Byrnndi World panted quietly, his voice a faint rasp, as he repeated Darren's question. His eyes glazed over.
Almost absentmindedly, his gaze shifted toward a spot in the distance.
A charred pile of blackened bones still smoldered softly.
Caught in that colossal blast, he hadn't stood a chance.
Weaker than an average man, he'd been reduced to ash in an instant.
A hoarse, broken laugh—
That grew louder, more twisted, swelling into a fit of madness.
"Barororororo!! BARORORORORO!!"
The corners of his mouth twisted upward in hysterical mirth, but beneath the laughter bubbled despair, resentment, helplessness... a storm of clashing emotions.
Two streams of blood-red tears welled from his scorched eyes, oozing down the ruined remains of his face.
He extended his mutilated arms—bloodied and raw—and used the last fragments of his strength, his final shreds of willpower, to stand.
Trembling, swaying, he forced himself upright.
He raised his chin high.
His wild gaze swept across the faces of Sengoku, Borsalino, and the scores of armed Marines rushing in from all sides. He spat blood in disdain—
And then locked eyes with Captain Darren.
That same arrogant grin.
If this was to be his end, then he would face it standing—defiant, proud, undefeated.
He drew a ragged breath.
"Come on, Darren... do it."
"My life—has been one hell of a ride!"
And then he threw his head back, roaring to the sky:
"What need have I for last words!?"
He reached into his coat and pulled out a silver coin.
With a flick of his thumb, he sent it spinning into the air.
The coin twirled skyward, catching the pale winter sun as it climbed—
And in its mirrored surface, it reflected:
Borsalino's crooked grin.
The wide-eyed Marines closing in.
And Darren himself, lips cracked and bloodied.
For a heartbeat, time slowed.
The snow danced lazily through the frozen air, melting instantly as it touched the scorched earth.
Byrnndi World stared at the spinning coin.
And within its gleam, memories came rushing back.
Standing on a cliff as a child, staring out at the sea and swearing he'd conquer it.
His first voyage—caught in a storm.
His first encounter with a brutal pirate crew.
The first recruit he welcomed.
His furious gaze softened.
In the depths of his mind, a familiar, gentle voice echoed:
"Look, World! Look at that sea! It connects to islands and nations we've never even imagined! Isn't it amazing?"
"One day, you'll set sail, World. At the ends of these seas, there's a grand adventure waiting just for you."
"Go in my place. Grow strong. See the world for both of us."
A young boy looked up at the confident figure of his older brother, arms raised high with hope, eyes gleaming in the sun.
"...I'm sorry, brother."
"Without you... no matter how far I travel, no matter what I see—what's the point?"
Faced the sun and the falling snow—
A single burst of blood bloomed from his chest.
The coin, now plummeting, shot downward with magnetic precision—
and pierced his heart.
Byrnndi World's eyes gently closed.
He fell, a silent thud on scorched earth.
Sengoku stood in silence, solemn.
By protocol, someone like Byrnndi World—wielder of a powerful Devil Fruit—should have been captured alive and sent to Impel Down.
That way, his Devil Fruit wouldn't be reborn somewhere, into the hands of another pirate.
But Sengoku hadn't stopped Darren.
Because through his Observation Haki, he already knew—
World wouldn't have survived.
Letting him die at Darren's hand...
Was the final act of respect from a longtime rival.
The coin spun back into Darren's hand with a faint metallic ring.
He turned toward Sengoku and said with a tired smile:
"Mission complete, Admiral Sengoku."
Then immediately barked to his men:
"Send the order! Sink the last ship of the World Pirates—eliminate the remaining forces!"
Darren gave a faint chuckle and pulled a bloodstained Den Den Mushi from inside his coat.
"...Captain Darren," came Momonga's steady voice on the other end.
Sengoku felt a strange shiver, and looked up.
In the air, one of the North Blue battleships began to slowly rotate.
A black missile slid from the side of its hull.
With a burst of orange fire, the missile launched from the ship, streaking across the sky with a long burning tail.
A low BOOM rolled across the sea.
A faint glow rose from the fog-shrouded horizon.
Sengoku stared, dumbfounded.
"...What the hell was that?"
"Target eliminated, Captain Darren," Momonga's voice calmly confirmed.
Darren ended the call and turned back to Sengoku.
"Reporting in, Admiral."
"In the operation to suppress the World Pirates, the North Blue Fleet sank five ships and eliminated over three thousand enemy combatants. Byrnndi World and Byojack—executed on site."
Sengoku opened his mouth.
Before he could respond, Darren's body swayed—
"Get the medics!! Hurry!!"
"Call the ship's doctor!! MOVE!!"
Voices shouted and swirled in chaos.
"...So it's over, huh?" Borsalino said, glancing down at Darren's unconscious form.
"...Yeah. It's over." Sengoku replied in a daze.
Then Borsalino casually added—
"Y'know... it feels whole operation would've gone the same with or without you, Admiral."
Other than yelling "Stop him!" once, he hadn't done anything.
At least Borsalino had arrived in time to save Darren. He'd helped fight World. He'd contributed.
Was his presence even necessary?
That realization struck him like a brick. He stood there in stunned silence.
And then he looked up—
Right into Borsalino's amused, half-lidded stare.
"...What the hell is that look!?"
Sengoku exploded, red-faced.
"I was—was overseeing the operation! Strategically!"
"If I hadn't had the vision to entrust command to Captain Darren, this mission would never have succeeded!!"
He turned sharply and stormed off toward the battleship, boots thudding.
Borsalino watched him go, chuckling softly.
Then he looked down at the Marine captain being loaded onto a stretcher.
"...You really do have a way of making the impossible look easy."