One Piece: So What If I Sin, Lie, and Lust? I'm Still a Good Marine

Time passed.

In just a few days, everything changed.

Marine Headquarters, military academy isolation zone.

Inside a secret room shrouded in thick purple poison gas, a deep breath suddenly echoed.

What happened next was almost unbelievable.

The terrifying purple gas, potent enough to corrode stone, began churning violently, as if a still lake had suddenly been brought to a boil. It twisted and surged, forming a visible purple tornado in mere moments!

The dense poison, enough to kill dozens of giant dinosaurs with ease, swirled madly and, within seconds, was completely inhaled through someone's nostrils.

The air in the secret room immediately cleared. The ventilation system clicked on, and fresh air rushed in, sweeping away the poisonous mist.

Daren sat cross-legged on the cold steel floor, his face flashing between shades of purple and blue before finally stabilizing.

"Progress is slowing down..."

He slowly opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness flashing within them, and sighed softly.

Physique +0.03...

Sensing that his physique stat had only reached 96.111, Daren knew that continuing this "training" with Magellan wouldn't bring much further improvement.

"But, but Instructor Daren, I've been trying really hard..."

In the corner of the secret room, Magellan was crouched down, gasping for breath, hugging his knees with both arms, looking pitifully aggrieved.

Daren shot him an annoyed glance.

"Is that so? Don't think I don't know... You're holding back your potential, aren't you?"

"How... How did you know?"

Magellan looked at him in disbelief.

Daren: "..."

"Tell me, why are you doing this, Magellan?"

"You know perfectly well that my time here is limited. I can't stay at headquarters forever to watch over you."

Instructor Daren was clearly angry...

Magellan glanced at him timidly, then whispered,

"I... I don't want to hurt my classmates."

Daren paused, caught off guard.

Magellan went on.

"After your training, I thought I could control my powers well enough... so I agreed to Bone's invitation to have a meal together."

"He cares about me a lot—we're good friends... Everything was fine at first, but while we were eating, I don't know if I got too happy, and, well..."

Daren frowned.

"And then?"

Magellan's eyes turned red as he hugged his knees even tighter.

"...I accidentally farted."

Daren: "..."

The corners of Daren's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Magellan's face crumpled as he said,

"I didn't mean to, I swear."

"But I couldn't help it... Bone collapsed right away, and so did everyone else in the restaurant..."

"Thankfully, it was just a fart, so the toxin wasn't too strong. Everyone recovered after timely treatment."

Lowering his head, Magellan muttered,

"Maybe I should just give up, Instructor Daren. Someone like me should just stay locked up in a sealed room... even my heart should be locked away."

"I'm really grateful for your guidance... but I don't want to become stronger anymore."

"I'm scared... I'm scared..."

"—You're scared that one day, your powers will grow so strong you won't be able to control them, and you might end up taking the life of a comrade?"

Daren quietly cut him off, his gaze steady on Magellan's defeated figure.

"Or maybe you're afraid that your close friends will distance themselves from you because of your abilities, and you won't be able to bear it?"

Magellan bit his lip and nodded, his eyes red.

This kid...

Daren chuckled softly.

"Magellan, I really admire that gentle heart of yours."

"But as your instructor, I don't want you to hate your own powers because of it."

"What happened at the restaurant... was just an accident. Sure, I can't guarantee that under my training—or even with your own efforts—you'll ever have perfect control over your Devil Fruit abilities."

"But you shouldn't have to shoulder all that pressure by yourself."

He stood up.

"Not just you. Your friends, your comrades, they'll all be working hard to get stronger too."

"If they truly see you as a friend, they won't abandon you."

Magellan raised his head, stunned.

"Really... really?"

Daren smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Really. Look, aren't we good friends already?"

"And..."

He pointed outside the window.

"Seems like your other friend hasn't abandoned you either."

Magellan froze, then followed Daren's finger toward the window.

Outside the special reinforced glass, a figure in a protective suit stood in the sunlight, waving happily at him.

