An elite Vice Admiral? No, that's impossible...
Zephyr couldn't help but shake his head. Having once wielded power at the Admiral level, he knew all too well how difficult it was to improve one's strength after aging. His own natural talent was far superior to Master Rowan's, yet at only seventy, his power had already begun a steady decline.
His mentor Rowan, on the other hand, was now a hundred years old. How could his strength possibly have progressed? It was likely just a masterful display of the Marine Rokushiki: Soru, Zephyr rationalized, pushing the thought aside.
He took out a small vial of specialized medication and swallowed it. Although the Battle Smasher significantly boosted his combat power, the mechanical limb was heavy and cumbersome. Before every serious engagement, he had to take stimulants to keep his aging body responsive.
"Heehee! Zoro, let's see who takes down more pirates this time, okay?"
Just as Zephyr was about to move, he saw two arms stretch incredibly long and hook onto the edge of the cliff. He turned to see Luffy, brimming with anticipation, whispering to Zoro with a look of eager excitement. Then, Luffy kicked off, launching himself upward like a stone from a slingshot.
"Gum-Gum... Rocket!"
"Boring," Zoro replied flatly, the Wado Ichimonji already clenched between his teeth. Despite his words, he wasn't slow. With a few agile bounds, he scaled the vine ladders and vanished over the ridge.
"Master Rowan's two disciples are quite interesting," Zephyr's lips curled slightly. Was that the power of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit? To think Garp's grandson would eat such a thing.
Seeing that everyone had ascended, Zephyr turned to Ain and Binz. "Let's move. If we're too late, we'll miss the show!"
With a heavy stomp, Zephyr executed a proficient Soru. While his speed was nowhere near the standard Rowan had just set, a fifty-meter cliff was mere child's play for a man of his caliber. Ain and Binz followed close behind, their silhouettes trailing him like shadows.
Ten minutes later. Near the cave where the Ogre Pirates were feasting.
The scene was somewhat different from what Rowan had envisioned. The hundreds of pirate crew members were utterly defenseless against Zephyr's recruits. Whether the recruits were too strong or this "famous" crew was too weak was hard to say.
The only ones posing a remote threat were the "Demon Executioner" Matthews, with his 53-million-Berri bounty, and the Vice-Captain Hickman, worth 31 million. However, one was currently being systematically dismantled by a Gear Second Luffy, while the other already lay beneath Zoro's three blades.
Rowan had specifically asked Zephyr for these two targets upon reaching the summit. With bounties of fifty and thirty million respectively, their strength was supposed to be the perfect "training fodder" for Luffy and Zoro.
Yet, Rowan hadn't expected their bounties to be so inflated. In the hands of these two "little guys," the two notorious outlaws didn't even have the power to strike back. It was a one-sided slaughter. Their bounties were clearly a reflection of their cruelty rather than their actual combat prowess.
Realizing this, Rowan looked disappointed. He lowered his tobacco pipe, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and turned to Zephyr. "Zephyr-boy, the strength of these Ogre Pirates is a bit of a joke, isn't it?"
This isn't a "Demon Executioner." This is a big "Experience Point" baby leading a bunch of smaller ones.
Zephyr's face was also covered in dark lines. According to his intel, the Ogre Pirates were a group of cold-blooded killers who had pillaged numerous villages across the Grand Line, leaving no survivors. To see them crushed so effortlessly by recruits who had only been in training for a year made Zephyr feel like he had thrown a full-force punch into a mountain of cotton. It wasn't satisfying at all. He clenched his mechanical claw, making the iron fingers grind together with a metallic rasp.
However, Rowan was slightly surprised by Zoro's progress; it was even better than he had anticipated. As for Luffy—the boy had followed him for so long that if he couldn't beat a fifty-million-Berri pirate, he shouldn't go around calling himself the Great-Grandson of Marine Godfather Rowan.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Rowan, standing on a tree branch, narrowed his eyes. He turned his gaze toward the scorching sun in the south, his expression turning sharp.
"Master Rowan, what's wrong?" Noticing the movement, Zephyr looked at him with confusion.
Rowan didn't explain. He simply squinted his eyes.
Suddenly...
BOOM!
The earth trembled. A black silhouette was sent flying out of the southern forest, crashing heavily into a massive boulder not far from where Rowan and Zephyr stood.
"Binz!" Ain's face paled instantly.
The black figure was Binz, who had been sent by Zephyr to scout for any fleeing pirates. Now, Binz was in a wretched state. Several grisly wounds were gushing blood, and the air was thick with the scent of iron. The gash across his chest was particularly horrific; blood flowed like a fountain, and white bone was visible through the torn flesh.
Ain rushed forward, desperate to help him.
"Don't come over, Ain! Run! Take the Master and run! It's dangerous here!" Binz coughed up a mouthful of blood. He forced himself through the agony, pushing Ain away with all his might before rolling to the side.
In the next heartbeat, a massive naginata sliced through the air with a terrifying whistle, smashing into the exact spot where Binz had just been lying. Fortunately, he had rolled away in time, and the blade only caught the hem of his clothes. But the shockwave from the impact sent him tumbling further away. Upon landing, he couldn't stop himself from vomiting another gout of blood.
"Oh? Mama, Mama, look! There are so many Marines here!"
After sending Binz flying, the owner of the naginata didn't retract the weapon. Instead, he looked up and scanned the surroundings, speaking in a dim-witted, sluggish tone.
Seeing this massive, simple-minded man, Zephyr's face transformed. Hatred, rage, and a grim excitement flickered across his features in rapid succession.
"Whitebeard Jr.... Edward Weevil! Seven years... for seven long years, I have waited to see you again!" Zephyr's mouth pulled back into a snarl, revealing his teeth. His body trembled with suppressed emotion.
This was the man. The culprit who had attacked his training ship seven years ago, severed his arm, and slaughtered his students.
Edward Weevil!
At the sight of him, the agonizing memories of seven years ago flooded back like a tidal wave. Zephyr gritted his teeth, his voice a low growl as he spoke the name he had dreamed of shredding into pieces countless times.
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