Chief Instructor Zephyr paused, and the sound of fingers tearing at hair came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"You brat, I regret it. I shouldn't have sent you out in the first place."
"Do you... regret it?"
Damon's expression remained calm, just as he had promised under the moonlight, without the slightest hint of regret. He said indifferently:
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Everything is for Justice!"
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Chief Instructor Zephyr kept replaying Damon's words in his mind, and the corners of his mouth gradually turned up.
At this moment, Chief Instructor Zephyr was walking down the corridor of the World Government Building, surrounded by staff members in suits and ties. When he arrived at the door of the Commander-in-Chief's office, he happened to hear a malicious voice coming from inside.
"Marine member Damon is disorganized and undisciplined. He killed the CP9 commander without cause. He should atone for his sins with his death!"
Upon hearing this, Chief Instructor Zephyr was immediately enraged and suddenly kicked out hard.
The thickened steel gate in front of him could withstand the full force of a Sea King's attack, so how could it withstand such a domineering kick? The steel gate caved in instantly, and after a whimpering struggle, the entire gate detached and flew backward at bullet speed, almost brushing past the speaker.
Boom!
The broken steel door blasted down a concrete wall of the office. The man who had just spoken suddenly stood up, clearly feeling like he had just brushed with death, trembling with rage.
This person was dressed in a white suit, wearing a white top hat, a blue polka-dot scarf around his neck, and a white mask on his face. He had one black and one white eye, and a scar below the corner of his right eye. He was Guernica, a member of CP0.
CP0 is an intelligence agency directly under the Celestial Dragons, and it maintains a superior-subordinate relationship with CP9. Guernica serves as the spokesperson for CP0, and he is usually the one who deals with the outside world.
Guernica recognized the perpetrator at a glance and hissed, "Zephyr, are you trying to rebel?"
Chief Instructor Zephyr strode over, not even glancing at the man. As he brushed past Guernica, Zephyr paused slightly and snorted coldly:
"You cowardly rat, why should I explain my actions to you?"
Zephyr snatched Guernica's chair and, under the other's exasperated glare, plopped down in it with a nonchalant air. Opposite him, an old man looked helpless.
"Zephyr, why are you still the same as always? Why don't you try to control your temper?"
The old man had white hair and a beard, with each white hair standing up like a hedgehog, forming a shape resembling the character for "Mountain" (山). He wore a Marine cloak over his shoulders, and underneath, he wore a simple brown sleeveless shirt. On his chest were a series of badges highlighting his past achievements.
This is the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Armed Forces, Kong.
Chief Instructor Zephyr raised an eyebrow and said angrily: "If someone is plotting to kill my student behind my back, how can I just sit idly by and watch my prized student die?"
"I may be old, but I'm not dead yet!"
"If anyone wants to harm Damon, they'd better step over my dead body first!"
Upon hearing this, Commander-in-Chief Kong felt even more troubled. Although Zephyr had retired from active duty for many years, he had worked diligently at the Naval Academy, cultivating many students with exceptional talent. More than half of the Vice Admirals in the Navy Headquarters were Zephyr's students; even the three Admirals of the Navy had received his guidance.
It can be said that although Zephyr has been away from the front lines for many years, his legend still circulates. Zephyr's attitude, to some extent, also represents the attitude of many senior generals. Even the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, or the World Government itself, cannot ignore Zephyr'sstance!
At this moment, Damon was naturally unaware that Chief Instructor Zephyr was trying to gain favorable conditions for him.
After the three-masted sailing ship departed from Enies Lobby and left through the Gate of Justice, it was unsurprisingly intercepted by a naval warship on its way to the Navy Headquarters.
Damon stood on the deck, watching a tall and imposing figure leap from the warship, trace a graceful arc in the air, and land steadily on the three-masted sailboat. Centered on the man's feet, the deck was instantly covered with a layer of frost, radiating a chilling, biting cold.
The newcomer was over two meters tall, wearing a dark blue shirt underneath a white suit vest and a Marine cloak. He wore a green eye patch on his forehead and always had sleepy eyes, as if he was about to take a nap at any moment.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Smoker and the others, except for Damon, immediately felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Admiral Aokiji Kuzan of the Navy Headquarters?"
