Zephyr's gaze sharpened as his arms coated with Armament Haki, forcibly intercepting the incoming slash.
Clang—
The deafening impact churned the sea surface. Zephyr's feet dug deep into the deck, his arms swinging upward to deflect the slash.
The colorless slash soared upward until it collided with the white clouds, erupting in a tremendous roar.
Observing the deep trench dragged beneath his feet.
Truly remarkable brute strength...
...
"It's the 'Town Destroyer' with a 270 million berry bounty! Edward Weevil!"
"Legend says he destroyed three towns in a single day, causing thousands of deaths! He's a notorious Great Pirate recently!"
Someone recognized the newcomer.
Weevil possessed an extremely burly upper body with thin legs, sporting a crescent-shaped beard similar to Whitebeard's but finer and longer.
His appearance was grotesque—dull eyes with snot dripping over thick lips.
His seven-meter-tall frame conveyed not majesty but obesity, appearing more awkward than other disproportionate powerhouses on the seas.
...
"Heheheha... Long time no see, Zephyr!!"
A shriveled old woman perched on Weevil's shoulder cackled strangely, her resentment nearly tangible when uttering Zephyr's name.
...
"Indeed it's been years. Have you been hiding all this time, Stussy?" Zephyr crossed his arms, looking down at the woman.
After the original Rocks Pirates disbanded, its scattered crew members wreaked havoc across the seas.
One of Zephyr's former rivals was Buckingham Stussy, known as the 'Science Bandit.'
Buckingham Stussy gnashed her teeth: "If it weren't for you bastard... If it weren't for you! Whitebeard would never have abandoned me!!"
"Huh? Did Daddy abandon Mommy?" The dim-witted Weevil turned to ask.
"Shut up!!"
"Oh... okay Mommy."
...
Zephyr shifted his gaze to Weevil, frowning deeply: "So this is the product of your collaboration with Vegapunk... Whitebeard's clone..."
"Silence!!" Buckingham Stussy pointed her cane at Zephyr, shouting angrily: "It was you Marines who made Whitebeard reject me! You damned fool!"
Zephyr sneered: "It was your own greed that disgusted Whitebeard. What does that have to do with me."
"If you hadn't attacked MADS, my secrets would never have been exposed! Whitebeard would never have..."
"Enough!!"
Buckingham Stussy grinned widely: "Hatred means nothing anyway. You probably don't know—your head carries a sky-high price in the underground black market!"
"And I've learned about your departure from headquarters... Hahaha, this bounty is destined to belong to Buckingham Stussy!!"
...
Stussy's words made Zephyr sense a conspiracy, but there was no time to ponder further.
He waved his hand and commanded: "All hands alert! Form defensive formations! No engagement without my orders!"
"This guy's power..."
...
Years ago, Vegapunk's laboratory discovered the existence of the 'Bloodline Factor.' The World Government deemed this discovery too dangerous and dispatched troops to arrest them.
After recruiting Vegapunk, the World Government discovered that Buckingham Stussy, who had close ties to the Whitebeard Pirates, was also a former miscellaneous member of this laboratory.
Government agents immediately spread this information.
...
Whether Whitebeard couldn't stand Stussy's greedy nature or knew something that made him dislike her, such emotional matters are difficult to determine.
In any case, from their brief clash just now, Zephyr judged that Weevil possessed terrifying monstrous strength that fresh recruits could never hope to match.
...
"If you want this old man's head, then come and take it!!"
Zephyr roared angrily. To prevent damage to the marine warship, he leaped toward Weevil.
His pitch-black fists struck like meteors, each blow condensed with decades of combat experience, evading Weevil's giant blade while aiming straight for vital points.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Weevil's body was sent stumbling backward, crashing into the ship's cabin.
Yet after enduring Zephyr's relentless heavy punches, he immediately climbed out from the wreckage, blood trickling from his mouth as he howled: "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
"It really hurts, you bastard!!!"
