"Daren, can you tell us now?"
The Marine officers stormed out of the hospital room, swearing under their breath. In the spacious, high-class ward, only Daren, Sengoku, Momonga, and Borsalino remained.
Sengoku kept a wary eye on the Vice Admiral leaning back in the bed, smoke curling from his lips, his brows tightly furrowed.
"The person you're talking about… it couldn't be..."
"That's right. It's Dragon."
A trace of helplessness crossed Daren's face as he sighed.
"I had planned to keep this secret, afraid it would cause unnecessary trouble. But in the end, I couldn't hide it from your sharp insight, Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku fell silent.
Dragon's identity was a sensitive matter. He was a wanted criminal with a high bounty, pursued by both the World Government and the Marines.
If he really had intervened in the battle between Daren and Shiki, then hiding this information made sense—especially considering Dragon was Garp's biological son. That alone made it all the more crucial to keep the matter from the other officers.
"I see…"
Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to Momonga.
"Captain Momonga, is that why you deliberately left it out of the intelligence report?"
Momonga quickly caught on and nodded with a serious expression.
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku."
"Dragon is, after all, a publicly wanted criminal. Meanwhile, Daren is our brightest Marine star. If word got out that he was in contact with someone like Dragon, it would have a serious political impact on him."
With a regretful look, he bowed deeply.
"This was my negligence. Please punish me!"
Sengoku waved a hand.
"You did the right thing, Momonga."
He glanced at Daren and spoke slowly.
"Daren represents the righteous force of the Marines. His image carries strong symbolic weight. In this situation, it's true that close ties to Dragon would be highly inappropriate."
"I understand your concerns—but I'm not happy with how you handled it!"
Sengoku's tone turned sharp.
"You kept contact with Dragon in secret and even let him take part in the Battle of Edd War and the final operation to hunt down Shiki... If anything had gone wrong, who would take responsibility?!"
"If you had consulted me beforehand—"
"If I had consulted you beforehand, the plan never would've gone through, right? You wouldn't have agreed, would you, Admiral Sengoku?"
Daren cut him off with a smile.
Sengoku's expression froze. He opened his mouth but couldn't find a retort.
Daren was right.
If he'd known about the plan in advance, there was no way he would've approved it.
Dragon's status was too volatile—he had killed a Celestial Dragon.
If the World Government found out that a "fugitive" like Dragon had been involved in a Marine operation—and that he, a Marine Admiral, had known about it and approved—it would mean the end of his career.
The more Sengoku thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
So… that brat Daren kept it from me for my own sake?
To shield me from the fallout of this operation?
Even someone as seasoned and shrewd as Sengoku couldn't help feeling a little awkward at the realization.
"That's exactly why I chose to go my own way. I'm sorry, Admiral Sengoku…"
Daren let out a sigh.
"I understand better than anyone the political consequences of working with Dragon. But I had no other choice."
"Shiki was too great a threat—to the world and to us. We poured countless resources into the Battle of Edd War to finally set up this one shot. If we missed the chance to eliminate him completely, I doubt we'd ever get another."
"If he had survived, he would've come back with a vengeance… and I'm sure you wouldn't want to wake up one night to find an island falling out of the sky onto Marineford, would you?"
Sengoku: …
He didn't respond.
Because Daren was right.
With Shiki's ruthless and vengeful nature, if this operation had failed, he would've gotten more cautious than ever—and come back with a vengeance. After that, the Marines' chances of beating him would've been next to none.
That kind of terrifying threat was exactly what made Shiki the most feared pirate by the Marines—hands down.
"What about Dragon…"
Sengoku stayed quiet for a moment, then asked slowly.
Daren smiled.
"Don't worry, Admiral Sengoku. Nothing will go wrong in the North Blue—I'm confident about that. What worries me more is the Battle of Edd War…"
"Even with the extreme weather at the time, I'm sure plenty of accompanying Marines saw Dragon take action, didn't they?"
Sengoku nodded.
"They did. But I've already issued a gag order—no one is allowed to speak of it."
"The only part that's hard to explain is that massive sea storm."
His expression tightened slightly.
"What's there to explain…"
Daren chuckled dismissively.
"The New World's always been unpredictable—shifting seas, wild skies, chaotic weather… If Shiki doesn't check the forecast, who's that on?"
"And besides, history? History's just a call girl dressed however the client wants. Pay enough, and you can make her wear whatever costume you like."
Then, in a mock-serious tone, like a historian recording an epic or a reporter filing a grand story, the Vice Admiral began:
"Sea Circle Calendar, year 1494, late in the year. The legendary great pirate Shiki the Golden Lion attempted to join forces with Gol D. Roger to conquer the world. After Roger refused, tensions erupted into a violent clash between their two crews—what history would later call the Battle of Edd War, a conflict that reshaped the world."
"Shiki's Flying Pirates, armed with overwhelming numbers and firepower, pushed the Roger Pirates to the brink… until a sudden ocean storm tore across the battlefield."
"The Roger Pirates, moments from annihilation, were saved by the storm. Most of the Flying Pirates' massive fleet sank beneath the waves. In the chaos, a ship's steering wheel lodged into Shiki's head, seriously injuring him."
"Seizing the moment, the Marine fleet—waiting and ready—struck with full force. Under the banner of 'justice,' they utterly crushed the Flying Pirates."
"Shiki, gravely wounded, fled… only to be brought down in the North Blue by Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Rogers Daren, marking the end of his grand ambitions and his storied, fearsome life."
Finishing the tale, Daren exhaled a long plume of smoke that curled like a dragon and grinned.
"That's how it'll be written in the history books, Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku stared blankly at the Vice Admiral before him.
This brat… he really can spin a story!!