Kong paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
But the silence that followed wasn't the stunned kind he was expecting.
The others simply stared back, calm and unreadable, waiting for him to continue.
Kong: ...
Right. I forgot who I'm dealing with...
This wasn't the old guard. These weren't ordinary Marines who gasped at legends and trembled at whispers. These were the monsters of the new era.
Should've waited to dismiss the others, Kong thought bitterly. At least they would've looked properly terrified.
Still, secrets like these weren't meant for everyone.
"I never thought the Ancient Weapons were more than myth," Sakazuki muttered, brow furrowed. "If they're real, then there's no doubt—Golden Lion's chasing one of them."
Kuzan scratched his head. "So... these superweapons can wipe out an island in one shot?" He glanced at Darren. "Didn't Enma already do that?"
Darren shook his head. "Not quite. Even at Enma's full capacity, amped a hundredfold, it could only vaporize a small to medium island. And then it needs time to cool down."
"But the Ancient Weapons…" He paused, his gaze distant. "I've always felt their power went far beyond anything Enma could achieve."
Visions flickered in Darren's mind—of the original Poseidon. A girl who could summon Sea Kings the size of mountains, each capable of reshaping entire seas. If she alone could command such might...
Then Pluton, built for war, must be worse.
And Uranus—no one even knew what it was.
Destroying an island might just be their gentlest function.
Kong nodded solemnly. "Though the weapons have long vanished into the folds of history, there's still a chance... they're out there."
"If Shiki gets one—any one—the entire balance of the seas will collapse."
As he spoke, a vivid image rose in their minds:
A floating warship, ancient and monstrous, suspended in the sky by Golden Lion's powers... looming over Marineford...
BOOM.
Kuzan shivered involuntarily.
Sakazuki's eyes darkened.
Sengoku felt cold sweat trail down his back.
We cannot allow Golden Lion to find even a fragment of an Ancient Weapon.
The thought burned into their minds.
"So... Darren," Sengoku said, turning to him with barely concealed urgency, "what's your plan?"
If Shiki fired even once, Sengoku didn't know how the Logia users would fare—but as someone who couldn't fly?
He'd be vaporized on the spot.
Darren took a long drag from his cigar, eyes narrowing in thought. Kuzan, already anticipating him, clicked a lighter to assist.
"The way Shiki's searching—brute force, slaughter, demolition—it's crude," Darren began. "But it's also effective."
"He's bound to stumble on something eventually."
"And the worst part is," he added, exhaling smoke, "there's nothing we can do to stop him. Not directly."
Grim nods followed. The truth was bitter.
Even the combined strength of the Marines meant little against a madman who didn't play by the rules.
"But…" Darren continued, his voice shifting, sparking a flicker of hope in the air, "that doesn't mean we're powerless."
Sengoku leaned forward. "You've got a plan?"
"I've got an idea," Darren said, a devilish smile curving his lips. "Something... interesting."
Sengoku's brow twitched.
That smile was never good news.
Darren's tone turned casual. "We could just tell him where the Ancient Weapons are."
The room froze.
Sengoku: ???
Tsuru: ???
Garp: ???
Kong: ???
For a moment, the silence returned, heavier than ever.
Then chaos erupted.
We don't even know where they are!
And even if we did—why hand that over?!
Sengoku barely managed to steady himself. "You mean... feed him a false lead? Set an ambush?"
Darren shook his head, grinning through a dragon's exhale of smoke. "If ambushes worked on Shiki, we wouldn't be in this situation. He'd have been caught years ago."
"His Observation Haki is terrifying. He'll smell any setup."
Sengoku fell quiet. Darren was right.
So what was he suggesting?
Kong leaned in. "Then what do you propose?"
Darren tapped ash into the tray, his smirk widening.
"We leak a rumor," he said. "Through the Underworld."
"Let it slip that a certain notorious pirate recently discovered a clue about one of the Ancient Weapons."
Eyes widened around the table.
Darren continued, "We don't need to lift a finger. Shiki will go after them himself."
And suddenly, the room came alive.
Sengoku shot upright. "That's it!"
This wasn't just clever—it was perfect. No fabricated location to be exposed. No Marine trap to unravel. Just a rumor. A name.
If Shiki believed it, he'd pursue the lead himself—wasting time, energy, and perhaps even lives in the process.
"But what if he doesn't fight them?" Tsuru asked, her voice sharp. "What if he just interrogates them? Finds out it's false?"
"Which is why," Darren said smoothly, "we don't choose Kaido or Big Mom. They're on relatively good terms with him."
Sengoku blinked. His eyes widened.
Oh no.
Borsalino grinned. "So... who's the unlucky one?"
Darren turned his gaze toward the war map.
That smile never left his lips.
"Gol D. Roger."
The room turned to ice.
The name rang like a death knell.
Gol D. Roger. The Pirate King.
The sworn enemy of the Golden Lion. A rivalry carved into legend since the day of the God Valley battle.
The perfect decoy.
Roger's personality was notorious—direct, unpredictable, and fiercely proud. If Shiki came knocking, Roger wouldn't explain. He'd fight.
And once they clashed, it wouldn't end until one was dead.
Garp was the first to move. He burst into laughter and threw an arm around Darren's shoulders.
"Bwahaha! You little rascal! You're more dangerous than the pirates we chase!"
Sengoku stared at Darren, stunned.
This kid... he's terrifying.
Accusing Shiki of treachery one moment, then turning around and spinning a scheme that would set two titans against each other.
But Darren just smiled.
Because unlike the others...
He knew the truth.
This wasn't a bluff.
Roger did have partial clues about the Ancient Weapons.
And if this rumor reached Shiki's ears, war would follow.
A war neither side could walk away from unscathed.
Darren's eyes narrowed as they fell upon a small marker on the map.
It read:
Edd War Sea.
To be continued...