"Neo Marines? Oh… that special Marine unit led by Zephyr, formed in the past couple of years."
As the former Chief Warden of Impel Down, Shiryu immediately recalled what kind of unit this was and explained:
"Nothing to be afraid of. That old man Zephyr has declined so badly it's laughable. Most of the people who joined his guerrilla force don't even reach Vice Admiral level—just a bunch of numbers."
Clearly, Shiryu didn't take Zephyr or his forces seriously at all.
Among the great figures of the old era, if one had declined the most—
it wasn't Golden Lion.
Nor Whitebeard.
It was Zephyr.
Now over seventy, he could barely maintain elite Vice Admiral strength.
Add in old age, asthma, and failing stamina—
he might collapse before the battle even ends.
His only advantage?
Respect within the Marines.
Because of that, volunteers flooded into his guerrilla force—
over ten thousand strong.
—
Slash—!!!
A golden sword slash over ten meters high tore across the sea, surging straight toward the Maxim beneath Xia Te's crew.
Seeing that unmistakably great swordsman-level attack, Shiryu—who had just dismissed the guerrilla force—felt like his face had been slapped hard.
What the hell?
Since when did Zephyr's unit have someone like this?!
Weevil swung his massive naginata forward.
With a roar—
the incoming slash shattered like glass, scattering into fragments across the sea.
Even so, it still kicked up waves dozens of meters high.
That alone showed how powerful the attack had been.
—
"How is that possible? Forget Zephyr's subordinates—even Zephyr himself can't produce that level of attack!"
Shiryu snatched a telescope and looked toward the warship.
The half-bald, muscular old man with the mechanical arm—
that was undeniably Zephyr.
But the one who launched that slash—
stood slightly ahead of him.
A tall woman.
And the sword in her hand—
Konpira.
Her identity was obvious.
Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate—
"Momousagi" Gion.
And beside Zephyr, hands in his pockets, grinning shamelessly as he sidled up toward Gion—
was another Admiral candidate—
"Chaton" Tokikake.
—
After reporting the enemy lineup, Shiryu frowned.
"Red-Haired Pirates weren't enough, now the Marines are interfering too? Trying to wipe all three of us out while we're fighting?"
Zephyr. Gion. Tokikake.
All high-level Marine forces who hadn't been deployed to Marineford—
specifically kept in reserve in case other pirates made moves.
But Shiryu's theory didn't quite hold up.
Even if the Marines wanted to wipe them all out—
this force wasn't enough.
They'd need at least two Admirals.
—
Xia Te, however, had another suspicion.
That these people weren't here to destroy—
but to "save" the Red-Haired Pirates.
Yes.
Save them.
After all—
Shanks had some kind of unknown connection with the Five Elders.
If he held leverage over the World Government, like Doflamingo once did—
then the government protecting him wouldn't be surprising at all.
—
"Heh… in this world, who isn't a double agent?"
Xia Te laughed.
Think about it—
Two years later:
Drake infiltrated Kaido's ranks as a Marine spyStussy, close to Big Mom, was actually a CP0 agentAokiji joining Blackbeard? Most likely undercover
And Shanks?
Connected to the Five Elders.
—
"This whole world feels like an undercover operation…"
"Did I walk into the wrong story? Is this Detective Conan or something?"
"Why is everyone a spy?"
—
"Zephyr-sensei… Weevil… has already joined Xia Te's crew."
Tokikake suddenly spoke.
At that name, Zephyr's expression darkened.
After a pause, he said solemnly:
"I have fought pirates my entire life… yet I have never killed a single one."
"No matter who they are."
—
The man once known as "Black Arm Zephyr", later called the "Non-Killing Admiral"—
even after losing his arm to Weevil—
still held onto that belief.
Though… it sounded almost laughable.
—
Gion, standing at the front, let out a soft sigh.
Then her eyes sharpened.
—
"Captain! They're coming!"
Shiryu suddenly shouted.
From the warship—
Gion bent her long, tattooed leg—
and leapt.
In a single bound, she soared over a hundred meters—
like a dancer mid-performance—
arriving above the Maxim.
Her blade, Konpira, unsheathed once more—
unleashing a violent slash completely at odds with her elegance.
—
"Xia Te! For the crime of kidnapping three Celestial Dragons—"
"I arrest you in the name of Marine Absolute Justice!"
—
"Celestial Dragons? Ah… right, that did happen."
Xia Te rose to his feet, his injuries now mostly healed by Law.
His hand moved toward Enma—
ready to teach this woman a lesson.
—
Meanwhile—
the Red Force remained overturned like a bowl on the sea.
Shanks and his core crew grabbed weaker members and leapt onto the ship's underside.
Though some still fell into the sea—
fortunately, there weren't many Devil Fruit users among them.
If it were the other Yonko crews—
it would've been a disaster.
—
Just as Xia Te was about to draw his blade—
suddenly—
countless pink arrows tore through the sky.
They struck Gion's slash from the side—
turning it to stone—
shattering it—
and sending it crashing into the sea.
—
"That ability…?!"
Before anyone could process the Marines' arrival—
yet another shocking development unfolded.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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