Honestly, he felt a little mentally shattered...
Who could've guessed that Big Mom actually wanted to have a baby with him?
Daren's mouth twitched, his face full of exasperation.
Beside him, Sengoku frowned deeply, then asked after a moment's hesitation,
"So what exactly happened?"
Daren replied casually,
"I killed Charlotte Perospero and Charlotte Daifuku. Then Big Mom showed up... and we fought."
Sengoku: "..."
The surrounding Marines collectively gasped, eyes wide with shock.
Commodore Daren actually killed Big Mom's two sons right in front of her!?
"Don't just stand there!"
Sengoku suddenly stood up, voice sharp as he issued commands.
"Accelerate immediately and return to headquarters!"
"There are too many prisoners on board—we need to get them to Impel Down as soon as possible!"
Startled by his tone, the Marines snapped to attention, saluting in unison.
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku!"
The warship surged forward, its engines now clearly operating at full power.
Sengoku stood at the bow, staring out at the vast, endless ocean. The peace and satisfaction he'd felt earlier had completely vanished.
"Staying in the New World..."
He muttered, face darkening,
"Doesn't feel safe anymore."
...
Somewhere in the New World.
A figure engulfed in blue-green flames swooped down from the sky, wings beating as it landed steadily on the massive Moby Dick, which loomed like a white whale on the sea.
"It's Marco!"
"Marco's back!"
"Hahaha! Did you get it?"
...
"Diamond" Jozu, "Flower Sword" Vista, and the others walked over smiling, crowding around Marco with curiosity.
Covered in dust from his journey, Marco brushed the soot from his hair and shook his head with a sigh.
"I didn't get the Moa Moa no Mi."
Facing Whitebeard's questioning gaze, he still looked shaken as he explained,
"Both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates made a move. King and Charlotte Perospero were there. And besides them... Admiral Sengoku and Shiki were on the scene too."
That revelation left everyone stunned.
"Shiki!? That guy's been missing for ages—he's back in action?"
"Well, I guess that's no surprise... it's the Moa Moa no Mi we're talking about."
"Wait, Marco—don't tell me Shiki ended up getting the fruit?"
"If that's true, we're in serious trouble..."
The crew broke into heated discussion.
Even though Sengoku was a formidable Marine Admiral, Shiki was notorious for his unpredictable and ruthless tactics. No one believed the Moa Moa no Mi would've ended up in Marine hands.
"No..."
Marco shook his head.
Recalling the terrifying sight of that storm of cannon fire, he swallowed hard and said hoarsely,
"Do you guys remember that Marine Commodore we ran into before?"
Everyone blinked in surprise.
"The 'King of the North Blue'?"
"I think his name was... Rogers Daren?"
"The one who took down Byrnndi World?"
As if all remembering at once, they turned to look toward the stern.
There, Kozuki Oden—who had been drinking heavily and calmly polishing his sword—suddenly stood up. The haze of alcohol vanished from his eyes, replaced by razor-sharp focus and fierce fighting spirit.
Marco glanced at Oden, then nodded.
"Yeah, he was there too."
"He used his Devil Fruit power to manipulate all the metal on the island..."
He paused for a beat, then dropped a bombshell that sent a chill through every soul on deck.
"He destroyed Shiki's flying fleet—by himself."
Silence fell over the Moby Dick like a heavy curtain.
The pirates stared at Marco, stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Wait... Marco, you're joking, right?"
"There's no way..."
"That's Shiki's invincible fleet we're talking about..."
...
But as they took in Marco's serious, grim expression, their skepticism began to fade.
An indescribable sense of shock—and even fear—crept into the depths of their eyes.
An entire fleet of dozens of warships, carrying tens of thousands of pirates... gone, just like that?
Kozuki Oden stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.
He knew better than anyone that Shiki the Golden Lion was a pirate of legend, on par with Whitebeard in strength—an unstoppable force.
And now, that towering figure... had actually been "defeated" by a Marine?
...
The New World, Wano Country
Kuri District, Military Factory Zone.
A black Pteranodon burst through the clouds and dove from the sky, landing squarely atop a military factory.
King shifted back into his human form, knelt on one knee before the figure seated at the edge of the rooftop like a demon, and spoke in a low voice.
"Kaidou-san, the mission failed."
Kaidou didn't respond immediately. He picked up a jug beside him and tilted his head back, gulping down the liquor in great swigs.
The strong, fiery alcohol dripped from his beard, splashing onto the rooftop, filling the air with an overpowering scent of booze.
"The Moa Moa no Mi... I'm guessing it ended up in Shiki's hands, huh?"
Kaidou slammed the jug down with a loud bang, his crimson-glowing eyes narrowing as his deep voice rumbled.
"That power-hungry bastard Shiki wouldn't pass up a Devil Fruit like that."
"It's fine, Arbel. This wasn't your—"
"The Moa Moa no Mi ended up in Marine hands," King cut in suddenly, interrupting him.
Silence.
"Impossible!!"
Kaidou spun around, eyes wide in disbelief.
King let out a quiet sigh.
"The Marines were involved too. Sengoku led the operation himself..."
Kaidou's voice was incredulous.
"Sengoku's strong, sure—but there's no way he took the fruit from Shiki!"
King lowered his head slightly.
"Rogers Daren was there."
"He used his Devil Fruit to manipulate all the metal on the island... and destroyed Shiki's flying fleet."
Kaidou froze in place.
At the mention of that name, veins of bloody red crept across his sclera, his eyes twitching with barely restrained fury.
"That damned Marine brat!!"
He threw his head back and roared, an explosion of Conqueror's Haki erupting from his body. The violent shockwave stirred a storm like hell unleashed, shaking the very sky.
Under the weight of Kaidou's unleashed Haki, slaves and laborers working below the factories collapsed on the spot, eyes rolling back as they fainted en masse.
Black and red lightning crackled furiously in the air.
Still kneeling, King clenched his teeth, forcing himself to withstand the devastating pressure.
He knew this rage all too well.
Ever since that last encounter, Kaidou had harbored a deep hatred for Daren. When drunk, he would often scream the Marine's name in fury—and then take it out on Queen.
"So... the Moa Moa no Mi ended up with that Daren punk?"
Kaidou's voice came out low and guttural, eyes glowing red with murderous rage.
King gave a stiff nod.
Kaidou was silent for a breath, then abruptly pulled out his massive black kanabō and leapt off the rooftop.
A furious roar echoed across the Kuri District.
"QUEEN!! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!!"
What followed were waves of screeching wails and agonized screams.
...
And just like that—
The "Coin Island Incident" hit the world like a bomb tossed into still waters, sending shockwaves through the entire sea.
Countless factions, nations, and pirate crews were finally forced to take Commodore Rogers Daren seriously.
If before, they had dismissed the "lucky brat" of the Marines, now they were fully aware of the overwhelming force behind the "King of the North Blue."
A true monster of Marine Headquarters!
He had single-handedly destroyed Shiki's legendary flying fleet.
Every living "legendary pirate" on these seas... had suffered bitter losses at his hands.
The world was in an uproar.