Momonga's words struck Gion and Tokikake like invisible hammers—each sentence hitting heavier than the last. Their expressions turned pale, minds shaken by the weight of a truth they had never imagined.
They had never once considered that this bustling, trade-thriving island had once been the lawless, hellish place Momonga described.
Even harder to comprehend was that this peace and prosperity had come about because Darren had propped up two mafia families to maintain control.
Everything they'd been taught at Marineford was being shattered, piece by piece.
"B-But... don't mafia families earn their income by exploiting civilians?"
Gion's voice trembled, her face pale, her eyes full of confusion.
"That's right," Momonga replied plainly. He didn't sugarcoat it.
"But consider this—what's worse? Living in fear of daily shootings? Watching your friends and family killed in gang wars? Seeing your child turn to crime or piracy just to survive in a rotten environment?"
"Or paying a protection fee in exchange for relative peace and stability?"
"This... is reality."
Gion stumbled back two steps, her legs weak. She shook her head.
"But... if we, the Marines, wiped out all the mafia families, then civilians wouldn't have to pay anything! Their lives would improve, wouldn't they? Why leave any mafia at all?"
Momonga let out yet another sigh. He'd lost count of how many times he had sighed today.
"That... is exactly what makes Captain Darren so brilliant."
"If you erase all the mafia families, what you'll get is exactly what happened during Rear Admiral Sakazuki's time. Within months—sometimes even weeks—countless new gangs rise to fill the void."
"They fight for territory. The turf wars are brutal. And it's the civilians who suffer the most."
"But by leaving just two mafia families and clearly dividing their territories, Darren created a system. One where the two factions keep each other in check. Neither dares deceive the Marines. And more importantly—it makes them easier to monitor and control."
"These two remaining families now protect their zones—fighting off pirates and rival criminal elements—not out of kindness, but for profit. But in doing so, civilians benefit indirectly."
"The better the civilians live, the more protection money those mafia families can collect."
"And because of Darren's overwhelming presence, they know better than to go too far. They understand that everything they have was given to them—by him."
Gion felt like lightning had struck her.
Using pirates and mafia... to protect civilians?
She had never heard of such a concept.
"But... shouldn't the Marines be doing more...?" she muttered.
"No," Momonga said quietly, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"The Marines can't do more."
"Because we're just a military force under the World Government. And due to geography and politics, we only have law enforcement authority—not governance. We don't have the right to establish long-term garrisons on independent islands."
"In short, no matter what happens—pirate raids, gang wars, mafia turf fights—we Marines can only react. We can't stay. We can't protect civilians permanently."
"That... is the Marines' greatest problem."
"Captain Darren's approach—propping up mafia groups—is a way to govern and protect at the local level. It's not traditional. But it works."
"And most importantly, it allows him to allocate his true focus—on hunting actual dangerous pirates."
"Lieutenant Commander Gion. Lieutenant Commander Tokikake. Do you understand now?"
Momonga looked them both in the eye. His tone was solemn.
If the Marines could deploy troops across islands, there'd be no need for any of this. They could simply protect the people directly.
But the system forbade it.
Because if the Marines had the right to garrison wherever they wanted, they'd stop being a peacekeeping force—and start looking like conquerors.
That's something the World Government and all the kingdoms under it would never allow.
"I know both of you believe deeply in justice," Momonga said. "And for that, both Darren and I respect you immensely."
"Yes. You heard me right—I know Darren well. He may look wild and reckless on the outside, but it's clear he doesn't reject you two."
Seeing their doubtful expressions, he added,
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have discovered any of this."
"Believe me—if Darren wanted to hide something, you'd never find a trace. Not even a whisper."
Gion and Tokikake fell silent.
"I know you both have issues with how things are run in the North Blue. But this isn't Marineford. The rules you learned there... just don't work here."
"And like it or not—this is the best era the North Blue has ever seen."
There was pride in his voice now. A pride that came not from idealism, but from results.
Watching one island after another rise from chaos into peace—watching civilians walk freely without fear—that was the greatest reward his uniform had ever earned him.
Even if the methods weren't always clean.
"Darren won't explain this to you himself," Momonga said. "He doesn't care about what others think. He follows his own code."
"But I'll say it for him—he's not the disgrace you think he is."
"But still... taking money from the mafia—from civilians—just feels wrong..."
Momonga chuckled softly.
"Of course it's wrong. But the North Blue Marines are broke."
"And most importantly—Darren has one rule."
"If he takes your money...
...he gets the job done."