Another day passed. The clouds over West Ali Island hung heavy and gray, matching the weight pressing on Darian's heart.
Inside the local Marine base's medical wing, the rhythmic beeping of life support equipment filled the silence.
Darian, still wearing his white mask, stood by the window with his arms crossed. He looked at Captain Smoker with a gloomy expression.
"What's wrong with your Marine doctors?" Darian asked, his voice low. "Wasn't that surgeon so confident when they wheeled him in last night?"
Smoker stood across the room, three cigars clamped between his teeth. He looked just as grim. He didn't answer Darian immediately; his eyes were fixed on the small figure of Carol, who was kneeling by the bedside, holding her unconscious father's hand.
After a long silence, Smoker finally spoke. "We were too late. Daddy lost an incredible amount of blood, and the trauma triggered multi-organ failure. He's in a deep coma. The doctors don't know if or when he'll wake up. But... his life is stable for now."
"Damn it," Darian cursed softly. He had tried his best with his Devil Fruit, but he wasn't a miracle worker.
"Mr. Hakumen, please watch your language," Tashigi, Smoker's bespectacled subordinate, reminded him gently from the corner.
Smoker took a deep drag from his cigars, blowing a thick cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. He looked at Darian.
"This is the Great Pirate Era," Smoker said, his voice gruff but layered with exhaustion. "How many brave men have sacrificed themselves to protect civilians? Daddy is lucky he survived at all. He has a daughter to live for."
Smoker paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Which brings me back to my question. Why don't you join the Marines? Do your part for the people legitimately."
After meeting Darian last night, Smoker had looked into the "Hakumen" alias. In just two days, this masked man and his female companion had wiped out several highly dangerous pirate crews in the surrounding waters. A Marine Captain would need hundreds of men and weeks of tracking to accomplish the same feat.
Darian's efficiency was, of course, entirely thanks to Nami. As a master navigator and a former thief who knew the East Blue pirate underbelly like the back of her hand, she could track a pirate ship using ocean currents and wind patterns faster than any radar. Once she found them, Darian simply dropped in and annihilated them.
To Smoker, "Hakumen" was a highly efficient, powerful, and seemingly righteous vigilante. Exactly the kind of talent the Marines needed.
Darian let out a feigned, cold scoff. "I prefer my freedom. The Marines are too slow for my taste."
In reality, if he didn't have a 66 million Berry bounty on his head, Darian might have considered it. But walking into a Marine base right now was basically asking to be sent to Impel Down.
To discourage Smoker further, Darian added, "Besides, if the Marines stationed on this island had acted sooner, Daddy wouldn't be in a coma right now."
Tashigi's face flushed with indignation. "That's unfair! Captain Smoker rushed here from Loguetown the moment he heard! And the local forces—"
"Enough, Tashigi," Smoker interrupted sharply.
Tashigi bit her lip and looked down. Smoker knew Darian was partially right, but the reality was complicated. The local Marine Captain didn't have the firepower to take on Don Krieg's armada. Forcing a confrontation would have resulted in hundreds of dead Marines and massive civilian casualties. Furthermore, Daddy was a bounty hunter now; he operated outside Marine protection.
Smoker had actually abandoned his post in Loguetown without authorization to save his old friend. He had risked a court-martial to be here.
Since Darian had declined again, Smoker didn't push the issue. Darian remained silent, afraid that talking too much might give away his true identity.
By the bed, Carol had fallen asleep. She had been awake all night, terrified for her father. Although Daddy had trained her to be a fierce, disciplined marksman, she was still just a little girl. Nami gently scooped her up and cradled her.
Later That Afternoon. The Docks.
"Carol, you have to listen to Uncle Smoker while we're gone, okay? Even if he smells like an ashtray."
Hearing Nami's comment, Smoker grunted disapprovingly around his cigars.
Carol clung to Darian's waist, looking up at him with large, tear-filled blue eyes. "Big Brother Hakumen, will you come see me again?"
"I will," Darian smiled beneath his mask, patting her blonde hair. "But it might be a while. Nami and I are going on a long trip around the world."
"You promise?" Carol asked, holding out her pinky finger.
"I promise," Darian hooked his pinky around hers. "You focus on studying and training. I expect you to be the best sniper in the East Blue the next time I see you."
"I will!" Carol nodded obediently, wiping her eyes.
Darian looked at Smoker, gesturing for Tashigi to come and take the girl.
Smoker watched them, his expression stoic. "Are you absolutely sure you won't join us, Hakumen?"
"If I joined," Darian chuckled, "you'd regret it."
Smoker sighed, pulling a business card from his coat. "If you ever need help, or if you change your mind... come find me in Loguetown."
"No problem," Darian said, taking the card. Yeah, right, he thought. Walking into your office in Loguetown is the last thing I'll do.
"I'll keep an eye out for any Devil Fruits with healing abilities on my travels," Darian added sincerely. "Take care of Daddy and Carol."
"Don't underestimate Marine medical science," Smoker grunted. "As long as he's breathing, they can keep him alive. He'll wake up."
"Goodbye, Captain."
Darian waved to Carol and Tashigi, then turned and walked up the gangplank onto his sloop with Nami.
On the Dock.
Tashigi held Carol's hand, watching the small boat prepare to set sail. "Captain Smoker," she asked, adjusting her glasses. "We have zero background information on him. He hides his face. Why do you want him in the Marines so badly?"
"He wiped out three pirate crews in two days," Smoker replied, crossing his arms. "That shows immense strength and tactical intelligence. He saved this little girl, and he saved Daddy. He's a good man who does the right thing without asking for credit."
Smoker genuinely believed "Hakumen" was a noble vigilante. He had no idea that the man behind the mask was the "White Emperor," a pirate with a massive bounty, nor did he know about Darian's... less than noble activities behind closed doors.
The sloop's sails caught the wind, and it slowly began to pull away from the dock, heading toward the open ocean.
Carol, realizing they were really leaving, pulled free from Tashigi's grasp and ran to the edge of the pier.
She waved frantically with both hands.
"Goodbye, Darian-niisan!" Carol screamed at the top of her lungs. "You promised to come see me!"
Smoker froze. The cigars nearly fell out of his mouth.
He slowly turned his head to look at the little girl.
"Carol," Smoker said, his voice suddenly dangerously calm. "What did you just call him?"
"Darian-niisan!" Carol repeated brightly, completely oblivious to the massive blunder she had just made. "Why?"
Smoker's face turned from pale to ash gray.
Darian.
A powerful fighter operating in the East Blue. Traveling with a beautiful young woman with short orange hair. Wiped out Arlong. Wiped out Krieg's remnants.
Tashigi gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she realized it at the exact same time.
Smoker and Tashigi were notoriously bad with faces—Smoker hadn't recognized Luffy initially, and Tashigi had literally helped Zoro buy swords. But even they couldn't ignore this.
The noble vigilante "Hakumen" was the 66 Million Berry pirate, the "White Emperor."
On the boat, Darian, who had heard Carol's shout perfectly thanks to his enhanced hearing, slapped his hand over his mask in despair.
Well, Darian thought, looking back at the furious Marine Captain rapidly turning into smoke on the dock. So much for a quiet exit.
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