"Daren!!"

Gion's voice trembled with fury as she glared at the new North Blue admiral sitting casually with his legs crossed and a flippant look in his eyes. Her clenched teeth nearly cracked from anger, and her chest rose and fell sharply.

Before coming to the North Blue, she'd already heard plenty of unsavory rumors about this man.

She had mentally prepared herself for the worst.

But not even in her wildest imagination could she have guessed that a so-called "righteous" Marine officer could sink this low!

That vulgar, indecent, downright filthy behavior—and he had the audacity to call it "caring for the people" and "military-civilian cooperation"!?

Gion now found herself unable to look at those once-uplifting words the same way again.

"What you've done doesn't just tarnish your own image—it brings shame to the entire Marine organization! You disgrace!"

To reinforce her point, she turned sharply to Tokikake.

"Am I wrong, Tokikake?"

"…I never imagined caring for the people could be taken this far. Truly… genius… Ah, right, Gion, you're absolutely right!"

Tokikake, who had been muttering to himself in a daze, suddenly snapped to attention. His drifting gaze sharpened with feigned righteousness as he slammed the table and glared at Daren.

"That's right! Daren, you're a disgrace to the Marines!"

Daren looked at him with a faint smirk.

"So, you're saying you wouldn't want to, Lieutenant Commander Tokikake?"

"Of course I would—wait, no! I mean, of course I care about the people!"

Tokikake stiffened his neck, his face flushing bright red.

Daren chuckled and blew out a stream of smoke that coiled like a dragon, his eyes drifting back to Gion's furious, yet strikingly lovely face.

"This was mutual," he said slowly. "Lady Margery was happy, I was happy—it's a win-win."

Win-win, my ass!

Gion couldn't stomach this kind of twisted logic. Grinding her teeth, she shot back,

"But there's no way the Governor of the Yadis Kingdom would be happy! If he finds out, do you realize the kind of political fallout this could cause!?"

"Who says Governor Tyrell wouldn't be happy?" Daren suddenly said with a grin.

Gion froze, and then, as if realizing something, just stood there in stunned silence.

Tokikake's mouth opened slightly, his face blank.

An impossible thought surfaced in both their minds at the same time…

No way… could it be…?

Daren calmly flicked the ash from his cigar and continued.

"Besides, this kind of thing really isn't a big deal. I'm not hiding it. If you two know, then obviously headquarters knows as well…"

"But have you ever wondered—why has no one at headquarters ever tried to impeach me?"

He slowly stood up, one large hand pressing down on the conference table as he leaned forward slightly, his posture radiating dominance.

A cold, oppressive aura began to seep from him—quiet, commanding, and chilling.

As Daren's smile faded, both Gion and Tokikake, for reasons they couldn't explain, suddenly felt a trace of fear creeping into their hearts.

Daren looked down at the two Marine "second-gens" from headquarters and said calmly,

"Because I get results."

"And besides, are the reputations of the other Marine officers really all that clean?"

The moment he said that, Gion and Tokikake fell silent.

They thought of Vice Admiral Garp—sleeping in, digging his nose without a care…

Of Admiral Sengoku rambling while talking to goats…

And of the two "monsters" of the younger generation, Sakazuki and Borsalino.

One took down pirates with brutal, merciless methods, never hesitating to sacrifice civilians if it meant completing a mission.

The other… well, everything he saw was just "so scary," said in that creepy, sarcastic tone…

Thinking back, they couldn't deny it—maybe the Marine's image wasn't exactly spotless after all.

No! That's not right!

Gion suddenly caught herself. She couldn't let this guy twist things around like this.

But just as she opened her mouth to speak, Daren waved his hand and cut her off.

"Alright then, you two. It's time for my training. If you're interested, feel free to follow me—I'll be waiting on the drill field."

"And if you've got any complaints about how I do things, I'd be more than happy to spar with the elites from Headquarters."

He stubbed out his cigar, tossed a fresh box of cigars to Tokikake, and strode out of the base commander's office.

The door slowly closed behind him.

Gion and Tokikake sat in stunned silence for a long moment before Gion snapped out of it.

"That bastard! I'm not buying a single word of that twisted logic!"

She gritted her teeth, pulled out a military Den Den Mushi, and dialed Headquarters.

