Sengoku stared at the densely packed numbers on the procurement list, unable to believe his eyes.
"This... how is this possible... I must just be too tired lately, not getting enough rest..."
"Yes, that has to be it."
Unwilling to accept it, he removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on—but the numbers on the page hadn't changed a bit.
Especially those endless strings of zeros after each figure... they made his jaw tighten.
A high-voltage stun gun: 500,000 Belly.
A portable rocket launcher: 1,000,000 Belly.
A flamethrower: 800,000 Belly.
A mid-range ballistic missile mountable on a warship—the kind that sank Byrnndi World's last pirate ship... 8,000,000 Belly!
And that was for just one missile.
As for the cost of warship modifications...
Sengoku was stunned. He couldn't help but leap up, stomping and cursing.
That reckless brat Daren... he actually spent 100 million Belly to reinforce the keel of a mid-sized warship!?
That kind of money could build two ships of the same class!
(And in this era, Belly holds a higher value.)
Sengoku did some quick mental math and came to a conclusion that made the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably:
The force deployed by the North Blue Fleet in the campaign against the World Pirates—ten warships and around two thousand elite Marines—cost over 2 billion Belly to assemble!
And that wasn't even counting the goods and weaponry destroyed during the battle.
But Byrnndi World's bounty... was only 400 million Belly...
Sengoku covered his face in despair.
No sugarcoating it—this entire victorious campaign had been bought with Daren's mountain of Belly!
"That damn brat... where the hell did he get so much money!?"
He suddenly gritted his teeth.
He'd never admit that the contorted look on his face was jealousy.
As an Admiral of Marine Headquarters and a top candidate for the next Fleet Admiral, Sengoku knew better than anyone how Marine budgets worked.
After all, with Commander-in-Chief Kong getting on in years and not particularly detail-oriented with numbers, Sengoku handled most of Headquarters' military funding directly.
But 2 billion Belly? What kind of concept was that?
That was nearly the equivalent of Marine Headquarters' entire quarterly budget!
And mind you, that budget covered the maintenance of bases, fortresses, firearms, ships, and salaries for personnel.
If you deducted those "essential" operating expenses, the actual amount Headquarters could freely allocate in a single quarter was less than 300 million Belly!
What was more outrageous was that despite the massive cost, Daren sounded like he planned to expand the North Blue Fleet even further.
"Insane... absolutely insane..."
Sengoku muttered to himself.
The moment the door to the Base Commander's office clicked shut, Dragon's warm, easy smile vanished. In its place was a grave expression.
His sharp gaze locked directly onto the young Marine Commodore before him.
"The most powerful figure in the North Blue underworld... the leader of the Donquixote Pirates, Doflamingo—is he working for you?"
Daren raised an eyebrow, then chuckled.
"To be precise, Doffy is my godson."
"Godson?" Dragon frowned, clearly puzzled.
Daren casually lit a cigar, then without a shred of formality, sat directly on the edge of the desk.
"It's a North Blue tradition. We have an old saying..."
'The world is too dangerous—a child needs two fathers.'
"Doffy's a pitiful case. Lost his parents young, grew up neglected."
"When he came to the North Blue, he made a lot of mistakes. I've punished him, and now he's truly realized his faults. He's determined to change and walk the right path."
"As Marines, we can't just stand by and watch a gifted kid stray down the wrong road, right, Rear Admiral Dragon?"
Dragon's brow furrowed even deeper.
"So you're saying Doflamingo acknowledges you as his... 'Godfather'?"
Daren spread his hands with a smile.
"That's right." The rightful source is novelꞁire.net
"Do you know who he really is? He's not just a 'gifted kid'."
Daren remained silent, still smiling.
Dragon narrowed his eyes, quietly studying the calm, unflustered Commodore before him.
Daren showed no rush or anxiety. He simply puffed on his cigar with an amused air.
He hadn't planned on hiding much about Doflamingo anyway—it wasn't something that could be concealed from everyone.
Especially after the campaign against Byrnndi World. Anyone with half a brain could connect the dots through that "deal" and uncover the ties between himself, Doflamingo, and the Donquixote Family.
If nothing else, Sengoku—that old fox—was surely capable of seeing through it.
And that was what made it interesting.
Sengoku had left the North Blue two days ago. Technically, he could've confronted Daren directly.
Instead, the person sent from Headquarters to "talk" to him... was Rear Admiral Dragon.
In a way, this was a gesture of goodwill.
Dragon didn't yet rank among the Marine core leadership—meaning this wasn't a formal investigation.
And as the biological son of Vice Admiral Garp, the famed Marine hero, Dragon wielded influence others did not.
This represented respect from Headquarters.
All in all, having Dragon sent to speak with him was a good sign.
If this had been about holding him accountable, they wouldn't have sent Dragon—they would've sent Tsuru, the staff officer in charge of oversight.
The office fell into silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
Dragon suddenly burst out laughing, threw an arm around Daren's shoulders, and slapped his back hard.
"You're a damn legend, Daren!"
"Taking in a Celestial Dragon's kid as your godson—only you would come up with that!"
"Hahaha!! That's incredible! Brilliant!"
Daren stared blankly at Dragon, whose face was flushed with excitement. His mouth twitched.
Why the hell are you so excited?
"I've had it with those bastards for a long time!"
Dragon pumped his fist, looking every bit like a rebellious teen.
Then, as if realizing he'd said too much, he hurriedly waved his hands.
"Ah—wait, forget I said that. I take it back!"
Daren stared at the man in front of him and suddenly sensed something odd.
This guy who had radiated charisma and leaderly poise just moments ago... was now giving off a dumb, goofy vibe.
It reminded him... of someone.
Daren sighed helplessly.
"Rear Admiral Dragon..."
"You really are Vice Admiral Garp's biological son."
p@treon com / PinkSnake