New World — An Unnamed Island
Bonfires crackled, filling the air with the savory aroma of grilled meat and fine liquor.
"Captain, aren't we worried about letting Bullet run off on his own like that? What if he causes trouble?"
At the question, Roger threw back his head and burst out laughing.
"If he wants to cause trouble, let him! Otherwise he's on my ship all day pestering me for a fight, hahahahaha!!"
Splash!!
A column of seawater shot skyward as a small, metallic submarine burst through the waves and rammed ashore.
Clank—the hatch opened, and Bullet climbed out.
"Yo, Bullet's back!!"
"Hahaha! Have fun out there?"
"…"
The crew blinked, then broke into cheerful greetings.
Bullet shook out his hair and snapped irritably:
"Don't even ask. I went out looking for a proper brawl…"
Curiosity sparked around the circle.
Bullet walked over, snatched a bottle of hard liquor, and ruffled the hair of Shanks and Buggy—both still bratty kids—which earned him twin glares of death. Laughing, he chugged the drink straight down.
Gulping down the last of it, he belched, then began recounting the events of his voyage.
"…So yeah, that bastard Darren hogged all the glory—and then didn't even give me a fight!"
He tore into a skewer of meat, ripping off a chunk with visible frustration.
But the rest of the Roger Pirates listened in shock.
A fleet of tens of thousands… the Golden Lion's Flying Pirate Fleet… gone up in flames!?
Especially the kids—Shanks and Buggy—had turned pale.
They still remembered their brief encounter with that Marine named Darren… and the sheer terror he left behind.
…They'd almost died.
"Anyway, that's what happened," Bullet muttered, mouth full of meat.
"In the end, all of them—Big Mom, Kaido, and Golden Lion—got played like fools by Darren. I bet they're spitting blood right now."
"Well done!!" Roger suddenly threw an arm around Bullet's shoulder, laughing with gleaming eyes.
"…Captain? Why are you so happy?"
Bullet frowned.
Roger just smiled and shook his head.
"No reason. Just glad you came back safe."
But inside, he was roaring with glee:
Hahahaha! That smug bastard Shiki got his ass kicked by that Marine brat too!!
---
North Blue — Rubeck Island
"D-Doffy!! Something huge happened!!"
Covered in sticky goo, Trebol stumbled into the Donquixote Family's grand hall, tripping over his robe and landing face-first.
On the floor, he raised a newspaper high above his head, wailing:
"News from Coin Island!!"
"That Darren—no, Godfather Darren—he destroyed Golden Lion's entire fleet!!"
The words hit like a thunderclap. The Donquixote officers, gathered for a business meeting, froze in shock.
"No way!!"
"That's Golden Lion Shiki we're talking about!!"
"He's no idiot like Byrnndi World!"
"…"
Diamante and the others cried out in disbelief.
"I swear it's true!!" Trebol stammered, climbing shakily to his feet, trembling with either pain or fear.
Seated on a plush leather sofa, Donquixote Doflamingo went quiet.
A flicker passed behind his sunglasses as he rose slowly and took the paper from Trebol's hands.
The ink still smelled fresh.
Doflamingo unfolded it slowly, deliberately.
The others, sensing the tension in their Young Master's mood, barely breathed as they crept closer to peek at the headline.
Then—gasps.
Front Page Headline:
"Monster of Marine HQ," "King of the North Blue" Rogers Darren destroys the legendary Golden Lion's invincible Flying Pirate Fleet—alone!!
Subheading:
"Ten Thousand Cannons Roar!! The entire island becomes the arsenal of the 'Metal King'—Flying Fleet reduced to ash in an instant!"
Beside it was a photograph.
Slightly grainy, unclear—but unmistakable.
The landscape of Coin Island blanketed in massive, black gun barrels spewing flame. And at their center, arms spread wide in savage delight, stood a lone Marine Commodore. Behind him, the bold black kanji for "Justice" flared on his white Marine coat.
Fire and smoke blazed skyward. Above, Golden Lion Shiki's Flying Fleet exploded midair, falling like a scene from the apocalypse.
Even in the blurred image, they could make out several key figures:
Admiral Sengoku.
Rear Admiral Borsalino, the "Monster" of HQ.
King the Wildfire of the Beasts Pirates.
Charlotte Perospero and Charlotte Daifuku of Big Mom's crew.
And the "Demon Heir" Douglas Bullet of the Roger Pirates…
Each and every one of them captured in frame—stunned, horrified, overwhelmed—mere backdrops to that singular figure in the middle: Commodore Darren.
It was a photo destined for history.
Beneath it, the article spread in sprawling columns.
From the chaos of the underground auction, to the appearance of the More-More Fruit, to the fierce contest for it, Shiki's dramatic arrival, Darren's destruction of the fleet—every moment was documented in painstaking detail.
The more they read, the colder their sweat.
Then came the final paragraph—chilling them to the core:
"Marine HQ Commodore Rogers Darren, born in North Blue, possesses overwhelming strength and sharp political acumen. Whether in governance or strategy, he displays a maturity far beyond his years, earning him the rightful title of 'King of the North Blue.'
Though technically not yet graduated from Marine HQ's Elite Officer Training Camp, his strength already rivals that of other 'monsters.'
'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World fell before him. Rumor has it that even the likes of Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Kaido of the Beasts, and Big Mom Charlotte Linlin have suffered defeats at his hands.
There is no doubt—Rogers Darren's rise marks a decisive turning point in Marine power.
And in the near future, he will become… the figurehead of the world's force of Justice."
—World Economy News Paper, President: Morgans
---
To be continued...