Bucking hiding in the corner sneered: "Heheheheha... Weevil is Whitebeard's son, possessing that man's physical prowess from his youth!"
"Your ancient fists can never hope to defeat him!!"
"This is my ultimate masterpiece!!"
Whoosh—
The black coating on Zephyr's fists deepened as he murmured: "It's natural for old men to be unable to defeat the young."
"But..."
"Definitely not by some replica of the old era!!"
"Smash Fist!!!"
——
——
——
Dressrosa.
East Coast.
Pirates and civilians arriving one after another looked up to see snow falling from the sky.
"What's happening... Could the battle over there be affecting us here!!"
"No, look over there!!"
Someone pointed upward, and more people began looking at the sky.
Snowflakes filled the air.
A white wolf leaped rapidly across platforms formed of ice crystals, its silver-white fur bristling in the blizzard, each strand reflecting the cold snowlight as if adorned with crushed diamonds.
The white wolf swept past, leaving behind a fleeting white vortex in its wake.
"When he descends, snow fills the sky..."
"Snowfall White Wolf! It's Commodore Griffin!!"
"Excellent! Commodore Griffin is here, we're safe now!!"
...
Below in the crowd, Saint Shangong waved his arms and shouted: "I'm here! Commodore Griffin, I'm here! Come protect me!!"
Including the Celestial Dragons, Griffin's appearance gave them more sense of security than even Kuzan's.
After all, in several battles promoted by the Marines, he was the only one who had protected everyone during his missions!
...
The white wolf in mid-air seemed not to hear his shouts, not even glancing his way as it continued forward.
Kyros and King Riku exchanged glances before Kyros said gravely: "If it's him, he's probably going after that person."
King Riku nodded: "Let's hope this ends quickly..."
——
——
Following the connection he sensed, Griffin quickly locked onto Kari's position.
The two combatants simultaneously sensed the intruding presence and turned to look.
"I don't recall giving you orders? But since you're here anyway!"
"I'm a high-ranking World Government official, you may address me as Lady Miya. Assist me in dealing with this guy!"Saint Miya naturally commanded as if it were her right."
The distance was close enough for Kari's voice to connect directly with Griffin's.
'Saint Miya of the God's Knights requires constant full-body coverage with either Chakra or Armament Haki to resist her Misfortune Fruit ability. Her Body Technique and Two-Colored Haki surpass those of an ordinary Vice Admiral.'
'It remains uncertain to what extent her immortality is affected by Conqueror's Haki. No attempts have been made to disrupt her teleportation ability. Insufficient intelligence—predicted probability of elimination is extremely low.'
'What's our next move?'
For a few brief seconds, both waited for Griffin's response.
Whoosh—
A white wolf shrouded in endless blizzard sank its teeth into Kari's body, slamming him into the ground!
"Guh—"
Caught off guard, Kari spat blood, yet his mental communication remained utterly calm: 'Do you need me to die by your hand?'
Griffin released Kari, biting off the arm that held Spring Rain, keeping both the hand and the blade in his jaws.
A voice echoed in Kari's mind.
'Ignore this one. There's a Celestial Dragon on the eastern shore. Go eliminate him.'
Upon receiving clear instructions, Kari didn't hesitate. He burst from the crater and charged toward the eastern shore.
...
...
"What... is the meaning of this...?"
Saint Miya stood frozen in place, watching Griffin's retreating figure while Kari rushed in the opposite direction toward the eastern shore.
"Aren't we... fighting anymore?"
...
"What a joke!"
"Damn it, how dare they disobey my orders! Just wait for the Marines' punishment!" Saint Mi
ya snorted coldly, raising her gun as she pursued Kari.
Swallowing Spring Rain into his stomach, Griffin continued westward, his crimson eyes tracing a bloody line.
Who could it be...
Wasn't Doll with Zephyr?
Why would she be in the New World?
Or are they both in the New World?
...
No matter what...
Wait for me!
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