Daren didn't have much of a reaction to Roger's escape.

After all, he had expected it from the start.

It was only Sengoku who had been kept in the dark, foolishly convinced that Garp could bring Roger down.

He didn't even stop to consider that Roger alone was enough to fight Garp to a standstill.

What could Garp possibly rely on to defeat the entire Roger Pirates?

Did he really think Rayleigh and Gaban were just decorative?

Or maybe our mysterious adjutant Bogard was secretly the world's strongest swordsman, capable of taking on both of them at once?

Daren shook his head, took a deep breath, and asked,

"What about that crazy woman, Big Mom?"

"I've heard her hunger pangs have been flaring up more frequently lately. She's been going berserk more and more... and while she can fly, her speed isn't anything special."

"This time, with all the forces we deployed, even if Roger got away, we should at least have been able to deal with Big Mom, right?"

Truth be told, Daren was more wary of Big Mom than Roger—the lunatic obsessed with having his children.

While she didn't exude the same crushing presence as Roger, there was just something deeply off-putting about her.

That was also why, even now, Daren had no plans to set foot on Whole Cake Island.

Charlotte Linlin still had a certain charm about her. If it were any other woman, Daren might've just gritted his teeth and gone for it. Wouldn't be the worst thing.

But every time he saw her, he couldn't help but picture that horrifying mountain of flesh.

His skin crawled just thinking about it.

If the battle on Miracle Island ended with her death, that would've been ideal.

However...

The Den Den Mushi vividly mimicked Sengoku's gradually reddening face in response to Daren's words.

His voice grew even more hesitant.

"Uh... Daren... that crazy woman... she ran too."

Daren: "..."

Crocodile and the others, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, also twitched at the corners of their mouths.

"Then what about Kaidou!?"

Daren clenched his jaw, took another deep breath, and forced himself to stay calm as he analyzed,

"Kaidou is the weakest among the captains of the three great pirate crews. Once a real fight starts, he tends to lose control. Even he can't rein himself in."

"As long as we pinned him down, with all the top-tier forces from Headquarters, it shouldn't have been too difficult to encircle and eliminate him, right?"

What he got in return... was a long silence.

The Den Den Mushi imitated Sengoku's face turning red—then purple.

Daren: "..."

"..."

The Shichibukai pinched their temples in unison, black lines appearing above their heads in exasperation.

So they'd been fighting tooth and nail on their end—well, mostly Daren and Bullet—to intercept the Whitebeard Pirates, and in the end...

Not a single one of the Marine's targets on the "Miracle Island" battlefield had been taken down!?

So with all those deployments, all that funding, all those elite forces and warships...

What exactly did Marine Headquarters do?

"Ahem... Actually, overall, the final outcome was quite good."

Trying to cover up his embarrassment, Sengoku cleared his throat twice and said,

"According to preliminary statistics, in this battle, we eliminated over 3,000 members of the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, including more than 300 officers..."

He looked like he was trying to play it off, forcing an awkward smile as he went on.

"This was definitely a heavy blow to both pirate crews!"

"Both crews suffered significant losses. For at least five years, they'll lack the manpower to wage another large-scale war!"

Faced with Sengoku's hollow, political response, Daren rolled his eyes in frustration.

They didn't take out a single key figure—just a bunch of nobodies. And this was supposed to be a "heavy blow"?

Mid-tier officers and ordinary pirates were everywhere on the sea. With the power and prestige of Kaidou and Big Mom, they could easily gather more underlings in no time.

Daren shook his head and chose not to press the issue further.

The conclusion of the Miracle Island battle was ridiculous, but not incomprehensible.

If Roger, Kaidou, and Big Mom could be taken down that easily, there'd be no future where the Yonkō dominated the New World.

"All right, Admiral Sengoku."

Daren let out a slow breath and said calmly,

"Since the war is over, there's no need for us to head to the battlefield. We'll return directly to headquarters."

Sengoku's face darkened with guilt, seemingly picking up on the discontent in Daren's voice.

Daren had brought only six unruly "misfits" with him, and yet they managed to block the Whitebeard Pirates and complete the mission with ease.

By comparison, Sengoku's side—despite being the main battlefield—had achieved nothing of substance except taking down some bottom feeders.

It was an embarrassment.

Worse yet, they had squandered the opportunity Daren had risked his life to create for them.

"Uh, sure, that's fine..."

He coughed twice again.

"Daren, you've made a great contribution this time. I'll definitely report this to the World Government and make sure you're properly rewarded!"

Sengoku puffed out his chest, seemingly regaining some confidence as a Marine Admiral.

"My Admiral candidate reward still hasn't come through, right?" Daren said coolly.

Sengoku's smile instantly froze.

"Uh... that's... still in the process. It should be soon. Very soon."

He replied awkwardly.

"Fine. Then I'll wait for your good news, Admiral Sengoku."

Daren replied casually and immediately hung up the Den Den Mushi.

He didn't care about some honorary title like "Admiral candidate."

Even if they made him a full-fledged Marine Admiral, so what?

His authority in Marine Headquarters didn't come from government appointments or the rank on his shoulder.

As long as his strength was undeniable, there was nothing he couldn't do.

Power? He had it.

Money? He had plenty.

A fleet? He had no shortage of those either.

The title of Marine Admiral was nothing more than optional decor.

The only upside was that it sounded a bit more impressive when spread around.

The downside? Admirals constantly had to deal with those pig-headed Celestial Dragons—endless restrictions and red tape.

But that wasn't a problem for Daren.

Protecting the noble Celestial Dragons? That was something Rogers Daren excelled at.

He smiled, turned to look at the assembled Shichibukai, and gave a playful blink.

"You all heard that, right? Admiral Sengoku said the Marines did pretty well this time."

The six of them were silent for a moment, exchanging glances.

Then—

"Hahahahaha!!"

A wave of laughter filled with mockery erupted into the sky.

The high-speed metal ark echoed with light-hearted joy.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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