On the warship, Akainu gripped the charred body of an old woman in his hand. The figure had already been burned beyond recognition, her skin blackened and cracked like charcoal. Turning toward Zephyr, Akainu spoke in a deep voice.
"Zephyr Sensei, are you saying this old woman used to be a member of the Rocks Pirates?"
Zephyr nodded slowly.
"That's right. Didn't she just call herself Miss Bakkin? I remember her from the battle at God Valley. Back then she was sitting on Whitebeard's shoulder."
As he said this, Zephyr let out a quiet sigh. His gaze lingered on the burned corpse for a moment.
"Time really shows no mercy. I never expected her to end up like this."
Akainu showed no interest in the story of an old pirate or in whatever beauty she might once have had. With a casual flick of his remaining hand, magma heat flared for a brief instant.
Miss Bakkin's already charred body crumbled into black fragments that scattered into the wind.
The surrounding Marine cadets who witnessed the scene could not help swallowing nervously. Even those who had trained under Zephyr for years felt a chill run down their spines.
Zephyr simply shook his head with a small chuckle. He then walked toward the railing of the ship and called out loudly toward the sea.
"Borsalino, how long are you planning to stand there? It's time to head back."
Out on the ocean, a grotesque corpse floated on the waves.
Weevil's body looked almost inhuman. His enormous head was gone, leaving only a thick neck that had been burned black. Even in death his body seemed unnaturally large, like some stitched together monster.
During the battle earlier, Weevil had demonstrated terrifying durability. His skin and flesh were abnormally thick, and his defense was astonishing.
Even so, it had not saved him.
His head had ultimately been blown apart by Akainu's Hell Hound.
To be precise, Kizaru had first sliced through the neck with a beam of light. A moment later, Akainu's magma attack detonated the remains. Their finishing blows had landed almost at the same time.
At that moment, Kizaru stood casually on top of Weevil's bloated belly. He rubbed his chin while staring down at the corpse.
"Kowai ne, what a monster. How come I don't remember someone like this existing on the sea?"
Zephyr's voice carried across the wind from behind him. Hearing the call, Kizaru gave a helpless shrug. His body instantly dissolved into countless scattered photons and shot back toward the warship.
A second later, the light gathered again and his body reformed neatly on the deck.
Kizaru raised both hands as if explaining himself.
"Zephyr Sensei, that guy earlier really wasn't simple. Do you happen to know who he was?"
Weevil had indeed possessed some strength. In the previous fight, he had managed to hold out for several rounds against the combined attacks of both Kizaru and Akainu.
Zephyr frowned slightly.
"I've never heard of him before. However, Miss Bakkin claimed that he was her son. His name is Edward Weevil."
Zephyr paused briefly, then raised one eyebrow.
"If that's true, could this Weevil actually be Whitebeard's son?"
Everyone who heard those words froze for a moment.
If that claim turned out to be true, it would be shocking news.
The Whitebeard Pirates currently stood at the peak of pirate power. Their captain, Whitebeard, was widely known across the seas as the World's Strongest Pirate.
As for the title of World's Strongest Man, that honor now belonged to Lloyd.
Whitebeard still carried the scars of his last battle with Lloyd. Half of his face had been twisted and damaged in that fight, and even after all this time it had never fully healed.
The moment Kizaru heard the possibility that Weevil might be Whitebeard's son, his interest immediately grew.
"Well then, letting the corpse go to waste would be a pity. Dr. Vegapunk would probably be very interested in studying something like this."
Zephyr smiled faintly.
"Borsalino, it seems like you get along quite well with that genius scientist."
Kizaru scratched the back of his head.
"Well, since Kuma and I often traveled together for missions, I ended up visiting his laboratory quite a few times. He never seemed to report anything though... ah, Zephyr Sensei, please don't look at me like that."
Zephyr gave him a helpless look, then waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. I can't control you anymore anyway. Someone should go retrieve that corpse."
As soon as the order was given, a cadet stepped forward immediately.
