Three days later, in the Kingdom of Clifford.
"Hey, Ain!"
Aeridar reclined on the sofa, eyes half-lidded as he held a Den Den Mushi.
"Captain, we have successfully secured Olga. However... Zephyr-sensei has been injured," Ain's voice crackled through the snail.
"Was it Fujitora? How severe is it?" Aeridar's brow furrowed, his voice dropping into a low, serious tone.
The mission he had entrusted to Zephyr was to retrieve the key to obtaining "Pure Gold"—Myskina Olga.
However, Olga had been a target of the World Government for ages, and the Celestial Dragons were not about to let Zephyr whisk her away without a fight. Aeridar was well aware that Admiral Fujitora's fleet had been prowling near the Brady Island sea zone recently. The moment that fleet vanished from his scouts' radar, he knew they had moved to intercept Zephyr.
"After we seized Myskina Olga from the hands of CP0, we clashed with Fujitora's Marine fleet and CP agents on Monsbona Island," Ain explained. "Sensei fought a pitched battle against Fujitora for three days. It concluded with the total sinking of Monsbona Island and both sides sustaining heavy injuries. Our casualties are significant, we even lost two warships."
Aeridar's eye twitched at the news. Monsbona, the infamous "Island of Sin," had been pulverized into the sea by those two? That was a landmass comparable in size to Dressrosa.
Knowing Zephyr was wounded meant the injury was likely severe. He immediately asked, "Where are you? I'll send reinforcements to pick you up."
"Captain, we are currently at an uncharted small island near the edge of the Calm Belt. Use the Vivre Card to track our position," Ain replied.
The sinking of Monsbona had triggered a massive tsunami, forcing the fleet to veer off course to survive the swells.
"Near the edge of the Calm Belt..." Aeridar frowned. Finding a needle in a haystack on the open sea using only a Vivre Card was a time-consuming endeavor. "Fine. I'll come to fetch you personally."
Given that this involved "Pure Gold," Aeridar decided after a moment's thought that he couldn't leave their return to chance.
"If you are coming yourself, we are truly grateful, Captain!" Ain said, her voice tinged with surprise.
…
The New World – Kingdom of Areza (World Government Affiliate).
Five battered Marine warships limped into the harbor. Onlookers watched in stunned silence; it was the first time the local populace had seen a Marine fleet looking so utterly defeated.
Under the terms of the World Government alliance, the Navy had the right to enter affiliate territories with any armament at any time and demand resupply. As soon as the ships docked, a Marine Captain disembarked to coordinate with the King of Areza and the port authorities.
Aboard the flagship…
"Admiral Fujitora, we have arrived at the Kingdom of Areza."
Vice Admiral Maynard stood by the bunk in the captain's quarters, looking worriedly at the pale-faced Issho.
This battle had been catastrophic. Out of eight warships, three were at the bottom of the ocean, a third of their personnel were casualties, and even a "monster" like a Marine Admiral had been laid low. Such a defeat was almost unheard of.
Issho leaned back against his pillows, nodding weakly. "Have the people of Areza assist with resupply and repairs. Furthermore, contact Headquarters. Report everything that transpired and request they send a detachment to rendezvous with us."
"Understood!" Maynard nodded solemnly.
An incident of this magnitude had to be reported to Marine Headquarters immediately.
"Wait... also inform Headquarters that 'Black Arm' Zephyr has not only regenerated his right arm through the Chris Pirates' technology, but has also regained his peak strength. Moreover, he now possesses the troublesome abilities of the Paramecia-type Hard-Hard Fruit. Tell them to prepare accordingly," Issho added, his voice grave.
"Zephyr-sensei... regained his peak power?!" Maynard gasped, aghast. "And he became an Ability User, the very thing he despised? That's impossible!"
"It is the truth. Report it exactly as I've said," Issho said, shaking his head.
"Sensei..." Maynard muttered to himself, looking shell-shocked as he wandered out of the room.
…
In another room...
Onifox stood with one arm in a sling, his cold gaze sweeping over the six remaining CP agents, all of whom were covered in bandages.
Strangely, a baby with a dead-serious expression sat on a nearby chair.
Originally, seventeen elite CP agents had been deployed for this operation. Now, only six remained functional.
Actually, it was seven, the infant on the chair was also a CP agent. During the raid on the enemy flagship, he had been struck twice by Ain's ability. His age had been regressed by 24 years; now only two years old, he had nearly vanished from existence entirely.
The atmosphere was suffocating. Onifox spoke coldly, "Though we were not technically defeated, the mission was a total failure..."
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Before he could finish, a Den Den Mushi began to ring.
"At a time like this..." Onifox whispered, pulling a small snail from his pocket.
Click.
After a moment of hesitation, he answered.
"Hey, Onifox. How is the mission progressing?" A chilling voice came through the receiver.
Onifox's eyes flickered. "The mission failed. We underestimated Zephyr and his subordinates. The next operation will require significantly more power."
"What? Failed?!" The person on the other end sounded furious, the snail perfectly mimicking a look of stern outrage. "Onifox, an operation backed by a Marine Admiral actually failed? How do you intend to explain this to the Celestial Dragons?"
"Don't you dare use that tone with me, Lucci!" Onifox snapped. "You're just a lucky brat. Just because that lord favors you doesn't mean you can stick your nose into my business!"
As the two CP0 heavyweights bickered, the agents in the room broke into cold sweats, terrified to even breathe.
"I don't have the authority to punish you, of course," the voice on the other end, Rob Lucci, said coldly after a pause. "But you'd better find a way to explain this to the higher-ups. Two failed missions in a row... CP0 is going to lose a lot of face in front of the Celestial Dragons."
"I know. But the intelligence was flawed; we severely underestimated the target's strength," Onifox said, his tone softening but remaining grim. "And let me tell you one more thing: Admiral Fujitora and 'Black Arm' Zephyr fought to a bloody stalemate. As for Monsbona Island... it has been wiped off the map by their battle."