Batia Island.
City Hall, conference room.
Everyone else had tactfully left, leaving only five people seated: Daren, Momonga, Gion, Sengoku, and Borsalino.
This was an internal meeting of the North Blue Marines.
Daren lit a cigar, gave a quick glance at Borsalino behind his toad-shaped sunglasses, then turned to Sengoku with a smile.
"So, how did the operation against Byrnndi World go, Admiral Sengoku?"
Looking at the Admiral's frustrated expression, Daren couldn't help but find it a little amusing.
With two of the Marine Headquarters' three Admirals absent—Zephyr fully devoted to teaching and Garp refusing promotion—nearly all the menial and troublesome tasks had fallen squarely on Sengoku's shoulders.
A truly pitiful burden to bear.
Sengoku shook his head.
"Something happened along the way. The mission had to be called off."
He took a small sip of tea, his sharp gaze sweeping across each face in the room. His expression grew solemn.
"The reason I've come here this time is precisely because of that."
Noticing the seriousness in Sengoku's tone, Gion and the others sat up straighter, their faces turning grave.
After a brief pause, Sengoku spoke slowly.
"One day ago, something happened in the North Blue that sent shockwaves through the World Government."
"Not long after leaving Batia Island to return to the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Saint Xildes, a Celestial Dragon, was attacked during the voyage... and killed on the spot."
As soon as the words landed, Daren's expression changed dramatically, and he stood up abruptly.
"What? That's impossible!"
Momonga's face also showed the perfect amount of shock—stunned disbelief.
Gion and Tokikake stiffened.
Their eyes flicked instinctively toward Daren, as if something had just occurred to them—but when they saw the look of "shock" on his face, they hesitated, briefly stunned.
Sengoku, overwhelmed by the chaos of the situation, didn't notice the subtle shift in their expressions. He simply rubbed his temples in frustration.
Only Borsalino seemed to pick up on something, the smile at the corner of his lips turning a shade more knowing.
"The Celestial Dragon attack remains classified," Sengoku continued, "but I've already received government orders to launch a full investigation."
He sighed.
"But so far, the surveillance Den Den Mushi on the official ship hasn't revealed any clues."
"What we do know is that the attacker's strength was terrifying. The World Government's guards didn't even have time to react before the ship was completely destroyed."
"Here's the intel."
Sengoku handed a document to Daren.
Daren took it, skimmed through quickly, then muttered,
"Wiping out a government ship in an instant... Even on the Grand Line, there are only a handful who could pull that off—let alone in a small sea like the North Blue."
He passed the file along to Momonga and the others.
Momonga quickly read it too. Even though he'd expected it, he was still shocked.
The intel matched Daren's earlier analysis exactly. Sengoku's investigation had followed the same conclusions.
"Admiral Sengoku... Have you identified any suspects yet?"
Daren asked seriously.
"Since it happened in the North Blue, I have to take responsibility. I, along with the North Blue Marines, will fully cooperate with your investigation."
Sengoku was clearly pleased with his attitude and nodded.
"Hmm. Handing the North Blue over to you really was the right decision."
"That said, I've already reviewed all known individuals capable of something like this—but so far, no leads."
"I came to Batia Island to dig deeper. After all, considering the timeline, Saint Xildes departed for Mary Geoise from right here."
"...I see." Daren nodded slowly, looking thoughtful.
"You were in charge of guarding Saint Xildes during his time on Batia Island..."
Sengoku tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"Before Saint Xildes-sama set sail, did you notice anything strange on the island? Anyone unfamiliar? Anything unusual?"
After he spoke, Sengoku noticed Gion and Tokikake's expressions shift subtly. They looked like they wanted to speak but held back.
"To be honest, Admiral Sengoku..."
Daren spoke up slowly, his expression layered with complexity.
"Something did happen before Saint Xildes-sama departed."
"Oh?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow. "What was it?"
Gion and Tokikake turned to look at Daren in surprise.
The Captain let out a sigh.
"It was... an unfortunate event."
After pausing to find the right tone, he began recounting the story of the flower-selling father and daughter on Batia Island.
…
Bang!
A massive fist slammed down, and the conference table in front of Sengoku splintered into pieces.
"Damn it!!!"
He shot to his feet, fists clenched so tightly they shook.
It wasn't clear who exactly he was cursing.
But in his mind flashed the image of a frail little girl being violently dragged into a ship's cabin, curled up and shivering in a dark corner.
Gion and the others didn't dare speak as they watched the fury etched across Admiral Sengoku's face.
It took a long moment before Sengoku finally forced himself to suppress the rage burning in his chest.
"This meeting is over. I'm tired."
His voice was hoarse as he spoke, and without another word, he turned and left the room.
Gion and the others hurried after him.
Only Daren and Borsalino remained in the now-silent conference room.
Both wore faint, ambiguous smiles.
"It's been a while, Rear Admiral Borsalino."
Daren suddenly broke the silence with a chuckle, pulling out a gold-embossed cigar and tossing it to Borsalino.
Borsalino caught it, brought it under his nose for a sniff, and grinned.
"It's been years, but you haven't changed one bit, Daren. Still living the good life."
Daren lit a cigar for himself, shrugged.
"Being a Marine is hard enough. No reason to make it harder on yourself, right?"
Borsalino gave him a long, deliberate look, then suddenly smiled.
"Looks like you're doing just fine here in the North Blue."
He paused, his tone layered with meaning.
"Daren... this is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Daren smiled calmly.
"Who knows? I'm not a fan of trouble... Learned that from you, actually."
Borsalino scratched his head, looking slightly troubled.
"Yeah... Trouble's never a good thing."
"But trouble always finds its way to you," Daren replied.
"Just as long as it doesn't involve me..." Borsalino stretched lazily, stood up, and walked toward the door.
"Thanks for the cigar."
He waved casually behind him as he stepped out.
But just as he reached the threshold, his steps halted. He turned back with a faint smile.
"By the way... I have a feeling the truth behind the Celestial Dragon incident isn't all that complicated."
"Oh? Rear Admiral Borsalino, what's your take?" Daren flicked some ash off his cigar.
Borsalino's sunglasses glinted with a strange light.
"I'd say... it was probably just a Sea King attack."
"A ship that big, sailing out in the open like that—pretty easy target, wouldn't you say?"
"Just an accident. Don't you agree, Daren?"
Silence.
Heavy, suffocating silence.
Borsalino stared at the Captain sitting there smoking, as if trying to read something from his face.
But Daren only answered coolly,
"Sharp as ever, Rear Admiral Borsalino. I think so too."
They locked eyes for a few moments.
Then both laughed—
Like a pair of cunning foxes.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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