Control had returned to his hands...
Darren took in every nuance of Sengoku's changing expression and quietly let out a breath of relief.
In this kind of interrogation, if he simply answered each question passively, he'd be walking into a trap—an opening waiting to be exploited.
And Darren hated being led by the nose.
Only by diverting Sengoku's focus could he extract himself from the snare.
When it ca to the Celestial Dragon incident, Darren never truly expected to deceive everyone indefinitely.
Especially after his Devil Fruit ability was exposed—he had anticipated a confrontation like this from the start. It was only a matter of ti.
What surprised him was how sudden this talk had co.
Now it all made sense. Sengoku truly lived up to the title The Resourceful General.
First, he had Zephyr issue a report task to lull Darren into a false sense of security—making him drop his guard completely. Then, he struck without warning.
Darren had to admit: when Sengoku first opened his mouth, it had caught him entirely off guard—though none of that showed on his face.
Had his ntal fortitude been any weaker, he might've already given himself away.
But based on how this conversation was going, Darren could tell—Sengoku had no real evidence. He wasn't here to accuse. He simply wanted to confirm his suspicions... and send a warning.
Otherwise, Darren would already be surrounded by now.
With that realization, his thoughts grew sharper.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Admiral Sengoku, and what exactly makes you think the World Governnt trusts you?"
Sengoku blinked, montarily stunned. He reflexively responded:
"How could they not trust ? As a Marine Admiral, I've faithfully carried out every directive issued by the World Governnt—"
"—Do you really believe that masters who sit atop the clouds truly 'trust' the watchdog guarding their gates?"
Darren cut in coldly.
Now he was gambling—gambling that the relationship between the Marines and the World Governnt wasn't as unbreakable as it appeared.
ƒгeewёbnovel
With the intelligent, one must play an intelligent ga.
And soone like Sengoku—clever by nature—was prone to suspicion.
Once doubt takes root, trust begins to fracture.
Even the slightest crack... was all Darren needed.
Sengoku opened his mouth.
But before he could respond, Darren sneered:
"Admiral Sengoku, allow to tell you the real truth."
"The orders I received from the World Governnt that day—had nothing to do with continuing the investigation into the Celestial Dragon's death."
"They were from the Gorosei... and they'd already begun to suspect that the attacker who killed Saint Shaldes... was a Marine."
Sengoku's face shifted slightly.
"The Gorosei suspected you?"
Darren said nothing. He simply smiled at Sengoku.
"Why are you looking at like that? I'm the one who suspects you right now—"
Sengoku suddenly froze.
In that instant, a flood of thoughts surged through his mind.
If the Gorosei truly suspected Darren, they would never have allowed him to quietly investigate Marine personnel!
Sending Darren, a North Blue Commander, to probe the case ant only one thing: the Gorosei had already ruled him out as a suspect.
But if they didn't suspect Darren... then who were they suspicious of!?
Sengoku's expression darkened.
His mind reeled back to his own list of deductions about the possible culprit: imnse strength... previous contact with the Celestial Dragon... potential flight capabilities... present in the North Blue at the ti...
Wasn't that his own fleet?
The strength was undeniable.
As a Marine Admiral, he had full knowledge of the governnt ship's travel routes.
Flight ability wasn't necessary—military vessels sufficed.
And at that very ti, he was stationed in the North Blue, leading the campaign against Byrnndi World...
A chilling realization hit Sengoku like a brick.
Going by that logic—the pri suspect in the Celestial Dragon's death... was himself?
The deeper he thought, the worse it felt.
He t every condition.
And when it ca to knowledge of the governnt ship's route—he surpassed Darren entirely!
After all, Darren, as a re North Blue Commander back then, had no reason to know the exact return route of Saint Shaldes' ship.
This had been Sengoku's chief reason for suspecting, yet hesitating to confirm, Darren as the culprit.
Because in the North Blue at that ti, the only one who would've known the precise return route of the World Governnt's official ship... was himself—a Marine Admiral.
No wonder the World Governnt pulled him from the investigation...
No wonder those CP0 agents gave him such strange looks at the ti...
Wait!
Sengoku suddenly recalled—just a few days ago, during his report to the Gorosei in the Holy Land, they had smiled at him... that cryptic, aningful smile.
What was that supposed to an?
Were they warning him?
Or had they already begun to suspect sothing?
In that mont, Sengoku's mind raced faster than it ever had in his life. He began retracing every interaction he'd ever had with the Gorosei—every look, every word.
...
"Almost there..."
Watching Sengoku's dazed, bewildered, contemplative, conflicted, and increasingly unsettled expressions, Darren's lips curved slightly.
When playing against soone like Sengoku, the worst thing you could do was over-explain—it would only breed more doubt.
The key was to offer just enough information... and let him fill in the rest.
Most importantly:
What Darren had said—was true.
The World Governnt had indeed tasked him with investigating mbers of the Marines.
And Sengoku would never confront the Gorosei face-to-face and ask: "Are you suspecting the Marines? No—suspecting ?"
"I should really thank that 'wise' Saint Topman Warcury soti..." Darren thought to himself with a wry smile, then sighed aloud:
"Admiral Sengoku, now do you understand how difficult my position was at the ti?"
"Pressure from the very top of the World Governnt on one side... and on the other, my most trusted comrades, colleagues... and yes, superiors."
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
So, you emphasized 'superiors' on purpose, huh...
"Um... Darren..."
He hesitated, then cautiously asked:
"You... didn't say anything... did you?"
Sengoku knew he had nothing to do with the Celestial Dragon's death.
But to people like the Gorosei, did that even matter?
Whether the Celestial Dragon lived or died was irrelevant.
What mattered was—
The World Governnt was beginning to doubt him.
And that... could change the entire course of his political future.
---
To be continued...
Reviews
All reviews (0)