"The Navy Headquarters is really going all out to capture the Captain!"
"Captain, you must run! We'll fight to the death to buy you some time!"
Kuzan exhaled an icy breath, staring with "dead fish eyes" as he looked at Smoker and the others blocking his way. He raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the boy behind them with a half-smile.
"Junior Brother, it seems you have a great group of friends."
Hearing this, everyone was shocked.
"Junior... Brother?"
Smoker and his five companions froze on the spot, turning around in astonishment. "The Admiral is actually the Captain's Senior?"
Facing the incredulous gazes of the crowd, Damon shrugged and said: "Have you all forgotten that I am Garp's disciple?"
Everyone was speechless for a moment; they had truly forgotten.
Damon stepped forward and stood in front of Kuzan, feeling the chill emanating from him at all times, and marveled inwardly. The Ice-Ice Fruit truly lives up to its reputation as one of the top Logia-type Devil Fruits. On a hot day, Kuzan would be like a human air conditioner, providing unparalleled comfort.
Kuzan pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, cuffed Damon's hands, and said: "I was just following orders to escort you back."
"But don't worry, Teacher Garp and Chief Instructor Zephyr have already gone to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to plead for you. What you have done has already spread throughout the Navy Headquarters. Every Marine who still has a sense of justice in their heart gives you a thumbs up."
"Defending honor with blood—that is the justice the Navy should uphold!"
After saying that, Kuzan gave Damon an affirmative look. When Damon returned to the deck of the warship with Kuzan, a group of soldiers stood at attention and saluted him.
Defend our honor with our blood! Protecting the people is the greatest honor!
Although Damon's outburst at Enies Lobby seemed reckless, it won the hearts of many officers and soldiers. The human heart is complex; it may seem useless in ordinary times, but for great achievements, one cannot do without the support of others.
Now that Aokiji Kuzan had personally come to imprison Damon, it may have seemed unfair, but in reality, he was protecting him!
After all, Smoker and his crew had gathered a great deal of evidence against Spandam, including documents that implicated the Celestial Dragons in scandals. As the intelligence agency directly under the Celestial Dragons, CP0 must have already laid a tight net nearby, ready to snatch this evidence back at any time.
But with the arrival of Aokiji Kuzan, all of CP0's secret plans became a joke. Who would dare to steal something from a Navy Admiral?
With his hands shackled, Damon lay back on a beach chair, looking more like he was on vacation than a fugitive. At this moment, Damon's attention was focused on the system prompts.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, host, for reciting a classic line from Marvel. You have been awarded one chance to draw a prize. Would you like to start the prize wheel?"
The dazzling array of prizes reappeared before Damon's eyes.
[Spider-Man Cells]: Increases agility, reaction speed, and provides a "Spider-Sense" for danger.
Before Damon could even react, the Spider-Man cells were immediately devoured by the hungry Gourmet Cells within his body. While the Gourmet Cells could not fully devour the concentrated Kryptonian (Superman) cells yet, they were more than enough to handle the Spider-Man cells.
The moment the process finished, they began to transform his body at the cellular level. Damon could feel his muscles becoming firmer and his bone density increasing. He was confident that if Rob Luccireappeared now, he could kill him on the spot without such high effort.
Hearing the continuous crackling sounds coming from Damon's body—like firecrackers during the New Year—Kuzan, who was lying next to him, looked at him curiously.
"It seems this Junior Brother is hiding quite a few secrets."
The two lay all the way back to the Navy Headquarters. Along the way, numerous officers and soldiers stopped and stared. With his hands shackled, Damon followed Kuzan step by step to the door of the Fleet Admiral's office.
Kuzan politely knocked, and only after receiving a response from Fleet Admiral Sengoku did he lead Damon inside.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku looked at Damon's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Garp in his youth, and seemed somewhat dazed. He leaned back, took off his round glasses to wipe them, and then put them back on.
The Fleet Admiral regained his usual stern expression.
"Damon, do you know your crime?"