Daren had long seen through Momonga's predicament.
He understood Doflamingo's talent better than anyone else.
At just eight years old, he had awakened Conqueror's Haki.
The seemingly underwhelming Ito Ito no Mi had been pushed by him into a terrifying power that combined attack, control, self-healing, cloning, and large-scale annihilation.
That kind of innate potential—looking across the entire world of pirates—was one of a kind.
Add to that his cold-blooded, ruthless, and violent personality, and there really weren't many people on this sea who could compare.
Momonga was no slouch either. In the original timeline, he was an elite Vice Admiral at headquarters, a true pillar of justice, handling all kinds of high-difficulty missions.
But compared to someone like Doflamingo—a born king of darkness—he still came up a bit short.
Most importantly, without early access to Haki, Devil Fruit users held an overwhelming advantage in the early stages of growth.
Right now, maybe Momonga could barely keep Doflamingo in check with his sharp swordsmanship and rich combat experience. But as time went on, the pressure would only mount—and eventually, he'd be surpassed.
That was a hard truth no one could deny.
As for how to solve the problem, the solution was simple in theory:
Send Momonga to the officer training camp, give him a buffer period, and let him quickly master Rokushiki and Haki to grow stronger.
But there were two big problems with that.
First, the next session of the elite officer training camp was still a long way off—Momonga couldn't wait that long.
Second, while his talent might let him grasp Rokushiki fairly quickly, there was no guarantee he'd succeed with Haki.
Which meant there was only one remaining solution.
"I brought you a gift from the Grand Line."
Facing Momonga's confused look, Daren smiled.
"A gift that'll transform you—a power leap straight into epic territory."
"A gift?"
A flicker of curiosity passed through Momonga's eyes.
"What is it?"
Daren gestured, and a smooth, metallic box floated in through the window on a steady path.
"A Devil Fruit."
As faint blue arcs of electricity danced between Daren's fingers, the metal box began to ripple, then split open from the center, revealing what was inside.
The moment he saw it, Momonga's eyes narrowed sharply.
He stared fixedly at the strange fruit resting in the box, its aura bizarre, mysterious, and even destructive. He tried to make out what it was.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his expression grave.
After a long silence, his eyes suddenly widened. For someone usually so composed, he couldn't stop the shock in his voice.
"This... this is..."
"That's right," Daren said, smiling, "the strongest Logia—Goro Goro no Mi."
Momonga stared at the fruit, completely stunned.
"The legendary Devil Fruit... It actually exists... and you found it..."
He looked at the fruit in disbelief. His hands trembled slightly, and he couldn't tear his gaze away.
It was a golden, pineapple-shaped fruit, etched with lightning-like markings, pulsing with a stormy, volatile, and arcane energy.
The legendary Goro Goro no Mi!
Hailed as the "strongest" among the Logia-class!
If he ate this Devil Fruit, he would gain unimaginable power.
And this wasn't just any Logia.
Lightning was a force of nature—of disaster.
Its destructive power was on the level of a natural catastrophe.
As Daren's second-in-command in the North Blue, Momonga had already seen Devil Fruit catalogs through Daren's channels.
After all, Devil Fruits—hailed as the "Secret Treasure of the Sea"—were rare by nature. For years, they'd tried to collect them in the North Blue.
So the moment he saw this one, he recognized it instantly.
His first instinct was disbelief.
This was the kind of Logia Devil Fruit that could rival the three "monsters" at Marine Headquarters.
And now, Daren was offering it to him?
There was no way Momonga wasn't tempted.
However...
"No."
Momonga suddenly took a deep breath, forced his gaze away from the Goro Goro no Mi, and gritted his teeth.
"This is a legendary fruit. You should keep it for yourself, Daren."
His eyes were bloodshot, but he stared at Daren with firm resolve.
Daren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Have you forgotten I already ate the Jiki Jiki no Mi?"
"No one can consume two Devil Fruits. The result of greed is death by explosion. That's the unbreakable law of Devil Fruits."
"I have no intention of committing suicide."
Blackbeard might have managed it thanks to some unique trait of his, but as tempting as a second fruit was, Daren wasn't about to gamble his life—at least not here, not now.
