"Mm, I trust you to handle this, Darren," came the satisfied chuckle of Admiral Sengoku through the Den Den Mushi.
But Darren's next words instantly wiped the smile from Sengoku's face.
With a half-smile, half-sigh, Darren said:
"However, Admiral Sengoku, considering the scale of this incident in the North Blue... In less than a day, the Marines here eradicated a criminal gang of over five hundred men. Shouldn't Marine Headquarters show some... appreciation?"
"What do you mean by appreciation?" Sengoku asked, not quite following.
"Well, you know—expenses for military equipment, treatment and compensation for the wounded, and of course, the cost of calming the civilian population... It's not a small sum."
For a moment, there was silence. Then the Den Den Mushi crackled with the sound of Sengoku's teeth grinding together.
"Three hundred million Berries! That's the maximum budget I can allocate from Headquarters right now, Commodore Darren!"
Three hundred million Berries...
Cleaning up a mess was a technical job—and a back-breaking one at that.
True, Darren had already secured the massive gold treasure from Skypiea, so he hardly needed more money. But he'd always followed a simple principle: "If I'm paid, I'll get the job done."
And from the other side—"If you want me to get it done, you'd better pay up."
As for how difficult the job might be?
Too bad. That would just mean paying more.
Three hundred million wasn't a fortune, but in this era, it was no small sum. After all, Berries hadn't yet suffered from inflation.
And after this fiasco with Dragon, Marine Headquarters would probably have to tighten their belts for a long while. It wouldn't be right to squeeze them for more.
It was enough. Better than nothing.
Satisfied, Darren finally smiled and said:
"Then on behalf of the Marines in the North Blue, I extend our deepest thanks for the support and aid of Admiral Sengoku and Marine Headquarters."
Sengoku let out an audible sigh and rolled his eyes, clearly in a sour mood.
"Enough. Return to Headquarters with Sakazuki and the others, and don't go wandering off."
"Zephyr's already running out of patience, and I can't talk him down forever."
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku."
The Den Den Mushi call cut off.
"The Admiral's orders...?" Sakazuki and Borsalino walked over. Sakazuki took back the military Den Den Mushi from Darren.
"It's nothing. Just some final cleanup I need to handle personally," Darren said as he pushed himself up on one knee.
"This incident took place in the North Blue—it's easier for me to clean it up properly here... And as for tracking down Dragon, I'll keep going."
Sakazuki gave a single nod.
"How's your condition? Do you need to rest here a day?"
Darren gave a faint smile.
"No need. I'm ready to set sail whenever."
He could feel it: beneath the bloodstained Marine coat, his wounds had finally stopped bleeding.
Sakazuki said nothing further. His expression was as cold and severe as ever as he turned and led the Marines back onto the battleship.
By now, the storm had passed.
Somewhere along the line, the sun had begun to rise in the east.
Warm light spilled over the calm, endless sea, the sky a clear and brilliant blue.
Darren stood there for a moment, unconsciously glancing out over the distant sea where Dragon had vanished. A faint, gentle smile crept across his lips.
"Don't look back, my friend."
He whispered the words softly.
Marine Headquarters, Admiral's Office.
Admiral Sengoku slowly set the military Den Den Mushi down, sinking back into his chair with a long, drawn-out breath.
"No matter what... this was the best possible outcome,"
Muttered Vice Admiral Tsuru, seated on the nearby sofa.
"The best outcome indeed."
In truth, neither of them could bear the thought of Dragon falling into the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
From the standpoint of "justice" and "reason," neither of them believed Dragon's actions were truly wrong.
Protecting the weak had always been the duty of the Marines.
A young man with an unshakable sense of justice, disgusted by the cruelty of the world, finally lashing out in a blood-soaked act of defiance—it was hard to blame him for that.
In fact, if Dragon hadn't been that kind of person, they would never have placed such high hopes on him.
On a personal level, they had no wish to see Dragon die at the hands of their own men—or at the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
He was Garp's son, yes, but more importantly, he was a Marine they had watched grow up. After so many years, they'd formed a deep bond with him.
"What will you do next, Sengoku?" Tsuru asked, concern etched on her face.
Sengoku rubbed at his temples, thinking for a moment before answering.
"We'll erase all traces of Dragon from the Marine's records. Seal away the archives—every scrap of information. We can't risk anything else leaking out."
"Order a total gag order: no one is to speak of Dragon or anything connected to him."
Tsuru nodded in silent agreement.
Dragon's "defection" from the Marines was a fact now. As much as they mourned the loss of such a promising young man, as the Marine leadership, their first duty was to stabilize the situation.
Because Dragon's identity was special—his strength was formidable—and his charisma and leadership had earned him many followers within the Marines.
If they didn't move quickly, some of those followers might try to join Dragon in his "defection."
If that happened, the entire Marine structure would face a catastrophic earthquake.
"What about Garp?" Tsuru asked, her face serious.
Sengoku shook his head.
"He won't be touched too harshly."
"That old bastard's reputation and power speak for themselves. Even the Gorosei and the Government's top brass will think twice before crossing him."
"And besides—what can the Gorosei really do to Garp? They still need him to hunt down Roger..."
"So what could they do? Demote him? Cut his pay? Strip his rank?"
Sengoku gave a small, rueful laugh.
"Garp wouldn't care about any of that."
"And as for a siege... or a bounty on his head?"
"That's even more impossible."
"Garp isn't Zephyr—if he feels he's been wronged, he'll fight back."
His voice fell to a low murmur at the end.
Tsuru's eyes darkened slightly, as if remembering something best left unspoken.
Sengoku sighed heavily.
"Issue the bounty," he said at last. "Target: Monkey D. Dragon. Bounty... 2 billion Berries."