"Golden Lion Shiki!?"
A legendary pirate. An apex force ranked alongside Roger and Whitebeard—and by Marine Headquarters' own assessment, considered even more dangerous than the other two.
The moment Darren heard the name, his eyes sharpened. Beside him, Garp and Kuzan also froze slightly.
"Oi oi oi, Darren hasn't even graduated from the training camp yet. Isn't sending him against Shiki a bit much?"
Garp's blunt style showed no restraint.
Darren was strong, sure—but he was still far from being a match for Shiki.
Garp knew this better than anyone, having fought Shiki multiple times.
Because he knew—this version of Shiki wasn't the broken wreck Luffy would someday swat down. No. This was the real thing. A monster in his prime.
A fearsome Devil Fruit ability.
Unrivaled dual-blade swordsmanship.
And that overwhelming ambition—to dominate the seas with a lion's roar.
Darren had no doubt—this man had awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Truthfully, in some ways, Shiki was even more dangerous than Roger or Whitebeard.
This was the pirate who once invaded Marineford alone and nearly destroyed half of it, only stopped by the combined effort of Garp and Sengoku.
Borsalino shrugged casually.
"Orders from Admiral Sengoku. He's personally leading this mission."
Darren's eyes flickered.
So that's it. They want me to help counter Shiki's Float-Float Fruit.
He understood instantly.
With no hesitation, he smiled and asked:
"Alright. When do we depart?"
After half a year of rigorous training at headquarters, Darren was ready to head out.
No warrior grows through isolation alone—real combat was irreplaceable.
And he wanted to see for himself—just how mighty the lion truly was.
"We set sail tomorrow. Go get ready."
With that, Borsalino dissolved into golden light and vanished.
"Hmph... going out to sea for field experience isn't a bad idea," Garp mused, looking at Darren.
"You've trained enough. Pushing further would just be wasting time."
"But Darren—don't let your guard down. Shiki's nothing like the pirates you've faced before."
"Roger, Whitebeard, Byrnndi World... those guys, for all their terrifying strength, weren't inherently evil."
"World hated the World Government. Whitebeard just wanted to protect his family. Roger... that bastard was after freedom. They've done bad things, sure—but they weren't truly wicked."
"But Shiki... he's different."
Garp's expression darkened.
"Shiki is a pure pirate."
"Pillaging. Destruction. Deceit. Cunning. Ruthlessness. Greed. He'll do whatever it takes. There's no line he won't cross."
"And his Float-Float Fruit makes him an even bigger headache for us Marines."
Darren nodded, smiling.
"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Garp. I'll be cautious."
Garp paused, almost thinking Darren was brushing him off—
Pillaging. Destruction. Deceit. Cunning. Ruthlessness. Greed.
Wasn't that basically Darren?
Or rather—wasn't Darren just the Marine version of Shiki?
Well then... maybe he didn't need to worry so much after all.
Garp chuckled and shook his head.
With Sengoku and Borsalino involved, Shiki would be sufficiently contained.
And Darren, with his sharp, underhanded style—
Shiki might just be the one to suffer most in the end.
Now it all made sense. This was why Sengoku had chosen Darren.
Send the "degenerate of the Marines"... to face the "degenerate of the pirates."
"That's so damn cool!!"
Kuzan couldn't hold back anymore. He punched the air, eyes burning.
"Darren, you're really going to hunt down a living legend! Golden Lion Shiki!!"
He turned to Garp, pleading.
"Mr. Garp! Let me go too!!"
Darren and Garp spoke in unison.
Darren had no intention of dragging along this overly enthusiastic chatterbox.
"Kuzan, you lack experience with top-tier opponents. This mission's too dangerous for you," Garp said flatly.
"Once you graduate from my training, then we'll talk."
He looked at Kuzan with a mix of pride and reluctance.
He'd finally found someone who could actually understand his teaching style—no way he was letting him go just yet.
"Huh? Darren, what are you still standing there for? Go on already."
Garp waved him off like swatting a fly.
Oi. Seriously? The favoritism here is unreal.
At first light, Darren was already up.
His belongings had been packed neatly—courtesy of Toki.
He glanced back at her, sleeping soundly. Last night's farewell had been... wild.
He smiled to himself.
"Tekkai really is useful."
Feeling refreshed, he stretched. The Seastone cuffs clinked softly.
After a light breakfast, he picked up his things and stepped out the door.
The rising sun painted everything in gold.
He walked calmly toward the Marine port, leaving his peaceful home behind.
Marines were loading crates of supplies onto ships. Sengoku, overseeing everything, suddenly turned.
He spotted Darren and smiled.
"Marine Headquarters Commodore Rogers Darren, reporting!"
Sengoku raised an eyebrow, noting the cuffs.
"Still wearing those?"
"I got used to them. I'll take them off on the way."
Once the ammunition, food, and equipment were all aboard, he led Darren onto the Marine ship.
The sea breeze was sharp.
The air felt heavy—with tension, and something more.