"Miss Toki, your medical examination is ready. Please follow me."
A woman in a white coat entered the room. She was around forty, with neatly tied hair and a pair of rimmed glasses that lent her an air of quiet authority. Her name tag read Dr. Inoue. She offered Darren a polite nod before turning to Toki with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Dr. Inoue," Toki said gracefully, bowing in return.
Dr. Inoue smiled. "It's my honor to care for Vice Admiral Darren's beloved."
Then, glancing at Darren, she added reassuringly, "Please rest easy, Vice Admiral. I'm Headquarters' chief obstetrician-gynecologist. I've handled the pregnancies and deliveries of many senior officers' families. I'll ensure Miss Toki receives the finest care possible." Her tone carried the calm confidence of someone long accustomed to performing miracles.
"I trust Admiral Sengoku's judgment," Darren said with an approving nod. "Toki, you're in good hands."
Dr. Inoue inclined her head again, then gestured for Toki to follow. The two women stepped out, leaving Darren alone in the room with Gion.
The air immediately grew heavy.
"Ahem... Gion, could you, uh... peel an apple for me? I'm a little thirsty," Darren ventured, his voice a shade too casual.
Gion sat nearby, arms folded, her lips curved into a sweet but unmistakably dangerous smile.
"Of course, Vice Admiral Darren," she said brightly.
She reached for an apple, studied it for a second, then glanced around. "Hmm. No fruit knife? I suppose this will have to do."
Clang!
In a flash of cold light, her golden Meito blade was out, gleaming wickedly in the sunlight.
Darren stiffened. "No, no, never mind! I'm suddenly not thirsty anymore!" he blurted, hands raised in surrender.
Is that how you peel fruit?! She's going to slice me open!
Her eyes glinted—calm, amused, and chillingly sharp. No matter how sweet her tone, her murderous intent was plain as day.
With a sharp huff, Gion sheathed her sword, then gave him a pointed look.
"Vice Admiral Darren is quite the fortunate man," she said coolly. "Defeats the Golden Lion, wins eternal glory, and before the applause fades, learns that his wife is expecting."
"Truly, your blessings never end, do they?"
Darren's mouth twitched.
When did she start talking like this?
Before he could respond, Gion pressed on, her voice edged with mock sweetness. "I also heard you spent your hard-earned battle merits to secure the best medical team and highest security for your beloved. How touching. How... enviable."
Darren exhaled slowly. There's no winning against a jealous woman.
He met her gaze and said softly, with surprising sincerity, "If it were you, I'd do the same. Without hesitation."
For a moment, Gion's breath caught. His face—pale, still a little tired from his injuries—was too open, too earnest. Her heart faltered.
Then she bit her lip, her emotions boiling over. "I don't care! I was here first!"
Before he could react, she suddenly flipped him over, straddling him on the bed with swift precision. Her long legs tightened around his waist like steel.
"If she gets it, I get it too!"
Darren: ???
"Wait—Gion!"
He froze, panic flashing in his eyes. "I'm still injured—!"
Time passed, and ten quiet days slipped away.
Thanks to his miraculous constitution, Darren's body healed swiftly—and for the first time in a long while, he enjoyed an unusual stretch of peace and idleness.
Except, of course, for Gion's daily visits, which left him with a suspiciously persistent backache.
"Vice Admiral Darren, your recovery is extraordinary," Dr. Inoue remarked in disbelief as she examined his latest test results. "Your wounds have completely healed. You're fit for discharge."
Though she had seen his regenerative ability before, it still defied logic. Fatal injuries that should have claimed a hundred lives had vanished without a trace. Only the faint, ugly scars hidden beneath his uniform offered proof of how close he had come to death.
"That's wonderful. Thank you, Doctor," Darren said, fastening his buttons with practiced ease.
Dr. Inoue smiled, turning to leave—but paused at the door. "Oh, and Vice Admiral... just a word of caution. Avoid any strenuous activity for now."
"Exercise?" Darren blinked, not immediately following.
The doctor smirked. "You know... that kind of activity." She gave him a knowing wink.
Darren: That's not exactly something I control anymore!
He gave a weary half-smile. "Understood, Doctor."
When the door closed, he sighed and rubbed his temples. Peace never lasts long around here...
Bang!
The door slammed open again with a thunderous crash.
"Hahaha! Darren, my eternal rival!" a familiar voice roared. "You actually took down the Golden Lion?!"
Without looking, Darren knew exactly who it was.
Kuzan.
He glanced up—and nearly choked. Kuzan looked like he'd been dragged through a battlefield. His hair was a tangled mess, his beard scruffy, his coat wrinkled beyond saving.
"What in the world happened to you?" Darren asked flatly.
Kuzan sauntered in, grabbed an apple off the table, and took a huge bite. "Don't ask. I chased Roger halfway across the Grand Line with Vice Admiral Garp for two weeks. Lost him in the end."
"Two weeks! No food, no water, couldn't even shower!" He crunched through the apple's core and swallowed. "I'm half-dead."
"I'm going to the hot springs later," Darren said with a grin. It was hard to feel too surprised. After so many years in this world, he'd come to accept that Roger was... untouchable. Fate itself seemed to protect the Pirate King.
Even the Golden Lion had nearly taken Darren's life despite all his power—so as for Roger, the man favored by destiny? Killing him would take more than any Marine could muster.
"Oh, right," Kuzan said suddenly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve—an act that made Darren's eye twitch. "Admiral Sengoku wants to see you."
"He does?" Darren frowned.
"Yeah. Something about a pirate—a former member of the Roger Pirates." Kuzan scratched his head, squinting as he tried to recall. "What was his name again... Douglas Bullet, I think?"
Darren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Bullet?
So Headquarters was finally moving on him.
To be continued...