Gion's cold, almost murderous stare made Daren chuckle bitterly to himself.
Now he finally understood why she was so pissed.
So it was because of those ridiculous rumors about him being "squeezed dry"…
And his own two very honest remarks.
"Seems like everyone's living quite a lively life these days…"
Daren smiled, waved, and walked forward.
From the moment he'd accepted the mission to take down Bullet to everything that followed, barely more than twenty days had passed.
But now, using his biological magnetic field perception, he could clearly sense that the strength radiating from his fellow trainees had increased by over thirty percent!
A person's bio-magnetic field reflects their life energy. It's an essential measure of their core vitality and overall growth.
This kind of absurd rate of improvement was clearly linked to Zephyr-sensei's training, but in the end, it came down to talent—and relentless effort.
Truly worthy of being called the Marines' "Golden Generation"...
"Mm. Good to have you back."
Zephyr finally set down the comically heavy machine gun, gave Daren a quick once-over, then smiled in satisfaction.
"Looks like you've recovered pretty well."
Daren nodded.
"Yes, Zephyr-sensei. I'm ready to return to the camp and resume regular training."
Zephyr waved a hand.
"No rush. Take a few more days to rest."
Then he turned to the rest of the group.
"Alright, that's it for today's physical training. You're all free to go now."
"As usual, if you run into any issues with your training, you can knock on my office door anytime."
"And Daren, make sure to drop by Sengoku's place later and give a full report on the mission details."
"Right—dismissed!"
Zephyr gave his students a sharp salute.
Daren and the rest of the trainees bowed deeply in unison.
"Thank you for your guidance, Zephyr-sensei!"
With a small smile, Zephyr turned and headed toward his office.
...
"Dahahaha! Daren! I heard everything!"
As soon as Zephyr was out of earshot, Kuzan dashed over and threw an arm around Daren's shoulders, waggling his eyebrows.
Daren's mouth twitched.
"What exactly did you hear...?"
Please don't let it be...
A sinking feeling crept up inside him.
It was one thing if civilians were gossiping, but if the rumors had reached the training camp... that was a whole different problem.
"Your battle record, of course! I heard from Zephyr-sensei! He said you escaped from the Beasts Pirates' base all by yourself!"
Kuzan's eyes sparkled with excitement as he threw punches into the air.
"And I heard you blew up the Beasts Pirates' industrial facility—the one they spent years building up! Is that true?!"
He stared at Daren, practically on fire with admiration.
Ah... so that's what he heard.
Daren let out a quiet sigh of relief, then smiled and nodded.
"More or less. Honestly, I just got lucky—"
"—That's so damn cool!!!"
Kuzan cut him off, flushed with excitement.
But the next second, he grabbed his head in frustration, fingers digging into his black curls as he howled with regret.
"I—I can't believe I didn't get to go on such a badass mission with you!!"
Daren: ...
"There'll be more chances."
He slipped out of Kuzan's grasp with practiced ease and patted him on the shoulder.
Yeah... as long as the others don't find out, he might still be able to hold onto his dignity.
"How's the injury coming along?"
Yamakaji, chewing on a cigar, walked over and pulled out another one, handing it to Daren. He gave his shoulder a light punch and grinned.
"Make sure there are no lingering effects."
Daren took the cigar, bit it, lit up, and took a satisfied puff. Smiling, he replied,
"Don't worry. What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger."
Yamakaji blinked in surprise.
He mulled over Daren's words, eyes gradually lighting up.
"That's deep!"
He laughed heartily.
"Good! Someday I'll let you see that slash of mine again!"
"I'll be looking forward to it."
Yamakaji gave a nod.
"Alright, I'm off to feed my cat... Oh, right—"
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly paused, glanced back at Daren, and lowered his voice.
"Back when I was stationed in the South Sea, I heard rumors of a tribe there... said to have a special kind of secret medicine. Supposedly works wonders…"
"For what?"
Daren looked puzzled.
Yamakaji's bearded, square face flushed as he stammered,
"That—uh—that thing. Ahem. You know... the one you might need!"
"That thing?"
Daren still didn't catch on. But when he saw Yamakaji subtly glance at his crotch, his face froze, and his heart skipped a beat.
No... no way...
So he's heard the rumor too…
"I don't need that!! I'm as strong as a monster!!"
Daren growled through gritted teeth.
"Alright, alright, calm down. But if you change your mind, let me know."
Yamakaji, seeing Daren's overreaction, looked even more convinced. He gave Daren a "don't worry, I get it" look, patted his shoulder, and walked off.
Daren: …
"Take care of yourself."
Doberman came over and gave Daren's shoulder a firm pat, speaking in a low voice.
Daren: …
"Don't worry about it. Maybe you've just been under too much combat stress."
Dalmatian gave Daren a reassuring pat as well.
Daren: …
"Take care of your health."
Strawberry added quietly.
Daren: …
Onigumo gave him a glance.
"As long as it doesn't affect your fighting."
Daren: …
The cadets, seemingly in sync, lined up one by one to pat Daren's shoulder, each offering their heartfelt "comfort."
They all gave him the same sympathetic look before walking away with solemn expressions.
Daren stood there alone in the breeze, completely dumbfounded.
He remained frozen for a long time before clenching his jaw and shouting:
"Damn it all!!"
...
"Yamakaji… wait up!"
Just as Yamakaji stepped out of the training base gate, a voice called out behind him.
He stopped and looked back suspiciously at Tokikake sneaking over.
"What is it?"
Tokikake glanced around, making sure no one was nearby. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled.
"That secret medicine... is it real?"
Yamakaji nodded seriously.
"Absolutely. Nobles in the South Sea are paying top dollar for it—it's practically priceless. I wouldn't have recommended it to Daren if I wasn't sure."
Tokikake's eyes lit up, and he grinned fawningly.
"Well, I've got a friend…"
…
Daren had no idea how he ended up at the Admiral's office.
He wandered in a daze and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The deep voice of Admiral Sengoku came from inside.
Daren pushed the door open and entered, speaking weakly to Sengoku, who sat behind the desk.
"Admiral Sengoku, you asked for me?"
"Yes."
Sengoku glanced at him, and his expression suddenly turned ice-cold. His voice carried such chill that the room felt like it froze over.
"You killed Saint Xildes, didn't you?"
Daren's pupils shrank into pinpricks.