Chapter 434: Chapter 77: Saint Topman Warcury
The heart burst in Darren’s hand.
Warm blood sprayed across his face and chest, painting his fingers crimson. The CP0 agent’s body twitched once, then collapsed lifelessly to the ground, a spreading pool of red soaking into his ghost-white robes.
Silence fell.
A suffocating, heavy silence.
No one moved.
Crocodile gawked, disbelief etched deep in his pale, blood-streaked face. His pupils trembled.
Tokikake’s jaw fell open. The Marines behind him looked as though they’d seen a ghost.
"D-Darren... you... you actually killed him..." Tokikake choked out, his voice shaking, skin drained of all color.
That was CP0.
An agent of the World Government’s most elite intelligence corps. In some circles, they outranked the Fleet Admiral himself. Killing one wasn’t just a crime—it was a declaration of war.
Darren, however, simply shrugged. "I didn’t want to. But he was too arrogant."
He pulled a clean handkerchief from his coat and began wiping the blood from his palm, movements casual, even polite.
Tokikake: ...
The Marines: ...
They looked like they were about to cry.
"They’re supposed to be arrogant!" Tokikake nearly shouted. "They work directly for the Gorosei! Even Admiral Sengoku has to bow to them!"
Just then—
Brrring... Brrrrring...
A faint, tinny ringing sounded from the corpse’s coat pocket.
Tokikake froze. His heart dropped into his stomach.
"Oh no... They’re calling him. They’re checking in—"
"We’re dead. We’re so dead..."
Darren, unbothered, knelt beside the body and casually fished through the agent’s coat until he pulled out a small, sleek Military Den Den Mushi.
With a pleasant smile, he answered the call.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was cold, clipped. "Identify yourself. Where’s Falcon?"
"This is Vice Admiral Rogers Darren, reporting," Darren said, his tone light. He glanced at the body. "Falcon, if I’m not mistaken, was the CP0 agent."
On the other end—in the heart of Pangaea Castle—the Gorosei froze mid-conversation.
The samurai elder paused in polishing his blade.
Saint Topman Warcury, bald and heavyset with a bristling walrus mustache, narrowed his eyes. "Darren... why do you have Falcon’s Den Den Mushi?"
"This is Warcury. What is Falcon’s status?"
Even among the Gorosei, Warcury’s word carried weight—known as the God of Legal Warfare, his authority often set precedent across the World Government.
Hearing that name, Tokikake’s legs buckled slightly. Several Marines went stiff as statues.
Saint Topman Warcury himself was involved?
They were so dead.
But Darren’s smile didn’t falter. In fact, it widened slightly.
"Reporting, sir. Falcon was killed during the mission."
A beat of silence followed.
Then Warcury’s voice, low and dangerous: "By whom?"
The Marines held their breath.
Darren’s answer came without hesitation.
"Crocodile."
Everyone froze.
Crocodile, who’d been quietly observing the exchange from the crater, stared at Darren in stunned disbelief.
"I arrived late," Darren continued smoothly. "By the time I got there, the two were already locked in battle. Falcon was gravely injured. He succumbed shortly after."
Tokikake: ...
The Marines: ...
Crocodile: ...
They stared blankly, struggling to process what they’d just heard.
Crocodile, in particular, looked like he might explode.
His entire body trembled with fury, his face contorted with disbelief. If he hadn’t been so thoroughly broken, he would’ve jumped up and strangled Darren with his bare hands.
Silence lingered for several long seconds.
Then came Warcury’s voice again, low and probing: "What is Crocodile’s current condition?"
"Secured," Darren replied promptly. "Under my control. Awaiting your command for execution."
Crocodile twitched violently.
"No," Warcury said flatly. "Crocodile is under evaluation."
The old man paused, then added, "We’ll brief you. You’ve earned it."
And so, the plan was revealed.
A new system. One that would elevate certain pirates, bestow them with legal authority to plunder—so long as they bent the knee when summoned.
The Shichibukai system.
Saint Topman Warcury’s voice was firm. "Crocodile has now demonstrated the strength necessary to qualify. Consider this your commendation, Vice Admiral Darren."
"You were handpicked for North Blue’s Saint Shaldes operation. My judgment was not wrong."
"You’re hereby authorized to extend a formal invitation to Pirate Crocodile to join the Shichibukai."
Darren bowed slightly. "Understood, Your Excellency."
A pause.
"Oh—Saint Warcury," Darren said, as if remembering something trivial. "About Falcon... what should we do with the body?"
"Dispose of it. Corpses hold no value," Warcury said without hesitation.
Darren nodded.
"And... regarding the remaining Shichibukai positions," he added casually, "do the Saints have any particular candidates in mind?"
There was a brief silence.
"Hmm?"
"I mean no disrespect," Darren said smoothly, "but I may have a recommendation for one of the remaining slots."
"Name them."
"Donquixote Doflamingo."
To be continued...