...
The scene abruptly switched, the style shifting from grim and murderous to bright and cheerful.
Under a blue sea and sky, the uniquely styled Thousand Sunny was sailing along.
The deck was filled with laughter and joy…
Luffy was eating meat, Zoro was drinking, with Franky and Chopper nearby, Robin leisurely reading a book, Brook playing the violin…
This was a typical everyday scene, forming an extremely stark contrast with the heavy atmosphere of the life-and-death battle between Zephyr and Kizaru earlier.
It left the people in God Valley momentarily dazed.
"This is… Garp's grandson, Straw Hat Luffy's ship?"
Sengoku furrowed his brows tightly, looking at the group of vibrant, seemingly carefree young people in the scene.
He realized that compared to the image of traditional vicious pirates, they really didn't match at all.
Just as Sengoku was pondering this, the cheerful atmosphere was soon shattered.
Dark gray volcanic ash began to fall from the sky, and the air grew turbid.
Luffy and the others curiously looked toward the direction the ash was coming from.
Immediately after, the sharp-eyed Usopp spotted a figure floating on the sea surface.
"Someone! There's someone in the sea!" Usopp shouted loudly.
Without a second thought, Luffy stretched his rubber arm out to grab the floating object.
But the moment he touched the person's mechanical arm, he suddenly let out a pained cry, and his rubber arm instantly went limp and powerless, drooping down.
"Ah! That's weird! I have no strength!"
Zoro and Sanji reacted extremely quickly, immediately grabbing Luffy's body and using it like a "rope" to haul the injured person from the sea onto the deck together.
The injured man was none other than Zephyr, covered in wounds and unconscious! His signature massive mechanical crushing arm was especially conspicuous.
"This is… Seastone?!"
Robin carefully observed the material of the mechanical arm, even personally touching it, and calmly judged: "And the purity is very high. No wonder Luffy lost his strength upon contact."
"Equipped with Seastone weapons… this guy is definitely no ordinary person!"
Nami immediately became vigilant. "He might bring big trouble! We should…"
"But… he's seriously injured!"
Chopper had already switched into doctor mode, anxiously checking Zephyr's vital signs.
"If we don't save him, he'll die! I'm a doctor—I can't just let someone die in front of me!"
Luffy looked at Chopper, who was eager to save the man, then at the unconscious, barely breathing Zephyr. He scratched his head, then grinned widely:
"Alright! Chopper, go ahead and save him! If this weird old guy wakes up and wants to fight, I'll take responsibility for sending him flying!"
With the captain's approval, everyone worked together clumsily to carry Zephyr into Chopper's infirmary for emergency treatment.
The scene fast-forwarded, and soon, under Chopper's superb medical skills, Zephyr slowly regained consciousness.
Outside the infirmary, Zoro and Sanji simultaneously sensed the change in aura inside the room.
"Hey, shitty cook…"
"Yeah, I know, mosshead."
Sanji lit a cigarette, his expression serious.
Zoro's hand rested on his sword hilt, eyes sharp: "It seems… we fished up something incredible."
Even through the room, Zoro could feel the dangerous, heavy aura—like that of a ferocious beast—emanating from the man who had just awakened.
It was definitely not something an ordinary strong person could possess.
Inside the room, Zephyr slowly opened his eyes. At first, he dazedly surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, then felt the neatly bandaged wounds and the cool medicinal effect on them.
At that moment, he saw the boy sitting on the chair opposite him, wearing a straw hat—Straw Hat Luffy.
When Zephyr's gaze fell on the straw hat on Luffy's head, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
As a former high-ranking Marine, he naturally knew the symbolic meaning of that straw hat and immediately guessed the identity of the boy before him.
The recent supernova stirring up storms—"Straw Hat Kid."
However, unexpectedly, Zephyr did not immediately lash out.
He struggled to sit up, first looking at Chopper beside him—who wore a face full of concern and nervousness—and said in a deep voice: "…You saved me, right? Thank you, little doctor."
His voice was somewhat hoarse from his injuries and exhaustion, yet it carried a gentleness befitting an elder.
"I… I'm not happy about being praised, you jerk!"
Chopper immediately twisted into a pretzel shape, but still tried to stay professional: "Your injuries are very serious, especially internal organs showing signs of explosive impact… you need to rest properly!"
Zephyr glanced at his massive mechanical arm and said to Chopper: "This thing's pretty heavy, huh? Thanks for the trouble, little guy."
This display surprised the onlookers outside the light screen somewhat.
The future Zephyr seemed not entirely consumed by madness—at least for now, he still retained a basic response to kindness.
"Old man, are you with the Marines?" Luffy asked curiously and directly.
His mind was simple; he didn't sense the surging undercurrent beneath the other's calm exterior.
Zephyr was silent for a few seconds before slowly replying: "I quit a long time ago… Right now, I'm nothing." His tone carried a deep exhaustion and emptiness.
