Chapter 195: Meeting of Master and Disciple
"Whew... this tea is way too strong."
Axel set the cup down and glanced at Sengoku.
"You always drink tea this strong? Be careful. One day, you might drink yourself into some kind of illness."
Sengoku finally put down the work in his hands and rubbed his temples. His head already felt like it was about to split open.
"You brat. Is that any way to curse someone?"
Children really did become less cute as they grew up.
How long had it been since this one was quiet and obedient?
As expected, no one related to Garp was easy to deal with.
"You old geezer," Axel shot back irritably, "is that any way to lie to someone?"
That was right.
The news that Zephyr had gone missing was a lie Sengoku had fabricated.
It had only been an excuse to drag Axel back to Marineford.
Naturally, Axel was in no good mood. He had been anxious all the way back, rushing over in a hurry, only to find out that the whole thing was fake.
How could he not be angry?
Sengoku chose to ignore Axel's complaint.
"Brat, think about what you've done. I summoned you back several times, and each time, you refused by saying there were too many pirates and you couldn't leave. Do you understand how serious the things you've done are?"
"What things are so serious?"
"When you first entered Marineford, didn't you notice anything strange?" Sengoku asked. "Didn't you feel anything from the way people looked at you?"
Axel thought back for a moment.
Before entering, the gazes everyone gave him did indeed contain more awe than before.
But more than awe, there had been fear.
That was because of the reputation he had built over the past year.
"So what?" Axel said. "Their eyes belong to them. I don't care how they look at me. It's not like they can stare me to death."
He looked completely indifferent to other people's fear.
He had already experienced that feeling at Enies Lobby and had grown used to it. Whether it was fear from pirates or fear from Marines, it had felt uncomfortable at first.
But after a while, he stopped caring.
Sengoku's expression sank.
"You still don't understand the gravity of the problem."
His voice grew heavier.
"It hasn't even been a full year since you took that base captain position. It's only been a little over six months. Do you know how many pirates have died at your hands?"
Axel said nothing.
"Thousands."
Sengoku stared at him.
"Marines can execute pirates on the spot depending on the situation during pursuit. That is true. But what you did was not pursuit. It was one-sided slaughter."
His brows furrowed deeply.
"Why did you have to send them all to hell like that?"
Sengoku remembered clearly that Axel should not have been such an extremist.
He could have easily escorted those pirates to the Gates of Justice and sent them straight to Impel Down by warship.
So why had he done that?
Massacring pirates like that brought no good reputation. It only made other Marines fear him. Although excessive justice had supporters within the Marines, most people still found it hard to accept.
"I just followed my heart," Axel replied casually. "Since the pirates came with bad intentions, killing them wasn't a big deal."
After saying it, even Axel was slightly surprised.
Setting aside the changes in his emotions, he should not have said something that treated life so lightly.
For a moment, he felt a little unfamiliar with himself.
But since the words had already left his mouth, he had no intention of taking them back.
Sengoku's frown deepened.
"At first, I thought that although you went a little too far, you at least had principles. But that answer disappoints me."
His gaze sharpened.
"It seems Zephyr was right."
"Teacher Zephyr?" Axel asked in surprise. "What did he say?"
"He once said you were his best student, but also the most mentally immature one."
Sengoku looked at him.
"Your thoughts seem mature on the surface, but underneath them, there is a kind of childishness."
"That old man actually said that?"
Sengoku gave a helpless smile.
The change from Teacher Zephyr to old man had happened so quickly that he almost failed to react.
"Putting that aside for now, the nearby seas have started becoming restless. I originally wanted to assign you responsibility over a sea area. But after hearing your answer just now, I think you need proper training first."
After speaking, Sengoku pointed at his own chest.
The meaning was obvious.
Training of the heart.
Axel listened, then mimicked Sengoku's tone.
"Putting that aside for now, I never planned to keep working for you people anyway. Don't take things for granted. After seeing your attitude just now, I don't think I'll help no matter what you say."
Sengoku was momentarily speechless.
The words he had prepared were choked back by Axel's reply.
Axel then turned his head toward the door.
"Also, Old Man Zephyr, eavesdropping outside the door isn't a good habit."
With Observation Haki, Axel had easily sensed Zephyr standing outside and exposed him without mercy.
After those words fell, the door opened.
Zephyr walked in.
"Brat, long time no see."
"Then I guess we're birds of a feather."
Zephyr paused.
"What do you mean?"
"Because you're a stinky old man too."
"...I don't have time for your nonsense."
Zephyr's face darkened.
"There have been quite a few reports about you lately. Are you mentally prepared?"
Axel played dumb.
"What reports? I don't know anything about them."
Zephyr stared at him and followed along.
"Blood Child. What a terrifying title. Brat, when did I ever teach you to slaughter pirates indiscriminately?"
"I object to that point," Axel said seriously. "Blood Child is such a tacky title. People who don't know better might think I'm some Snow Boy. I think White Yaksha suits me better."
Seeing Axel start talking nonsense again, Sengoku helplessly spread his hands toward Zephyr.
His meaning was clear.
He had no way to deal with this brat. The rest was up to Zephyr.
Sengoku shook his head and returned to his desk, clearly choosing not to get involved any further.
Hit him?
Sengoku still cared about his dignity and could not bring himself to do something like that.
Scold him?
After that conversation just now, scolding had no effect other than getting dragged around in circles.
Since hitting and scolding both seemed useless, it was better to let someone else handle him.
He had already planned to have Zephyr train Axel again anyway. Since Zephyr was Axel's teacher, his words might still carry some weight.
Just as Sengoku was about to sit down...
Bang!
A loud crash rang out.
Sengoku turned his head in shock.
Axel had already been sent flying by Zephyr.
Sengoku's cheek twitched as he looked at the wreckage in the room. His heart ached for the broken furniture, but at the same time, he could not help sighing.
When had Zephyr become just like Garp?
"Old Man Zephyr," Axel said from the debris, completely unharmed, "it looks like your strength really is declining. That punch didn't hurt as much as the ones before."
He stood among the shattered remains without a single injury.
There was not even a speck of dust on him.
Zephyr looked at the unharmed Axel and was also slightly surprised.
Had he held back too much?
Although he had not even used half his strength, that had still been one of his punches. Based on his estimation of Axel's strength, it should have caused at least some damage.
But in reality, it had done nothing.
It was not that his strength had declined too quickly.
It was that this brat had grown too fast.
"Brat," Zephyr said, "I only went easy on you, and now you're getting cocky. But this isn't the place to make a scene."
He glanced at Sengoku.
"Look at Sengoku's face. It's already turning livid."
"You're right," Axel said. "I should at least give Sengoku some face."
"..."
You only say that after causing the ruckus?
Sengoku's eyelid twitched.
Forget it.
But was his face really that livid?
For a moment, Sengoku felt the urge to check a mirror.
In the end, he held himself back, forced himself to maintain inner peace, and acted as if nothing had happened.
.....
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