Got Promoted Again?

Borsalino raised his hands in a gesture of surrender upon hearing this:

"How could that be? You are, after all, a man recognized by Sakazuki."

"Why does that sound so wrong when you say it..." Darren brushed the dust off his hands.

Borsalino gave him a deep look, then suddenly grinned:

"So, the government has started to get suspicious?"

Truly a guy as shrewd as a monkey, to have sensed something so quickly... This thought flashed through Darren's mind in an instant.

As a transmigrator, Darren had a certain understanding of the original plot.

But Borsalino remained a man he could never quite see through.

Even when this guy was stationed in the North Blue and Darren had served under him for a time, they had worked together for a while.

Yet, he had never been able to discern Borsalino's true stance.

"Ambiguous Justice"... could that even be called justice?

What was certain was that this guy hid himself extremely deep and would never invite any trouble upon himself.

Countless thoughts raced through Darren's mind, but his face maintained its usual smile.

"I am merely following orders."

Borsalino exaggeratedly opened his mouth slightly and scratched his head:

"That is truly strange..."

He gave Darren a look filled with profound meaning.

"But that is understandable, after all, your suspicion is the lowest of them all..."

This bastard who loves to watch the world burn!

The corner of Darren's mouth twitched slightly.

He was certain that Borsalino had likely guessed something and was using this to probe him further.

It had to be said, the look on Borsalino's face was truly punchable.

"That goes without saying."

Darren smiled faintly.

Since you are probing me, I won't let you off easy either.

"However, after thinking about it further, I seem to have recalled some other things regarding the Celestial Dragons attack incident."

"Oh?"

Borsalino asked with feigned surprise:

"And what would that be?"

He looked at Darren, his face full of mockery.

"I thought your thoughts were the same as mine, that the Celestial Dragons were attacked by Sea Kings?"

"Who knows? People's thoughts change." Darren shrugged.

Borsalino tilted his head:

"So, what are your thoughts now?"

Darren smiled and held up a finger.

"First, in the Celestial Dragons attack incident, the attacker possessed powerful offensive capabilities, capable of destroying the official ship in an instant."

Borsalino looked at Darren, nodding with a smile:

"That is true..."

Darren ignored the meaningful look in the man's eyes and held up a second finger.

"Second, based on the timing of the crime, the attacker must have been in the North Blue at the time of the incident."

Borsalino didn't speak, maintaining that damn smile... as he watched Darren.

Darren raised a third finger.

"Third, I have already sent men to check the registered warships and vessels in the North Blue and found nothing particularly unusual, so it is highly likely that the attacker possesses the ability to fly at high speeds."

"In summary, Rear Admiral Borsalino... I have thought of someone who fits these three conditions."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

Borsalino asked with an indifferent smile, only to find the Marine Captain staring straight at him.

"..."

The smile on his face instantly froze.

"Hahahaha, just kidding..." Darren suddenly burst into laughter.

For some reason, seeing this yellow-skinned monkey caught off guard gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"I am, of course, standing on the same side as you, Rear Admiral Borsalino."

After saying this, Darren turned and walked into his private residence, waving his hand with a dashing air as he walked away.

"Get some rest early, Rear Admiral Borsalino."

"You and Admiral Sengoku will be setting sail again tomorrow, and I will be there to see you off when the time comes."

Under the setting sun, Borsalino stood motionless where he was.

His exaggerated sunglasses clearly reflected Darren's receding figure, and the cooling breeze ruffled the folds of the large cape draped over his shoulders.

"It's getting more and more interesting, Darren..."

He muttered to himself.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a look of keen interest once again.

The next day.

Batia Island, the port.

The North Blue naval force, led by Darren, had already cordoned off the harbor to hold a grand and lively farewell ceremony for the departing Marine Headquarters Admiral.

Flowers piled up on both sides of the streets, and the naval ranks formed square formations, firing ceremonial cannons.

Salutes and fireworks soared into the sky, bursting into vibrant colors that left the sailors accompanying Sengoku's flagship filled with excitement and pride.

"You brat, you're just doing all these useless things."

Sengoku grumbled at Darren, yet his old face was already crinkled into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Darren bowed slightly with elegant movements and said:

"This has nothing to do with this subordinate; it was all organized spontaneously by the North Blue Navy to show their admiration for Admiral Sengoku."

"You kid..." Sengoku waved his hand with a laugh, feeling that the more he looked at Darren, the more pleasing he became.

He could get things done, knew how to work, had a sincere attitude, could share his burdens, and was clever and thoughtful. Most importantly, he had a good image, making him a delight to look at.

Now look at his own adjutant?

Before he, the superior, had even boarded the warship, that guy was already lying on a beach chair on the deck, sunbathing and drinking watermelon juice!

Who exactly was the Marine Admiral here!?

Thinking about how he would have to face Borsalino's wretched face every single day after setting sail, Sengoku's mood suddenly soured, and he let out a melancholy sigh.

Sarcastic and cynical by his side all day long, saying "How scary..." at everything he saw... it was infuriating just to look at him!

He must have been blind to have chosen this guy as his adjutant in the first place!

"Brrr-brrr... Brrr-brrr..."

At this moment, the Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's pocket suddenly rang out.

He paused, pulled out the Den Den Mushi, and connected the signal.

"Sengoku..."

A hoarse voice emerged from it.

Hearing this voice, Sengoku's heart sank, and he said solemnly:

"Saint Damocles, regarding the incident where the Celestial Dragons were attacked..."

