"Young master Doflamingo-sama sent me to deliver his sincerest regards."
Senor knelt on one knee, speaking in a deep voice.
Before Daren could respond, Bullet raised an eyebrow.
"Doflamingo? Never heard of him…"
He shot Daren a questioning look.
"Hey, Daren, this guy isn't from the Beasts Pirates, is he? Putting on a whole act just to trick us..."
His gaze toward Senor grew increasingly hostile, murderous intent leaking out.
A cold, brutal pressure surged forth. Senor felt like his skin was being pricked with needles, a chill creeping up his spine as his muscles instinctively tensed. He had never encountered a war monster like Bullet in the North Blue.
"Bullet, ease up on the killing intent."
Daren gave a faint smile as he spoke calmly.
"Doflamingo is my godson."
"And besides…"
His smile twisted slightly, tone laced with mockery.
"Do you really think a bunch of muscleheads like the Beasts Pirates could come up with something this elaborate?"
Bullet froze.
Faces of the Beasts Pirates he'd seen before flashed through his mind… He nodded in agreement.
After a pause, he shot Senor a warning glance, then turned and walked to the far side of the room, slowly sitting down against the wall.
As the suffocating aura—like that of a violent beast stalking its prey—gradually faded, Senor couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.
These two men were terrifying.
And that was with Seastone shackles on.
Senor couldn't even imagine how overwhelming their presence would be if those shackles were removed.
"Get up, Senor," Daren said calmly.
He helped Senor to his feet and straightened his wrinkled collar.
"It's clear you've been through a lot and traveled a long way to reach me…"
He patted him on the shoulder, his smile fading as he let out a sigh and spoke with sincere warmth.
"…You've worked hard."
Senor froze.
Looking at the solemn, sincere expression on the black-haired young man before him, he felt momentarily dazed.
This man—wounded, imprisoned in the Beasts Pirates' stronghold, his life constantly in danger—still greeted him, upon learning his identity, with heartfelt appreciation.
In that instant, Senor felt that every hardship and risk he'd faced for this mission had been worth it.
Clenching his fists, he quietly suppressed the surge of emotion in his chest and shook his head.
"I'm fine, Daren-sama."
Daren smiled.
He had a good impression of Senor.
In the original storyline, despite everyone's ridicule, Senor gave up his favorite luxury suits and put on a ridiculous, ugly baby outfit—just to make his comatose wife smile again.
That was a kind of romance unique to men.
Gutsy, and undeniably cool.
And in truth, Daren was deeply impressed by Senor's capability.
After several days of observation, Daren had a rough sense of how dangerous and well-hidden this Beasts Pirates base was. If it weren't, the Marines would have found it already.
For someone from the North Blue like Senor to make it all the way here through the Grand Line... he had no doubt the man had endured incredible hardship.
"Daren-sama, the young master ordered me to come here this time..."
Senor cautiously observed the young master's godfather, lowering his voice as he began to speak, only to be cut off by a wave of Daren's hand.
"Doffy was thoughtful... but what I'm more curious about is how you managed to get here."
Senor paused, then answered truthfully.
"The Donquixote Family has trade ties with the underworld's emperor, 'Shipping King' Umit. Through intelligence from our agents embedded in Umit's trade fleet, we learned that you had been captured by Kaidou of the Beasts during a mission…"
"And Umit, the 'Shipping King', happens to be one of the Beasts Pirates' supply channels."
"Using that connection, I managed to infiltrate Umit's fleet. During a cargo transfer, I used my Devil Fruit powers to hide aboard one of the Beasts Pirates' ships. That's how I finally arrived here."
"I see..." Daren fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you know the exact location of this prison?"
Senor shook his head, his expression serious.
"I'm sorry, Daren-sama."
"While on the pirate ship, I didn't dare show myself for fear of exposing our trail, so I couldn't determine the exact route."
"All I know is that this prison is located beneath a massive mountain. Unless you blast through the entire mountain, the only exit is the main gate, which is heavily guarded."
"…The island itself is surrounded by countless tangled sea currents, and the terrain is extremely complex. There are several large-scale arms factories here as well, likely part of Kaidou of the Beasts' weapons production line."
"As for the island's precise location... judging by the ship's speed, direction, and travel time, I believe this Beasts Pirates base—the island we're on—should be somewhere in the waters near Wano Country."
Such an impressive man...
Listening to Senor's calm and detailed analysis, Daren couldn't help but admire him internally.
Even Bullet, who usually looked down on everyone, was visibly impressed. He grinned and said straightforwardly,
"Hey, Senor, right? You're damn good. I like you..."
"Forget about that Doffy guy. Come work with me instead."
Senor glanced at him but said nothing.
Naturally, he had looked into Douglas Bullet's reputation on his way here.
This monster of a man—mad as a demon—had wiped out an entire country single-handedly.
In fact, Daren-sama's original mission had been to deal with this very guy.
And yet, from what he was seeing now, the relationship between Daren-sama and Bullet... seemed surprisingly friendly?
"Don't joke around, Bullet. I thought you believed in the 'power of being alone'?"
Daren looked at him with a faint smirk.
Bullet scoffed.
"I don't need him to fight. I just want him as my assistant."
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
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