"So don't give me any of that 'I'm sorry' or 'my apologies'... You Marines love to talk about justice... cough, cough..."
The man broke into a violent coughing fit, black blood spilling from his mouth. His pale face began turning a sickly purple-black.
He gasped for air, barely clinging to life, and let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"...Justice that arrives too late is no justice at all!"
Sengoku and the others stood in silence.
At some point, it had started to rain.
The steady drizzle washed the blood from the rubble, but it couldn't cleanse the heavy weight pressing on everyone's hearts.
"You're right. The Marines' justice... really is bullshit."
A cold voice suddenly cut through the air.
Everyone looked up in surprise to see Daren slowly crouch beside the dying man, his gaze calm.
He pulled a cigarette pack from his coat and took one out.
"Want a smoke?"
The man blinked in surprise, then gave a faint nod.
Daren placed the cigarette between his lips, struck a lighter, and lit it for him.
The man took a long drag, then choked and coughed again.
"What's done is done. I know words like 'I'm sorry' mean nothing to you now. Justice delayed isn't justice... but to be honest, I've never cared much for 'justice' anyway."
Lighting a cigarette for himself, Daren smiled.
"I only believe in one thing—payback."
"So if you know anything, anything at all... tell me. Even the smallest clue can help us find the bastard who did this, take him out, and avenge your family..."
He glanced at the man, whose pupils were already starting to fade, his life flickering like a candle in the wind.
"And get revenge for you too."
The man stayed quiet for a moment.
As he looked up at the Marine Commodore in front of him, he suddenly realized—this man was nothing like the others.
There was a wild, reckless fire in his eyes.
Was he insane?
The man suddenly let out a faint laugh.
"Three days ago, a fleet stopped by our town to resupply. Rumor was, they'd found some kind of treasure—something priceless. They were planning to sell it off to a big name in the underworld."
"Two days later, Shiki showed up."
"He went on a slaughter... torturing, killing, trying to force out any information about that fleet's whereabouts. And now... you're looking at the aftermath."
A treasure...?
At his words, everyone—including Daren—furrowed their brows, deep in thought.
With Shiki's power and reputation, there was no way he'd be interested in ordinary loot.
Whether it was wealth, supplies, weapons, or territory—anything he wanted, he could just take. He had no need to go through all that trouble.
He lacked for nothing.
"Do you know what he was after?"
Sengoku asked, tense.
The man cast him a scornful glance and slowly shook his head.
Daren spoke up again.
"If Shiki's after it, it's got to be something that can help him conquer the seas."
Sengoku nodded in agreement.
"Do you know where that fleet went?"
He turned back to the man to ask, but the words froze in his throat.
Caw, caw, caw...
Crows passed overhead.
Cold rain fell steadily, pattering against the ground, splashing mud up onto their boots and uniforms.
The man's pupils had gone completely dull, his body stiff and motionless.
The cigarette between his dry, cracked lips had long since gone out.
He was dead.
...
The trail had gone cold.
In the ruins of the town, the Marines moved silently, each focused on their task.
Besides searching for any remaining survivors, they were also combing the area for clues—anything that could lead them to Shiki or the merchant fleet.
Cold rain fell steadily.
Daren, draped in a large hooded coat that concealed half his face, moved through a corner of the wreckage, a cigarette between his lips.
He came to a stop before a building that had been cleaved clean in two. Stepping closer, he reached out to trace the sword mark, one that had nearly split the very earth.
Since training under Garp in hand-to-hand combat, Daren had gradually come to understand that Garp's strength stemmed from the explosive force created through the intense fusion of mind, body, and technique.
It came down to willpower—or more precisely, an overwhelming sense of "presence."
If Garp's punches carried a forceful, unstoppable grandeur, then the sword strike that left this scar reeked of something entirely different—wild, cruel, and ruthless.
It wasn't hard to picture the kind of person capable of such a blow.
Someone twisted, violent.
Someone who treated life like a game, who'd stop at nothing to get what they wanted.
Someone who could laugh at death—others' and even their own.
Gradually, a tyrant's image began to form in Daren's mind.
Brr brr... brr brr...
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang.
Daren paused, then pulled out an encrypted line. When he saw the signal flashing across it, he narrowed his eyes.
He scanned the area to ensure no one was watching, then connected the call.
A deep, arrogant chuckle came through the line.
"Fufufufu... Dear Godfather-sama, I've got some good news for you."
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Donquixote Doflamingo's face perfectly, down to his crooked grin.
"The thing you've always wanted me to find... has finally surfaced."
A glint flashed through Daren's eyes.
As if connecting the dots, he squinted slightly, his gaze sharpening like a pair of blades.
Doflamingo chuckled darkly.
"That little treasure has fallen into the hands of the New World's Underworld Emperor—the 'Loan Shark King,' Lu Feld. Word is, he's holding an auction on a neutral island tomorrow. Highest bidder takes it."
"Plenty of players have already caught wind of it... including some real monsters."
Daren exhaled slowly, his voice low.
"Got it."
"Let me guess... one of those 'monsters' is Shiki the Golden Lion, isn't it?"
There was a pause. Then Doflamingo laughed again.
"Fufufufu... Looks like Godfather-sama already has things in motion. I'll stay out of it."
"Thanks, Doffy."
Daren ended the call without another word.
The Donquixote Family had influence in the North Blue, sure—but in the New World, they were nothing special. He had never planned to involve Doflamingo anyway.
But this information...
Now everything made sense.
Daren turned, tucked away the Den Den Mushi, and strode quickly toward Sengoku.
"Admiral Sengoku, I know what Shiki's after."
Sengoku, who had been coordinating with the others, froze mid-task.
"What is it!?"
Daren tilted his head toward the stormy sky above.
"The ability of the 'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World... the Moa Moa no Mi."
At those words, Sengoku's face changed instantly.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake