“DARREN!!”
Gion glared at the new North Blue Commander, legs crossed and smirking, with such rage that her clenched teeth nearly cracked. Her chest rose and fell with barely contained fury.
Even before coming to the North Blue, she’d heard countless rumors about this man.
Lustful. Corrupt. Abusive of power. Immoral. Cronyistic. Tied to shady nobles, business leaders—and even the mafia and underground organizations.
She had mentally prepared herself for disappointment.
But never—never—had she imagined a Marine could fall this far from justice!
Those vile, indecent, downright obscene acts—how had he managed to spin them as “caring for the people” and “civilian-military cooperation”!?
Gion could no longer hear those phrases without wanting to retch.
“Where’s your sense of justice?! Does that cloak on your back mean nothing to you? Has military discipline lost all meaning?!”
She unleashed a furious triple volley.
“What you’re doing doesn’t just damage your own image—it brings shame to the entire Marine Corps!”
To reinforce her point, she turned to Tokikake.
“Back me up here—am I wrong, Tokikake?!”
“...Caring for the people... who knew it could be so... caring... That’s genius—uh, yes! You’re absolutely right, Gion!”
Snapping out of his daze, Tokikake sat up straight and slammed his hand on the desk with righteous fury.
“Darren! You’re a disgrace to the Marines!”
Darren gave him a half-smile.
“So… you’re saying you wouldn’t do the same, Lieutenant Commander Tokikake?”
“Of course I w—wait, no! What I mean is, I care about the people too!”
Tokikake’s face turned red as he stammered.
Darren chuckled, blowing out a slow, curling stream of smoke. His eyes landed calmly on Gion’s flushed, furious face.
“This was a consensual affair. Lady Marguerite is happy, I’m happy—sounds like a win-win to me.”
Win-win, my ass!
Gion could hardly contain her rage.
“You think the governor of Yadis would be happy?! Do you even understand the political consequences if this came to light?!”
“Who says Governor Tyril wouldn’t be happy?” Darren replied, smiling.
Gion froze.
Tokikake’s jaw fell open.
An unthinkable idea entered both their minds at the same time...
Could it be...
Darren casually tapped the ash from his cigar and continued:
“And besides—this isn’t exactly a hidden affair. I’m not covering anything up. You two know. HQ knows.”
“But have you ever asked yourselves… why hasn’t anyone from HQ ever tried to impeach me? Why hasn’t Admiral Sengoku questioned me even once?”
He stood up, placing one hand firmly on the table and leaning forward. His presence shifted—oppressive, cold, dominating.
Gion and Tokikake felt a chill run down their spines as his grin vanished.
Looking down at the two “elite officers” from Marineford, Darren said quietly:
“Because I get things done.”
“You say I’m damaging the Marines’ image? Then tell me—how's the image of the top officers in Marineford?”
The room fell silent.
They recalled:
Vice Admiral Garp, snoring and digging his nose at meetings.
Admiral Sengoku, chatting with goats and acting half-crazed.
Sakazuki and Borsalino, the two “monsters” of their generation.
One brutally executed pirates, even if civilians got caught in the crossfire.
The other strolled around saying “How scary~” like nothing mattered.
Suddenly... the "Marine image" didn’t seem so clean after all.
No—wait!
Gion snapped out of it. She wasn’t about to let Darren’s twisted logic win.
But just as she opened her mouth, Darren waved a hand.
“That’s enough. I’ve got training to do.”
“If you’d like, feel free to join me on the drill field.”
“If either of you has a problem with how I do things—then let’s settle it properly. I’m happy to spar with elite officers from HQ.”
He stubbed out his cigar, tossed a fresh box toward Tokikake, and strode out of the office.
Just before he stepped through the doorway, he paused.
“Oh, one more thing.”
He turned back with a playful smirk.
“I drink, smoke, chase women, crave power, love money, and enjoy killing.”
“But I still believe I’m a good Marine.”
“Compared to those so-called men of virtue who do nothing and amount to nothing—I’m a far better choice.”
With a wave of his hand and a grin on his face, Darren disappeared down the hall as the door slowly closed behind him.
Gion and Tokikake sat there frozen.
After a long silence, Gion suddenly snapped back to life.
“That bastard! There’s no way I’m buying into that twisted logic!”
She gritted her teeth and yanked out a military den-den mushi.
Tokikake looked up, half hiding the cigar box under his cloak.
“Uh… Gion? What’re you doing?”
“I’m reporting Darren’s misconduct to HQ!”
The den-den mushi rang once, then connected.
“Brru~!”
“Ahahaha! Little Gion! You made it to the North Blue safely? How’s the place treating you?”
Sengoku’s cheerful voice came through as the den-den mushi morphed to mimic his face—complete with seagull hat and round glasses.
“Reporting in, Admiral Sengoku. I’ve arrived at 321st Branch.”
“But during the inspection, I discovered that Captain Darren’s conduct is… utterly inappropriate—serious enough to harm the reputation of the Marines and even spark a political crisis!”
---
Her voice was tight with rage.
“Oh?” Sengoku responded, curious.
“What sort of conduct? Darren always struck me as quite capable…”
Capable?
That word—combined with Darren’s “caring for the people” excuse—made Gion's face go crimson.
She opened her mouth to speak… but the words caught in her throat.
Tokikake, however, snatched the snail and roared into it:
“He slept with the governor’s wife of the Kingdom of Yadis!!”
Sengoku: …
Back in Marineford Headquarters…
Sengoku sat at his desk, hand on forehead, the den-den mushi showing Tokikake’s righteous fury in full display:
“Admiral Sengoku, I strongly recommend disciplinary action against that bastard Darren!”
“She’s a governor’s wife, damn it! Beautiful, mature, charming—”
Sengoku’s eyebrow twitched.
Okay sure—disciplinary action is one thing. But why the hell are you describing her looks in detail!?
“Ah. So that’s what this is about,” he muttered.
Gion and Tokikake blinked.
“Wait—‘ah’?! That’s it?!”
“Admiral Sengoku… you don’t seem too concerned…” Gion said, clearly displeased.
Sengoku scratched his head and sighed.
“Gion, there’s a lot you don’t know. That kid Darren, yes—he’s problematic. Your mentor Tsuru and I both know it well.”
“This isn’t even the first time.”
“Tsuru’s desk overflows with complaints and reports about Darren. The stack’s practically a mountain.”
“Things like this? I’ve seen hundreds. Maybe even a thousand.”
Tokikake’s jaw dropped. He trembled.
Hundreds? No—thousands?!
That many noblewomen? That many “civ-mil collaborations”?!
Monster.
He took a deep drag on his cigar.
Gion was equally shocked.
“Then why would you still promote him to North Blue Commander? If this keeps up, he’ll throw the entire region into chaos!”
Sengoku sighed again.
She’s still too young…
“Gion, do you have a fax machine nearby?”
She glanced around. “Yes.”
“Good. I’m sending you something. Read it, then destroy it.”
The machine whirred to life. Pages printed out.
“This is Darren’s performance report—what he submitted when applying for the North Blue post. It covers his record over the past two years as commander of 321st Branch.”
Gion and Tokikake looked at each other, then flipped through the pages.
As they read, their eyes grew wider and wider.
“You see now?” Sengoku’s voice was calm.
“The North Blue is the most chaotic of the four seas. A long mafia history, high crime rates, and black market routes running through the Grand Line.”
“Countless wars between nations. And Germa 66 constantly trying to reclaim their old glory.”
“But during Darren’s tenure? Crime plummeted. Pirate activity dropped. Mafia factions kept to themselves. Kingdoms stopped warring. Civilian life improved across the board.”
“This is the most stable era in the North Blue’s modern history.”
Gion blinked. “But what about Rear Admirals Borsalino and Sakazuki? They were assigned here too, right? Are you saying Darren did better than them?”
She looked doubtful.
Sengoku sighed even harder.
“Gion… you don’t know those two well enough.”
“Borsalino? Unless HQ personally ordered him to act, he did nothing. Pirate activity got worse. Eventually, we had to transfer him.”
“Sakazuki?” Gion asked next.
Sengoku rubbed his temples.
“He went full iron-fist justice—ignored political sensitivities and civilian safety. Flattened entire towns in pursuit of pirates.”
“In the end, over ten allied nations filed formal complaints and demanded his removal.”
Gion: …
Tokikake: …
Sengoku continued, exhausted.
“Put simply—only Darren has been able to manage the delicate balance in the North Blue.”
“Unlike you two, raised in comfort at HQ, Darren is a local. He rose from nothing. That alone says a lot.”
“He’s efficient, powerful, ruthless when needed, and smooth when it counts. He commands respect from both sides of the law.”
“And get this—both Sakazuki and Borsalino supported his promotion.”
“That endorsement alone says more than anything I could.”
His tone softened now, almost like an elder advising juniors.
“You two, especially you Gion—your understanding of justice is still very... textbook.”
“Tsuru and I sent you to the North Blue to broaden your perspective.”
“Darren may be cunning, but he’s smart. You’ll learn more from being around him than you ever would staying at HQ.”
---
To be continued…
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