Vernar, capital of the Kingdom of Yadis.
In a lavish side hall of the royal palace—
"Darren, you little bastard!! That was Germa!! A member state of the World Government! And you nearly wiped it off the map?!"
A furious roar came from the military Den Den Mushi placed on the tea table. The snail, with lifelike expressions, vividly mimicked Admiral Sengoku of Marine Headquarters in a full-blown rage, smoke practically fuming from its shell.
"Do you even realize what you've done?! Germa isn't just any member state—it's one of the few with the right to attend the Reverie!"
"What you did will bring enormous political pressure down on us!"
"Protecting member states is the Marines' duty and obligation!"
Darren sat casually on a soft leather sofa, one leg crossed over the other, a lit cigar between his fingers and a glass of whiskey with ice in his other hand.
He puffed away leisurely, clearly unbothered by Sengoku's raging voice.
Nearby, Gion, Momonga, and Tokikake—whose face was still swollen like a pig's head—stood silently, holding their breath, pretending to be invisible.
"Damn it!! Darren, did you even hear a word I said?!"
After ranting for two whole minutes with no response, Sengoku's temper flared even further.
"Are you trying to get yourself fired from the position of North Blue Commander?!"
Darren chuckled, raising his glass slightly.
On the other side of the line, in the Admiral's office—
Sengoku fell silent, face turning red from suppressed fury.
The North Blue was a mess—he hadn't forgotten the disasters caused by Borsalino and Sakazuki back when they held the post.
Only this cunning little bastard Darren had managed to whip the region into shape.
If he left, the North Blue would likely revert into a playground for pirates and mafia families overnight.
"...Just kidding," Darren said, smiling more broadly. He took a light sip of his whiskey, feeling the spicy warmth slide down his throat, and added casually, "Don't worry so much, Admiral Sengoku. I'll take care of it."
Sengoku's eye twitched violently.
He inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to fly to the North Blue and beat Darren to a pulp on the spot.
"Darren, what exactly are you thinking...? One misstep in handling this could spark a chain reaction."
His voice dropped low, filled with gravity.
"The Germa Kingdom has been a member of the World Government for three hundred years."
"For a Marine to act against a member state... If this blows up, not even I can protect you."
Darren exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone light and composed.
"I understand, Admiral Sengoku."
"But this incident wasn't unprovoked. Vinsmoke Judge led Germa 66 in an unprovoked attack on the Kingdom of Yadis, another member state. If I hadn't intervened, Yadis would've already fallen into chaos and bloodshed."
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
You call that 'intervention'? You nearly massacred their entire military!
"And as for the North Blue's instability—surely a man of your wisdom already sees it clearly."
"Conflict and friction between nations are constant. This event sends a message. A warning."
"As for Germa's losses... Germa 66's troops are mostly clone soldiers. These are products of cloning technology, and essentially, they're weapons—not civilians."
"With Vinsmoke Judge's ambition and arrogance, I judged that only overwhelming force would drive the lesson home."
"If he isn't crushed completely, he'll just become more and more arrogant, more and more reckless. And if he drags the region into war again, it won't just be Yadis that suffers."
"Imagine how many innocent civilians would die—how many happy families would be torn apart by Germa's ambition."
Hearing such righteous rhetoric, Gion and Tokikake both rolled their eyes in unison.
You're not worried about civilians. You just don't want a war to mess with your side income.
Sengoku, on the other end, finally fell silent.
He knew full well what kind of man Vinsmoke Judge was.
Just as Darren said—Yadis was only his first step. His true ambition was to dominate the entire North Blue.
"...So, Darren. How do you plan to handle this?"
Sengoku's tone had softened significantly, though it still carried weight.
Though he was furious with Darren's methods, what was done was done. Pointless to scold him now.
Darren's talent, resourcefulness, and achievements had already proven he was a rising pillar of the Marines.
And Sengoku also knew—this cunning little brat never caused trouble without a plan.
No matter how sensitive the political situation, he always found a clever way to resolve it.
"You don't need to worry about that, Admiral."
Darren flicked his cigar ash and smirked with interest.
"I'll handle it. I'll offer Vinsmoke Judge a deal he can't refuse."
"He won't file a protest with the World Government. Germa will retain its member status. The Marines won't suffer any fallout. And peace will return to the North Blue..."
He leaned forward slightly, his smile turning razor-sharp.
"...under Marine rule."
Silence fell in the side hall, with only Darren's calm and domineering voice lingering in the air.
"...Then I'll leave it to you, Darren. No matter what, this must be handled properly."
Sengoku's heavy voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
Darren grinned with satisfaction.
"Mission accepted, Admiral Sengoku."
Darren turned to Momonga.
"How's the situation with Germa?"
Momonga reported calmly:
"We've mobilized 10 ships and over 5,000 troops from other North Blue branches. The entire Germa Kingdom is under our control. Their fleet is currently being 'escorted' out of Yadis waters."
"As for Vinsmoke Judge—he's been detained aboard our ship, just as you ordered."
Years of cooperation had built deep trust in Momonga's capabilities.
"What do you plan to do with Vinsmoke Judge?" Gion finally spoke up. "He's still a king, after all."
Darren looked at her, then smiled.
"That's not something you need to worry about, Lieutenant Commander Gion."
"Right now, we have something more important to do."
"...What is it?" Gion blinked.
Darren clapped his hands and grinned.
"To celebrate our victory."