Eight years later, even Zephyr himself no longer knew whether his past choices had been right or wrong.
The Admiral who refused to kill, Black Arm Zephyr, had lost his family to pirates. At this point in time, hatred had already overshadowed his original beliefs.
So when it came to Rowan, who had made a name for himself as the Executioner in the West Blue, Zephyr did not dislike him. Even if his actions conflicted with Zephyr's former ideals.
Soon, the Major who had personally gone to fetch him brought Rowan over.
Zephyr didn't look at Rowan and asked directly, "Don't you know that anyone coming to headquarters for training must report to the training ground immediately? You took your dorm key from registration, didn't they tell you?"
Rowan paused.
That guy Omus hadn't reminded him at all, and even called himself one of his own.
After thinking for a moment, Rowan replied, "Because of Vice Admiral Kuzan, most people at headquarters probably don't like me. No one reminding me isn't strange."
Zephyr said bluntly, "There are people from that side in the registration office. What, they don't like you either?"
Rowan fell silent.
He couldn't exactly say that he had embarrassed Omus into forgetting.
Too humiliating.
"Was Orl sent to the infirmary? How serious are his injuries? Will it affect his training?"
The question was directed at the Major.
The Major glanced at Rowan and answered honestly, "He was injured with restraint. He coughed blood and lost consciousness, but it's nothing serious. According to the dorm records, Orl has already awakened Armament Haki."
Zephyr paused slightly, then looked at Rowan. "Looks like you gave him quite the push. I've been talking here for days, and it's not as effective as a few words from you."
Rowan shrugged. "He seems to be a fan of Vice Admiral Kuzan. I just said a few truths, and he couldn't handle it."
Zephyr didn't respond further. He stood up and clapped his hands.
"Stop. Gather up!"
His rough voice carried across the entire field.
Everyone quickly assembled. Heat rose from their bodies, the result of intense physical training.
Zephyr stood with his hands behind his back. "Let me introduce him. Rowan, former Major of the 80th Branch in Lasgap Town, West Blue. Promoted to Headquarters Major after discovering the intelligence leak in the South Blue incident involving Vice Admiral Kuzan. He will be joining this training camp."
"And just now, Orl went to bring him here and ended up in the infirmary."
The moment he finished speaking, about eighty percent of the trainees glared at Rowan with hostility.
The remaining twenty percent were simply shocked that a Logia user had lost.
Orl had been among the top in this training camp. With his elemental ability, he was expected to become a Headquarters Major and be assigned to the Grand Line.
Zephyr continued, "Because of this, as the chief instructor, I've decided that from today onward, anyone in the training camp can attack him freely on this field."
Silence.
Then excitement.
The hostile group's eyes lit up.
They were all elites from the Four Seas. No one believed they were weaker than Orl. Many assumed Orl had been careless due to his Logia ability.
There were already people here who had mastered Haki.
Beating up a government dog, what's wrong with that?
Nothing at all.
Rowan, standing behind Zephyr, showed no resentment.
Haki came from willpower. These trainees needed pressure and setbacks to grow.
And with Haki mastered, physical strength became critical. There was no better training than continuous combat.
Thinking this, Rowan stepped forward with a mocking smile.
"I just want to say something. Everyone here, in my eyes, is trash. That's all."
"Bastard!"
"What did you say?!"
"You want to die?!"
"Know your place, brat!"
"A dog from the West Blue thinks it can bite people now?"
"Careful, or your teeth will shatter instead!"
Voices exploded everywhere.
Rowan simply spread his hands. "Didn't Instructor Zephyr just say it? From now on, you can attack me freely here."
"But trash should act like trash. I can fight back. And if things go badly… more people might end up joining Orl in the infirmary."
The arrogance was unbearable.
And Zephyr did not stop him.
Soon, the first attacker leapt forward.
His legs turned into springs, boosting his speed and power.
"Whoosh!"
His fist, coated in Armament Haki, shot forward with a sharp sound.
"Bang!"
The attacker's pupils shrank.
How was this possible?
A full-power punch with Haki, enhanced by momentum, had been caught with one hand.
Observation Haki.
At that level, dodging would have been easy.
Yet Rowan didn't even bother.
"Why are you thinking during a fight?"
Rowan grabbed his arm and drove a knee into his abdomen.
"Pfft!"
"Boom!"
The man was sent flying, crashing to the ground unconscious.
Rowan dusted off his knee. "Too slow. You couldn't even protect your stomach with Haki in time. If that's not trash, what is? Elite Marines? Don't make me laugh."
The mockery echoed across the field.
This time, no one shouted back.
The ease with which Rowan had crushed the attack made everything clear.
He had the strength to back his words.
And everyone here understood one thing.
Strength was everything.
"Did you see that?"
"Dibalu's speed was fast, and he still caught it with one hand. His Observation Haki is incredible."
Whispers spread through the crowd.
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