Though his skin was pale and his cheeks sunken, his eyes shone with a gentle smile as he held up a big bundle of fruit and food.

"Bone..."

Magellan's eyes gradually lit up.

Daren smiled encouragingly.

"Go on. Looks like your friend's inviting you to eat together."

Magellan nodded vigorously.

"Thank you, Instructor Daren!"

…

Leaving the quarantine area, Daren strolled leisurely through the military academy.

Magellan's biggest problem was his own mental block. Even with guidance, all he could do was offer a bit of psychological encouragement. In the end, whether he could overcome that hurdle depended on himself.

Everyone had their own path to follow.

At that moment, seagulls suddenly flew across the sky, chirping cheerfully.

A newspaper fell from the sky, and Daren reached out to catch it.

It was a fresh copy.

Daren opened the newspaper, and the front-page headline was about the warm-up coverage for the Shichibukai appointment ceremony ten days later.

At the same time, the final list of the Shichibukai was also published in the report.

One by one, familiar names and photos of arrogant, oppressive faces gradually came into view of the Vice Admiral of the Marines.

His gaze finally landed on the last name and photo.

It was the newest addition, the sixth member.

He gradually raised the corners of his mouth.

...

New World, an island.

The Donquixote family residence.

"Doffy!"

Trebol stumbled into the residence hall, two streams of snot hanging from his nostrils, swaying as he ran.

His face was red with excitement, and Diamante and the other officers followed close behind, their faces filled with uncontrollable joy.

"Ne, ne... You did it!"

Trebol rushed to the center of the hall, panting as he looked at the blond young man leaning back on the sofa, sleeping with a book covering his face, and held up the newspaper in his hand.

"Shichibukai!"

Doflamingo took the book down, stood up, took the newspaper from Trebol, and quickly glanced at it.

He was silent for a moment, then threw down the newspaper with an expressionless face and slowly walked to the window.

Trebol and the others stared blankly at their young master's behavior, not understanding what was going on.

They saw Doflamingo standing in front of the glass window pause for a few seconds, as if taking a deep breath.

He pushed open the glass window with both hands, and the clear breeze and sunlight from outside poured in, blowing his pink feather coat into the air.

In the sunlight,

Doflamingo, wearing sunglasses, gazed at the distant towns, islands, the sea, and the endless sky.

His body gradually began to tremble and shake slightly.

He covered his face with his hands, tilted his head back, and a smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Fufufufu..."

The bright sunlight fell like wind, and his short golden hair looked like a dazzling and noble crown.

Seeing this, Trebol and the others knelt down on one knee with a look of respect and fervor.

...

New World.

Pleasure District.

The top floor of a hotel, a luxurious private room.

Wearing a black lace nightgown, Stussy slowly put down the newspaper in her hand and expressionlessly dialed a phone number.

"Send out an invitation in the name of the Queen of the Pleasure District, inviting Vice Admiral Rogers Daren of the Navy Headquarters and the new member of the Seven Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo, to come to the Pleasure District tomorrow night."

Hanging up the phone, Stussy turned her office chair and looked down from above at the bustling and decadent island below.

She picked up a glass of blood-red wine, her white fingers lightly twirling the stem and gently swirling the wine.

A sad and comforting jazz melody gradually filled the private room.

Stussy closed her eyes, as if thinking of something wonderful, and her red lips curved into a sly smile.

Her slender toes curled up, and her bright red nail polish sparkled in the dim light.

A pair of peep-toe high heels adorned with tiny diamonds were neatly placed at her feet, the ten-centimeter heels as exquisite as works of art.

The curve of her lips grew wider.

Her cheeks flushed crimson, as if from excessive excitement, and two sharp fangs began to emerge, while long black bat wings spread freely from her back.

...

At this very moment, in that very place.

Marine Headquarters, Vice Admiral;

Family residence, young Celestial Dragon;

Pleasure District, Bat Queen;

Three completely different places, three completely different faces, but at the same time, the same confident smile appeared on all of them.

"I won!"

They said in unison.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake