The abandoned naval port.
The setting sun had turned into a curtain of crimson clouds, its glow slowly dyeing the distant sky and spilling across the land.
By now, the entire ground of the port had beco a frozen landscape. Crystalline ice spires jutted up from the ground, while a faint mist lingered in the air.
With a dull thud, Darren and Kuzan’s fists crashed into each other’s faces simultaneously. Blood sprayed as both of them staggered backward—then collapsed onto the icy ground.
Huff... huff... huff...
Flat on their backs, sprawled out on the frozen terrain, the two of them panted heavily. Their faces were bruised and bloodied, swollen and battered.
"Hahahahaha!! That was amazing!! Only fighting you gets my blood boiling like this!"
Kuzan laughed wildly, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his face. His grin was full of pure joy.
The joy of finding a true equal.
Darren rolled his eyes, yanking his legs free from the ice with a loud crackling. Shards of frost shattered underfoot.
"Your Devil Fruit really restricts my movent. Not much fun fighting like that."
Still, there was no denying the satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
Kuzan glanced at him, grinning.
"You were holding back, weren’t you?"
Darren didn’t respond—just let the silence speak.
Kuzan truly lived up to his "monster" nickna.
In just half a year, his strength had undergone a staggering transformation. He was now many tis stronger than when he first arrived at the training camp.
He had not only developed his Devil Fruit ability to a whole new level, but also mastered Haki. Under Garp’s guidance, even his weakest area—close combat—had been completely reshaped.
Judging from their bout just now, Kuzan’s strength had already surpassed that of HQ’s elite Vice Admirals.
And even so, he still had a gap to catch up to Darren—the freak who was strong in every category.
That alone was enough to leave Darren deeply impressed.
"You really are sothing else, Darren... Looks like I’ll have to train even harder!"
Kuzan’s eyes glowed brighter. Not the slightest trace of discouragent—just pure competitive fire igniting inside him.
Darren smiled. Just as he was about to speak—
A sharp, piercing siren rang out from the distance.
Urgent. Pressurized. Tinged with tension and anxiety.
Their faces changed instantly. Both sat up in unison, expressions darkening as they looked toward the military district.
That was... the Marineford alarm!
What had happened?
With their sharp eyesight, they could faintly see patrol ships racing back into port from the oval harbor. The rhythmic stomping of Marine boots echoed in the distance.
"Commodore Darren! Captain Kuzan!"
A panicked figure sprinted into the abandoned port.
A ssenger.
The young Marine halted before them, panting hard as he saluted.
"By order of Admiral Sengoku, Marine HQ is now officially under lockdown. You are to return imdiately to your assigned quarters and report your current status."
"Ara ara~ sounds serious. Mind telling what happened?"
Kuzan got to his feet, dusting off his pants, curious.
The ssenger glanced at him, but said nothing.
Sensitive information wasn’t casually disclosed. And Kuzan’s current rank—just a Captain—wasn’t high enough.
Darren frowned. It didn’t take him long to grasp what was going on.
"I’m a Commodore of Marine Headquarters," he said evenly. "And after I graduate from the training camp, I’ll be officially promoted to Rear Admiral. You know that, don’t you?"
The ssenger hesitated, then replied:
"There’s been an incident in the New World. A Celestial Dragon was killed. Admiral Sengoku has already departed to handle it."
A Celestial Dragon... killed?
Darren blinked in surprise.
That was rare.
As World Nobles, Celestial Dragons stood at the absolute apex of power and status in the world.
They were always guarded by CP agents. Small pirate crews couldn’t get close enough to pose a threat.
And those capable of killing a Celestial Dragon usually didn’t dare—or didn’t care to.
After all, killing one would bring not only an Admiral down on your head, but possibly a global manhunt by the World Governnt itself.
No one wanted that kind of endless trouble—especially not for a single kill.
Not everyone had the sa luxury as Darren—an identity within the Marines to provide cover, and the ability to manipulate clues and uncertainty to conceal the truth.
Still... sothing about this felt off.
He couldn’t quite say why.
"I’ll be taking my leave. I have orders to relay this to the other divisions as well."
The ssenger saluted again and rushed off in a hurry.
"What a pain... I was hoping to go out to sea one more ti before graduation."
Kuzan grumbled, walking over with a scowl.
Darren shook his head.
"Let’s head back. If Sengoku himself has mobilized, there’ll be news soon enough."
"Yeah, yeah."
Kuzan scratched his head, looking disappointed.
The two of them walked briskly out of the abandoned port, heading toward the residential compound.
The piercing alarms still blared without pause. From loudspeakers mounted on the streetlamps ca a deep, droning voice:
"Marineford is now under full lockdown. All civilians are to return ho calmly and in an orderly fashion... Remain calm. Do not panic."
"Once again—Marineford is now under full lockdown. All civilians must return ho imdiately."
On the way back, Darren and Kuzan passed by anxious civilians and formations of Marines maintaining order, their brows furrowed in concern.
A torn newspaper fluttered in the cold wind, landing on the desolate street. A tense, suffocating atmosphere perated every corner of Marineford.
"Tch... It’s just a dead Celestial Dragon. Is this really worth such a fuss?"
Kuzan muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed that his plans to go fishing had been dashed.
Darren pressed his lips together.
Truthfully... this was his fault.
Ever since he’d killed Saint Sildes, the World Governnt’s trust in the Marines had begun to fracture.
Then ca Dragon’s "defection," which only deepened the doubt and suspicion.
So now, with another Celestial Dragon dead, Sengoku had likely ordered the full lockdown to "clear the Marines of any suspicion."
"I’m heading ho."
Darren tossed the words over his shoulder and strode off quickly.
He wasn’t worried about Gion. She’d grown up in the HQ—she could handle herself.
But Toki... he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
---
To be continued...
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