Delicate snowflakes drifted from the mournful sky, settling in Momonga's hair, on his cheeks, across his shoulders—yet he seemed not to feel them at all.
He stood there frozen, eyes wide with shock, pupils trembling in disbelief.
He could hardly believe his own ears.
The son of the Marine "Hero" Garp.
A "monster" of Marine Headquarters.
An icon, an idol to countless young Marines.
A man destined to be an Admiral, even a future Fleet Admiral.
That same legendary Marine Rear Admiral, Dragon... had killed a Celestial Dragon, in front of witnesses!?
If these words hadn't come from Darren's own mouth, Momonga wouldn't have believed it could possibly be true.
He couldn't even imagine the storm this would unleash within the Marines!
His gaze darted back to Darren, words catching in his throat.
"To... to kill a Celestial Dragon... Darren, what's the order from Headquarters?"
Momonga swallowed hard, his voice ragged.
Darren's brow was furrowed into a dark knot. After a long, heavy silence, he finally shook his head.
"A moment ago, Admiral Sengoku himself called me directly. He ordered me to abandon all other duties immediately and head to the scene to carry out the arrest."
"He said that because the incident took place in the North Blue, my old jurisdiction, I'd be the best choice to pursue Dragon and stop him from escaping."
Darren's voice dropped lower, grim.
"His exact words were, 'Use any means necessary to prevent Dragon from fleeing. If needed...'"
The moment the words fell, Momonga sucked in a sharp breath.
The situation... was already that dire?
A cold fog clouded his mind, thoughts swirling in a chaotic whirl.
He didn't know Dragon well, but he'd met him—enough to be left with a vivid impression of Dragon's natural charisma, his powerful sense of justice.
To think... that such a man—an idol for all Marines—would end up raising his sword against his comrades. The thought alone felt like a bitter wound.
"So... what are you going to do?" he asked, unable to hide his concern as he watched Darren light another cigarette, his hand trembling slightly.
"If I remember right... Dragon's a good friend of yours, isn't he?"
Darren shook his head.
"Not quite a friend, but... we were on good terms."
He fell silent, his mind flashing back to that day—Dragon, lying drunk in his yard, laughing at the sky.
Darren's eyes darkened.
"But no matter what... I have to go."
He took a long drag from his cigarette, smoke curling from his lips as he flicked the butt to the ground and crushed it beneath his boot.
The metal bracer on his arm unfolded into a sleek silver hoverboard, floating steadily before him.
Darren stepped up onto it, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.
He didn't know how Vice Admiral Garp would respond to all this, but he had a good idea of how Sengoku would handle it—either seal the information or impose iron-fisted measures.
A surge of magnetic force burst from Darren's body, launching the hoverboard forward in a scream of power.
In an instant, he broke the sound barrier, tearing through the whirling snow and vanishing into the distant clouds.
The fierce wind swept across the empty island, swirling the falling snow in its wake.
Momonga stood motionless, his cloak flapping around him, lips pressed into a thin line.
In that moment, he realized—
This cloak on his shoulders...
It felt unbearably heavy.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The Admiral's office.
"Sengoku, you bastard!!"
Garp's furious bellow shook the walls of the office, his breath ragged, bloodshot eyes locked on the grim, stony face of Sengoku.
"What the hell is this arrest order!?"
Sengoku suddenly slammed his hand down on the desk, splintering it to pieces.
"I know he's your son!!"
His voice was thunder, his face contorted with fury.
"Do you even understand what your son has done!?"
"A Celestial Dragon!!"
"He killed a damn Celestial Dragon!!"
"And he did it in full view of everyone there!!"
"Do you know how many witnesses there were in that town!?"
"Hundreds of people saw him crush that Celestial Dragon's skull like it was tofu!!"
Garp roared, eyes blazing red.
"He did it to protect civilians!!"
"—Even so, you can't raise a hand against a Celestial Dragon!!"
Sengoku's teeth ground together, his voice a low snarl.
"Garp, do you have any idea how grave this incident is?"
"A Marine—not just any Marine, but the son of 'Hero' Garp himself, a future Admiral—has killed a Celestial Dragon."
"Nothing has ever happened in all the history of the Marines!"
"More than that... do you realize what this will mean for the World Government? Even the smallest seed of doubt they feel about the Marines cannot be repaired!"
"The World Government is already in a rage. The Gorosei themselves have given me a direct order to take action immediately."
"So as Admiral of the Marines, I'm ordering you: until this incident is resolved, you—Monkey D. Garp—are forbidden from taking a single step out of Marineford."
"Don't even think about trying anything. Darren has already left for the North Blue. Sakazuki and Borsalino's ships set sail from the headquarters ten minutes ago. Whatever you're planning... it's already too late."
Garp let out a low, twisted laugh.
A dark, suffocating force rose from his body like a deep-sea current, black-and-red lightning flickering in the air around him.
"Then let's see, Sengoku—if you can actually stop me!!"
Sengoku's face darkened, his own power flaring, the light of a Buddha shining around him.
A hoarse, aged voice cut through the room like a blade.
As he heard that voice, it was like all the air had been punched from his lungs. The fierce light in his eyes dimmed, the boiling rage inside him ebbing away like a receding tide.
A bone-deep weariness settled over his shoulders.
A broad, imposing figure stood in the doorway.
The man's hair was swept into a Mohawk. Steel Bone Kong's gaze was calm as he flicked his eyes toward Sengoku, then back to Garp.
"The command for this mission goes to you, Sengoku."
Then he turned fully to Garp, voice low and steady.
"You know I can't let you leave this island."
His gaze was sharp as a blade, cutting through Garp's defiance.
"You are the Marines' 'Hero.' You don't just stand for yourself."
The words of the former Fleet Admiral fell like nails hammered into Garp's heart. The blood drained from his face, his fury dissolving into a hollow white.
"If you act now, Garp... you'll drag all of us down with you."