"Darren!!!"
Gion was livid, glaring at the new North Blue Admiral, who lounged with one leg crossed over the other and a nonchalant look on his face. Her chest heaved with rage as she clenched her teeth.
Before arriving in the North Blue, she had heard plenty of unsavory rumors about this man.
Lustful, corrupt, negligent, abusing his authority, morally depraved, promoting favoritism, and allegedly entangled with political and criminal elements alike in the North Blue.
She had mentally prepared herself for the worst.
But no amount of preparation could have readied her for this!
This was supposed to be a "just" Marine, yet he had sunk to such depths!
Those vulgar, indecent, and shameless acts... How could he twist them into "caring for the people" and "civil-military cooperation"!?
Gion was beginning to lose the ability to see these originally positive terms in any wholesome light.
"What happened to your belief in justice!? Can you even live up to the naval cape you're wearing? Does military discipline mean nothing to you!?"
She launched a furious three-point tirade.
"Your actions don't just damage your personal reputation, they bring shame upon the entire Navy!"
As if to validate her argument, she turned to Kaji for confirmation.
"Am I right, Kaji?"
"Truly... incredible. Such care for the people..." Kaji mumbled absentmindedly before snapping back to attention. "Ah, yes! Gion, you're absolutely right!"
With a sudden burst of righteous indignation, Kaji slammed his hand on the table and glared at Darren.
"Exactly! Darren, you're a disgrace to the Navy!"
Darren, still smiling faintly, glanced at him.
"So, Major Kaji, are you saying you wouldn't want to join in?"
"Of course I want to, no, I mean, of course I care about the people!" Kaji stiffened his neck as his face turned bright red.
Darren chuckled, exhaling a dragon-like plume of smoke, his gaze once again settling on Gion's indignant yet stunningly beautiful face. He spoke slowly and deliberately:
"This sort of thing is completely consensual. Lady Margaret is happy, and I'm happy. It's a win-win."
"Win-win, my foot!"
Gion couldn't tolerate such warped logic. Gritting her teeth, she snapped:
"But the Governor of the Kingdom of Yadis certainly won't be happy! If he finds out, do you realize the kind of political ramifications this could cause!?"
"And who said Governor Tyrell wouldn't be happy?" Darren suddenly replied with a sly smile.
Gion froze, and then as if realizing something, she stood there in shock.
Kaji's jaw dropped, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief.
At the same time, an almost inconceivable thought crept into their minds...
Could it be... could it really be...
Darren casually flicked the ash from his cigar and continued:
"Besides, this kind of thing isn't really a big deal. It's not like I'm trying to hide it. Since you know about it, Headquarters obviously knows about it too..."
"But have you ever wondered why no one from Headquarters has ever impeached me? Why Fleet Admiral Sengoku has never held me accountable? Have you ever considered why that might be?"
He slowly stood up, placing his broad hand on the conference table as he leaned forward slightly, his posture exuding dominance.
An imperceptible yet oppressive aura began to emanate from him; arrogant, disdainful, and cold.
As Darren's playful smile gradually faded, an inexplicable chill crept into the hearts of Gion and Kaji.
Darren looked down at the two officers from Headquarters, his tone calm but firm:
"Because I get things done."
"You say I damage the Navy's image, but tell me, what about the admirals and officers back at Headquarters? Are their reputations pristine?"
This statement rendered Gion and Kaji speechless.
They thought of Vice Admiral Garp, known for his carefree attitude, often napping and picking his nose.
They thought of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who often muttered to his pet goat in his peculiar way.
They also recalled the two "monsters" of the younger generation—Sakazuki and Borsalino.
One used cruel and ruthless methods to deal with pirates, even harming civilians to accomplish his missions.
The other wandered around with an air of mockery, dismissing everything with his signature
"Oh, how scary..."
Come to think of it, the Navy's image wasn't exactly stellar either.
No! That's not the point!
Gion suddenly snapped back to reality, refusing to let herself be misled by Darren.
Just as she was about to argue, Darren waved her off dismissively.
"That's enough for now. It's time for my training. If you're interested, you can come watch. I'll be waiting at the training grounds."
"If either of you has an issue with my methods, I'd be more than happy to spar with you, two elites from Headquarters."
He extinguished his cigar, tossed a fresh box of cigars to Kaji, and strode out of the base Captain's office.
As he reached the door, he paused and turned back with a smirk.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I forgot to mention."
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Sure, I smoke, drink, love money, enjoy women, and have a penchant for killing. My ambition for power is insatiable. But I believe I'm a good Marine."
"Compared to those virtuous yet talentless and useless individuals, I'm far better."
With a wave, he flashed a wide grin before stepping out. The office door slowly closed behind him.
Gion and Kaji sat frozen in place. It wasn't until a long moment later that Gion finally snapped back to her senses.
"That bastard! There's no way I'll accept his twisted logic!"
Clenching her teeth, she grabbed the military transponder snail and dialed a Headquarters signal.
"Gion, what are you doing...?" Kaji asked curiously, all the while slipping the box of cigars into his pocket.
