"With your abilities, you're more than qualified to captain a battleship in the North Blue Fleet," Darren said with a smile, his eyes bright with undisguised expectation.
The North Blue Fleet's scale was limited, and its structure remained clean and straightforward.
Aside from Darren himself—the perpetually "absent" commander—the chain of command was only three layers deep.
At the top sat the Fleet Commander, Momonga. Beneath him were the captains of each battleship.
Every captain possessed strength on par with a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, if not a Vice Admiral. They handled the daily operation and management of their ships and answered only to Darren and Momonga.
Below them came the first mates and the rest of the enlisted ranks.
It was rigid, and it had its flaws, but for a fleet that lived in a constant state of wartime readiness, it was the most efficient system they could have.
With Magellan's raw power, serving as a captain would be easy.
What he lacked wasn't strength—it was temperament. He was still too withdrawn, too unused to commanding over a thousand men.
Then again, he was only fifteen or sixteen. Expecting perfection now would be absurd.
"I…" Magellan opened his mouth, then fell silent.
"Oh?" Darren lifted an eyebrow, watching the hesitation with mild curiosity. "You don't want to serve under me—or Zephyr-sensei?"
"I do!" Magellan blurted, face flushing bright red, teeth clenched.
Darren blinked, briefly caught off guard.
"I-I mean…" Magellan fumbled, realizing how it sounded. Heat rushed to his cheeks. "It would be an honor to fight alongside Zephyr-sensei, or you, Darren-sensei. But Admiral Sengoku… he placed his hopes on me. He even vouched for me personally to the World Government. I can't disappoint him again."
Darren let out a quiet sigh.
That Sengoku… always knew how to win people over.
"Are you sure?" Darren tried once more, unwilling to let a future Admiral-level monster rot in a place like this. His tone softened into something coaxing, almost persuasive.
"With your talent, staying in Impel Down is a waste."
"And given the way things are right now, you won't get any political backing from Headquarters anytime soon."
"That means if you want to climb, it could take a long time. A year. Three. Five. Ten."
His voice sank low, smooth as temptation. The kind of cadence that made people forget what they'd sworn and start thinking about what they wanted.
"Are you really willing to let that time bleed away in a place like this?"
"Magellan… the sea is vast."
But Magellan, faced with Darren's lure, only grew steadier. He shook his head.
"Darren-sensei, I don't believe it's a waste," he said quietly. "No matter where I am, I won't stop training. I won't stop becoming stronger."
For once, that usually blank face seemed lit from within.
"Besides… Darren-sensei, didn't you teach me that as long as justice burns in our hearts, even the darkest corners can be made brighter?"
"…Did I really say that?" Darren's lips twitched.
"Yes!" Magellan nodded hard, eyes shining with a fierce, almost painful admiration. "I remember it clearly!"
"That was just me trying to trick you," Darren shot back, irritated.
"No." Magellan shook his head again, stubborn as a nail. "I know you mean well. You don't want me to waste away here. But to me… this is a test. A crucible."
He straightened, voice rising with conviction.
"This is the world's greatest prison—the darkest, most depraved place on Earth. Impel Down. Hell itself."
"I believe that even here—inside this filthy, lightless place—true justice can bloom. Like a radiant flower."
Darren stared at him, felt something tighten in his chest, and covered his face like a man taking psychic damage.
Facing a kid this stubborn, even my silver tongue is useless…
"Fine," Darren said at last, sounding faintly exasperated. "If you've decided on your path, I won't interfere."
So Magellan would walk the same road after all—until one day he became the "big boss" of Impel Down.
Maybe that was for the best. In this place, his abilities could be used at full strength.
And the side effects of his Devil Fruit were… frankly, too insane.
Here, the infrastructure was built for it. Waste flushed straight into the sea. The ventilation was top-grade. Even if poison gas leaked, it could be contained and cleared within minutes.
But put him on a North Blue Fleet battleship?
If he lost control for even a moment, the entire crew would die.
Thousands of meters in the air, stuck on a ship with nowhere to run.
Just imagining it sent a chill down Darren's spine.
After all, not everyone could casually smoke Magellan's poison like Darren could.
With that thought, Darren pulled on the bat helmet, rose, and clapped Magellan on the shoulder. His voice dropped into something low and weighty.
"Every man walks his own road. I won't force you."
"But Magellan… remember this."
Magellan straightened, face solemn, eyes expectant.
"Please, speak."
Darren's smile was faint. "Even if you don't join my ranks, never forget—we will always fight side by side."
He strode past Magellan toward the door, his black cape sweeping behind him like a predator's wing.
"—Because justice binds us."
The words hit Magellan like a bolt of lightning.
His body shook, as if an electric current had run straight through him.
He turned in a daze, watching Darren's retreating figure grow larger in his mind—loftier, more heroic, a light he could never quite catch.
Only when the door closed did Magellan snap back to himself. He rushed forward, shouting, "Darren-sensei! No—Mr. Wayne, wait for me!"
To be continued...