Don't, Don't Slap My Face

Dust swirled across the training grounds.

Darren, Gion, and Gion's partner stood facing one another from a distance, their bodies gradually radiating an oppressive aura.

Yellow sand churned as the cold sea breeze whipped the heavy cloaks behind Gion and Gion's partner, making them snap loudly.

The Marines of the Branch 321 base had all caught wind of the event and swarmed the training grounds, packing the perimeter tight, their eyes wide with anticipation for what was to come.

"Vice Base Commander Momonga, do you think Base Commander Darren will lose?"

A young Marine asked Momonga, who stood with his arms crossed.

Momonga, wearing his military cap, smiled but offered no answer.

Losing was simply not a word in that guy's dictionary.

Or to put it more accurately, the real question was just how badly those two "pride of the heavens" from Headquarters were about to be thrashed.

"So, Colonel Darren, who would you like to spar with first?"

Gion's partner said, eager to start, tossing his thinning hair with a flamboyant flourish as he spoke.

Noticing that many of the female Marines at Branch 321 were casting expectant gazes in their direction, he felt even more smug.

He had received guidance from many experts back at Headquarters, and even Admiral Sengoku had praised his talent.

Among his peers, aside from Gion, there was simply no one who could compare to him.

He could already imagine the scene in his mind: he would cleanly and decisively knock Darren flat, and then those female Marines would look at him with eyes full of worship and passion.

Thinking this, Gion's partner couldn't help but let out a silly chuckle.

Darren glanced at him and shook his head:

"No, let's save some time. Both of you, come at me together."

Gion's partner and Gion were both stunned by these words, and then, a wave of indignation rose in both of their hearts simultaneously.

This guy... what an arrogant tone!

"Then don't blame me for being impolite! I'll be sure to go easy on you!"

Gion's partner gritted his teeth.

He had to make this North Blue bumpkin witness the true power of the Headquarters Marines!

He sank his knees slightly, and the muscles all over his body visibly tensed.

Bang!

As the ground beneath his feet exploded into a crater, an astonishing force propelled his body forward. He shot out from his spot like a cannonball, rushing toward Darren at incredible speed.

It wasn't the Marine Six Styles' Soru; Gion's partner and Gion had not yet entered the Officer Training Camp and had not yet mastered the "superhuman" techniques of the Six Styles.

This was pure, explosive speed and power!

The Marines of Branch 321 watching from the sidelines collectively gasped, feeling as if their vision had blurred as Major Gion's partner vanished from sight.

In less than a second, he had crossed a distance of over ten meters, appearing before Colonel Darren in an instant. With his muscles fully engaged, his fist smashed toward the latter's abdomen with unstoppable force!

No frills, No feints, Yet he had pushed his own powerful physique to its absolute limit!

Seeing Darren still standing there motionless, looking as if he hadn't even noticed the attack, Gion's partner laughed heartily in his heart.

He could already imagine the ugly scene of Darren being struck by his punch and then collapsing to the ground, retching uncontrollably.

That's for showing off!

That's for flaunting your muscles and your physique!

That's for sleeping with Lady Margery!

That's for being so enthusiastic about caring for the commoners!!

Get down on your knees for me!

Bang!!

The punch finally landed, striking Darren's well-defined abdominal muscles squarely, sending ripples of white air waves outward.

But the cunning smile on Gion's partner's face suddenly froze.

Something felt wrong... his punch felt like it had struck a slab of iron.

He hadn't moved an inch!

Not far away, Gion, who was gripping her famous blade and ready to strike at any moment, was also stunned on the spot.

Gion's partner looked up in astonishment, and what met his eyes was Darren's young face, which wore a look of slight helplessness.

"Um... Major Gion's partner, I appreciate you going easy on me, but I must ask you to take this spar seriously."

Darren wore a playful smile.

Gion's partner's mouth twitched.

"Gion's partner, what are you doing! Stop playing around!!" A flash of confusion crossed Gion's face, and she couldn't help but shout.

Gion's partner: ...

He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, the muscles in his entire arm bulging as he unleashed another heavy, powerful punch toward Darren!

BOOM!!

Another surging wave of air expanded outward, the violent wind whipping up clouds of dust.

Darren, the base commander of Branch 321, remained... completely motionless!

Gion's partner was stunned once again.

Is this... Iron Body!?

Although he hadn't learned the Six Powers of the Navy yet, he had seen enough to know how they worked.

This kind of defensive technique, which granted the body the hardness of "steel," was clearly the effect of the "Iron Body" from the Six Powers.

The principle of Iron Body was to accelerate blood flow to speed up muscle movement.

But what was incredible was that Darren before him clearly didn't have that feeling of surging power one got when using Iron Body!

"I said, Major Gion's partner, you really don't need to hold back. I truly want to see what you're capable of." Darren's voice rang out slowly once again.

"Gion's partner, what on earth are you doing!? I told you to give it your all!" Gion said, annoyed.

Gion's partner's expression looked as if he were about to cry; he thought to himself, I'm not holding back.

He gritted his teeth and swung his arms wildly at Darren.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

A rainstorm of fists turned into countless shadows, enveloping the Navy Captain.

Punches with enough power to easily shatter stone walls landed on Darren's chest, abdomen, legs, and even his head, yet they couldn't make the latter retreat even half a step.

It had absolutely no effect!

The Navy Captain stood there unmoving, like a sturdy reef in a storm.

It's not working...

How is this possible...

Gion's partner stared blankly at Darren's nonchalant expression and the faint smile lurking deep in his eyes, and an incredible thought suddenly surged in his heart.

Could it be...

Just then, he saw Darren before him suddenly grin at him:

"Are you done? If you're done, it's my turn."

Gion's partner froze, feeling a bone-chilling cold surge from the soles of his feet, shooting straight up his spine into his brain.

A rough, large hand reached out toward him with lightning speed, expanding wildly in his pupils...

It was so fast... there was nowhere to run!

Gion's partner's face changed drastically, and the vague suspicion in his heart finally turned into reality with Darren's move.

This guy... possesses the overwhelming strength to easily crush me!!

"Don't, don't hit the face!!"

Gion's partner let out a strange cry, but the next instant, that large hand had already covered his face.

Under Gion's incredulous gaze, Under the stunned expressions of the Branch 321 Navy soldiers who were all gasping in shock, Under Momonga's helpless line of sight, And amidst Gion's partner's own pig-like wails of agony, Darren, holding Gion's partner's face with one hand, Stepped forward with a savage grin, And then...

Slammed Gion's partner's head into the earth with immense force!

RUMBLE!!

The ground within a 20-meter radius shook violently, and a shocking crater instantly formed, with dense cracks spreading continuously throughout it.

Gion's partner's entire head was "submerged" deep into the crater, his two legs, wearing wooden clogs, dangling in mid-air and twitching from time to time.

Dust billowed like a surging dragon.

At this moment, everyone present winced, watching the scene with twitching eyes.

This... just looking at it made them feel the pain.

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