"Young Master Doflamingo sent me to deliver his sincerest regards."
Senor knelt on one knee, his voice low and solemn.
Before Darren could respond, Bullet raised an eyebrow.
"Doflamingo? Never heard of him..."
He shot Darren a suspicious look.
"Hey, Darren. Don't tell me this guy's with the Beasts Pirates—trying to trick us with some elaborate play..."
His gaze toward Senor grew darker, the air around him filling with murderous intent.
The sheer cold and ferocity of it pricked at Senor's skin like needles. A chill ran down his spine, and every muscle in his body tightened in reflex.
He had never encountered a war monster like Bullet back in the North Blue.
"Bullet, ease up on the killing intent."
Darren let out a faint smile.
"Doflamingo is my godson."
His smile took on a strange, teasing edge.
"Do you really think that bunch of meatheads in the Beasts Pirates could come up with something this subtle?"
Images of the Beasts Pirates members he had encountered flashed through his mind, and an expression of understanding crossed his face.
He gave Senor a warning look, then turned away, walked to the far side of the cell, and sat down against the wall.
As the oppressive feeling of being watched by a wild beast slowly faded, Senor couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
These two men were terrifying.
And that was with Seastone cuffs on.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of monstrous pressure they would give off if those cuffs were removed.
Darren reached out and helped him to his feet, gently straightening the man's disheveled collar.
"I can see you've endured much... and traveled far to reach me."
He patted his shoulder, the smile fading from his face, replaced by sincerity.
"...You've come a long way."
Staring at the black-haired youth's serious expression, he suddenly felt dazed.
This man—wounded, imprisoned in the heart of the Beasts Pirates' stronghold, his life hanging by a thread—had said nothing of suspicion or reproach. The first thing he said, upon learning who Senor was, was a simple, heartfelt "you've come a long way."
In that moment, at least to Senor, every sacrifice he had made on this mission, every risk endured... felt completely worth it.
He clenched his fists to suppress his emotion and shook his head.
"It's nothing, Lord Darren."
He had a good impression of Senor.
In the original timeline, he was the man who, despite everyone's ridicule, gave up his beloved expensive suits and wore a ridiculous, childish baby outfit—just to make his comatose wife smile.
That was a man's kind of romance.
It was brave. It was dignified.
Darren was quite impressed by Senor's abilities too.
From what he'd gathered over the past few days, this Beasts Pirates base was incredibly dangerous and hard to locate. If it weren't, the Marines would've already found it.
For someone from the North Blue to make it all the way here, Senor must've gone through hell.
"Lord Darren, the Young Master instructed me to..."
Senor, cautious and respectful, began to explain—only to be gently cut off by a wave of the hand.
"Doffy was thoughtful... but what I'm more curious about is how you made it here."
Senor blinked, then answered honestly:
"The Donquixote Family has trade ties with the Underworld emperor, 'Deep-Sea Currents' Umit. Our agents embedded in Umit's shipping fleet informed us that you'd been captured alive by Kaido during a mission..."
"And Umit, as one of the Beasts Pirates' suppliers, regularly ships materials to them."
"Using that connection, I infiltrated Umit's fleet, and during a cargo transfer, I used my Devil Fruit ability to hide in one of the Beasts Pirates' ships—eventually arriving here."
"I see..." Darren paused in thought. Then asked: "Do you know exactly where this prison is located?"
Senor shook his head, face serious.
"My apologies, Lord Darren."
"While onboard, I didn't dare reveal myself for fear of detection. I couldn't determine the exact route."
"All I know is this prison is built beneath a massive mountain. To break out, we'd either have to smash through the entire mountain... or fight through the front gate, which is heavily guarded."
"This island is surrounded by complex sea currents, and the terrain is extremely convoluted. There are also multiple massive weapons factories here—it must be Kaido's arms production base."
"As for the island's exact location... judging by the ship's speed, course, and time traveled, I believe we are somewhere near the seas surrounding Wano."
An excellent operative indeed...
Hearing Senor's calm, analytical breakdown, Darren couldn't help but feel admiration.
Even Bullet, usually dismissive of everyone, perked up with interest.
"Hey, you're called Senor, right? Not bad. I like you."
"You don't need that Doflamingo guy. Come follow me instead."
Senor glanced at him but said nothing.
He had, of course, heard about Douglas Bullet on his journey here.
This maniac—this monster—had once single-handedly wiped out an entire nation.
In fact, Darren's original mission target had been Bullet himself.
And yet... from what he was seeing now, the relationship between Darren and Bullet seemed oddly friendly?
"Don't be ridiculous, Bullet. I thought you believed in 'strength through solitude'?"
Darren turned toward him with a half-smile.
"I don't need him to fight. I just want him as my assistant."