Sengoku stared at the simulated sand table displaying Daren's "escape route" and couldn't help but cry out in disbelief.
From the route alone, Daren looked completely lost, darting all over the New World!
There was no pattern. No logic at all.
Getting disoriented in the New World wasn't unusual. The sea, notorious as the "pirate graveyard," was treacherous—even Navy warships often went off course without strict adherence to established safe routes.
But Sengoku knew Daren. That brat would never make such a rookie mistake!
"What the hell is going on?"
He turned urgently to Staff Officer Tsuru.
Tsuru shook his head, eyes flashing with helplessness.
"I don't know either. Daren's route has no rhyme or reason. It's like he's just… running in circles."
Running in circles?
Sengoku froze.
Sakazuki frowned.
Borsalino gave a silent, knowing smile.
"The only thing we're certain of is that the two of them are moving insanely fast—crossing an island every few minutes."
Kong pressed his fingers to his temples, clearly agitated.
"Headquarters has no way to track them in real time... The routes on the simulation table are entirely based on reports from islanders or sailors along the way."
"Brrrr... Brrrr..."
The military Den Den Mushi on the table rang out sharply.
Tsuru answered it at once.
A tense, shaky voice came through.
"R-report! Latest intel—Vice Admiral Daren was sighted near the Niwo Islands... He's badly injured!!"
The expressions of the gathered Marine officers shifted instantly.
Sengoku's face turned grave, cold sweat breaking out in his palms.
Daren's seriously hurt!?
What's happening out there?
How long can he even last?
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang again.
"Report! Vice Admiral Daren has arrived at Port Fols! Eyewitnesses say he's in terrible shape! Shiki's attack sliced the entire port in two!"
A collective gasp swept through the room.
Port Fols was a major transit hub in the New World. Even the Navy used it occasionally for resupplying branches across the region.
But what shocked them even more wasn't the destruction—it was the speed of Daren and Shiki.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the massive sand table.
Tsuru's adjutant had already marked the two latest locations in red.
"They're too fast... It's beyond comprehension..."
A Rear Admiral couldn't contain his awe.
Traveling from the Fish-Man Island region to those two points would take a Marine warship at least an hour. Yet those two had crossed that distance in under five minutes!
If they hadn't seen it for themselves, none of them would've believed it.
Realizing this, a deep sense of powerlessness settled over the room.
A long-range chase at that speed... was simply beyond anything they could intervene in.
"Damn it!!"
Sengoku slammed his fist onto the table, eyes bloodshot and chest heaving with frustration.
Sakazuki, face dark, spoke coldly.
"So we're just going to sit here and watch this all unfold?"
Silence.
No one could answer him.
Because it was the truth.
The warships couldn't keep up with Daren and Shiki's flight.
And with Daren's route being so erratic, there was no predicting his next move.
All they could do was wait—helplessly.
"What I don't understand is why Daren didn't retreat directly to headquarters," Kong suddenly said.
Everyone in the conference room trembled at the same time.
Yes, even if he lost his way in the New World, Vice Admiral Daren should have had the Eternal Pose pointing to Marineford.
As long as he returned toward Marine Headquarters, they wouldn't even need to wait for him to arrive—headquarters could dispatch reinforcements to meet him.
"Because he wants to kill Shiki," Sengoku said through gritted teeth.
Hearing his words, the Marine generals present all changed color, shocked beyond belief, their faces filled with disbelief.
Vice Admiral Daren... He wants to kill Shiki by himself?
How is that possible?
Even Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp couldn't do that!
"I see..."
Kong frowned, his determined expression unchanged, his eyes lowered.
"He's afraid Shiki will escape, so he's not going to headquarters?"
He muttered softly.
The others also figured out the crux of the matter and gradually came to the same conclusion.
The conference room fell silent again.
Daren's approach might not be wrong, but could he really kill Shiki?
The Marine commanders were filled with doubt and uncertainty.
They all recognized Daren's strength and achievements.
But this was Shiki the Golden Lion.
The legendary Great Pirate.
A man on par with Roger and Whitebeard.
Even Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp had led elite Marine fleets packed with top fighters, yet they couldn't defeat the Roger Pirates.
Could Vice Admiral Daren really take down Shiki on his own?
Just then...
"Brrruu..."
The slightly urgent call of the military Den Den Mushi rang out again, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Kong immediately answered the signal.
"Speak."
A tense voice followed:
"Report! Latest intelligence... Vice Admiral Daren has left the New World waters. He... he has entered the Calm Belt!"
The Calm Belt!?
Everyone subconsciously looked up at the sand table.
When they located the Calm Belt's position, their bodies tensed.
Sengoku stood up abruptly, eyes wide.
Sakazuki's expression shifted slightly.
Staff Officer Tsuru's pupils shrank.
Kong took a deep drag on his cigar.
No one noticed that his hand holding the cigar was trembling slightly.
They all knew where Daren was going.
Their eyes fell—unspoken, yet unanimous—on a certain location on the sand table.
...
Calm Belt.
This shocking, mad chase had lasted an entire day and night—and still showed no sign of ending.
"Jihahahaha!! It's useless no matter where you run, Daren, you little brat!!"
Shiki tore through the air in pursuit of the blood-soaked Vice Admiral, unleashing one vicious slash after another with his twin swords.
