Seeing Daren lost in thought, Tokikake chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, trying to console him.
"You've got no shot with Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District… After all, you've already got that breathtaking beauty Amatsuki Toki back in Marineford. Hehehe."
"But it's fine. I'll be the one to win over Stussy."
He flipped his hair with exaggerated flair.
"Relying on the charm of me—Tokikake, the genius of Headquarters!"
Daren let out a lazy puff of smoke and smiled.
"Confident words… especially coming from someone who can't even last five minutes."
Tokikake's face darkened. He stiffened his neck and retorted,
"You don't get it. It's not about how long—it's about how amazing it is!"
Just then, a man in a black suit suddenly appeared before them. With a respectful posture, he took out a gold-embossed card and bowed.
"Daren-sama, this is a gift from Stussy-sama. With this VIP card, you have unlimited access to all services and establishments in the Pleasure District."
"What!?"
Before Daren could respond, Tokikake jumped up in shock, eyes glued to the shimmering card.
"Send her my thanks. Let her know I'm very pleased with the gift."
Daren didn't hesitate and accepted the card with ease.
"Yes, Daren-sama."
The man bowed again, then disappeared without a trace.
Bang!
Tokikake suddenly slammed the table, glaring at Daren.
"You already hooked up with the Queen of the Pleasure District!?"
"Damn it! When did this happen!?"
Daren thought for a moment and grinned.
"Probably yesterday. We had a pleasant evening."
Tokikake froze.
Then he grabbed his head and let out a miserable wail like his world had just ended.
"No way! No waaay!"
"You bastard! You already have Amatsuki Toki, a total goddess, and you still couldn't leave Stussy alone?!"
He howled in despair, then leaned in close, glaring at Daren furiously.
"I'm telling Amatsuki Toki!"
Daren glanced over at him, then casually pulled the card from his pocket and said flatly,
"You can use it for a few days."
Tokikake froze.
A second later, his expression flipped completely. A warm, eager smile spread across his face, and he snatched the card in a blur.
"Oh, you're too generous…"
"You really are my best colleague, my brother, my comrade-in-arms!"
He pounded his chest with pride.
"Don't worry, Daren. I won't breathe a word!"
Daren: …
...
A few days passed in a flash.
Taking full advantage of his rare paid vacation, Daren toured every corner of the Pleasure District—known as one of the finest entertainment cities in the world.
At this point in time, the future "Golden Emperor" Tesoro was still just some kid singing on the streets, with his famed entertainment empire, Gran Tesoro, yet to exist.
As one of the world's top dens of extravagance, the Pleasure District wasn't just known for its adult services—gambling, arenas, music, dance shows... every kind of indulgence was thriving here. After making his rounds, even Daren, the "King of North Blue," had to admit it was an eye-opener.
"Tokikake, you really need to slow down. If you keep this up, I'm honestly worried you're gonna drop dead here."
Back at their usual tavern, Daren lowered the newspaper in his hand and gave Tokikake a displeased look. The man now had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he'd physically shrunk.
Ever since Daren handed him that no-limit card, Tokikake had gone wild—hitting every single brothel in the Pleasure District without a break.
"I—I'm fine..."
Tokikake puffed on a cigar weakly, looking like a ghost of himself.
"I can't stop now… still... twenty-eight left..."
Daren: 6
"There'll be more chances in the future. No need to kill yourself over it."
Daren's mouth twitched as he sighed.
Slumped over the table, Tokikake suddenly lifted his head, eyes sparkling.
"So you're saying... I can still use your card in the future?"
"I'm warning you, Daren... don't joke with me about something this serious. If you're lying, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life!"
He gritted his teeth.
Daren had never seen him so dead serious.
Rubbing his temples, Daren replied helplessly,
"Yeah, sure. I don't need it anyway."
Honestly, I'm scared you're going to die like this...
It had only been three or four days, but the guy already looked like he'd lost 20 pounds.
If he kept this up, people would be preparing a funeral.
"Hahahaha! Awesome!!"
Tokikake jumped up, waving his arms in celebration.
"Daren!! You've earned my respect!!"
He pointed at Daren, looking deadly serious.
"From now on, if any bastard lays a hand on you, I'll make sure they regret it!!"
"You sure about that?" Daren gave him a half-smile.
"Absolutely!" Tokikake declared with full conviction.
Daren replied dryly,
"Kaidou's in Wano, Big Mom's in Totto Land, Roger's already entered the Grand Line—he'll be in the New World soon. Shiki's hard to track, but Whitebeard's got a fixed base… Go ahead. I'm counting on you, Tokikake."
Tokikake's expression froze.
"Uh, well…"
Daren chuckled and shook his head.
He folded the newspaper, laid it flat on the table, picked up his whiskey glass, and downed it in one gulp.
"Let's go. Time to head back."
Daren rose from his seat, tossed a few bills on the table, and made his way toward the tavern door.
"Huh? We're leaving? Isn't your vacation still going?"
Tokikake looked after him, confused.
"It's over. And I'm guessing Admiral Sengoku's about to reach out."
Daren didn't slow down. A sharp smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
With each step, the Vice Admiral's presence surged, drawing the attention of nearby patrons.
"Admiral Sengoku?"
Tokikake was still puzzled—until his Den Den Mushi began ringing urgently in his coat.
"Hello, this is Commodore Tokikake!"
He picked it up and answered.
Whatever he heard made his face go pale.
"Admiral Sengoku!? What!?"
Tokikake shot to his feet, eyes wide and pupils contracting.
"Understood! Daren and I will return to headquarters immediately!"
He ended the call and hurried after Daren, now clearly anxious.
Back on the table in the tavern, the neatly folded newspaper remained.
Its front page featured a bold headline:
"Flying Pirate Shiki the Golden Lion Stirs—Flying Pirates Begin Recruitment!"
The article was written by none other than Morgans, President of the World Economic News Agency.