With a sigh, Zoro didn't bother arguing with Rowan. He tightened his grip on the treasures in his arms and followed Luffy into the inner cabin.
About ten minutes later.
The Marines had almost all returned to the warship. In this incident, aside from Zephyr and Binz being heavily wounded, several recruits had been directly knocked unconscious by the terrifying sword intent Rowan released during the battle and had yet to wake up. This was why clearing the battlefield had taken more time than usual.
Once everyone was accounted for, Zephyr actually walked out of the infirmary, leaning on Ain as he gave the order for the ship to set sail back to base. As the warship began to cruise steadily, Zephyr approached Rowan.
"Master."
Zephyr didn't even look at Luffy, who had just run out of the cabin with a large bump on his head from a fresh scolding. Instead, he greeted Rowan with a smile.
As a former Admiral, even if he had been seriously injured, how could he be completely unaware of little "maneuvers" happening right under his nose? The Guerilla members he trained were no slouches. However, Zephyr chose to keep one eye open and one eye shut regarding the looted treasure.
Setting aside his personal relationship with Rowan, if the Old Man hadn't been here today, forget gold and silver—the lives of everyone on this ship would have been lost. Besides, even if they reclaimed those treasures, they would only end up being turned over to Marine Headquarters for public funds. Since his teacher had a use for them, Zephyr figured he'd rather do him a favor and let it slide.
"Ahem."
Seeing Zephyr approach, Rowan coughed a bit guiltily, then assumed a calm expression as he raised his pipe. "Zephyr-boy, your injuries are quite severe. Why are you wandering around instead of resting?"
"Hehe, don't worry, Master. It's just a minor scratch; it takes more than this to put me down."
As he spoke, Zephyr reached out to pat his chest to show how sturdy he was. But after only two taps, his face contorted in pain and he broke into a fit of coughing.
Seeing her teacher like this, Ain immediately said with concern, "Master Zephyr, let me go get the ship's doctor again."
"No need... cough... I'm fine," Zephyr waved her off repeatedly. After catching his breath, his complexion recovered slightly, and he said shamefacedly, "Master, I'm truly sorry to have let you see me in such a state."
Rowan exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at the sea ahead, smiling. "You brat, no matter how good your stamina is, you have to admit when you're getting old."
Rowan said this, but in truth, when he was Zephyr's age, his physical condition was nowhere near as good as Zephyr's currently is.
However, in Zephyr's eyes, things were different. He was only seventy; admitting he was "old" in front of his hundred-year-old teacher felt ridiculous. But honestly, after this incident, Zephyr's admiration for Rowan had deepened immensely. Not only was his strength formidable, but his stamina was simply unbelievable.
The Old Man had resolved the Whitebeard Jr. threat in a very short time, but the sheer scale of the sword pressure and pure intent he manifested required massive physical support. Yet, after the fight, the Old Man looked as if nothing had happened—he wasn't even out of breath.
To Zephyr, that kind of physical endurance was the truly terrifying part. He suspected that even a monster like Garp couldn't compare to Rowan in this regard.
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Zephyr didn't answer Rowan's comment directly. Instead, he changed the subject. "By the way, Master, you're returning to the headquarters this time... do you plan on spending your retirement in Marineford?"
Zephyr remembered Rowan saying he didn't plan on leaving again. If that were the case, it would be a blessing for the entire Navy. With Rowan's sharp eye, if he spotted a few "good sprouts" at the headquarters and gave them a few pointers, he might just raise another Admiral-level powerhouse for the Marines.
"Retirement?" Rowan grinned, taking a light puff of his pipe. "Does the Old Man look old to you?"
"Certainly not," Zephyr shook his head. Far from looking old, the current Rowan looked more spirited than he did when he first retired. Zephyr felt a pang of envy; he almost wanted to ask what kind of "maintenance" the Old Man had been doing all these years.
Looking at the horizon where the sky met the sea, Rowan's grin widened, and his tone carried a hint of wildness as he spoke slowly:
"The Old Man isn't going back to the headquarters to retire."
"The current sea... the corruption is getting a bit too heavy."
Hearing this, Zephyr's eyebrows twitched several times. He felt as if the Old Man's words carried a much deeper meaning.
However, Zephyr didn't dig deeper, nor did he want to. Ever since hearing about the World Government's recent movements, he had developed a strong sense of distrust toward the higher-ups and even certain internal factions of the Navy.
But now, his greatest enemy, "Whitebeard Jr." Edward Weevil, was dead—and he had been the one to personally take the man's head (even if the credit for the victory belonged to his mentor). Zephyr was satisfied with this outcome. Having achieved his personal closure, he didn't have much desire to meddle in whatever "big move" Rowan was planning.
Zephyr shifted his gaze to the ocean as well and sighed. "Master, it's been nearly twenty years since you've seen Sengoku and Tsuru-chan, hasn't it?"
Though Zephyr was younger than Tsuru, like Garp, he was used to calling her "Tsuru-chan."
"Sengoku and Tsuru-chan?" Hearing those names, Rowan's thoughts drifted back, his eyes showing a touch of nostalgia. "Yeah... it's been almost twenty years."
"Since the Old Man completely stopped meddling in worldly affairs, I haven't seen them once. Only that brat Garp would frequently come to the East Blue to keep me company."
Before his system was activated, Rowan's body was only slightly stronger than a normal person's. Twenty years ago, he was already an eighty-year-old man; while not too frail to walk, long-distance sea travel was a burden he couldn't easily handle. So, he rarely visited the headquarters after that. Tsuru and Sengoku were always too busy to visit him. For years, they had only communicated via Den Den Mushi.
"Master, you have no idea how much Sengoku and Tsuru miss you. Whenever we get together for a meal, they always bring up the days you spent at the headquarters."
"Oh, and then there's Gion. That little girl who used to love following you around has grown into quite the woman now."
As Zephyr spoke, he began to look forward to the scene when Sengoku and the others would finally see Rowan again. If they found out about the Old Man's current strength... they would probably be shocked out of their wits.
Imagining the priceless expressions on the faces of Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru, Zephyr couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
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