The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History-Chapter 156 - 58: A Sudden Mission

"What kind of problem can't be handled on your side? You've got plenty of senior officers at HQ—why Darren, of all people?"

"Sengoku, you know just as well as I do—this training phase is the most critical period for elite officers. Their power grows the fastest here. It's essential for Darren's future development."

"If you need someone powerful, why not call Sakazuki, Dragon, or Borsalino? They've all matured, and each of them is on the verge of reaching admiral-level combat ability."

"Darren's still in his growth phase. Sending him on a dangerous mission right now... isn't wise."

Zephyr shook his head, clearly against the idea.

Technically speaking, the training camp wasn't fully closed off—participants weren't restricted from taking assignments. After all, these weren't clueless recruits. They were hand-picked from across the world, battle-tested elite Marines. Occasionally, field deployment was part of the curriculum.

But over the past month, Zephyr had watched Darren's growth with increasing shock.

He was like an endless sponge—soaking up everything: training, techniques, theory. Compared to the day he arrived, his strength had skyrocketed.

Zephyr had only seen this level of explosive growth in Sakazuki and Borsalino—but even they didn't grow this fast.

It was obvious: Darren had already built an immense foundation back in the North Blue. Now, with Zephyr's guidance, that groundwork was erupting—exploding into exponential gains.

It was the very definition of "slow build, sudden leap."

And Zephyr had no intention of interrupting that momentum.

There'd be plenty of chances in the future to hunt pirates. This wasn't the time.

To him, Darren didn't need to get entangled in HQ affairs—doing so would defeat the very purpose of the training camp.

As his teacher, Zephyr was determined to act in Darren's best interest.

"I understand your concern, Zephyr," Sengoku said gravely. "But this mission... it's a problematic target."

"And you know better than anyone—training alone isn't enough. Real growth requires battle. Actual combat."

Seeing Zephyr still frowning, he added, "Why don't we just ask Darren? Let him decide. He knows himself better than anyone."

Zephyr had no choice but to nod.

He could shut it down completely, but Sengoku was an admiral. If he was going this far, Zephyr had to at least pretend to play fair.

If worse comes to worst, I'll just talk Darren out of it later...

---

Training Field.

The midday sun pierced the sky like blades, scorching every inch of exposed skin.

Beads of sweat hit the dirt and vanished instantly, evaporating into the dry, cracked earth.

THUD!

A thick iron chain slammed against the ground, kicking up sand and soil.

Darren stood, chest heaving, his breath ragged and hoarse like a bellows.

But his face was lit with pure satisfaction.

This past month had been... fulfilling.

No naval bureaucracy. No fake smiles or political backstabbing. Just pure, honest days of sweat, training, and comradeship—rivalry and encouragement mingled in every glance.

Cut off from the noise of military life, Darren had immersed himself entirely in his own growth.

And under Zephyr's teaching, with more refined training methods and focused techniques, he had finally made a breakthrough.

His Observation Haki hadn't improved much—but everything else had.

His stats had surged:

Physique: 69.335

Strength: 66.331

Speed: 66.591

Devil Fruit: 76.111

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Armament Haki: 28.319

Each of the four core physical metrics—body, strength, speed, and fruit ability—had increased by at least two points in just a month.

It was a terrifying amount of growth.

Two points might not sound like much on paper, but across all stats? Nearly 10 points in total.

In terms of actual combat, that was easily a 20% boost in power.

Of course, Darren was aware that this rate of progress would slow over time. His body was already adapting to the intensity of the new regimen—and in the past few days, he had started to notice it taper off.

Still, there were other gains.

With Zephyr's help, his understanding of Armament Haki had deepened significantly. For the first time, there was a formal standard to measure its strength.

Darren looked down at his blistered, callused hands and muttered.

"Hardening."

FSSSH.

A jet-black sheen spread across his arm like liquid iron, coating his hand with a weighty, metallic density.

If 100 was the full mastery score, Zephyr's Armament Haki was estimated to sit around 90.

His own? 28.

It wasn't much—yet. But for someone who had just learned the ability a month ago, it was an absurdly fast progression.

And Darren had seen what full mastery looked like.

He had watched Garp and Sengoku fight at full power.

Based on his observations, Sengoku's Armament Haki strength sat between 80–85, while Garp was on par with Zephyr—90+, bolstered by his Conqueror's Haki, which gave him an edge in sheer force.

Just then, a figure jogged across the training field.

He came to a stop and saluted.

"Commodore Darren, Instructor Zephyr is requesting your presence!"

---

To be continued...