Chapter 439: Volume 3 – Chapter 82: Shiki's Unusual Behavior

One day later.

Grand Line, first half — Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

A warship docked.

"That's... Commodore Tokikake's warship!"

"Salute!"

As the orderly shouted, all the Marines patrolling the massive oval-shaped harbor halted what they were doing and saluted in unison.

The gangway was lowered.

Tokikake strolled down the ramp with his hands in his pockets, glancing at the rows of Marines eagerly awaiting at the dock. Playing the part of a humble leader on inspection, he waved and smiled modestly.

"This is a bit much. I just went to the New World for some intel gathering and—eh?"

His smile froze.

A group of elite Marines with urgent expressions walked right past him, heading straight for Daren, who was descending the gangway at a calm pace.

"Vice Admiral Daren! You're finally back!"

"Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku... along with the rest of the high-ranking officers, are already waiting in the conference room."

The Commodore leading the group saluted Daren solemnly and spoke in a firm tone.

Daren smiled lightly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Lead the way."

"—Salute!!"

The orderly's voice rang out again.

All the Marines on-site snapped into another salute.

But this time, it was unmistakably for Daren—not Tokikake.

Tokikake: ...

The corner of his eye twitched. He stepped forward, pointing to his own face with a cheeky grin.

"What about me? Admiral Sengoku and the others must be waiting for me too, right?"

"No worries, no need to show me the way. I know the route to the Fleet Admiral's office like the back of my hand."

The Commodore glanced at him, his tone suddenly turning formal and icy.

"Apologies, Commodore Tokikake. This military meeting is for Headquarters officers of Rear Admiral rank or higher... You are not required to attend."

Tokikake: ...

"Seriously!? I'm a Commodore, for god's sake!"

He shouted in frustration.

The Commodore paused in his steps.

"Who here isn't?"

Tokikake: ...

"Aaaaahhh!! Dammit!!!"

...

Fleet Admiral's Office.

Led by the Commodore, Daren had just stepped into the military conference room when a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hit him like a wave.

Around an exaggeratedly large oval table, dozens of officers with ranks of Rear Admiral and above from Marine Headquarters were already seated. They all wore grave expressions, focused on the simulated battle map before them.

The moment the doors opened, dozens of sharp gazes locked onto Daren.

The weight of their stares was indescribable.

But Daren remained unfazed, a relaxed smile on his face.

"Yo, it's lively in here."

Kong frowned.

Staff Officer Tsuru's mouth twitched.

Sengoku pressed his palm against his forehead in pain.

Everyone: ...

"Take your seat, Vice Admiral Daren... We've been waiting for you."

Kong spoke in a low, authoritative voice.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong," Daren replied and casually looked around at the empty seats nearby.

"Hey, Daren! Over here! I saved you a seat!"

Kuzan stood up in the corner, waving with excitement as he pointed at the seat beside him.

"This spot's perfect! It's convenient for your smoking!"

Everyone: ...

Sengoku clutched his chest in frustration.

Daren smiled.

"Alright."

"No, Vice Admiral Daren, please sit next to me. Your input is especially important in today's meeting."

Kong suddenly interjected.

Daren paused for a second, then nodded in acknowledgment.

He walked over and took the empty seat to Kong's right.

This seat originally belonged to Zephyr-sensei...

Daren glanced around the table and quickly pieced it together.

As Fleet Admiral, Kong sat at the head of the table.

To his left was Sengoku, followed by Sakazuki, Borsalino, and other combat-aligned Vice Admirals from Headquarters.

To his right was the seat that once belonged to former Admiral Zephyr, followed by Tsuru and other staff officers, administrative officials, and "freelancers" like Garp who basically just coasted along.

Which meant Daren now sat directly between Kong and Tsuru.

But the moment he took his seat, he suddenly felt a chill wafting from his side.

"Daren, I hear you've been having a lot of fun in the Pleasure District these past few days?"

Daren froze. He turned to see Staff Officer Tsuru glaring at him with the cold intensity of someone conducting an interrogation.

"Ahem..."

He coughed twice, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face.

How the hell had word of his visit to the Pleasure District already gotten out?

Damn it!

Was it that bastard Tokikake who sold him out?

Thankfully, Gion was still just a Commodore—she didn't qualify to attend a meeting like this...

Just as he was racking his brain for a way to cover himself, Kong tapped the table lightly with one thick-knuckled finger, officially opening the meeting.

"Everyone is now present."

He lifted his gaze, scanning the room with a stern look, and spoke in a deep voice.

"From this point on, everything discussed in this meeting is classified as top-level military intelligence. Any leaks to the outside will be dealt with severely."

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong!"

The response from everyone in the room was loud and in unison.

"Good. Then..."

Kong turned to Sengoku and gave him a nod.

"Sengoku, begin."

Sengoku nodded and rose from his seat, sweeping his hand outward.

With a soft whoosh, the prepared Den Den Mushi began projecting a series of startling images onto the giant screen in the conference room.

Towns reduced to ashes. Islands scarred and broken. Countless refugees left homeless. Corpses strewn among the ruins...

Sengoku's somber and resolute voice filled the room.

"A few days ago, the legendary Great Pirate Shiki the Golden Lion reappeared on the seas."

"He's rebuilt a flying fleet tens of thousands strong. Under his command are at least thirty pirate ships. He has already launched large-scale destruction and massacres in several countries and islands across the New World."

"Attacks, annihilation, slaughter... Shiki's Flying Pirates have gone on a rampage."

"But through post-incident investigations, we've identified something unusual—most of the targeted islands and towns weren't wealthy. And most critically, the Flying Pirates didn't seize any wealth or resources from these locations."

"This means that Shiki's objective... wasn't plunder."

The moment those words landed, the expressions of the gathered officers shifted.

Because at their core, pirates are driven by one thing: plunder.

If a massive pirate crew launches attacks without taking loot, then what they're after must be something... far more valuable than treasure.