He subconsciously assumed the Five Elders were calling to urge him on the investigation, and he began to offer an explanation.

"No, that matter has already been resolved."

Saint Damocles was clearly in a good mood, and for once, his voice carried a hint of a smile.

"The North Blue Admiral, Darren, has already submitted the case report, and we are all very satisfied with the results of his investigation."

"Sengoku, you have done well. Darren pointed out in his investigation that without your guidance, he would never have been able to uncover the truth behind this incident."

Sengoku: ???

He listened in a daze, completely bewildered.

The investigation results... were out?

Since when?

It hadn't even been a full day!

It had been less than twenty-four hours!

But Darren had clearly been staying on Batia Island the entire time.

Sengoku couldn't help but shift his gaze toward Darren, who bowed slightly toward him with a humble smile, saying nothing.

"Sengoku, are you listening?"

Without waiting for Sengoku's response, Saint Damocles spoke up from the other end of the Military Den Den Mushi, sounding displeased.

"I, I hear you!"

Sengoku snapped back to his senses and replied.

"Hmph, this time, the World Government is very satisfied with your performance."

Saint Damocles' voice came through, carrying a tone of approval:

"--You are indeed worthy of the name 'The Buddha'."

Sengoku was confused, but facing the praise of the Five Elders, he couldn't help but smile with a hint of pride:

"You flatter me, my lord."

"Very well, that will be all... Oh, and that boy, Darren, he is quite impressive."

Saint Damocles paused for a moment before adding:

"With his talent, the rank of Colonel at Headquarters is truly a bit of a waste."

Sengoku naturally understood the implication of the Five Elder's words and immediately said in a deep voice:

"Colonel Darren has already passed the review of the Officer Training Camp and will head to Marineford for training after his current duties conclude... His consistent excellence has been witnessed by all of us in the Navy high command; we will absolutely not let any promising talent go to waste!"

"That is good."

With those words, the Den Den Mushi communication was cut off.

Sengoku stared blankly at the now-dormant Military Den Den Mushi in his hand, only reacting a few seconds later as he turned to glare at Darren, gritting his teeth:

"You brat, when did you uncover the truth!?"

Darren smiled:

"Indeed, and I owe it all to the guidance of Admiral Sengoku."

Sengoku rolled his eyes in annoyance.

He hadn't realized it, but he had ended up owing this kid a favor.

"Who is the culprit?"

Darren replied as if it were a matter of course:

"The 'World Destroyer', Byrnndi World."

Sengoku: ???

"What!?"

His face was filled with disbelief, his jaw dropping so low he nearly bit his own tongue.

"Byrnndi World... he clearly had no time to commit the crime; at the time of the incident, he was caught in my pursuit—"

Sengoku's voice came to an abrupt halt.

He seemed to realize something, staring blankly at Darren.

He saw the latter nonchalantly light a cigarette, smiling with profound meaning:

"Who cares about the truth?"

This sentence exploded in Sengoku's brain like a thunderclap.

Yes, who cares about the truth?

There were no witnesses to that attack, and the Navy had kept the news strictly under wraps.

In other words, apart from the high command and a very small number of people, the vast majority of people on this sea did not know that a Celestial Dragon had died.

The reason the World Government wanted him to investigate as quickly as possible was, frankly, because they needed a "conclusion" that could pass muster to appease the Celestial Dragon family back in the Holy Land Mary Geoise.

They did not need the truth.

At least, not a truth as absurd as "attacked by a Sea King."

And Darren's "investigation result" perfectly solved this problem.

On the surface, Saint Childers was murdered by the great pirate "World Destroyer" Byrnndi World, which could divert the pressure from Saint Childers' family in the Holy Land.

For the family of Saint Childers, the reason of being killed by a great pirate was far more acceptable than dying in a random, senseless attack by a Sea King.

In reality, the truth of the event had indeed been uncovered, and it was nothing more than an accident.

With such an investigation result, both substance and face were preserved.

The Navy could answer to the World Government, and the World Government could answer to the Holy Land.

It was a solution that satisfied everyone!

Well, everyone except Byrnndi World himself.

Wait! If that guy found out he had "killed" a Celestial Dragon, he would probably be quite satisfied too.

It really was an ending that satisfied everyone.

And now, all he had to do was bring the culprit, the criminal who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon—Byrnndi World—to justice!

This... was something he had intended to do all along!

The more Sengoku thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone.

This kid Darren really was a genius...

"Hahahaha!! You brat, well done!!"

He suddenly burst into hearty laughter, patting Darren on the shoulder with a face full of gratification.

"Entrusting the investigation of this incident to you—I certainly didn't misjudge my man!"

Gion and Gion's partner standing nearby were left speechless, black lines appearing on their foreheads.

Since when was that your decision? Wasn't the order to hand the investigation to Darren a direct command from the World Government?

However, they didn't dare to voice their thoughts.

"Hmm, looking at it now, the rank of Colonel in the Headquarters is indeed beneath your talents."

Sengoku scrutinized Darren, smiling with satisfaction:

"Once I return to Headquarters, I will submit a request to Commander-in-Chief Kong..."

He winked at Darren.

"Congratulations, Brigadier General Rogers Darren."

As soon as these words were spoken, Gion and Gion's partner were instantly dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief as their brains buzzed.

Gion's partner, in particular, looked as if his eyeballs were about to pop right out of their sockets.

A, a Headquarters Brigadier General!?

He was already a flag officer!?

This guy Darren... he had clearly killed a World Noble, a Celestial Dragon... and yet, he ended up getting a promotion!?