"Ze… Zephyr-sensei…"
The two Commodores from Marine Headquarters who had been brought forward looked at Zephyr with deep shame written all over their faces.
Zephyr's expression remained stern as he spoke.
"Abel, Edrich… It seems you have no intention of defending yourselves."
"We're sorry… Zephyr-sensei…"
Tens of thousands of Marines watched the scene in stunned silence.
These two Commodores were the very high-ranking officers exposed by the pirate during the human auction broadcast—the ones who had secretly been shielding this slave market.
Only a few minutes had passed, and they had already been captured and brought back.
The Marines, whose morale had wavered after the pirates' revelations, now saw their spirits reignite. They watched eagerly, waiting to see what would happen next.
"You've truly disappointed me."
Zephyr's gaze was sharp, the disappointment in his voice unmistakable.
"If I remember correctly, you were both from the second batch I trained."
"Yes… Zephyr-sensei…"
"Damn it…"
In an instant, Zephyr's iron arm was coated in black Armament Haki. With a thunderous impact, he struck each of them in the head.
A terrifying shockwave burst outward, cracking the ground like a spiderweb.
The force rippled across the plaza, startling every Marine present.
When the dust cleared, both men had collapsed. Their eyes had rolled back, blood streaming down their foreheads as they lay unconscious.
"Men! Take them away. Send them to the military tribunal. I want every last detail of their crimes investigated and laid bare!"
Only after the two were dragged off did Zephyr turn to face the gathered Marines. Then he raised his voice toward the direction of the human auction house.
"Despicable pirates! If there's anything more you want to expose, say it now! As long as I remain an Admiral, I will not allow this kind of darkness to exist within the Marines!"
At once, most of the Marines' eyes lit up with renewed passion. They raised their weapons and roared.
"Yeah!!!"
"Admiral Zephyr!"
"Long live! Long live!!!"
…
Inside the Human Auction Hall.
On the stage, Yemu sent the host named Aesop flying with a single kick. His eyes swept over the nobles below, their faces pale, their expressions nearly hopeless.
The situation outside was being monitored the entire time through a visual Den Den Mushi.
"As expected of an Admiral. Even in this situation, he's turned it to his advantage," Tiger said with genuine admiration.
"So what now? Keep going?" Enel asked, scratching his head as he ate a banana.
"Of course. The purpose of this game was only to draw the Marines' attention. The result doesn't matter. Though if we're lucky, we might plant a seed for the future."
Yemu's gaze drifted across the crowd until it settled on someone.
"You're next. You were shouting pretty arrogantly earlier… Prince of the Ilisia Kingdom."
…
"Zephyr-sensei is incredible!"
"Yeah, everyone's morale shot right back up!"
Among the Marines outside, the Rear Admirals Gion and Strawberry looked around at the surging momentum and couldn't help but praise him sincerely.
But when they turned back, they realized that Kuzan, Borsalino, and even Zephyr-sensei himself didn't look pleased at all.
Their expressions were heavy. Somber.
"What's wrong with you guys…?" Gion asked, puzzled.
Kuzan glanced back at her and let out a quiet sigh before answering, his tone troubled.
"The real trouble is only just beginning. Right now, all Zephyr-sensei can do is try to separate the Marines from this mess…"
"Eh?!"
Before Gion could even process that, the familiar voice continued coming from the Den Den Mushi.
"Hahaha, as expected of Admiral Zephyr. You've made me look at the Marines in a new light. But next up is someone important. Go on, state your name… Your Highness."
"Help… help me… Father…"
A man's desperate cry rang out through the Den Den Mushi.
"Hey, hey. I didn't give you a chance just so you could say that. If you won't cooperate, I'll have to be a little rough."
"N-no! Don't! I'll talk, I'll talk! My name is Bessos. I'm the Prince of the Ilisia Kingdom, one of the World Government's member nations."
"A prince, huh? Then tell me something. As a prince, knowing that slave trading is prohibited, why did you come here?"
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't think it mattered. Everyone does it, so I…"
"Oh? And who exactly is 'everyone'?"
"My father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, the kingdom's nobles… and nobles from other countries too…"
"You're not afraid of the law?"
"Those laws are for commoners. We're nobles."
The moment those words spread across the island, the atmosphere shifted.
The ordinary people listening in all changed expressions. They had always known this was how the world worked, but hearing a noble admit it so openly still left a bitter ache in their chests.
"Oh? Interesting. So that's how it is. Truly fitting for nobility…"
"Then let me ask you one more thing. As a prince—someone born into royalty—protecting your country's citizens from pirates should be your duty, right? Name just one instance where you did that, and I'll let you go."
"Th-this… I…"
The Den Den Mushi's face was drenched in sweat, its anxious expression mirroring Prince Bessos's panic.
"Don't tell me… not even one?"
At that moment, Zephyr, Kuzan, Borsalino, Gion, and Strawberry all wore dark expressions. The surrounding Marines clenched their fists in anger.
But this was only the beginning…
"So you really are scum. In that case, I don't see any reason to spare you."
"N-no! That's not it!"
As if sensing the killing intent, the voice on the other end became frantic, words tumbling out without restraint.
"It's because those pirates would never attack our country! It's not my—"
He abruptly cut himself off, followed by the sound of someone covering their mouth.
"Oh? That's strange. Why wouldn't they attack your country? Is your king so beloved that even pirates are moved by his virtue? Somehow, I doubt that."
"I—I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Th-that's because… those pirates were cultivated by our country!"
A wave of shocked cries swept across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
"Oh? Now you've piqued my interest. Go on. Tell me everything. If I'm satisfied, maybe I'll let you live."
"R-really?!"
"Of course."
"Father, I'm sorry! I don't want to die! I'll talk! Our country secretly supports twenty pirate crews. They're granted permission to plunder legally. As long as they don't touch our nation and hand over a portion of their spoils, we ignore whatever they do to surrounding countries, villages, and islands. We even help them hide things from the Marines…"
In that instant, countless eyes widened in disbelief.
"This… that can't be real…"