Chapter 179: Volume 2 – Chapter 81: Alliance

"Interesting! So damn interesting! Kahahaha!"

Bullet stared intently at the Marine in front of him, eyes burning with excitement as he burst into laughter.

"You're a hell of a lot more fun than your average Marine!"

Daren smirked.

"You heard it yourself—I'm not your average Marine."

As he spoke, he pressed his hand against the blackened wall, using it to brace himself as he slowly stood up.

Under the effect of high-purity Seastone, every movement looked painfully difficult. It was as if a mountain was crushing down on him. Just standing brought a cold sweat to his forehead, and his breathing grew ragged.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. What the hell are you doing?"

Bullet frowned, watching him with confusion.

"In that condition, I've got no interest in fighting you."

"Who said anything about fighting?"

Daren replied calmly, sweat trickling from his forehead and collecting on the stubble along his chin.

"Then what are you doing?"

Bullet couldn't help but ask.

The next moment, his eyes widened in disbelief.

In the dim prison cell, lit only by flickering torchlight, the bloodied Marine dragging those heavy Seastone shackles suddenly flashed a grin.

"Obviously..."

A wild, beastlike light flared in Daren's eyes.

He clenched his jaw, and the muscles on his bare upper body surged as veins thick as cords bulged across his skin. His joints cracked audibly, and he spread his legs shoulder-width apart...

Hiss!!

Two sharp bursts of steam sprayed from his nostrils as he lowered his body with a fierce growl.

"——Training!!!"

His body dropped low.

Then rose again—steady and firm.

A perfectly executed squat.

Bullet's pupils shrank into slits.

This lunatic...

With the debilitating effects of high-purity Seastone and his serious injuries, even standing was a struggle—

And he was using this moment to train!?

Before Bullet could finish the thought, Daren dropped into another squat.

This one looked even harder than the first. His posture trembled under an invisible weight, like he was truly shouldering a mountain.

"Two!"

Daren's roar erupted like a beast from deep within his chest.

"Hey, hey, at this rate, your body's gonna give out."

Bullet flinched, unable to hide his concern.

"Three!"

Daren didn't seem to hear him. His heart thundered, pumping blood into every muscle. His skin visibly flushed red.

"Bullet, if you're bored, you can help me count."

Bullet's face twisted. He gritted his teeth and shouted,

"Who the hell do you think you're looking down on!?"

With that, he slapped a hand against the wall, snarled through clenched teeth, and forced himself to stand.

He joined in the training.

Two blood-soaked figures roared under the swaying light, eyes glowing red as they resisted the crippling effects of the ultra-high-purity Seastone. Together, they began a hellish workout.

Every squat felt like their lungs and hearts were going to explode. The pain tore through them.

The agony twisted their faces into something monstrous, veins bulging across their bodies.

Clank, clank...

The Seastone shackles rattled with each motion, a sharp metallic rhythm to their punishment.

Four!

Five!

Six!

Seven!

Each squat, so simple in theory, was a battle against their limits.

But as he kept pace with Daren, Bullet grew more and more alarmed.

Raised in the military since childhood, trained under brutal conditions, hardened by battlefield slaughter—he thought no one could be harsher on themselves than he was.

His obsession with becoming the strongest had forged an iron will.

Yet now...

To his shock, he realized that Daren—the Marine—was every bit his equal in willpower and self-discipline.

No. I won't lose to anyone.

Not when it comes to training.

I, Douglas Bullet, won't be outdone.

Bullet's nose flared. Two streams of blood trickled down—but his eyes burned with a crazed, crimson light.

Nine!

Ten!

Eleven!

...

Unknowingly, the two had locked eyes—each recognizing the fighting spirit in the other—and started silently competing.

Three minutes later...

Clang!

Both collapsed heavily to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Tw-twenty-five... I... didn't lose..."

Bullet's chest heaved like a bellows as he panted out the words.

Daren's face was ghostly pale, but he licked his cracked lips and let out a laugh.

"Didn't expect you to actually keep up with my training pace..."

Bullet snorted between gulps of air.

"So... this is your... limit...? I'm still... hah... doing just fine... cough, cough!!"

He suddenly choked on his breath, erupting into a violent fit of coughing, face flushing red.

Daren said nothing, just kept breathing deeply. His chest and heart felt like they were about to burst.

He'd been meaning to start resistance training with Seastone for a long time.

But Seastone was rare—especially in the North Blue.

And with the constant grind of military duties, he never found the time to begin.

Originally, he had planned to apply for low-purity Seastone cuffs after training camp, gradually increasing intensity over time.

What he didn't expect... was to get captured by Kaidou—and end up getting the "premium treatment" right here.

That thought made him chuckle wryly as he finally caught his breath.

Realizing he couldn't even lift a finger, he sighed and said slowly,

"Bullet, you were right. Once Kaidou realizes he can't recruit us, he won't hesitate to kill us."

Bullet glanced over.

"So what? The Marines will come for you."

Daren exhaled sharply, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe. But betting my life on someone else? That's not how I do things."

Bullet paused, then lowered his voice, as if something had clicked.

"What are you planning?"

Daren turned his head with effort, looked Bullet in the eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Let's team up."

Bullet frowned.

He stared hard at Daren. Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a wicked grin.

"Alright."

Now it was Daren's turn to be surprised.

He hadn't expected Bullet to agree so easily.

"Don't look so shocked. It's just an arm."

As if reading Daren's thoughts, Bullet laughed coldly.

"When we make it out of this alive... we'll have ourselves a proper fight."

Their eyes locked—sparks seemed to fly in the air.

Clack... Clack...

At that moment, the prison door creaked open.

"Hehehe... Well now, don't you two look lively today..."

The fat man in overalls strolled in, cigar between his lips, grinning lecherously.

"Very nice, very nice. Let's begin today's experiment—hm?"

Queen stopped mid-step, a bit confused.

Because as he stepped in carrying the experimental kit, those two beaten-down inmates looked at him like they'd been waiting all day.

Their eyes... were literally glowing.

...

(70 Chapters Ahead)

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