Clad in a blood-red, sharply pressed uniform and black, polished boots, the man strode forward. A wide cloak fluttered gently behind him with each step.
Though only in his twenties, the deep, chiseled lines of his face gave him a cold, rock-hard presence, like a sheer cliff face. The brim of his military cap cast a shadow that hid his eyes.
A suffocating sense of pressure swept into the room.
"R-Rear Admiral Sakazuki!"
Tokikake, jolted by the oppressive killing intent, snapped upright, dropped the half-eaten apple from his mouth, and hastily saluted.
Gion followed with a salute of her own.
The two exchanged subtle glances, each catching the shock in the other's eyes.
It had only been a month, but Sakazuki's aura—his sheer murderous presence—had intensified dramatically.
That persistent smell of smoke and blood clinging to him was frighteningly heavy.
Sakazuki didn't even glance at them.
His dark, brooding gaze shifted slowly—pausing briefly on Dragon—before settling on Daren, who was still hooked up to tubes and machines.
Daren met his eyes calmly, the two locking stares.
"I heard Roger cut you down. Almost cost you your life."
Sakazuki spoke suddenly, his voice low and hoarse like grinding metal.
Daren nodded.
"Yeah."
"Was he strong?"
"Like something out of hell."
"Did you fight back?"
Daren's lips curled into a cocky grin.
"What do you think?"
Sakazuki paused.
Then a slight smirk began to tug at the edges of his stone-cold face.
Dragon blinked, visibly surprised.
Sakazuki—smiling?
Tokikake, meanwhile, flinched.
That smile… somehow made him even scarier.
Drip.
A drop of crimson blood slid from Sakazuki's black leather glove, landing on the floor.
"Good. You didn't embarrass the North Blue."
Noticing the blood, Daren frowned.
"You're injured?"
In this timeline, Sakazuki was still only in his twenties. But with his monstrous strength, the number of people capable of wounding him could be counted on one hand.
"I just got back from the New World," Sakazuki said flatly.
"Got into a fight with that lunatic, BIG MOM—Charlotte Linlin."
Tokikake and Gion's pupils shrank in shock.
BIG MOM—Charlotte Linlin. Former crew member of the Rocks Pirates. After the God Valley incident, she founded her own pirate crew and rapidly expanded her influence through arranged marriages. She had already carved out a strong foothold in the New World and gained widespread infamy.
It was said she was born with strength rivaling that of giants, and her body was terrifyingly durable. When a giant slashed her with a blade at the age of five, the sword snapped instead. Bullets and cannon fire couldn't even scratch her. She was like an "iron balloon."
That natural-born strength earned her the title "Evil Spirit," feared across the seas.
Thinking of this, both Tokikake and Gion glanced at Daren.
An iron body impervious to blades and bullets… he had that too.
But they also understood the difference: Charlotte Linlin was born that way.
Daren had fought his way to it—through countless battles, near-death encounters, and hellish training. The two were not the same.
"Charlotte Linlin…" Dragon muttered, frowning as a thought struck him.
"Wasn't there news recently that she was arranging a marriage with the prince of the Bada Kingdom?"
Sakazuki shot him a look.
"That's right. I went to the New World specifically to stop it."
"The Bada Kingdom is a major economic power, and a major manufacturer of firearms and artillery. A strategic location like that can't be allowed to fall into Charlotte Linlin's hands."
Dragon narrowed his eyes.
"But with your strength, you couldn't take on Charlotte Linlin. How did you stop the marriage?"
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow, a cold sneer forming on his lips.
"At the wedding, the Marines and the Big Mom Pirates clashed. Heavy casualties on both sides."
"In the chaos, the Bada Kingdom's prince was unfortunately caught in the crossfire… and died on the spot."
Gion and Tokikake gasped as they grasped the implication.
Dragon's eyes narrowed.
Daren chuckled quietly.
Yup. That's Sakazuki, all right.
Direct. Brutal. No hesitation.
There were many ways to sabotage a marriage alliance. He had chosen the simplest, most violent, and most effective one.
—Kill the groom. No groom, no wedding.
"You bastard! Sakazuki, what you did is an insult to justice!" Dragon roared.
"Do you realize the political storm you've unleashed!?"
As two of the Navy's most gifted officers, Dragon and Sakazuki had always been at odds.
Professional rivalry aside, their core conflict was rooted in their beliefs—how justice should be upheld.
Dragon had always hated Sakazuki's cold-blooded, ends-justify-the-means approach.
Sakazuki's sneer deepened.
"Compared to letting the entire Bada Kingdom fall under Big Mom's rule, what's one prince's life?"
As he spoke, more blood seeped from his sleeve, dripping steadily onto the floor.
"I'll report to Fleet Admiral Kong myself. I'll take full responsibility. That's not your concern, Dragon."
He shot him a mocking glance.
"At least I completed my mission."
"Better than some people who think they're strong… but can't even handle a basic escort job."
That jab was pointed—and it hit hard.
Gion and Tokikake went stiff, tension crackling in the room.
Cold hostility flooded the ward in an instant.
"What are you trying to say, Sakazuki?" Dragon growled. His clenched fists began distorting into visible whirlwinds of wind.
"You know exactly what I'm saying," Sakazuki replied. "I read the battle report."
His bleeding arm began melting into molten lava. The terrifying heat bathed the room in a red glow.
"Vice Admiral Garp was held back by Roger. Fine. But you—you were on the deck of the Oro Jackson, fighting Rayleigh."
He looked up, eyes gleaming beneath his cap with killing intent.
"With your strength, even facing the Dark King Rayleigh, you could have sunk the Oro Jackson."
"If that ship had gone down, none of Roger's crew would've escaped."
Dragon's voice shook with anger.
"There were hundreds of Marines aboard! If we'd sunk the ship, they would've all died!"
"So what?" Sakazuki scoffed.
"A few dozen lives to wipe out Roger's entire crew? Sounds like a great trade to me."
"So in your eyes, your comrades are just pawns!?"
"On the battlefield, everyone is a pawn."
"You're insane, Sakazuki!!"
Their rage boiled over. Power erupted from both bodies.
Two waves—one red, one green—burst forth like tangible auras, crashing into each other in the middle of the room. Their cloaks whipped violently in the crosswind.
The atmosphere was explosive.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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