Borsalino raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender.
"How could that be? You're a man approved by Sakazuki."
"Why does that sound so wrong..."
Daren patted the dust off his hands.
Borsalino gave him a long, steady look, then suddenly broke into a wide grin.
"So the government's starting to get suspicious?"
As expected from a guy as sharp as Kizaru—he caught on that quickly...
That thought flashed through Daren's mind in an instant.
As a transmigrator, Daren had a certain understanding of the original plot.
But Borsalino was still someone he couldn't read.
Even back when they worked together during Borsalino's time stationed in the North Blue, when Daren served as his subordinate, he could never quite figure out where the man stood.
"Unclear Justice," huh... could that really be called justice?
What he could say for certain, though, was that this guy hid things deep—and never got himself into any trouble.
A dozen thoughts raced through Daren's mind, but outwardly, he kept his usual smile.
"I'm just following orders."
Borsalino exaggeratedly opened his mouth a bit and scratched his head.
"That's really strange..."
He shot Daren a meaningful glance.
"But I guess it makes sense. After all, you're the least suspicious one."
This bastard... always watching from the sidelines, enjoying the show no matter how big it gets!
Daren's mouth twitched slightly.
He was certain Borsalino had probably guessed something. This was another attempt to probe him.
And yeah... that smile of his really made you want to punch it.
"That's for sure."
Daren replied with a calm smile.
If you're going to test me, I won't make it easy for you either.
"It's just... after thinking about the Celestial Dragon attack some more, I think I might've remembered something else."
"Oh?"
Borsalino asked, feigning surprise.
"What would that be?"
He looked at Daren with a mocking grin.
"I thought you were with me on this one—that the Celestial Dragon was attacked by a Sea King?"
"Who knows? People change their minds."
Daren shrugged.
Borsalino tilted his head.
"So what's your current take on it?"
Daren smiled and raised one finger.
"First—whoever attacked the Celestial Dragon had overwhelming firepower. They destroyed the government ship in a flash."
Borsalino nodded with a smile as he watched him.
"Yes..."
Daren ignored the layered look in his eyes and raised a second finger.
"Second—based on the timeline, the attacker had to have been in the North Blue at the time of the incident."
Borsalino stayed silent, still wearing that damned smile... and just stared at him.
Daren raised a third finger.
"Third—I've already had our people check the registered warships and vessels across the North Blue. Nothing stood out. So the attacker most likely has high-speed flight capabilities."
"In summary... Rear Admiral Borsalino—there's one person I can think of who fits all three conditions."
"Oh? And who might that be?"
Borsalino asked with a casual smile—until he noticed Daren was staring straight at him.
"..."
His smile froze.
"Hahahahaha! I'm kidding..."
Daren suddenly burst into laughter.
For some reason, seeing this smug Kizaru flinch gave him a strange, deeply satisfying sense of relief.
"Of course I'm on your side, Rear Admiral Borsalino."
With that, Daren turned and walked into his private residence, waving casually behind him.
"Get some rest, Rear Admiral Borsalino."
"Tomorrow, you and Admiral Sengoku will be setting sail again. I'll be sure to see you off."
...
In the setting sun, Borsalino stood silently.
The mirrored surface of his oversized sunglasses clearly reflected Daren's retreating figure.
The cooling breeze lifted the folds of the large cloak behind him.
"It's getting more and more interesting, Daren..."
He muttered to himself.
The corners of his mouth curled up once again into an amused, intrigued smile.
...
The next day.
Batia Island, the harbor.
The North Blue Navy, led by Daren, had already sealed off the port, organizing a grand and festive send-off for the departing Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
Flowers lined both sides of the streets. Marines stood in formation. Salute cannons were fired.
As fireworks burst into the sky in vibrant colors, the Marines aboard Sengoku's flagship watched with delight and pride on their faces.
"You little brat, always pulling these pointless stunts."
Sengoku scolded Daren with mock irritation, though his face was already lit up like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Daren bowed slightly with graceful composure.
"This has nothing to do with us subordinates. The North Blue Marines organized all of this on their own to show their admiration for Admiral Sengoku."
"You brat..."
Sengoku chuckled, waving a hand, feeling more and more fond of Daren the longer he looked at him.
Capable, diligent, respectful, quick-witted, thoughtful—and best of all, good-looking and pleasant to have around.
Now, compare that to his own adjutant?
He hadn't even boarded the ship yet, and that guy was already sprawled out in a deck chair on the deck, basking in the sun and sipping watermelon juice.
Who exactly was the Admiral here!?
Just thinking about spending every day at sea staring at Borsalino's smug face put Sengoku in a foul mood. With a long, melancholic sigh, he slumped a little.
Always hanging around making weird comments, throwing in "that's scary" at every opportunity... Just the thought was irritating!
He must've been blind to ever pick that guy as his second-in-command!
"Blub blub... blub blub..."
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's coat began to ring.
He paused, pulled it out, and connected the call.
"Sengoku..."
A hoarse voice came through.
