The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History

In this vast sea, Admiral-Class combat power stood at the very summit. Only those who truly stepped into this realm could be considered among the "gold-ranked elite."

It was the threshold between true strength and mere struggle — a line that many spent their whole lives trying to cross, often in vain… while others, monstrous prodigies, strolled through those grand gates with ease.

Momonga already possessed extraordinary potential. And now, with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit Darren had given him, entering that realm was no longer out of reach.

Hearing Darren's words, Momonga rolled his eyes.

This guy made it sound easy. But only he himself knew just how much time and effort he'd poured into developing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit over the past six months.

What Momonga hadn't told anyone — was that watching Darren grow stronger by the day had sparked a silent urgency in his heart.

It wasn't jealousy.

It was fear — fear of being left behind.

What if — however unlikely it might seem — what if one day Darren, this monster of a man, encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat? Or was trapped in a dire, near-death situation…

What if, at that moment, Darren needed his help — and he was too weak to give it?

Momonga didn't even want to imagine it.

As if reading his thoughts, Darren clapped a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"Don't push yourself so hard. Let things take their natural course."

"So — how's the fleet progressing lately?"

At the mention of work, Momonga immediately switched gears. His expression turned serious.

"Not bad. Thanks to the foundation you built, the North Blue is quite stable."

"As for the Donquixote Family — ever since you had me give Doflamingo that 'reminder,' he's kept quiet. Fleet tax revenue has been steadily increasing overall."

Darren nodded.

He knew about the 'reminder' Momonga gave Doflamingo — and that was exactly why he'd entrusted him with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"That kid Doffy's personality is exactly like that — proud, defiant, thinks the world owes him something. Sometimes I really don't know how to deal with him. When you don't have a better option, a solid beating is the only language he understands."

Darren sighed with mock exasperation.

Momonga: "…"

You've really embraced this "dad disciplining his bratty son" role, haven't you?

"…After the mess you stirred up in the New World, I doubt the Donquixote Family will make waves anytime soon."

"Clicking your tongue, wiping out Golden Lion Shiki's fleet like that… You really don't pull punches. I hear Golden Lion's the kind who never lets a grudge go?"

At the end, there was a note of concern and caution in Momonga's voice.

Darren, however, smiled indifferently.

"I'm probably staying in HQ for the foreseeable future. What can he do?"

"If he really dares to come to Marineford… I'd love to see it."

A flash of icy killing intent shimmered in Darren's eyes. He reached up, lightly touching the chest wound that still throbbed faintly, and let out a cold, defiant laugh.

"That slash he gave me… I remember it perfectly."

Momonga was silent, then let out a quiet chuckle.

Golden Lion Shiki held grudges?

Maybe.

But Momonga knew all too well — the man in front of him wasn't some saint either.

Darren was the lunatic who once killed a Celestial Dragon just because he was in a bad mood!

That shocking "Celestial Dragon incident" had happened a year ago. Since then, Momonga had often thought back on what had driven Darren to take such a colossal risk and kill Saint Shaldes.

Was it pity for that civilian father and daughter?

Perhaps.

But knowing Darren's cold, rational nature — he'd never act out of pity alone.

Was it pride as the "King of the North Blue"? A sense of duty from his "take the money, finish the job" rule?

Maybe.

But Momonga knew — rules, responsibilities, obligations — they meant very little to Darren.

…None of those were the real reason.

The true reason was hidden in what Darren had said to him that day:

> "That guy's face was so disgusting, it made me want to kill him… and I just couldn't hold it back."

He pissed me off. He ruined my mood. So I killed him. Even if he was a Celestial Dragon.

That was Darren's Justice.

— Desire-Driven Justice.

So what if Golden Lion was gunning for Darren?

Darren was already gunning for him.

Momonga had never seen Darren come off the worse in any confrontation.

"By the way — how's the laser weapons development going in the fleet?"

Darren suddenly recalled Borsalino's comment.

A smile appeared on Momonga's face.

"Very smoothly."

"Vinsmoke Judge really is one of the top scientists in this sea. He's successfully deconstructed the energy core of the laser weapons and modified it."

"With the current level of my Rumble-Rumble Fruit development, each charge takes 3 minutes — and once charged, a laser cannon can fire at least 50 rounds."

"Over the past six months, the fleet has expanded from 10 ships to 20. And we're continuing to grow by two ships per month."

"As of now, the North Blue Fleet consists of 20 primary warships. Each ship is equipped with at least five laser cannons and five conventional heavy guns. We also have 8 supply vessels."

"Following your blueprint, we estimate that by the second half of the year, the fleet will reach about 25 warships, all fully modernized — officially forming a large-scale naval strike force."

Darren nodded in satisfaction.

He had great confidence in Momonga's administrative capabilities — especially when it came to military matters. In fact, Momonga was arguably even more meticulous than he was.

Though Darren had gradually withdrawn from day-to-day fleet operations, he had still, with his modern knowledge and vision, laid out a detailed blueprint for the fleet's development.

A modern naval force — far beyond this era!

High-grade alloy to replace wooden hulls. High-efficiency energy instead of wind for propulsion. Advanced laser weaponry in place of outdated gunpowder cannons…

Thanks to the modifications by Germa 66, the fleet's warships had begun to take on the silhouette of true modern battleships.

Every ship — from construction to retrofitting to armaments — cost five times more than a standard Marine warship of similar size.

If not for Darren plundering the treasure of Skypiea's City of Gold, even draining the North Blue dry wouldn't have been enough to build such a terrifying fleet.

And this fleet — armed to the teeth — would one day become the strongest force under Darren's command.

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To be continued…