Chapter 383: Volume 3 – Chapter 26 Three Minutes

At the same time…

Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.

"Damn it, Sengoku, stop pacing! You're making me dizzy!"

Kong, quietly smoking a cigar, couldn't help but speak as he watched Sengoku anxiously pacing with his hands behind his back.

A messenger had already swapped in a brand-new desk. Sitting behind it, Kong's brow was tightly furrowed.

Sengoku gave a sheepish smile, but in the end, he couldn't resist glancing at Borsalino.

"Borsalino, why haven't we heard anything from Daren yet?"

Borsalino lazily picked at his nails without even looking up.

"Even with Daren's extreme speed, it would still take close to three hours to reach the island marked by the Eternal Pose from Marineford..."

"I see..."

Sengoku murmured, cold sweat seeping from his palms.

And who could blame him?

Daren's current operation was bold—recklessly so. As each minute ticked by, the pressure bearing down on these Marine high-ups only grew heavier.

Everyone in the room was on edge. Zephyr sat with a furrowed brow, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru flipped through documents nonstop, and the ashtray in front of Kong had cigar butts piled up like a small hill.

Then—

Whoosh!

The Den Den Mushi on the desk suddenly lit up, hazy light spraying from its mouth onto the large screen on the wall.

An image immediately flickered to life.

The sky, the sea, drifting clouds... and in the distance, an island flying a pink flag with a waving skull!

"Watch closely..."

A familiar voice, tinged with amusement, came with the footage.

It's here!!

Everyone jolted and snapped their heads up.

That pink waving skull flag hanging in the skies above the island—

It was unmistakably the flag of the Big Mom Pirates!

Kong took a heavy drag on his cigar.

"Now let's see how that kid Daren handles this..."

Zephyr clenched his fists, eyes locked on the screen.

"If it's him, he won't fall short."

Tsuru nodded in agreement.

Sakazuki stayed silent, but his eyes burned with intensity.

"It's finally starting! Wahahahaha!" Garp gleefully tore open a fresh pack of senbei, crossing his legs with anticipation.

Kuzan trembled with excitement.

"This is too cool! Daren really charged into Totto Land!"

Sengoku's heart surged with emotion, chest rising and falling.

After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but confirm with Borsalino again.

"Borsalino, are you sure the Den Den Mushi Daren brought... has enough signal range?"

Borsalino grinned.

"Of course. As long as nothing goes wrong, all major Marine branches and bases should already be linked in."

"I've also contacted plenty of news outlets and most of the Member Nations. Basically, anywhere in this sea with Den Den Mushi signal coverage will be airing this in real time. Or, as Vice Admiral Daren called it himself... a blitzkrieg."

At his words, everyone's hearts tightened, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Whether Daren could uphold the vow he made in his speech, whether the Marines could turn the tide and restore their former glory—

Everything hinged on this one move!

...

At the same time…

Sabaody Archipelago.

"What the hell is this!?"

"The big screen in the square?"

"This is... a live Den Den Mushi feed!"

"What's going on?"

"It looks like it's broadcasting from high in the sky... Wait, that flag on the island—isn't that..."

"One of the islands under the Big Mom Pirates in Totto Land!"

...

People on the streets quickly noticed the scene playing across the monitors, their faces filled with stunned disbelief.

Just then, a deep male voice rang out from the screen again.

"I am Rogers Daren, newly appointed Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters."

"You might've heard my name during the previous medal ceremony. But that's not important. All you need to do now is stay calm and enjoy the show."

A hand appeared on the screen, pointing toward the island in the distance.

"See that island?"

"That's one of the Big Mom Pirates' territories in Totto Land, called Yakigashi Island."

"In the next three minutes..."

The voice paused, then twisted into a sinister grin.

"—I'll wipe out every last pirate on that island!"

As soon as the words dropped, everyone staring at the screen drew a sharp breath, eyes wide in shock.

...

Scenes like this were unfolding simultaneously across countless islands, towns, and nations around the world.

Leaders of powerful factions, kings, pirate captains, officers at various Marine branches, and countless civilians were left speechless with overwhelming shock, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Not even half a day had passed since that electrifying graduation speech—

And now this Marine Vice Admiral was actually making a move against one of the Great Pirates of the New World!?

Daren's speech had stirred blood and pride, but to most across the seas, it was met with sneers and scorn.

If the Marines truly had the power to storm the New World and challenge so many major pirate crews at once, they would've done it long ago.

There was no reason to wait until Marineford was attacked by Shiki.

But what they were seeing now shattered every assumption.

This was... serious!?

Vice Admiral Rogers Daren was really invading the New World!?

And the speed of his action was terrifying!

...

North Blue.

Rubeck Island, Donquixote Family Headquarters.

"Doffy!! Something big just happened!!"

Trebol burst into the main hall, two streams of snot running down his face. In his panic, he slipped and faceplanted onto the floor.

But he didn't care. His face was filled with panic.

"Daren—no, Godfather-sama is really going after Totto Land!!"

No one responded.

The vast hall was deathly silent.

Every member of the Donquixote Family stared wide-eyed at the glowing Den Den Mushi screen, bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Doflamingo sat forward on a plush sofa, eyes bloodshot behind his sunglasses, locked intensely on the screen.

His hand, still holding a wine glass, clenched so hard that cracks spiderwebbed across the glass.

...

North Blue.

321 Marine Branch.

Base Commander's Office.

Momonga stared grimly at the Den Den Mushi screen, his expression constantly shifting.

Blue arcs of electricity danced between his fingers.

He instinctively picked up a second Den Den Mushi, dialed a code, and said coldly,

"All personnel, listen up. The North Blue Fleet is now on full alert. Prepare to engage—"

He suddenly stopped.

After taking a long breath, he changed his tone.

"Stand by."

He ended the call.

Momonga continued staring at the screen in silence, then chuckled and shook his head.

"What am I getting so worked up over... This situation still isn't enough to reveal the fleet's full strength."

He bit down on a cigar, lit it, and leaned back into his chair.

"Vengeful to the core... That's so like you, Daren."