The steering wheel lodged in his forehead throbbed with pain, and the fluctuating magnetic field occasionally sparked faint arcs of electricity across its surface. It forced Shiki to constantly maintain Armament Haki, the drain on his stamina now unmistakable.
He could feel his strength rapidly fading from overusing Haki.
But he didn't care anymore.
Barely any reason remained in his twisted expression. His eyes flickered only with a savage, murderous gleam!
It wouldn't be long now!
This damn Marine brat was nearly at his limit!
With that amount of blood loss and those injuries, plus the grueling long-distance flight... Even Shiki himself was nearly exhausted—this brat's toll could only be worse!
The two figures streaked across the sea, one behind the other, skimming just above the water's surface.
Every so often, massive Sea Kings burst from the Calm Belt's waters, casting enormous shadows as they opened their gaping maws to strike at Shiki.
But under the ferocious strikes of the greatest dual swordsman, they were instantly reduced to nothing but shredded meat and sprays of blood.
"Jihahahahaha!!"
Another piercing golden slash struck the Vice Admiral's back from afar, exploding into a cloud of blood and sending him stumbling, blood spilling from his lips.
Shiki's laughter grew more unhinged.
He occasionally wondered how this Marine brat was still standing after taking so many hits, but the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
What was there to question!?
The wounds were real. The blood was real. He was clearly trying to run!
Just a bit more... just a little more...
And he could finish this damn brat off with his own hands!!
He couldn't afford to miss this chance—no matter what!
Soon, the two of them crossed that endless expanse of calm sea.
A cold breeze blew across his face as the tranquil surface gradually gave way to swelling waves.
They had exited the Calm Belt.
"It's time!"
Shiki let out a sinister grin and raised his sword.
Swish!!
An invisible force surged outward. The ocean, caught in some strange pull, suddenly roared to life!
Waves exploded upward in a torrent—like stacked tsunamis, like monstrous giants with indistinct forms—crashing toward the blood-soaked Marine ahead with unstoppable force!
Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!
Water rained down like collapsing walls of a fortress. The Vice Admiral gritted his teeth, seemingly drawing on every last shred of strength. His face went pale, and his speed suddenly spiked!
He barely managed to escape the oncoming tsunami!
But then—
"Jihahahaha!! You're dead!!"
A massive golden sword beam ripped straight through the towering wall of water, slamming into the unprepared Vice Admiral and sending him crashing down onto a barren island below.
Boom!!
A violent surge of earth exploded skyward, the ground torn apart—half the island shattered.
The shockwave rolled through the land, shaking mountains and earth, sending flocks of birds fleeing in all directions.
Shiki's eyes gleamed with deeper madness, shining blood-red as he dove straight down.
At the island's center...
Thick smoke and dust choked the air.
Amid the enormous slash carved into the earth, the Vice Admiral's figure slowly, unsteadily rose to his feet.
His body was a latticework of wounds, blood dripping from every angle—his appearance utterly brutal.
Seeing the damn Marine brat in such a pitiful state, Shiki grinned viciously, victory already in his grasp.
"Jihahahahaha..."
"Not running anymore, Marine brat...?"
He landed heavily on the ground, gripping both swords in his hands as a torrent of killing intent burst forth.
The sheer excitement and madness twisted his facial muscles into a terrifying grimace—like a demon's face.
The Vice Admiral stood there, head bowed, gasping for breath, as if he hadn't even heard Shiki's taunt.
The dust-laden wind stirred his blood-soaked hair, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Why'd you stop running? Come on, keep running... I'm not done playing yet..."
Shiki laughed maniacally.
His head throbbed with unbearable pain, veins bulging across his forehead like crawling centipedes.
But he didn't notice any of it.
Finally... he was finally about to finish this guy off!!
He trembled with excitement.
"Why should I run?"
The Vice Admiral suddenly spoke in a low, calm voice.
Shiki's laughter cut off abruptly.
He looked up, stunned, at the Marine brat.
Daren had stopped panting.
He raised his head, and a meaningful smile slowly crept across his bloodied face.
"Shiki, do you know where we are?"
Shiki froze.
A powerful sense of unease surged through his mind.
Because... he couldn't see even a hint of fear in the Marine brat's eyes!
He... was actually smiling!
The curve of his lips and the way he looked at him—it was like a hunter staring at a beast caught in a trap.
Why was he smiling!?
Where was this place!?
Shiki looked around in shock and confusion.
Dense jungle, barren island, open sea... Islands like this existed all over the world. There was no way to tell where they were.
And the route he'd taken?
He hadn't paid any attention.
Rage and bloodlust had long consumed his thoughts.
The only thing on his mind had been killing Daren.
After chasing him relentlessly for a full day and night, burning stamina to maintain constant Armament Haki, and enduring the searing pain from the steering wheel lodged in his head...
All he knew was—they had just crossed the Calm Belt.
Daren took a deep breath.
All the "panic" and "fear" from his escape were long gone, replaced now by... overwhelming ambition and pride.
He slowly spread his arms, as if to embrace the air and sea he knew so well. His eyes were wild, defiant.
"This is... the North Blue."
He laughed with reckless abandon, baring bloodstained teeth.
"My... North Blue!"
As his words fell, a low, cold voice suddenly echoed from the far distance.
"Heaven's Judgment!!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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