Ever since Daren helped the Marines take down the Beasts Pirates' main base, Kaidou and the remnants of his crew had vanished without a trace.
The only known sightings were during the scramble for the Moa Moa no Mi on Coin Island, where King "the Conflagration" made an appearance, and when Kaidou joined forces with Shiki and Big Mom to launch an assault on Marineford.
In fact, after capturing the Beasts Pirates' headquarters, Marine HQ had originally drafted a plan to follow up with a full sweep—to hunt down Kaidou and the remaining Beasts Pirates and wipe them out completely.
But with little intel and the New World's unpredictable landscape, the operation was eventually shelved.
Still, even if Marine HQ had no idea where Kaidou was hiding... Daren certainly did.
Drawing on his knowledge of the original storyline, Daren had every reason to believe that Kaidou had likely already invaded Wano Country.
After all, the only one in Wano capable of resisting Kaidou—Kozuki Oden—had already set sail and boarded Whitebeard's ship.
Given Kaidou's cunning and ambition, there's no way he would miss the chance to seize Wano. Just like in the original timeline, he'd join forces with Kurozumi Orochi, seize control of the nation, and turn it into his base of operations for conquering the seas.
Back when planning his "blitz" operation, Daren had indeed considered targeting Kaidou, but ultimately opted for Totto Land, under Big Mom's rule.
One reason was the uncertainty about whether Kaidou was even in Wano at the time. The other? The strength gap.
If he launched a blitz on Wano, setting aside any political fallout or public opinion, he could easily find himself in over his head.
After all, Kaidou wasn't the only one in the Beasts Pirates with flight capability.
Aside from Kaidou, the crew's top officer, "King "the Conflagration", also possessed formidable flying power.
If those two managed to pin him down mid-raid, even if the mission succeeded, Daren himself might not walk away unscathed.
Totto Land, however, was a different story.
Big Mom's vast territory was scattered across dozens of island strongholds, floating like stars across the open sea.
As long as he didn't recklessly charge into the heart of Totto Land—Whole Cake Island—no one except Big Mom herself could realistically stop him.
More importantly, Daren needed a clean, decisive victory to cement his growing reputation and fulfill the promises he'd made. In that sense, targeting Yakigashi Island had been the perfect move.
And the results proved him right.
The "live broadcast" of the surprise attack had an excellent impact, and he'd completed the mission flawlessly.
Which meant—Daren was now free to move as he pleased!
From this point on, he didn't have to worry about wins or losses. He could just do things his way.
So... it was time to scout out Wano!
Most importantly, unlike before, after the "lesson" from the renowned Katakuri, Daren's Observation Haki had skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. His overall power had climbed significantly as well.
Right now, Daren was confident that even if he dove deep into Wano and got ambushed by Kaidou and King, as long as he played it smart, he could still escape in one piece.
After all, Kaidou hadn't yet reached his peak—nowhere near as terrifying as that lunatic Big Mom.
So what was there to hesitate about?
Time to move!
A cocky grin curled at the corner of Daren's lips, his eyes flashing with excitement. Controlling Enma beneath his feet, his body twisted midair in a sharp pivot, rocketing off in a new direction.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Admiral's Office.
"Moshi moshi, yes, King Nock, it's me…"
With a warm smile, Sengoku spoke into the Den Den Mushi in front of him.
"On behalf of Marine Headquarters, I'd like to express our gratitude for your country's support in the reconstruction of Marineford."
"Vice Admiral Daren? Of course, of course, I've had high hopes for that kid from the very beginning..."
After a round of empty pleasantries, Sengoku finally hung up, letting out a long, weary sigh.
That had been the thirteenth call.
Though the royal families of these member nations didn't donate much—usually just 30 to 40 million Belly—any more than that would've raised red flags with the World Government's oversight departments.
These "donations" were more symbolic than practical, but Sengoku wasn't about to complain. Even a little was better than nothing.
So, out of courtesy and protocol, Marine Headquarters had to call and politely thank each contributing nation.
Technically, this should have been the Fleet Admiral's job.
But since Kong didn't want to look bad, he called it "mental training" and dumped the whole thing on Sengoku.
Snap, snap...
A crisp crunching sound rang out nearby.
Sengoku's eyelid twitched. He turned and shot a sharp glare at Garp, who was sitting there with zero decorum.
"Garp, if you've got nothing to do, help out instead of just stuffing your face with my senbei!"
"Hehehe, Old Man Kong said this is your training."
Garp grinned like it was all a joke.
Sengoku's face twitched.
"Besides, Sengoku, I've got a reputation to maintain too."
Garp chuckled as he crunched down on more senbei.
"You're a proud Marine Admiral, and here you are cozying up to a bunch of bloated, drunken nobles over a measly few billion Belly. Tsk tsk tsk…"
Sengoku's face turned red. He slammed the desk and roared,
"Damn it, Garp! If you're not going to work, then get out!"
"Alright, alright, no need to blow a fuse..."
Garp hunched his shoulders and muttered.
Seeing the veins nearly bulging out of Sengoku's forehead, he quickly grabbed a few unopened bags of senbei and bolted from the office.
Sengoku sat back down, rubbing his temples with a sigh.
"Tough job, huh?"
At that moment, Staff Officer Tsuru walked in with a stack of documents. Seeing Sengoku's exhausted face, she chuckled and teased him.
Sengoku shook his head with a sigh.
"Someone's gotta do it."
"The Marines' duties aren't just about fighting."
He held up the list in his hand and gave a small smile.
"The individual donations might not seem like much, but they add up to a decent sum…"
He gave himself a slap on the face to perk up, forced on a cheerful smile, and dialed the next number on the Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi, King Raphael? This is Admiral Sengoku from Marine Headquarters..."
Tsuru sat nearby, quietly watching as Sengoku slipped back into work mode, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Yeah, it was just a little hit to his pride and some polite small talk.
But if it meant one more fortress, one more warship, or just a bit more compensation for the families of fallen soldiers…
Why not?
The Marines didn't just need heroes like Garp charging into battle—
They also needed people like Sengoku, who supported everything quietly behind the scenes.
...
Half an hour later, Sengoku finally wrapped up the last call and wearily set down the Den Den Mushi.
At that moment, he'd have preferred a full-on battle with Shiki over dealing with another round of pompous nobles.
"By the way, Tsuru, has that kid Daren returned yet? Should be about time, no?"
Lighting a cigar, Sengoku suddenly turned to ask.
Still buried in paperwork, Tsuru paused and shook her head.
"No word yet."
Sengoku frowned.
Had something gone wrong?
After the destruction of Fukkura Town on Yakigashi Island, the live feed had cut off. They'd been in the dark about Daren's situation ever since.
Thinking it over, Sengoku picked up the military-issue Den Den Mushi and dialed Daren's personal line.
Buru buru... buru buru...
A few seconds later, the line connected.
"Admiral Sengoku."
Daren's deep voice came through.
Sengoku felt a hint of relief but kept his tone serious.
"Daren, you're not back at HQ yet? Where the hell are you?"
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Then, the Den Den Mushi mimicked Daren's usual cocky grin.
"Admiral Sengoku, I'm in Wano Country."
"What!?"
Sengoku's expression changed instantly as he shot to his feet.