Fleet Admiral's Office.
The air was heavy, almost frozen with tension. Every high-ranking officer of the headquarters was present, each one wearing a deeply grim expression.
"So where the hell did Daren go? Still no news, Sengoku!?"
Kong finally lost his temper, slamming his palm hard onto the desk. Cracks spread across the surface instantly.
The loud crash startled Sengoku, who had been pacing anxiously. He flinched and stammered,
"Fleet Admiral Kong, for now... still no news."
"Damn it!"
Kong cursed, pressing his fingers to his temples, brows tightly furrowed.
It had already been more than 24 hours since Daren had reported via military Den Den Mushi that he was in Wano Country.
And yet, after all this time, there was still no word from him.
What the hell was he doing in Wano?
Had he run into Kaidou?
The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they felt.
"What are you all so worried about? That kid Daren is a sly one—he's not the type to go down that easily."
Garp, lounging on the sofa like nothing was wrong, finally spoke. As he did, he popped a senbei into his mouth, munching noisily.
Grinning, he added,
"And it's not like this is the first time Kaidou's caught him."
A tic mark popped up on the foreheads of both Kong and Sengoku at the same time.
The nearby Vice Admirals looked even more exasperated.
"Garp, you bastard!!"
Furious, Sengoku marched over and snatched the senbei out of Garp's hands, stuffing them into his own mouth as Garp howled.
"Damn it, Sengoku! I barely ate any!"
"That was my senbei!"
"You can't eat them all anyway!"
"So what!?"
"..."
The two of them ended up grappling, wrestling like a pair of bickering delinquents, faces red with frustration.
"Enough!!"
Kong erupted, slamming his fist down and reducing the unfortunate desk to splinters.
"You two bastards! Do you even know where you are!?"
A surge of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki exploded from Kong, transforming into a raging storm that swept across the room.
Black and red lightning crackled through the turbulent air.
The Vice Admirals nearby staggered under the pressure, arms raised and teeth clenched, struggling to withstand the impact of Kong's fury.
Seeing the old man go off, Garp and Sengoku finally stopped their scuffle and stood there sheepishly, like two kids caught doing something stupid...
"Hmph!"
Kong shot the two of them a sharp glare before finally withdrawing his aura.
He sank back into his seat, exhaling a long, weary breath. The fatigue weighed heavily on him.
To avoid sparking political unrest, Marine Headquarters had avoided any overt signs of large-scale mobilization. But in reality, five warships packed with elite soldiers were already docked in Marineford's military harbor—ready to depart at a moment's notice.
Moreover, Sakazuki and Borsalino had already set out. They were likely already in the New World, standing by for further orders from headquarters.
The Marines had just fought a major battle and should be recovering. A long-range expedition to the New World and a full-scale confrontation with the Beasts Pirates was far from ideal right now.
But if Daren really was left behind in Wano, Kong would do whatever it took to bring him back.
After the blitz operation on Totto Land, Daren was no longer just an exceptional Marine commander—he had become a vital strategic deterrent.
"We can't wait any longer..."
The longer Kong thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. After a few seconds of silence, his fists clenched tight, and a flicker of decisiveness flashed in his eyes.
Just then, one of Sengoku's personal guards burst into the office, gasping for breath, his face lit with excitement.
"Report, Admiral Sengoku! Latest news from the New World! Someone has located Vice Admiral Daren!"
"He... escaped from Wano alive!"
The sudden announcement instantly lit up the room.
"Excellent!"
Sengoku clenched his fists, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
Daren was simply too important.
The prestige from that one blitz operation alone had secured over a billion Belly in military "aid" for the Marines.
And that was aside from his own weight as a strategic deterrent.
It wasn't an exaggeration—at least not in Sengoku's mind—to say that Daren's importance and strategic value in the Marines had already surpassed Sakazuki and Borsalino...
Maybe even... himself, a Marine Admiral?
The moment the thought surfaced, Sengoku quickly shook his head.
Impossible. He was the next Fleet Admiral, after all!
Still, his smile became stiff and forced.
While Sengoku stood there in a daze, Garp seized the opportunity. In a flash, he snatched the senbei from Sengoku's hand, tucked it away like a prized treasure, and burst into hearty laughter.
"Wahahaha!! I told you—there's no way that sneaky brat Daren would get caught by Kaidou!"
Kong let out a long sigh of relief at the good news. The enormous weight hanging over his heart finally eased.
There was no doubt how important Daren was to the Marines.
But what gave him an even bigger headache was how universally disliked Daren had become.
He'd offended just about every major pirate across the seas.
Still alive... Good.
Good.
A smile finally crept onto Kong's face.
Seeing that the old man was no longer angry, Sengoku relaxed as well and asked his guard with a smile,
"So, where's that brat Daren now?"
"Um..."
To Sengoku's surprise, the guard suddenly looked hesitant.
He glanced nervously at the other officers in the room and stammered,
"Admiral Sengoku... I'm afraid there's a problem with Vice Admiral Daren's whereabouts..."
Sengoku frowned.
What was there to be hesitant about?
If Daren was alive and well, that was already the best news possible.
Whatever came after that was secondary.
Besides, with so many high-ranking officers and Fleet Admiral Kong here... his own guard being the first to report Daren's status was the perfect chance to show off his leadership and initiative.
"Just speak plainly! Everyone here is a core officer of headquarters—what's there to hide?"
Sengoku barked, pretending to be annoyed.
Several black lines appeared on the guard's forehead. After a brief pause, he couldn't help but confirm one more time,
"Admiral Sengoku, are you sure?"
"Of course!"
Sengoku puffed out his chest proudly, basking in the attention of his colleagues.
The guard looked at him with pity, drew a deep breath, and said gloomily,
"Um... Vice Admiral Daren is currently in the Pleasure District."
The smile froze on Sengoku's face. He looked like he'd been struck by lightning, standing there in stunned silence.
Kong: ...
Staff Officer Tsuru: ...
The generals: ...
"Wahahaha!! He really is the biggest scoundrel in the Marines!!"
Garp slapped the sofa and laughed until tears streamed down his face.
Kuzan's eyes lit up.
"Fight hard, play hard! Daren really is a man of true spirit!"
"This is... way too cool!"