"God..."
That single word escaping Zephyr's lips caught Grimm off guard. He paused, his movements halting completely.
For some reason, he found himself curious to hear what the old man had to say at this very moment.
"God..."
Hearing the word repeated, Grimm let out a faint laugh. "God?"
"Are you praying for divine intervention?" Grimm asked with a frown. But Zephyr didn't even have the strength left to answer.
Truth be told, had Zephyr fought with calm focus, he never would have fallen this fast.
But when a man is consumed entirely by rage, there are only two outcomes: he crushes his enemy instantly… or he destroys himself.
Zephyr had met the second fate. He was advanced in years; his explosive power had long since faded.
Losing was inevitable, though even Grimm hadn't expected him to crumble so completely.
As consciousness faded, scenes from Zephyr's life flashed rapidly through his mind…
"I am truly sorry, Zephyr…"
Then‑Fleet Admiral Kong stood before Zephyr, who was still only middle‑aged at the time. He bowed deeply, his face etched with grief.
"We fell for the pirates' diversionary tactic. We… we failed to protect your wife and child. It happened because… because of the Celestial Dragons…"
Zephyr stood frozen for several seconds. Then, the alarm bells began to ring throughout the base.
He turned and walked out of the office without looking back, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.
"The alarms are sounding. It is time for us to depart, is it not?"
No one saw the tears streaming down Zephyr's face. He knew the truth: the murder of his family was inextricably tied to the Celestial Dragons.
…
"Because his crewmates were killed, Roger stormed the Sabaody Archipelago and attacked the territory of the Celestial Dragons. Admiral of the Black Arm, the Government has just issued orders commanding you to lead the support force!" a soldier reported, standing before Zephyr's desk.
A vein bulged on Zephyr's forehead. He ripped the heavy Marine coat from his shoulders and threw it hard against the soldier's chest.
"Congratulations. You are the Admiral now. You go."
Zephyr turned and walked out of the office, never to return. The soldiers behind him called out in panic: "Admiral Black Arm! Where are you going?! Admiral!!"
…
"You're resigning? Have you lost your mind?!"
Kong stared in disbelief at the letter of resignation placed before him.
"First Garp refused promotion… and now you…"
"I… I want to dedicate my life to raising heroes."
Suddenly, Grimm's voice pierced through these memories like a sharp blade.
"So… in the end… did your God ever descend to save you?"
The vision faded, returning to the bloody reality of the battlefield in Altdimir.
Grimm looked down at the agonized Zephyr, his face filled with sorrow and indignation as he asked the question.
"GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
It is said that the strength a human displays normally is barely ten percent of their absolute limit.
When pushed past breaking point, they can unleash unbelievable power. And that was exactly what happened to Zephyr now.
No one knew what final thought crossed his mind. After a roar of pure, shattering despair, he pushed off the ground and leaped upward.
Though his limbs were broken and useless, he seemed to revert to the instincts of a wild beast. He lunged and sank his teeth deep into the flesh of Grimm's elbow.
"Mr. Zephyr!"
Grimm had never expected Zephyr to summon such strength in his final moments.
As Zephyr's teeth pierced his skin, Grimm gathered Holy Light into a spear in his other hand and pressed the glowing tip directly against Zephyr's forehead.
"You are truly magnificent… truly great. But alas… we stand on opposite sides."
SWISH!
At the very end, Grimm offered him genuine praise. But immediately after, he thrust the spear forward, striking Zephyr squarely between the eyes.
"INSTRUCTOR ZEPHYR!!!"
Shojo, unable to move an inch, screamed until his voice broke and tears flowed freely.
Zephyr was no Devil Fruit user. A direct, fatal blow to the brain meant certain death.
His body fell to the ground, motionless at last.
But at that exact moment, a notification chimed clearly inside Grimm's mind:
> "Ding! Special Mission Triggered: The Tragic Hero!"
>
> Mission Description: Admiral Zephyr is a tragic hero. He spent his life acting with benevolence and justice, fighting for the people. Yet his beloved family was murdered by pirates — the very same criminals he had spared time and again. He has lived decades drowning in guilt and confusion. Host, help Zephyr rediscover the true meaning of 'Justice' within his heart!
>
> Mission Requirement: Use Plague of Blood to resurrect Zephyr. The system will automatically transform the once‑famed Black Arm into this world's very first Demon Hand.
>
> Mission Reward: Unknown
>
> Mission Failure: No penalty.
Reading the mission details, a smirk appeared on Grimm's face.
"Now this… is perfectly timed."
He grinned widely, reached out his hand, and planted the seed of Plague of Blood directly into the bleeding hole in Zephyr's forehead.
In the next second, the grievous wound began to close and heal, knitting together slowly but surely.
Elsewhere on the battlefield…
"Major Shojo! Are you unhurt?!"
Several Marines rushed to Shojo's side, panic written all over their faces.
They had hurried over the moment they finished dealing with those strange ghouls.
Thankfully, although those monsters possessed agility far beyond normal humans, they weren't actually very powerful.
More importantly, they seemed to lack any form of command or intelligence — their brains driven only by a primal hunger.
Defeating them had been easy enough once they started using strategy.
"I am fine… the problem is… Instructor Zephyr…"
Hearing his words, the newly arrived Marines all turned their gaze toward Zephyr's position.
From where they stood, they could just make out Grimm standing over Zephyr's prone body, as if waiting for something to happen.
"Ugh… urgh… AAAAHHH!!"
Zephyr let out low, pained groans. The hole in his forehead had completely closed over, but the wound there was no longer the problem.
The transformation was happening in his right arm.
The veins throughout his entire right arm shifted violently, bursting and reshaping themselves.
They were no longer blue or purple, but a terrifying, burning crimson. The muscles expanded and bulged grotesquely, growing until the arm was nearly twice its original size.
"Curse of Kazan? … The Demon Hand, huh?" Grimm muttered to himself.
Then he vanished from his spot, instantly leaping backward nearly five hundred meters to the peak of a nearby mountain, where he stood watching.
Shojo and the others clearly heard the agonized cries. Desperate to save his master, Shojo waved his hand frantically.
"Damn it… that damned Pontiff shattered every bone in my body! I can't move! You men… go check on Instructor Zephyr immediately! GO!"
Five or six Marines rushed over. They were terrified by the ominous, demonic aura radiating from Zephyr, but he was deeply loved by his students. Hesitantly, they called out:
"Instructor Zephyr? Instructor…?"
"Are you alive?! Please, answer us! Instructor!!"
CRACK…
Suddenly, that terrifying Demon Hand shot out and grabbed the nearest Marine right in front of everyone's eyes.
With a casual flick, the soldier was sent flying hundreds of meters, crashing violently into a stone wall. He collapsed, head bleeding profusely, life or death unknown.
Shojo and the others were paralyzed with fear at the sight.
It was true that Zephyr had been known for strict discipline and even physical punishment during training… but it was never severe, never truly harmful.
What they had just seen… was a killing blow. He had just murdered that Marine effortlessly.
"Instructor… sir… what… what has happened to you…?" another Marine stammered, voice trembling.
Before he could finish his sentence, Zephyr pushed himself upright using his monstrous arm.
With a single sweep of that massive, crimson limb, he swatted every Marine surrounding him aside like ragdolls, sending them flying in every direction.
__________________
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