Inside a luxurious hotel suite, Rogers Darren sat quietly at the bedside, activating his "Perception" ability to assess his current condition.
Armament Haki: 32.012
Conqueror's Haki: 51.001
After the "escape battle" from the Beasts Pirates' main base, each of his stats had improved—though not drastically.
Compared to the period when he was imprisoned, the pace of his power growth was undeniably slower.
Still, Darren didn't feel discouraged. He accepted it calmly.
The explosive growth he had achieved from the virus injections before had been a rare and unique opportunity.
In truth, as his physique increased and resistance to the virus grew, the effects of that method became increasingly diminished—eventually plateauing.
The body was, after all, adapting.
To achieve further breakthroughs in his physical stats, he would now need more intense external pressure, harsher training, and... battles with stronger opponents.
One clear benefit, however, had come from that joint attack he launched with Bullet against Kaido. The pressure of facing Kaido's Conqueror's Haki had somehow elevated Darren's own spirit—his Conqueror's Haki stat had increased by a full point.
"What the hell is a T0-tier sensei supposed to be..."
Darren suddenly remembered some bizarre jokes from the fandom of his past life and chuckled.
As ridiculous as they sounded, he had to admit—this whole "captured" experience had significantly strengthened him.
Just as his thoughts wandered, a knock came at the suite door.
"Lord Darren, it's me."
Senor's voice rang out.
Senor stepped in, a lit cigarette between his lips.
He was now dressed in a brand-new peak-lapel suit, his movements refined and gentlemanly. He offered a slight bow.
"I've made contact with the Young Master and established a link with the island's underground network. Their shipping fleet will set out in an hour. The route passes through the North Blue."
"Would you like to return to the North Blue with me? The Young Master expressed that he misses you through the Den Den Mushi."
"That I don't believe. Out of everyone on this sea, the person Doffy probably least wants to see is me."
Senor hesitated, wanting to defend his Young Master:
"Actually, the Young Master—"
Darren waved him off, smiling:
"I've left the North Blue. I won't be heading back anytime soon."
"Doffy's still young—this is his rebellious phase. No point in me going back and becoming an eyesore."
"But enough of that. Are you sure this fleet is reliable?"
"Yes. The owner of this fleet has business ties with our Donquixote Family."
Darren raised an eyebrow, then smiled, visibly impressed:
"Looks like Doffy's business is flourishing. Already expanding influence into the New World, huh?"
Senor replied seriously:
"All thanks to Supreme Commander Momonga's support."
"Alright, you can head back. Tell Doffy he's earned my gratitude this time. As his godfather, I'm thankful."
"And Senor—my offer still stands. My door is always open if you change your mind."
The admiration in Darren's gaze was unmistakable.
Senor gave a deep bow:
"Thank you for your recognition, Lord Darren. I will relay your message word for word to the Young Master."
With that, he turned and left the room with confident strides.
Watching Senor's figure disappear, Darren lit a cigarette, then suddenly remembered something. He picked up the hotel's Den Den Mushi and dialed a familiar number.
Buru buru... buru buru...
The call connected in just two seconds.
A calm, steady voice came through:
A relaxed smile spread across Darren's face:
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line—
Rubeck Island, North Blue.
Momonga stood on the deck of a massive warship, watching the Donquixote Family's base in the distance.
It had been eight days since he received the report of Darren's capture by Kaido.
No intelligence had come in from the New World yet, making him more anxious by the hour.
He glanced at the three warships docked at the port and two more patrolling offshore. His fists clenched tightly.
The longer the delay, the greater the danger to Darren.
If there were still no updates, he would soon have no choice but to take action.
At that moment, the private Den Den Mushi in his coat began to ring.
While issuing fleet orders to subordinates, he picked up the receiver.
Startled for a moment, Momonga's face lit up in joy.
"Darren! You escaped!?"
A voice full of calm confidence replied:
"Yes. There were some twists and turns, but I made it out."
Momonga finally exhaled in relief.
"If everything's fine, then withdraw the fleet. It's not polite to surround someone's base ."
"You really don't miss anything."
"You handled it well," Darren said. "If something had happened to me, the North Blue alone wouldn't have been enough to contain Donquixote Doflamingo."
"But I must thank Doffy's helper for this escape—a young man named Senor. Very impressive."
Momonga paused, then smiled:
"You didn't try to recruit him? That's not like you."
"I did," Darren replied. "He turned me down."
"He's a true man of loyalty and pride. I won't force him."
"When will you return to HQ?"
"In a few days. I want to explore the New World a bit while I'm here... That's all for now."
Momonga ended the call and stood silently for a moment. Then he called over a young officer.
The officer saluted sharply.
"Order all warships to return to the 321st Branch," Momonga commanded.
"And... Doflamingo's birthday is coming up. Send him a generous gift, in the name of the North Blue fleet."