Darren woke up in a soft, luxurious bed.
With a sharp nose, deep eyes like stars, and brows as straight as swords, his tousled black hair highlighted his carefree and untamed aura. Slowly, he rose from the bed, his bare chest covered with various gnarly scars, his rough muscle lines adding a wild edge to his appearance. He was always just so handsome.
"Lord Darren, have you awakened?"
A soft, sultry voice came from beneath the sheets.
A mature, gentle face appeared from under the blankets, and the curves of a woman's body, outlined beneath the fabric, painted an unapproved picture. Her eyes, glistening with a dewy softness, looked up at the tall man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, her expression filled with satisfaction at being conquered.
She had never met such a perfect man; wild, domineering, and rebellious. Although her own husband preferred men, making this her first time last night, the man before her had given her an unimaginable sense of pleasure.
Darren walked over to the windowsill, picked up a fine cigar from the crystal coffee table, lit it, took a deep drag, and smiled.
"Mm, go back to sleep, darling."
Although he called her "darling," she was merely a passing fancy in Darren's ongoing pursuit of women. He'd forget her soon.
Though, this noblewoman certainly tasted quite nice.
Darren casually threw on a loose white shirt, exposing his chest, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and picked up the latest newspaper. Sipping his whiskey, he flipped through it.
"Great Pirate 'World Destroyer' Bondi Waldo sinks a World Government official ship. The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, are enraged. A bounty of 200 million berries! The Waldo Pirate Crew may become the government's greatest threat!""The Legendary Pirate Roger Sets Sail Again! Latest sightings: the weakest East Blue!""The Pirate Golden Lion Shiki recruits en masse in the New World, aiming to form the largest pirate fleet in history!""Pirate Kaido and Charlotte Linlin clash in the New World, leveling an entire small island!"
Headlines that would strike fear into anyone flashed before Darren's eyes, causing him to instinctively narrow his gaze.
"Quite the lively era we're in..." he muttered, folding the newspaper slowly, taking a sip of his whiskey, and lighting an intricately embossed, high-end cigar.
The rich aroma of tobacco stimulated his senses, sharpening his focus as he fell into deep thought.
Indeed, Darren was a transmigrator.
Unlike others, however, he lacked the so-called "chosen one" system or cheat abilities. His sole advantage was the heightened perception and control over his body after his soul merged with this world.
Five years ago, Darren found himself thrust into this pirate-filled world. Starting as the lowest-ranking marine, he clawed his way up to his current position through sheer grit.
The North Blue, a region outside the Grand Line, was the most chaotic and savage of the four seas.
It lacked the relative peace of the "Weakest Sea," the East Blue, the wealth of the trade-rich West Blue, and the stability of the sparsely populated South Blue.
Instead, the North Blue was rife with mafia wars, clashes between underground factions, endless kingdom conflicts, and rampant piracy.
It was a nightmare for marines to manage, a region where corruption and violence thrived unchecked.
From an ordinary marine to the commanding officer of Branch 321, and now on the verge of receiving commendation from Marine Headquarters, Darren had endured countless life-and-death situations and played his part in intricate schemes.
Even he had lost count of the challenges he'd faced, yet his scars told the story well enough.
Knowing how hard-fought his journey had been, Darren embraced an indulgent attitude toward life.
After all, it was the year 1492 of the Sea Calendar!
This was a chaotic time when the aftermath of the God Valley Incident left the world in disarray:
Roger hadn't yet completed his legendary voyage to become the Pirate King.Golden Lion Shiki hadn't yet stormed Marineford, still dreaming of ruling the seas.Whitebeard, still in his prime with golden locks like a crown, was out collecting "sons" across the oceans.Kaido, not yet the infamous "Kaido of the Beasts," stubbornly sought death in clashes with the marines.Charlotte Linlin, long before she became the bloated "BIG MOM," still maintained a graceful figure as she searched for suitable partners.
Shanks was merely an apprentice, Buggy hadn't become a Yonko, and Monkey D. Luffy hadn't even been born.
This was an era with no Yonko dividing the New World into factions, no Shichibukai system, just pure chaos and endless strife.
In a time when piracy reigned supreme and the world was overrun by great pirates and ambitious warlords, even being a marine, a profession many transmigrators saw as the safest choice meant living with death constantly looming over you.
Darren knew full well that he could die in battle at any moment, so he made sure to live life to its fullest.
Having crossed into this world, he was determined to enjoy it!
Even as a marine, he refused to live a miserable life.
He would drink the finest liquor, smoke the richest cigars, and be with the most beautiful women!
This was his guiding principle.
Call it decadence or corruption, it didn't matter to him.
After all, he wasn't a pirate; what use did he have for reputation?
In the North Blue Navy, promotions didn't rely on a good name anyway.
Take his former superiors, Borsalino (Kizaru) and Sakazuki (Kaji). Both hailed from the North Blue, and neither had stellar reputations.
Yet both graduated from the Marine Officer Training Camp and were well on their way to becoming future Admirals, respected across the navy.
That said, while Darren indulged himself in life's pleasures, he held himself to a rigorous standard when it came to training and strength, just as he did when choosing women.
With that thought, he adjusted his breathing, focusing his mind to immerse himself in the sensations of his body.
The soul fusion from his transmigration had granted him a remarkable talent: an almost supernatural level of awareness and control over his physical being.
Over the years, he had quantified this ability, crafting a "personal stat sheet" based on his observations of legendary figures like Sengoku.
Though unconventional, in a world where even transmigration was possible, such oddities seemed strangely acceptable.
Physique: 58.103
Strength: 53.831
Speed: 57.539
Fruit: 71.345
Physique: Represents defense, vitality, and endurance.Strength: Pure physical power, including arm strength and explosive force.Speed: Movement speed and short-distance bursts.Fruit: Measures the mastery of a Devil Fruit's abilities.
These stats have specific benchmarks, with a maximum value of 100.
For instance, the benchmark for Physique is the "Strongest Creature in Sea, Land, and Air," Kaido. Kaido's terrifying defense, impervious to damage without advanced Haki, is estimated to have a Physique of around 90.
"Hmm, my Physique increased by 0.03," Darren murmured with a faint smile as he carefully assessed his body.
His hypothesis was confirmed. After last night's two-hour "campaign," he felt refreshed upon waking, and his Physique indeed improved.
It made sense. Based on his pre-transmigration knowledge of physiology, moderate "exercise" boosts testosterone levels and releases large amounts of dopamine, promoting muscle growth.
Though 0.03 seemed small, every bit added up. Even a little progress was still progress.
This was the method Darren had refined over years of experimentation: using his precise bodily awareness to discover optimal training methods, steadily enhancing his abilities.
At that moment—
Swish!
The door to the room was suddenly sliced open by a flash of sword light.
A tall, cold-faced woman with long black hair strode in, her expression seething with anger.
"Captain Darren! As the soon-to-be Admiral of the North Blue, how could you commit such disgraceful acts within a naval base?!"
The woman, wielding a golden blade, shot a furious glance at the woman cowering under the blanket on the bed. Her eyes seemed to blaze as she exclaimed a line that left the man behind her, Gion, stunned:
"That woman is the wife of the Governor of Yadis Kingdom!!"