"Gion, what are you…"

Tokikake asked, trying to discreetly stash the box of cigars.

"I'm reporting Daren's behavior to Headquarters!"

Gion's eyes locked onto the Den Den Mushi as it rang out with its familiar "buru buru" sound.

Soon, the line connected.

"Buru!"

"Hahaha! Gion-chan, you've arrived in the North Blue? How's the environment over there?"

A hearty laugh came through, and the Den Den Mushi mimicked the face of Admiral Sengoku from Marine Headquarters—seagull cap, round black-framed glasses and all.

"Reporting in, Admiral Sengoku. I've arrived at Branch 321,"

Gion said sternly and methodically.

"However, during the inspection, I discovered a serious issue with Captain Daren's personal conduct—one that could damage the reputation of the Marines and even spark a political incident!"

There was barely restrained fury in her voice.

"Oh?" Sengoku's puzzled voice came through the receiver.

"What issue? As far as I remember, that kid Daren's pretty capable…"

"Pretty capable…"

Maybe it was Daren's earlier line about "caring for the people" still lingering in her mind, but Gion couldn't help feeling something off about those words.

She opened her mouth, cheeks flushing red as she stammered,

"He… he… he…"

The situation was just too shameful—she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

Tokikake reached over and snatched the Den Den Mushi, blurting out angrily,

"He slept with the wife of the Governor of the Yadis Kingdom!!"

Sengoku: …

...

At Marine Headquarters, Marineford. Admiral's Office.

Sengoku stared at the Den Den Mushi, watching Tokikake rant with righteous indignation.

"Admiral Sengoku, I strongly suggest we strip Daren of his rank and investigate him!"

"That's the governor's wife, for crying out loud! Still full of charm—and stunning!"

Sengoku's face twitched.

Okay, sure, talk about dismissing him—we can discuss that.

But why do you keep bringing up how beautiful Lady Margery is?

"Hm. So that's what this is about," Sengoku muttered.

Gion and Tokikake both froze.

"Hm"? That's it?

"Admiral Sengoku… your attitude..." Gion said with clear dissatisfaction.

Sengoku scratched his head.

"Gion, there are things you don't know. That brat Daren does have a lot of issues. Both your sister Tsuru and I are well aware."

"As for the issue you're bringing up... it's not the first time."

"Over on Tsuru's side—the Marine administration and inspection department—they've got piles of complaints and reports on Daren. Stacked to the ceiling."

Tokikake went stiff, visibly trembling.

So that bastard Daren had "cared for" many more noble ladies like Margery?

How many times had he "engaged in military-civilian cooperation"!?

Beast!

He took a few deep drags from his smoke.

Gion was equally stunned.

"Then why was he promoted to the top post in the North Blue? If we let him run wild, the whole sea's going to be a disaster."

Sengoku sighed to himself—Gion was still too young, too idealistic. He gave a helpless smile and said plainly,

"His presence is justified. If Daren can stabilize that chaotic region, there's a reason for it."

Gion frowned, unconvinced.

"But Admiral Sengoku… what about our Headquarters prodigies—Rear Admirals Borsalino and Sakazuki? Didn't they both serve in the North Blue?"

"Are you saying Daren's governance was better than theirs?"

She could hardly believe it.

Borsalino and Sakazuki were monsters of Marine Headquarters, already recognized as future Admirals.

Sengoku's mouth twitched. His expression soured as he sighed again.

"Gion… you still don't understand those two well enough."

"During Borsalino's time in the North Blue, unless HQ gave direct orders, he barely lifted a finger. Piracy got so bad that HQ couldn't stand it anymore and finally had him transferred."

"What about Rear Admiral Sakazuki?" Gion asked, startled but still skeptical.

Sengoku let out another sigh.

"Sakazuki... why do you think he was pulled from the North Blue?"

"That guy ignored political sensitivities between kingdoms, disregarded civilian casualties, and used extreme force on every pirate he encountered. He left entire towns and countries in ruin…"

"In the end, over ten allied nations complained and applied joint pressure on HQ. That's why we had no choice but to transfer him out."

Gion: …

Tokikake: …

Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose and said,

"In short, regarding this promotion—both Sakazuki and Borsalino voiced their support."

"Daren has earned their recognition... That alone proves his skill and capability."

Then, in a tone full of meaning, he added,

"Study him carefully."