Hmm, Let's Spar

The Den Den Mushi connection cut off.

In the spacious base commander's office, only the callow Gion and Gion's partner were left, staring at each other in wide-eyed, prolonged silence.

Having grown up at Marine Headquarters, showered with affection, and raised on the most orthodox concepts of justice, they simply could not fathom how a corrupt and depraved Marine like Darren could receive such high praise from the Admiral Sengoku they so respected.

What they found even harder to believe was that Sakazuki and Borsalino—those two brilliant, arrogant "monsters"—had both, quite unexpectedly, expressed their approval of Darren's strength and methods.

One had to understand that the personalities, conduct, and personal philosophies of those two were so starkly different, even conflicting, that they were as far apart as heaven and earth.

"This... how is this possible..."

Gion sat there with a dazed look in her eyes, muttering to herself.

The events that had transpired since arriving in the North Blue had dealt a massive shock to her "pure and youthful" heart.

Click...

At that moment, the sound of a lighter igniting interrupted her thoughts.

"Gion's partner, what are you doing!? You're actually smoking his cigar!?"

Gion turned her head to see Gion's partner lighting a cigar with a lighter, and her anger flared up instantly.

Gion's partner shuddered. Seeing Gion's frost-covered face, he said with a trembling voice:

"Well... didn't Admiral Sengoku tell us to learn from Darren?"

Gion: ...

"When Admiral Sengoku told you to learn from him, did he mean for you to learn his bad habits of smoking, drinking, and chasing women!?"

Gion said indignantly, her teeth gritting in frustration.

Gion's partner hurriedly put the cigar away, though he muttered under his breath:

"I actually think those things are pretty good... You can still be a good Marine while smoking, drinking, and chasing women..."

"What did you say!?"

"I, I said you're right, Gion."

"..."

"No, I cannot accept this." Gion stood up abruptly, a firm light rising once more in her autumn-water-like eyes.

She clenched her fists tightly.

"Justice must be pure; it must never harbor filth!"

"I must stay here and reform that bastard Darren! I will help him turn over a new leaf!"

"I absolutely cannot let his 'depraved' and 'rebellious' version of justice have a negative influence on the North Blue Marines!"

Gion's partner sat to the side, watching the high-spirited Gion, and couldn't help but cover his face in speechlessness.

Yet, his own mind was wandering into fantasies.

Civil-military cooperation... caring for the populace...

"Hehehe..."

He didn't know what he was thinking of, but he couldn't help but let out a lecherous laugh.

"Stop giggling like a fool! Get to the training grounds, now!"

Gion glared at him and said coldly.

Gion's partner looked puzzled: "The training grounds? What for... to train? We just arrived in the North Blue, the journey was exhausting... isn't this too much?"

Gion reached out and pressed her hand against the golden named sword at her waist, her eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Didn't that bastard Darren want to spar with us?"

Her face was full of competitive spirit.

"I want to see for myself whether he, this North Blue Admiral, truly lives up to his reputation."

As a genius showered with affection at Headquarters, she naturally possessed her own pride and persistence.

Branch 321.

Training grounds.

The sky was bright, and the sea breeze was biting.

Dust swirled across the vast training grounds.

Rows of weapon racks lined the edge of the field, displaying various armaments such as maces, great cleavers, and naginata.

Not far away stood dozens of human-shaped stone targets, and further out was a row of cannons used for drills.

On another side sat a dilapidated, abandoned warship.

Many Branch 321 Marines were already engaged in their routine training, yet they kept glancing toward the figure in the center of the grounds.

Darren was shirtless, wearing only black military trousers, performing one-fingered push-ups in the middle of the field.

1997, 1998, 1999, 2000...

After finishing two thousand one-finger push-ups with his right hand, Darren switched to his left.

1, 2, 3, 4...

The rhythm was steady, each movement pushed to the absolute limit, possessing a unique, rhythmic quality.

His sharp, explosive muscles, paired with his wild and uninhibited temperament, made him look like an aggressive leopard in the wilderness from afar.

—This was the scene Gion and Gion's partner saw the moment they arrived at the training grounds.

"I didn't expect this guy to be so diligent in his training."

Gion, who had rushed to the training grounds in a fit of pique, felt her anger simmer down, though she had to admit it grudgingly.

Generally speaking, because they were stationed far from Headquarters, the discipline of Marines in the Four Blues tended to be lax, and they naturally cut corners when it came to training.

Except for the periods when Headquarters conducted surprise inspections, most Marines in the Four Blues were quite slack in their daily routines.

Yet, she hadn't expected that Darren, a man who lived such a decadent and corrupt life, would be so strict with himself when it came to training.

"Tch, it's nothing special..."

Gion's partner shoved his hands into his pockets, his face full of disdain, though his tone carried a hint of jealousy.

In reality, he was quite shocked inside.

After they had observed for a while, Darren had already completed another 2,000 one-finger push-ups.

"You're here. Want to train together?"

He brushed the dust off his hands and smiled at the two of them.

Under the sunlight, Sweat flowed down the deep, chiseled lines of Darren's jaw and the grooves of his muscular physique, which, combined with his handsome face, created a visually striking aesthetic.

Not far away, the female Marines watching secretly already had stars and hearts in their eyes.

Gion found herself momentarily dazzled, thinking, No wonder Lady Marguerite is so obsessed with him.

Of course, she wasn't so shallow as to be easily seduced by a man's looks.

It was mostly because Darren's type was a rare sight in the Navy.

She thought of Sakazuki and Borsalino, then looked at Gion's partner beside her, who looked like a street thug with his hands in his pockets. By comparison, this lecherous, shameless bastard Darren seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

However, she hadn't forgotten the reason she came.

She had to teach him a lesson so this arrogant bastard who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth wouldn't be so cocky!

"No need, Colonel Darren."

"We came here to get a taste of your strength. Right, Gion's partner?"

Gion said sternly, turning to look at Gion's partner.

"Huh? I don't want to, that sounds exhausting..."

Gion's partner blurted out, but upon noticing the sudden murderous intent rising in Gion's eyes, he immediately straightened his chest, put his hands on his hips, and changed his tune:

"That's right! Colonel Darren! Let us see what kind of skills you, the Admiral of the North Blue, actually possess!"

"Oh? Are you sure?"

A smirk gradually curled the corners of Darren's mouth.

"Since you two are elites from Headquarters, I must ask you to go easy on me when we spar..."

His eyes glinted with a sharp light.

Although Gion and Gion's partner were still very young and green at this time, far from the level of Admiral candidates in the original story, they were still the favored children of heaven who had grown up under the tutelage of the big shots at Headquarters.

Coming from the North Blue, he was quite curious to see exactly how strong they were.

And most importantly, He had been fretting over not having an excuse to teach these two "proctors" from Headquarters a lesson.

The Navy was, after all, a system of violent enforcement; in the end, it was strength that did the talking.

Only by beating them into submission could he make them listen.

Otherwise, having them constantly nitpick and find fault would be intolerable, and it would make many things extremely inconvenient.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Colonel Darren. For the sake of the cigar you gave me, I'll make sure to control my strength."

Gion's partner grinned, his eyes rolling craftily.

He suddenly realized... wasn't this the perfect opportunity to beat this guy up?

Gion slowly drew the famous blade at her waist, her expression cold and indignant.

Since reason wouldn't work, she would use her strength to convince this lecherous, degenerate bastard!

The three of them, each harboring their own secret agendas, all wore sinister smiles.