"How am I like that bastard, Borusalino?!"

Zhan Guo expressed that he was extremely angry, as if the topic was quite sensitive to him.

"In terms of personality, work style, or execution ability... I'm nothing like Polusalino at all!"

"You're the one who should be talking! How could I possibly be like that guy?!"

Remembering how often Pollusalino would make snide remarks, infuriating him to no end in the past, Sengoku's anger flared.

<>

When you use the Devil Fruit powers, you all glow.

Warring States: “…”.

Well, it seems you're seeking revenge for my earlier teasing.

Seeing Sengoku's twitching mouth, Zeff finally smiled with satisfaction and continued:

But during the Warring States period, since that kid named Darren had such a bad reputation, why was he still able to pass headquarters' screening and become a member of the Officer Training Camp?

"Because his talent is too great."

When it came down to business, Zhan Guo also became serious.

You are devoted to teaching, and some things are not clear to you.

"Darren, with his connections, influence, and resources in the North Sea, assembled a formidable North Sea fleet. Coupled with his Mag-Mag Fruit ability, this powerful naval force could take to the skies."

"—What!?" ZeFa's pupils contracted, a look of shock appearing on his face.

Flying Fleet!

As the pillar of justice and the youngest admiral in Navy history… Zeff immediately realized the strategic significance represented by this name.

"That's right... in the face of such strategic capability, Darren's personal issues are no longer an issue."

Then the Warring States Period said:

"Moreover, besides the devil fruit power which is strategically invaluable, Darren's own talent is also monstrous."

As he spoke, he pulled an intelligence file from the drawer beside him and handed it to Seifa.

"This is information about Darren's personal skills."

"Monster-level?"

Zhefa took the file, flipping through it casually as he spoke.

As the overall instructor of the Marine training camp, he had cultivated freaks like Sakaski, Doflamingo, and Boa Hancock. "Monsters," he had seen too many, so he didn't show much surprise.

Can there be another "monster" like that damn bastard, Polusalino?

Compared to his Devil Fruit powers, being a "Monster" level talent is... what!?

Ze Fa's eyes widened suddenly, like copper bells, and he almost blurted out a curse.

"Comparable to an ironclad body, impervious to blades and bullets?"

"Could you achieve a sudden burst of speed, similar to teleporting, just by relying on physical strength!?"

"Remarkable recovery from injuries, with wounds that would be fatal to ordinary people recovering in just a few days?!"

"By relying on his own exploration and understanding, he has mastered Armament Haki?!"

“......”

Looking at the chilling "descriptions" on the file, Zephyr couldn't believe his eyes.

For some reason, just based on the description above, he imagined what Darren looked like —

It had black horns on its head, its whole body covered in hard scales, and its hands and feet were like the claws of a beast. It was at least ten meters tall.

No matter what, he doesn't match the handsome, cool-eyed young man with black hair in the photo at all!

Seeing Ze Fa's dumbfounded expression, Warring States couldn't help but laugh triumphantly:

"Now you understand, don't you?"

"Darren this kid is a monster among monsters!"

And most importantly...

During the Warring States period, his eyes glinted with a mix of arrogance and mystery as he lowered his voice:

"That kid, he awakened Conqueror's Haki!"

The moment the voice fell, Seijuro's face instantly changed, becoming incredibly strange.

<

As a pillar of the navy and justice, Zefa was very clear about what this Haki meant.

Perhaps in the vast and perilous seas of the New World, countless pirates have awakened the Overlord Color Haki. And those legendary pirates—Whitebeard, Roger, Golden Lion, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin—are all peak powerhouses who wield the Overlord Color Haki to its fullest extent!

By contrast, among the navy's top combat strength, those who have awakened the Overlord Color of Haki are few and far between.

Even Zeff, a former admiral and the former Fleet Instructor of the Navy, couldn't awaken Conqueror's Haki.

That's also why, during his military career in the past when he fought in the new world, Zeff often suffered setbacks against Roger, Whitebeard, and Gold Roger because he didn't understand Conqueror's Haki.

After all, those strange techniques that could strike from afar were incredibly troublesome. Even Zefa didn't have any good countermeasures, so he could only rely on his painstakingly honed powerful Armament Haki to withstand the attacks.

And precisely because he had suffered such losses, Zeff was determined to cultivate similar strong individuals among the new generation of Marines.

Even powerful figures like Sakaski, Borsalino, and Doflamingo were unable to awaken their Conqueror's Haki. This is undoubtedly a regret for Zeff deep down.

And now, hope has arrived!

The more Zefa thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. A Devil Fruit with terrifying strategic significance, a monster-level talent, plus the awakening of Conqueror's Haki...

He saw hope, as if he had already seen the boy named Darren, under his own cultivation and guidance, like a beast, clashing with Whitebeard and Golden Lion in a display of overwhelming Haki, causing thunder to erupt and the heavens and earth to change color and collapse!

"Good!!"

Ze Fa suddenly slapped the conference table with a resounding slap, his eyes bloodshot and panting heavily, his eyes bursting with an astonishing light.

"This Darren boy, I've taught him a lesson!! After he graduates, I'll have him..."

"Wait!"

During the Warring States period, his face changed slightly. His heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly spoke:

"Don't even think about it!"

"I've made up my mind, once Darren graduates from boot camp, he'll be my second-in-command!"

The moment Ze Fa opened his mouth, Sengoku knew what he was going to do.

"Damn it! You already have Polluce!" Zeff said angrily.

It's fine not to mention it, but once you bring up that name, the Warring States period gets agitated.

"Borusalino is yours, love who you want. If it doesn't work out, I'll just assign him to Aokiji as his deputy. I only want Darren!"

"...and Zeff, don't you forget, I already made concessions to Sakaski back then!"

Ze Fa shook his head like a tambourine.

"No, no, Sengoku, think carefully. Darren is such a good prospect, you can't ruin him... Letting him follow you, he might even become the second Gol D. Roger..."

During the Warring States period, Zhan Guo's face flushed red with anger as he shouted:

"Borusalino is like that, what does it have to do with me!?"

Besides, you haven't awakened your Overlord Color Haki, so having Daren as your subordinate... what could you possibly teach him?!

He directly used his ultimate move.

When he was hit where it hurt, Ze Fa's thick neck also flushed red and he slammed his fist on the table.

"Your Haki isn't that strong either! With your cowardly look, I wonder how you managed to awaken the 'Supreme Ruler of the World' aura!"

"Well, that's better than anything you could do!!"

"Damn Warring States, looks like you haven't been beaten up in a while!"

"You think I'm afraid of you? With your pathetic Haki?"

Then come and try it!! If you have the guts, quickly shine brightly and grow bigger. Today I'm going to twist your big Buddha head off!

The two glared at each other, pushing and shoving, their faces contorted in anger.

At this moment, a helpless voice suddenly rang out.

"I said you two...are both getting up there in age, do you still think you're at training camp?"

A figure with graying hair but a dashing appearance pushed the door open, looking at the two of them with a furrowed brow.

Sengoku, a Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Staff.

···

...

···

···

And also,

This book's pace is relatively slower than typical fast-paced novels, but the plot will be quite rich, aiming for over 2 million words.

Placing the timeline this far forward was largely to supplement plots that weren't in the original work.

The stories of characters from the Marine era like Doflamingo, the burning Kizaru, before his arm was severed Zeff, Boa Hancock, and even Sakazuki...

This book writes not only about Darren, but also about the navy members whose stories were left untold in the original plot.

Best wishes, seeking all good things.

About the updates, well, I'll try my best to update more. (covering face)