Although the murderous aura that had filled Zephyr during his battle against Sakazuki was gone, his chest rose and fell steadily, showing he was deep in sleep.
For the most part, he looked normal — the only exception being his right arm.
His entire right arm was a deep, molten red, as if it might erupt at any moment. And his hand… or rather, his claw, was a vivid crimson, with nails sharp and pointed like sword‑blades.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, allow me to explain exactly how Instructor Zephyr came to be like this…"
The Major recounted the events over the next few minutes. Kuzan remained outwardly calm as he listened, but his hands, buried deep in his pockets, were clenched tighter and tighter.
After a long silence, Kuzan asked, "You all understand what happened here, correct?"
"Um… yes, sir."
"When Instructor Zephyr wakes up — if he regains his senses — you must never mention that he harmed any Marines," Kuzan instructed firmly.
"And regarding Sakazuki… if Zephyr asks, you tell him it was Grimm who did it."
The Major understood exactly what Kuzan intended. He also knew that every bit of this tragedy was ultimately Grimm's doing. He nodded. "Understood. Then what do we do next…?"
"We return Instructor Zephyr to Marine Headquarters immediately for treatment. This is beyond what standard doctors can handle. I suspect we will need the full resources of Dr. Vegapunk's Science Unit."
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Marineford…
Under the bright surgical lights, Dr. Vegapunk stood alone in his operating scrubs.
Lying on the table before him was none other than the former Marine Admiral and current Instructor Zephyr, transported back from the New World.
According to intelligence reports, this was the result of one of Grimm's techniques. It reminded Vegapunk strongly of the monsters he had created ten years ago.
Back then, he had only ever used living subjects for experiments; he never imagined that one day, a former Admiral would be sent to him as research material.
Behind his face mask, Vegapunk's eyes narrowed. Former Admiral? Chief Instructor? Those titles mean nothing to me…
To a scientist, fresh, untouched research material is the most valuable thing in the world.
He picked up a scalpel. "According to the data, Grimm struck him directly in the abdomen… causing him to lose consciousness right in the middle of his rampage… is that correct?"
With that thought, Vegapunk made an incision down Zephyr's stomach. But when he saw what lay inside, the scientist — for whom dissections were routine work — froze in shock.
Resting quietly among the internal organs was a piece of paper, stained red but made from a special material that had kept it completely intact and undamaged.
Vegapunk set down the scalpel. He used forceps to carefully extract the paper, unfolded it, and read a single line printed in gold ink:
> "Payment has been delivered. I await your goods at Bynbruce."
Grimm.
The name immediately flashed through Vegapunk's mind. After a long pause, he placed the paper into a nearby device to be incinerated and destroyed completely. Then, a slow smile spread across his face.
"No wonder… I was wondering why Sakazuki ended up dead while Zephyr was returned safely. Part of his plan was clearly to use Zephyr… as a living messenger."
Vegapunk continued his work. He carefully removed a small sample of tissue from Zephyr's Demon Hand, preserving it properly.
He also extracted several vials of blood from the arm before finally beginning the actual medical treatment to save the patient's life.
"Whether for public good or my own interests… I cannot let you die. I will need you for many things in the future, Zephyr. Though… if I do my best and you still don't survive… well, that would be such a waste of good material."
Several hours later, Vegapunk set down his tools, walked out of the operating room, and removed his mask.
Sengoku, Kong, and the others waiting outside immediately stepped forward. "How is Zephyr's condition?"
Vegapunk replied calmly, "Hmm… I have studied similar phenomena before. His body is stable. In fact, his physical condition has improved — it's almost as if he has regained the vitality of his youth. However… there are side effects. I will need to study them further. For now, he must avoid excitement or stress. If he loses control, those cells could multiply wildly and cause him to lose his mind completely."
"Meaning… he could revert to that berserk state?" Kong frowned deeply.
Kong had been involved in the operation ten years ago when monsters were created using cells derived from Grimm's work.
He knew exactly what happened to a human body after absorbing such substances. Although in Zephyr's case, the infection seemed localized only to his right arm.
At least the rest of him still looked human… didn't he?
"I have developed a specialized sedative that can temporarily suppress the rampage," Vegapunk said.
"Though Zephyr's condition looks manageable on the surface, in reality… he will require the enhanced version to be safe."
"Wait… you have a sedative for this?" Kong asked in surprise.
Even though more than a decade had passed, that incident was so shocking and unprecedented that Kong remembered every detail clearly.
At the time, Vegapunk had stated that he had exhausted all experimental materials. How could he still have something like this?
A flash of cunning passed through Vegapunk's eyes. "Well… when creating monsters, one must also develop the means to restrain them. It was simply unnecessary to use it back then, that's all."
No one knew if the mad scientist was telling the truth or not. But right now, he was the only one capable of helping Zephyr.
The other leading scientist, Luke, specialized mostly in non‑living machinery and technology.
In truth, the formula for this sedative had been developed by Luke at Grimm's request.
Luke had given the recipe to Grimm, and Grimm had sent it to Vegapunk… written on the back side of that very note.
"When Zephyr wakes up, he may ask questions," Kong said, looking at him closely. "You know what to say, right?"
"Me? I just save lives. What else is there to say?" Vegapunk retorted casually — giving exactly the answer Kong wanted to hear.
Just as Grimm had assessed him: A truly smart person doesn't waste time plotting and scheming to show off how clever they are. They simply know what should be done… and what shouldn't.
"That is good enough," Kong said. As he turned to leave, he added, "I will station a guard unit here to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"To stop Zephyr if he goes berserk… or to keep an eye on me?" Vegapunk thought to himself.
Aloud, he asked, "May I ask… between the matter of Zephyr and the issue of the Dyna Stones… which one takes priority now?"
Kong paused in his tracks. After a long moment of silence, he replied: "… Zephyr. The Marines owe him far too much."
"Understood."
Vegapunk watched them leave. He returned to his private lab and walked over to a wall corner slightly higher than himself. He pressed a hidden mechanism.
Suddenly, a drawer slid out from the wall, two meters in front of him. Inside lay a small, combination‑locked case.
Vegapunk took out the case — about the size of a notebook — and pressed the latches on both sides. The lid sprang open, revealing rows of black ammunition inside.
Bullets of various calibers, specialized arrowheads, and other projectiles were neatly arranged.
Even the instruction manual was printed on the inside of the lid. Everything was there.
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