"Report. Please assign this task to me."
It was Binz.
Zephyr nodded his approval.
Binz quickly pulled a handful of strange seeds from his pocket and scattered them across the deck. Under the curious gazes of Kizaru and Akainu, he began performing a rather awkward dance on the spot.
His movements looked clumsy, almost embarrassing.
Yet the effect was immediate.
The scattered seeds sprouted rapidly, bursting into life as thick green vines shot outward across the deck. The vines twisted and stretched like living serpents, extending over the railing and down toward the sea.
In moments, they wrapped around Weevil's floating corpse.
The massive body was lifted slowly from the water as the vines tightened and pulled it upward.
Watching the scene unfold, Kizaru spoke again with mild amusement.
"This ability would pair perfectly with Aramaki's powers."
Akainu stood beside him silently and gave a small nod.
The two Admirals watched as the vines hauled the corpse toward the warship.
...
Year 1516 of the Sea Calendar.
At long last, Kong was officially transferred out of the Navy by the World Government. He was appointed as the Commander in Chief of the three military branches.
The decision had actually been delayed for a long time.
In truth, Kong should have been transferred years earlier. However, the World Government had hesitated.
Once Kong left the position of Fleet Admiral, the seat would become vacant. After the Roger incident, the position had practically been reserved for Lloyd.
But Lloyd had fallen into a deep sleep.
Originally, the World Government intended to postpone the decision even longer. Unfortunately for them, the situation on the seas kept worsening.
The final push came with the rise of a new Emperor of the Sea.
That newly crowned Emperor was Shanks.
He was also the youngest Emperor among the Four Emperors.
Kong was already too old to effectively deal with the unstable situation created by the Four Emperors dominating the seas.
Eventually, after repeated recommendations from Kong himself, the World Government made a reluctant decision.
Sengoku would take the position of Fleet Admiral.
However, the title came with an important detail.
He would only serve as the Fleet Admiral temporarily.
This wording was clearly the World Government's final compromise.
Their official explanation claimed that the seas were currently in a dangerous state. Therefore the evaluation for a permanent Fleet Admiral needed to be handled with extreme caution.
Anyone with a bit of common sense could see the truth.
The World Government simply did not want Sengoku to hold that position permanently.
Even within the Navy itself, many officers were dissatisfied.
For example, Admiral Aokiji had openly stated several times that the Fleet Admiral should be Lloyd. According to him, if anyone other than Lloyd took the position, he would never accept it.
Compared to Aokiji's blunt attitude, Akainu and Kizaru handled the situation with far more restraint.
They did not publicly oppose the decision.
Instead, the two Admirals traveled directly to Mary Geoise to meet Saint Garling. Their goal was to ask him to intervene in the matter.
Saint Garling's reply was simple.
"As long as Lloyd wakes up, it doesn't matter if Sengoku is temporarily appointed or permanently appointed. The position will belong to Lloyd in the end."
After hearing this answer, Akainu and Kizaru immediately understood the situation.
When they returned to Marineford, they quietly pulled Aokiji aside for a long conversation.
After that day, Aokiji stopped making public complaints.
From that point onward, the stance of the three Admirals became clear.
They did not support Sengoku's appointment.
But they also did not oppose it.
Another matter quietly unfolded at the same time.
Aramaki should have been promoted to Admiral together with Aokiji years earlier.
However, his promotion was suppressed by one of the Five Elders, Saint Warcury.
The old man still held a deep grudge against him.
After Lloyd fell into his long sleep, Aramaki was lucky enough simply to remain alive within the Navy. Under those circumstances, Saint Warcury had no intention of allowing him to enjoy the prestige of becoming an Admiral.
At one point, Aokiji had complained loudly about the unfair treatment.
But Aramaki had stopped him.
After serving for many years in CP0, Aramaki understood the hidden dangers of the political world far better than Aokiji.
He only told Aokiji one sentence.
"We can talk about everything after Lloyd Senpai wakes up."