Hearing it, Sengoku's heart instantly sank. He straightened his posture and replied respectfully.
"Topman Warcury-sama, regarding the Celestial Dragon incident—"
He automatically assumed the Five Elders were calling to push for progress and began to defend the delay.
"No, that matter has already been resolved."
Topman Warcury's voice sounded surprisingly cheerful over the Den Den Mushi, even carrying a rare hint of a smile.
"Admiral Daren of the North Blue has submitted the case file. We're very pleased with his investigation results."
"Sengoku, you did well. That kid Daren made it clear in his report—without your guidance, he wouldn't have uncovered the truth behind this incident."
Sengoku: ?
He froze, completely baffled.
The investigation results... are in?
When?
It hasn't even been a day!
Daren has been here on Batia Island the whole time!
Unable to help himself, Sengoku turned to glance at Daren—
The latter simply gave a modest bow and smiled, saying nothing.
"Sengoku, did you hear that?"
Before Sengoku could respond, Topman Warcury's voice came from the Den Den Mushi with a hint of irritation.
"Yes, I heard!"
Sengoku snapped back to attention and quickly answered.
"Well then, the government is very satisfied with your performance this time."
Topman Warcury's tone carried clear praise.
"You truly live up to your reputation as a 'wise general'."
Sengoku was still confused, but faced with praise from a Five Elder, he couldn't help but smile with a hint of pride.
"You flatter me, Warcury-sama."
"You flatter me, Lord Warcury."
"Alright, that's all for now... oh, and that kid Daren—he's quite something."
Topman Warcury paused, then added,
"With his abilities, the rank of Captain really doesn't do him justice."
Sengoku immediately understood the implication and responded seriously,
"Captain Daren has already passed the Officer Training Camp's assessment. Once his current duties are complete, he'll head to Marine Headquarters at Marineford for further training. His consistent excellence hasn't gone unnoticed by Marine leadership—we would never waste someone with his potential."
"Good."
With that, the line went dead.
Sengoku stared blankly at the now-sleeping Den Den Mushi in his hand. A few seconds later, he suddenly turned his head and glared at Daren, gritting his teeth.
"You brat... when did you solve the case!?"
Daren smiled.
"It was all thanks to Admiral Sengoku's guidance."
Sengoku rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Without even realizing it, he'd ended up owing this kid a favor.
"Who was the culprit?"
Daren replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World."
Sengoku: ???
"What!?"
His jaw dropped in disbelief. He nearly bit his tongue.
"Byrnndi World? That's impossible—he didn't even have the time to do it. At the time of the incident, I was in the middle of chasing him down—"
Sengoku suddenly stopped.
Something clicked. He stared at Daren in a daze.
Daren lit a cigarette casually, smiling with a deeper meaning.
"Who cares about the truth?"
That single line thundered through Sengoku's mind.
Right. Who cared about the truth?
There were no witnesses to the attack, and the Navy had sealed off all information.
Meaning that aside from Marine HQ and a very small circle, almost no one in the world even knew a Celestial Dragon had died.
The government's real concern was finding a "reasonable conclusion" to present to the Celestial Dragon families back at Mary Geoise.
What they needed wasn't the truth.
At least, not a truth as ridiculous as "killed by a Sea King."
And Daren's "investigation result" had solved the problem perfectly.
Officially, Saint Xildes had been killed by the infamous pirate "World Destroyer" Byrnndi World.
This deflected pressure from Xildes's family and the Holy Land.
From their perspective, being killed by a notorious pirate was far more acceptable than dying to a random Sea King attack.
And in reality, the truth of the incident had been uncovered—it was, simply, an accident.
This conclusion satisfied both sides.
The Marines had something to report to the World Government. The World Government had something to report to the Holy Land.
It was a solution everyone could accept.
Well, everyone except Byrnndi World.
Actually… if he found out he'd "killed" a Celestial Dragon, he'd probably be pleased too.
A truly perfect ending for everyone.
And now, all that was left was to arrest Byrnndi World—the reckless criminal who dared to strike down a Celestial Dragon!
Which was exactly what Sengoku had planned to do anyway.
The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes gleamed.
Daren... this kid was a genius.
"Hahahahahaha! You did great, kid!"
Sengoku suddenly burst out laughing, beaming as he gave Daren a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"I knew I was right to leave this case in your hands!"
Off to the side, Gion and Tokikake were both silently cringing.
When did you decide that? Wasn't this investigation handed to Daren by direct order from the World Government?
Still, neither of them dared to speak.
"Well then, it does seem that the rank of Captain is a bit low for you."
Sengoku looked over Daren approvingly and smiled.
"When I get back to HQ, I'll file a recommendation with Marshal Kong..."
He winked at Daren.
"Congratulations—Commodore Rogers Daren."
The moment he said it, Gion and Tokikake froze in place.
They stared, stunned, completely speechless, their heads buzzing.
Especially Tokikake—his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.
Commodore!?
That was a flag officer rank!
Daren… that guy actually got promoted after killing a Celestial Dragon!?
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake