Edward Weevil swung his massive naginata in a horizontal sweep. Zephyr, having recovered only a sliver of his strength, barely managed to raise his right arm to parry.
CLANG!
The sheer weight of the impact sent a shockwave through Zephyr's entire right arm, leaving it numb. Using the momentum to catapult himself backward once more, Zephyr felt his blood churning violently, and a suffocating pressure built in his chest.
Among his peers, Zephyr's stamina was considered exceptional. His body hadn't withered as much as most men his age. But no matter how one looked at it, he was seventy years old. For an ordinary man, retirement would have begun a decade ago. At this age, combined with the accumulated hidden injuries of a lifetime of battle, Zephyr's current combat power was far, far below his prime.
Furthermore, the simpleton before him—the self-proclaimed Whitebeard Jr.—was a monster characterized specifically by his overwhelming strength and bottomless endurance. In a battle of attrition against such a freak, Zephyr never had a chance of victory.
At the start, Zephyr had planned to unleash his most explosive attacks immediately, hoping the Battle Smasher would allow him to take the bastard down before his stamina hit the halfway mark. But the reality was a bitter pill to swallow. He had drastically underestimated how much this simpleton had grown over the years. His full-power bursts hadn't gained him a single advantage; in fact, he had been suppressed from the very first exchange.
Now, as his stamina hit rock bottom, Zephyr felt the cold grip of inevitability. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he fell to that naginata once again.
"How dare you stop me from finding Papa! You deserve to die!" Weevil roared, shouting nonsense as he charged again, dragging his blade behind him. He looked for all the world as if Zephyr were the one who had committed an unspeakable crime against him.
Zephyr didn't have time to process the absurdity. Facing a strike that tore through the air with a terrifying whistle, he leaped and performed a desperate roll across the ground, narrowly evading the edge. But before he could even draw a breath, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes again.
SHING!
Having missed the first swing, Edward Weevil pivoted and swung the naginata back. The blade carried a horrific momentum as it aimed straight for Zephyr's face.
Zephyr's forearms turned jet-black with Haki as he thrust the mechanical Smasher forward to shield his chest.
CLANG!
The blade struck with unstoppable force. The bone-shaking ring of metal on metal filled the air. This time, his strength exhausted, Zephyr could no longer hold his ground.
Tucked behind the Smasher, Zephyr felt as though he had been struck head-on by a warship cruising at full speed. The monumental force lifted him off his feet and sent him tumbling through the air.
BOOM!
Zephyr smashed through a dozen thick trees before his body finally came to a halt, slumped against the roots of a shattered giant oak. He coughed up a massive gout of blood. His vision blurred, and the internal turmoil in his chest refused to settle.
Worse still, the mechanical Smasher on his arm let out an ominous CRACK. The jagged mechanical claw, covered in fractures, snapped and fell away in pieces. The weapon he had used for years to eradicate countless pirates had finally reached the end of its life.
"Master Zephyr!"
A wave of shock and terror washed over the faces of the Marines. Their most respected, invincible teacher had been defeated! And so decisively!
"Master Zephyr!" Ain let out a heart-wrenching scream, tears streaming down her face as she leaped from the branch to rush toward him.
Zephyr, glimpsing her from the corner of his eye, used the last of his strength to bark a warning. "Ain, stay back! Didn't I tell you to take the others and go?! Get out of here!"
"But Master Zephyr..." Ain's steps faltered. She pressed her hands over her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs, but the tears flowed like a dam had burst.
"Heehee."
At that moment, Miss Bakkin—the woman Weevil called Mama—hopped out. She let out a shrill, piercing laugh as she reached Weevil's side, her face twisting into a dark, sinister grin.
"Want to leave? Let me tell you, not a single one of you is getting away!" She patted Weevil on the shoulder and shrieked, "Weevil! Kill that old man! And those Marines on the island—kill them all! They're the hateful enemies stopping you from finding your father!"
Edward Weevil's rage spiked. "Why... why does everyone want to stop me from finding Papa? Don't worry, Mama! I'll kill every last one of them!"
"Kill us? You'll have to get through me first!" Zephyr forced himself up, leaning against the broken tree. He let out a defiant laugh, wiped the blood from his lips, and tore the remains of the shattered Smasher from his arm.
"Then die first!" Weevil roared, his massive frame blurring as he launched himself forward. He gripped the naginata with both hands and brought it down toward Zephyr with zero reservation. This strike carried one hundred percent of his monstrous strength.
"Master Zephyr!" The Marines cried out in horror. With the Smasher destroyed, they couldn't imagine how an unarmed, exhausted Zephyr could possibly block such a blow.
CLANG!
As many closed their eyes, unable to watch the end, the thunderous sound of impact rang out again. When they looked, they saw Zephyr standing with his arms crossed. Both forearms were coated in Armament Haki as black as ink.
"Whew... thank god." The recruits exhaled in relief. The name "Black Arm" was no empty boast; even without the mechanical limb, Zephyr was still a legendary Marine.
However, even though he blocked the strike, Weevil's raw, primeval power was too much. Zephyr was swatted away like a cannonball.
BOOM!
Zephyr's massive frame was sent flying hundreds of meters. He smashed through a dozen more trees and skidded across the ground for another thirty meters, kicking up a massive cloud of dust before finally slamming into a boulder.
Pfft!
His throat burned as he vomited more blood mixed with bits of internal organs. He was, unmistakably, at the very end of his rope.
But Weevil, having sent him flying, had no intention of letting him recover. He stomped the ground, launching himself toward the fallen Admiral to deliver the finishing blow. He was going to end it now!
Slumped against the boulder, a bloodied and broken Zephyr forced himself to stand. He didn't look at the incoming Weevil. Instead, he looked up at the sky and began to laugh. It was a tragic, bitter sound.
"Master Rowan... I've truly disappointed you. Heaven gave me a second chance to face this man, and right before your eyes, I've failed again. I, 'Black Arm' Zephyr, am truly useless."
"What is the point of a man like me living? Perhaps... a death in battle is the only proper end for me."
Exhausted of every ounce of strength, Zephyr finally closed his eyes. He was ready to embrace the coming darkness.
"Master Zephyr!" The crowd was inconsolable. Ain and Binz, his longest-serving disciples, were devastated. Ain tried to move, but Weevil's explosive speed was simply too high. She couldn't possibly make it in time.
Even if she did, what could she do? Despair filled her soul as she wept.
Suddenly, Rowan's voice echoed in her mind.
"As long as the Old Man is here, I won't let..."
Ain whipped her head around, her voice hoarse as she screamed, "Mr. Rowan, please sa—!"
But the moment she turned, she saw that Rowan was already gone. A violent gust of wind tore past her.
In the next heartbeat, a terrifying, absolute Sword Intent exploded from behind her.