As the Marine assigned to surveillance cried out in alarm, everyone froze and instinctively turned to where he was pointing.

What they saw hit them like a thunderclap—every pair of eyes widened, and a collective gasp swept through the group.

At the edge of the snow-covered jungle, a blood-soaked figure suddenly staggered into view.

His golden hair, once radiant like a crown, was now disheveled. His luxurious hunting outfit was splattered with blood, his face streaked with tears and mucus.

That's... a Celestial Dragon!?

"Quick... Marines!"

"That guy... he's gone mad..."

"So many Celestial Dragons are dead..."

"He's on a killing spree..."

The Celestial Dragon's blood-covered face twisted in terror as he let out a piercing, broken scream.

The moment he spotted the distant warships out at sea, he began frantically waving his arms, shouting until his voice gave out.

"Hel—"

His cry was cut short.

A towering, blood-red silhouette suddenly loomed behind him, its shadow swallowing him whole.

The Celestial Dragon seemed to sense it—his pupils shrank to pinpricks, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"No..."

A fear beyond words welled up in his eyes.

In that moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.

Even the snowflakes drifting from the sky seemed frozen in place.

Onboard the warships, every Marine stared at the scene in stunned silence, chilled to the bone as if plunged into an icy abyss.

A Celestial Dragon, terrified.

A Celestial Dragon, being hunted.

And that towering figure, like a demon out of legend.

Sengoku's eyes widened.

A surge of dread flooded his mind, quickly morphing into a terror he had never known.

The blood-drenched Vice Admiral suddenly smiled.

"So you slipped away while I was fighting that old fossil?"

He let out a faint sigh, as if disappointed.

Raising one finger and lifting his right foot, the Vice Admiral made a hush gesture toward the thousands of Marines out at sea.

"Shh..."

A mocking smile spread across his face.

Then, under the horrified, stunned, and disbelieving gazes of the entire Marine force, under Sengoku's bulging eyes—his bloodied boot came crashing down.

Smack!

The Celestial Dragon's head burst like a watermelon, red and white matter flying in all directions, painting the ground.

It was a scene of absolute carnage.

Every Marine stood as if struck by lightning. Some stumbled back several steps, their faces drained of color.

One young Marine dropped to the deck like a puppet with its strings cut, staring in disbelief.

"V-Vice Admiral Daren..."

"He..."

"He killed a Celestial Dragon?"

"Was that..."

"Was that the scream we heard just now...?"

"No, no way..."

"..."

A suffocating terror spread like a plague across the warships, casting a chilling pall over everything.

The world was deathly still.

The glint of military blades flickered in the dim light, casting pale reflections across the Marines' horrified faces.

They trembled. They were lost. They were afraid. They couldn't believe what they had just seen.

And then, the faint magnetic field that had shrouded the island suddenly faded.

Dozens of blaring alarms erupted across the ships.

Short, sharp, shrill—signals of the highest-level war alert.

In a world caught between chaos and silence...

Sakazuki wordlessly pressed down the brim of his cap, casting his face in shadow. He exhaled a heavy, foul breath.

Borsalino, hands still in his pockets, broke into a wide grin.

Kuzan, who had been sitting dazed on the deck, suddenly rose to his feet, bloodshot eyes filled with intensity.

"Daren!!!"

Sengoku suddenly roared, his bloodshot eyes tearing through the suffocating tension like a blade.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

He glared at the defiant Vice Admiral, his voice cracking with fury and disbelief.

That bastard Daren... how dare he!?

Was he really going to follow in Dragon's footsteps?

Was he about to throw away everything he'd fought so hard to achieve over the years?

Power, status, reputation... was he going to abandon it all?

Why couldn't he just hold on a little longer?

He was on the verge of being promoted to Admiral!

Sengoku couldn't make sense of it.

He just couldn't.

But the Vice Admiral stood there silently, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Sengoku froze.

From that smile, from his eyes, he saw nothing but mockery and scorn.

Damn it!

Just then—

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion suddenly echoed from the snow-covered mountains in the far distance.

Snow and ice blasted into the sky like geysers as a towering, monstrous creature—over a hundred meters tall—burst forth from the summit. Its demonic spider-like body was wreathed in black smoke that swirled like roaring flames.

"Marines... what the hell are you doing!?"

The furious voice of Saint Saturn thundered through the sky.

"Why haven't you gone ashore to rescue the Nobles!?"

"Rogers Daren is slaughtering the Celestial Dragons on the island... at least two hundred have already died by his hand!"

At this point, even with his "immortality"—the ability to fully recover from any wound—Saint Saturn could no longer suppress his rage over Daren's brutal and merciless assault.

He was one of the highest authorities of the World Government, bearing the most exalted divine bloodline.

Yet he had been dismembered, crushed, and humiliated time and again by that damn Marine brat.

What enraged him even more was this useless pack of Marines!

Even if the island was vast and the distance great, they should've heard the Celestial Dragons' screams by now!

What the hell were they doing!?

Now fully transformed into his Gyūki form, Saint Saturn glared coldly from afar at the warships along the coast, the black flames around him flaring violently—his fury at its peak.

As his words reached them, Sengoku stood dumbfounded.

He opened his mouth, about to respond.

But then, he noticed every Marine around him take a synchronized step back—then silently point... at him.

Sengoku: "..."

His face flushed bright red.

"This is seriously terrifying... you literally just said 'I'll take full responsibility'..."

Borsalino muttered loudly beside him.

Sengoku's expression darkened instantly, red turning to black.

He clenched his jaw, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes—but in the end, he raised his fists and barked out,

"In the name of the Marine Headquarters Admiral, I order all units to move onto the island immediately...!"

Under the frightened stares of the assembled Marines,

Sengoku lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot as he locked onto the figure of the Vice Admiral, voice cold and merciless.

"—Arrest the criminal responsible for the Celestial Dragon massacre... Rogers Daren!!"