"I'm reporting Darren's misconduct to Headquarters!"
Her sharp eyes locked onto the snail, which kept ringing with its "Bluu-bluu" sound.
Before long, the call connected.
"Blurp!"
"Ahahaha, little Gion! Have you arrived in the North Blue? How's the environment over there?"
A cheerful laugh came through, and the transponder snail perfectly mimicked the features of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the seagull hat and round-framed glasses.
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I've arrived at Branch 321," Gion said formally.
"But during my review mission, I discovered that Captain Darren's personal conduct is egregiously improper, to the extent that it could harm the Navy's image and even provoke political disputes!"
"During my inspection mission, I discovered Captain Darren's private conduct to be extremely improper, severe enough to damage the Navy's reputation and even provoke political disputes!"
Gion's voice carried a sharp edge of anger.
"Oh?"
Sengoku's puzzled voice came through the transponder snail.
"What's the issue? From what I recall, that kid Darren is pretty capable…"
"Pretty capable…"
For some reason, perhaps due to Darren's earlier remark about "caring for the people," Gion couldn't help but find Sengoku's comment somewhat off.
Her mouth opened as her face gradually turned red. She stammered, "He… he… he…"
The matter was too embarrassing for her to articulate.
Kaji, unable to hold back, snatched the transponder snail and roared furiously,
"He slept with the Governor's wife from the Kingdom of Yadis!"
Sengoku: …
On the other end of the line, in the admiral's office at Marineford, Sengoku stared at the transponder snail, his expression darkening as Kaji angrily continued:
"Admiral Sengoku, I strongly urge that Darren be stripped of his rank and investigated immediately!"
"That's the wife of a kingdom's governor! She's still elegant and beautiful!"
Sengoku rubbed his temples, exasperated.
Fine, if you want to discuss dismissal and investigation, we can talk about it.
But why do you keep emphasizing Lady Margaret's appearance?
"Hmm, so it's that," Sengoku muttered.
Hearing Sengoku's response, Gion and Kaji were both dumbfounded.
"Hmm?" What did that even mean?
Just this?
"Admiral Sengoku… your attitude…"
Gion's tone carried clear disapproval.
Sengoku scratched his head.
"Gion, there are some things you're unaware of. Darren does have a lot of problems, both I and your sister, Tsuru, are well aware of that."
"As for this issue… it's not the first time."
"Your sister Tsuru's department, the Navy's administrative and review division has complaints and reports against Darren piled up like a mountain."
"Based on what I know, there must be at least hundreds of such cases, if not a thousand."
Kaji froze, trembling as he processed this.
Hundreds? If not a thousand?
Did that mean… women of nobility as exquisite as Lady Margaret, Darren had "cared for" hundreds of them?
"Collaborated with the citizens" hundreds of times?
What a beast!
Kaji took a deep drag on his cigarette.
Gion, struggling to comprehend, asked incredulously,
"Then why was he still promoted to North Blue Captain? If he's allowed to keep causing trouble like this, he'll turn the entire North Blue into chaos!"
Hearing this, Sengoku sighed internally. He thought to himself that Gion was still too young, too inexperienced. Sending her to the North Blue this time was indeed necessary.
"Gion, is there a fax machine nearby?"
Gion glanced around and spotted one in the corner of the office.
"Yes, there is."
"I'll send you a document. Review it carefully and destroy it afterward."
Soon, the sound of the fax machine's rhythmic hum filled the room, and a document from Headquarters appeared before Gion and Kaji.
"This is the report Darren submitted when applying for the position of North Blue Captain. It outlines his achievements over the past two years as the Captain of Branch 321."
Gion and Kaji exchanged glances, then quickly opened the report and started reading.
The more they read, the wider their eyes grew, their expressions shifting to utter disbelief.
"Do you understand now?" Sengoku's voice carried a hint of something deeper.
"The North Blue is chaotic, the most tumultuous of the four seas."
"This sea has a deeply rooted history of mafia activity, a high crime rate, and serves as a key hub for smuggling and black-market trade routes connected to the Grand Line."
"The nations within the North Blue are in constant conflict, and the Germa 66, an evil military force, perpetually seeks to dominate the North Blue and restore the former glory of the Germa Kingdom."
"But look closely at this report…"
"During Darren's tenure, the crime rate across the North Blue significantly decreased. The number of pirates dropped dramatically. The mafia factions maintained relative peace, and wars between kingdoms subsided…"
"The quality of life for citizens in the various kingdoms saw noticeable improvements."
"This is the most stable period in the history of the 'Chaotic North Blue.'"
Gion, stunned, instinctively tried to argue.
"But Admiral Sengoku… aren't our Headquarters prodigies, Rear Admiral Borsalino and Rear Admiral Sakazuki, also stationed in the North Blue? Are you saying Darren's governance is better than theirs?"
She found it hard to believe.
Borsalino and Sakazuki were recognized as Headquarters' "monsters," widely regarded as future admirals of the Navy.
Hearing her question, Sengoku's mouth twitched slightly, his expression growing more resigned. He sighed deeply.
"Gion… you really don't understand those two very well yet."