs.
This kind of talent could no longer be described as genius.
A true monster. A monster capable of reshaping the balance of the world.
The Marines had secured a thigh to cling to, and Impel Down would never let go.
Renn Hawk's fists grew faster and heavier.
He was fully immersed in this clash of pure strength. His blood boiled, and every cell in his body roared with exhilaration.
Through this battle, his top-tier attributes had fully reached unity.
Observation Haki no longer required intention. Every twitch of Barrett's muscles, every rhythm of his breathing, appeared clearly in Renn Hawk's mind, turning instinct into prediction.
Armament flowed smoothly, retracting and expanding at will, obeying him like a perfectly trained limb.
His martial arts had returned to their most essential form. Every strike and withdrawal carried destructive force through simplicity.
Observation was the eye.
Armament was the armor.
Physique was the foundation.
Martial arts were the technique.
They were no longer four separate abilities, but one perfect whole.
They were Renn Hawk.
Barrett grew increasingly unsettled the longer they fought.
Inside, he was roaring.
He had been called a monster many times, but now, he realized that the young man before him was the real monster.
On the first day, he had acknowledged this Rear Admiral named Hawk as a prodigy with terrifying physical strength and refined Haki. A good opponent.
But he had absolute confidence that if he got serious, he could end the warm-up whenever he wished.
On the second day, after he released his full monstrous form and pushed his strength to the extreme, he believed the fight would end instantly.
Yet the opponent's power rose with him, matching him blow for blow.
That shock was something he had not felt in decades.
And now, on the third day...
Shock had become dread.
Even fear, a feeling he refused to admit.
Something was very wrong.
This brat's punches were heavier than yesterday.
His defense was tighter than yesterday.
His rhythm and combat intuition were growing at a speed that defied reason.
He was not fighting.
He was learning.
He was using Barrett, the Demon Heir who had honed himself alone for twenty years, a man whose power could challenge the Yonko, as his grindstone.
Twenty years of struggle, reduced to three days of lessons?!
"Damn it!"
Barrett roared, unable to accept it.
He was destined to surpass Roger and become the strongest man in the world.
How could he feel something like despair from a Navy brat?
Over the past three days, he had noticed something.
This Marine brat was strong, and he possessed Conqueror's Haki, but…
He did not seem to have mastered Conqueror's coating.
The rule was to defeat him without damaging Impel Down.
But as hope of victory faded, Barrett stopped caring about rules.
Conqueror's coating would absolutely damage the prison around them, but now, that no longer mattered.
This was his only chance.
If he did not gamble everything, then he truly had no hope left.
Barrett's gaze hardened. His Conqueror's Haki erupted without restraint, colliding violently with Renn Hawk's kingly aura and shaking the entire space.
Then, the raging Conqueror's Haki began to coil around his right fist like a storm.
Black lightning crackled and snapped across his knuckles.
Barrett hurled his all-or-nothing punch.
"Devil Cannon!"