The two chatted a bit more afterward. When the word "pirate" clearly came out of Luffy's mouth, the gentleness on Zephyr's face instantly froze, then shattered like cracking ice!
Zephyr first let out a low, suppressed cold laugh, his shoulders twitching slightly.
Then, he suddenly raised his head. The previous calm in his eyes was gone, replaced by frozen killing intent and bottomless pain and rage!
"Straw Hat Kid!!!"
With a furious shout, his massive mechanical arm swung out without warning, smashing a heavy fist straight toward Luffy right in front of him!
"Bam!"
Caught off guard, Luffy took the punch squarely to the cheek and was sent flying backward, crashing into the cabin wall!
"Luffy!" Chopper cried out in alarm.
"What are you becoming a pirate for?!"
Zephyr slowly stood up, his huge frame casting an oppressively heavy shadow in the cramped infirmary.
He advanced step by step toward the struggling Luffy, his voice ice-cold and piercing, the killing intent radiating from him almost tangible, making the small Chopper tremble in fear.
Luffy wiped the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Despite taking such a heavy blow, his eyes remained clear and resolute.
He raised his head, stared straight into Zephyr's violent eyes, and answered word by word, clearly: "I want to become the Pirate King!"
These words were like lighting the final fuse.
"Pi… rate… King…!"
Zephyr's entire body began to tremble violently—not from fear, but from an overwhelming rage and grief that had been completely triggered and exploded!
He seemed to lose all reason, roaring madly as he charged at Luffy again! This time, the attacks were even more ferocious!
Luffy also reacted and began to fight back. But the cramped cabin restricted both sides' movements—Luffy's rubber abilities couldn't fully extend, while Zephyr's mechanical arm held every advantage.
Worse still, hearing the commotion, Zoro and Sanji rushed in to help, and the cabin instantly descended into chaos: sword flashes, kicking techniques, fist shadows, and the roar of the mechanical arm all intertwined.
Just as the Sunny descended into pandemonium, a massive warship—entirely pitch-black, with a ferocious design like a moving fortress—suddenly appeared like a ghost!
It mercilessly rammed hard into the Thousand Sunny's side! The tremendous impact rocked the entire ship violently, interrupting the chaotic fight in the cabin.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
"Teacher!"
Two voices—one male, one female—came from the black warship. The woman had long blue hair and sharp eyes.
The man was tall and thin, wearing strange head adornments.
They were none other than Zephyr's most loyal students: Ain, who ate the Return-Return Fruit, and Binz, who ate the Grow-Grow Fruit!
The fierce battle spread from the cabin to the deck.
Ain and Binz's abilities were extremely troublesome.
Ain's "Return-Return Fruit" could regress the age of anyone she touched by 12 years. Robin, Nami, Chopper, and Brook were hit one after another.
They transformed into different appearances, their combat power greatly reduced—if touched again, they could even regress straight to disappearance!
Meanwhile, Binz's "Grow-Grow Fruit" could manipulate plants to grow wildly, with tough vines temporarily restraining Zoro and Sanji.
Luffy wanted to rescue his companions but was viciously seized by Zephyr's Seastone mechanical giant arm!
The power of Seastone instantly left Luffy limp and powerless; now he was like a tiny bug pinched in the palm.
"Straw Hat Kid…"
Zephyr looked down at Luffy struggling in his grasp, his tone carrying icy mockery: "With you, you think you're worthy of talking about Pirate King? State your full name."
Though weakened, Luffy still glared at him and shouted loudly: "Monkey D. Luffy!"
When the surname "Monkey D." reached his ears, Zephyr's cold eyes suddenly trembled, flashing with an extremely complex mix of surprise and realization.
"Monkey… D… Garp's… grandson?"
He repeated it in a low voice, as if recalling something. The frenzied killing intent in his eyes wavered for a moment.
But in the end, that wavering was covered by an even deeper shadow.
He said nothing more, simply hurling Luffy away like trash with tremendous force, smashing him onto the distant deck with a dull thud.
Luffy coughed violently, struggling to get up.
Zephyr no longer looked at him. He turned toward his black warship, his back appearing exceptionally lonely and heavy amid the swirling volcanic ash and gun smoke.
No one knew what expression had surged through the shattered heart of this former "Black Arm" Admiral in that instant he heard "Garp's grandson."
Or how he had forcibly suppressed those emotions—ones that had nearly broken through his reason—back under layers of cold hatred and resolute determination.
"Garp, you guy's name really comes in handy, huh? Makes sense—your grandson becoming a pirate is indeed shocking!"
After the fight couldn't continue, the Golden Lion Shiki started his trash-talking journey again. He could tell Zephyr had held back against Luffy!
If it had been an ordinary pirate, given Zephyr's earlier madness, he probably would have strangled the pirate to death on the spot…