Momonga blinked in realization.
In his panic, he had completely forgotten about that.
Still, he shook his head.
"Then you should give the Goro Goro no Mi to someone more suitable..."
A hint of discouragement passed through his eyes.
"I don't think I have the talent or potential to handle it."
There were limits to how much a Devil Fruit could be developed, and that depended greatly on its user.
Even the strongest Devil Fruit, in the hands of someone incompetent, could end up being wasted.
Daren let out a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"I really didn't expect someone to reject a gift like this..."
He shook his head, his tone suddenly serious.
"Don't underestimate yourself, Momonga."
"To me... you're the most suitable person."
Momonga pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, and still shook his head.
"No. It's too valuable..."
Daren looked at him, exhaled a puff of smoke, and then casually said,
"Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1487. I was fourteen. Just joined North Blue's 321 Branch as a Seaman Recruit."
"My physical condition was crap. Even basic training nearly killed me... And on top of that, as a new recruit, I had to do janitor duty."
"That day, I was dead tired, scrubbing toilets when I passed out."
"You found me and carried me to the hospital..."
"When I woke up, the toilets were already clean. I avoided a court martial thanks to you."
Momonga was caught off guard, waving dismissively.
"It was nothing."
But Daren kept going, ignoring the protest.
"Sea Circle Calendar 1488. My first combat mission. We were targeting the Blood Sickle Pirates. I was so scared I couldn't hold my sword straight, almost got split in half by an axe... You pulled me back and saved my life."
"And you took a bullet for it."
Momonga opened his mouth to speak, but Daren continued without pause.
"Sea Circle Calendar 1489. We both got promoted to Lieutenant, full of ambition. Took a 20-man team to clear out underworld forces on some island."
"It was a trap. We got ambushed, cornered in an alley. Everyone in the squad was killed. I took two bullets, three knife wounds, and passed out."
"When I woke up, I was in the hospital."
"And the guy in the bed next to me—was you."
"You looked worse than me."
"The doctor said you carried my unconscious body out of that alley. You took five bullets and six slashes doing it..."
Daren glanced at Momonga's left leg.
"There's still shrapnel in your knee that couldn't be removed. That's why you've been hesitant to put weight on your left leg all these years."
He took another drag from his cigarette and smiled lightly—a relaxed expression, but there was a heavy weight behind it.
"Need me to keep going?"
"No one else remembers. There's no record of those achievements in the files. But I remember."
"It's been five years since I joined the Navy."
"In those five years—counting that toilet incident—you've saved my life thirteen times."
"So tell me... if I were to die, how much would I be worth now?"
"I'm the so-called 'King of the North Blue,' feared across the sea."
"A Marine 'monster,' who killed the 'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World, wiped out the Beasts Pirates' main base, and rose as a shining star of the Navy."
Momonga was silent.
He was starting to understand where Daren was going with this.
In a low voice, he replied,
"Priceless."
"Exactly—priceless."
Daren laughed.
"And you saved that priceless life—thirteen times."
Momonga muttered,
"You've saved me more than that..."
Daren rolled his eyes.
"Is this really the time to argue over that?"
"What I'm saying is, we've fought side by side for years. With that kind of bond... why are you still hesitating?"
"I don't have many friends. And I don't trust easily."
"Out on this sea, there's only a handful of people I truly trust. You're one of them."
Momonga hesitated.
"But..."
"Goddammit!!"
Daren finally snapped. He didn't even let Momonga react.
With a sharp wave of his hand—
Clang clang!
The metal wristbands suddenly shot out, melted and split apart in mid-air, forming shackle-like restraints that clamped around Momonga's wrists and ankles—pinning him to the ground!
"Daren, what the hell—!?"
Momonga's expression twisted in shock, yelling instinctively.
But before he could move, Daren seized the Goro Goro no Mi—and shoved it straight into Momonga's mouth.
Juice exploded.
Momonga froze.
Eyes wide.
Then—
"Daren, you bastard!!"
"This thing..."
He roared, face flushed, coughing and gagging violently as tears welled in the corners of his eyes.
"...Tastes like shit!!"