Another two hours passed.
The soft, amber glow of dusk spilled into the courtyard, filtering through drifting autumn leaves and casting mottled shadows on the ground. Dust floated gently in the air, rippling in the fading light.
A large pink kimono, delicate undergarments, white socks, and a long sash were scattered across the tatami.
With one arm wrapped around the stunning Amatsuki Toki, Daren conjured a gold-hued cherry blossom in his other hand, the petals forming with a gentle shimmer. His voice was soft.
"Toki, I know how much you love cherry blossoms."
"This time, Coin Island didn't really have anything special, so I came up with this instead... I promise you, from now on, every time I go on a mission, I'll take a coin from that country and craft a cherry blossom —for us, to remember our love."
Toki lay nestled against him like a kitten, her face still glowing with post-bliss warmth.
When she saw the exquisitely delicate cherry blossom in his hand, her eyes shimmered, misting over with emotion.
"Thank you, my love. I truly love it."
Her fingers moved gently across the scars on his chest—some old, some still fresh—her voice full of tender concern.
"But all I want... is for you to come home safely. That's the best gift you could give me."
"Of course. That won't be a problem."
As he gazed down at the beauty in his arms, he couldn't help comparing Toki to Gion.
In terms of looks, Toki had the clear edge—after all, in the original story, she was the mother of Kozuki Hiyori, the most beautiful courtesan in all of Wano.
But Gion's figure was something else—fiery and athletic from years of training. Her long, toned legs had a power and allure that couldn't be ignored.
Their personalities were just as different.
Toki gave Daren a sense of peace—soft and nurturing, the kind of woman who could make you let go of all your burdens and just rest.
Gion, on the other hand, was a storm of tsundere pride, fire, and challenge—full of thrill and conquest.
The smile on Daren's lips deepened.
Isn't this the kind of life Marines fight and bleed for?
If all you get is hardship, then no matter how noble your ideals are, being a Marine would just be pure suffering.
"How long will you be staying home this time?"
Toki traced gentle circles on his chest with her slender fingers, her voice soft and dreamy.
Daren thought for a moment before replying with a smile,
"I probably won't be sent out on any missions for a while. Gotta give others a chance to shine, too."
"And besides... there's less than a month left before I graduate from the training camp. I still have a few cultural credits I haven't made up yet..."
"If I do go out again, it'll most likely be for my pre-graduation internship."
The training camp did include academic courses—after all, it was designed to train elite officers. Its primary goal had always been to cultivate the next generation of Marine leadership.
Navigation, weather, geography, world history, naval tactics... the curriculum covered a wide range of foundational knowledge.
The content wasn't especially deep, more of a broad overview. But Daren had spent most of the past half year ditching class to train privately under Garp—so now he had to catch up on those credits.
As for the internship at sea, that was a long-standing tradition.
Near graduation, Zephyr—chief instructor of the camp—would personally lead all cadets out on a mission at sea.
It served two purposes: first, to help them quickly adapt to real combat; and second, to serve as their final assessment before graduation.
The mission objectives varied every year, tailored by Zephyr himself based on the current global situation. Each cadet would be graded on performance during the mission, so there was no way to cheat or rely on past examples.
Dark clouds churned across the sky, casting the world into shadow like an early nightfall.
"Heaven's Judgment!!" Read full story at nοvelfire.net
A massive column of lightning pierced through the thick, swirling clouds—like a roaring dragon descending from the heavens—striking down upon a lone figure at the center of the island.
For a split second, the world fell into deathly silence.
Blinding white light devoured all vision.
A second later, a deafening roar exploded across the land like the heavens were shattering.
An immense blast erupted at the heart of the island. From the point of impact, a storm-like shockwave surged outward in every direction. Everything within a kilometer—trees, plants, the very earth—was uprooted and hurled away.
Dust surged like tidal waves, while flames licked at the air in constant motion.
No one knew how much time had passed when, at last, the smoke and ash were swept away by the wind.
A tall figure stepped forward from the heart of the blaze, his black military boots pressing into the scorched and shattered ground.
A streak of blue lightning flickered across the sky before rapidly condensing into a human form.
Momonga, his body still wrapped in arcs of electricity from the Goro Goro no Mi, looked at the unscathed Marine Commodore in front of him and sighed helplessly.
"You came all the way back to the North Blue just to crush my confidence?"
Daren casually dusted off the soot from his coat.
The land beneath him was a ruined field of charred craters and fractured stone. He smiled.
"I've got to check in now and then—see how your training's going. You've come a long way... The power of the Goro Goro no Mi really is terrifying."
I just hit you with my strongest move—Heaven's Judgment—and it didn't even scratch you. And now you're saying it's terrifying?
If he weren't completely outmatched, Momonga would've pinned this bastard to the ground and beat him senseless.
...He really had it coming.
Seeing the twitch in Momonga's expression, Daren's mood lifted even more.
He reached out and patted Momonga's shoulder, smiling.
"Your progress with the Goro Goro no Mi has far exceeded my expectations."
Momonga exhaled and said,
"Well, I can't afford to let you down... Otherwise, that so-called strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit would be wasted on me."
Daren shook his head, still smiling.
"I knew you'd get there."
He wasn't just being nice—he meant it.
Momonga's development of the Goro Goro no Mi had been remarkable.
In the original storyline, he was already one of the elite Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters—a true pillar of the Marines and a symbol of global justice. His natural talent placed him just beneath the Admirals and their closest contenders.
Now, with Daren's personal guidance and Momonga's relentless work ethic, he had pushed his mastery of the Goro Goro no Mi to a level approaching Enel's from the original canon—in less than half a year.
It was both expected and surprising.
Clearly, Momonga was highly compatible with the Goro Goro no Mi.
If he kept progressing at this rate—sharpening his swordsmanship and mastering Haki—then stepping into the realm of Admiral candidates was only a matter of time.
As for whether he could truly break through into full Admiral-level strength... that would come down to fate.
p@treon com / PinkSnake