The masked man continued: "Besides, Punk Hazard sits in a unique location — even a permanent Log Pose from the New World can't easily pinpoint it. That's exactly why it was chosen as one of the World Government's secret research facilities."
"CP‑0?" Ain's eyes widened with unease as she stared at the man's back.
When they made an appearance, nothing good ever followed.
Binz glanced around, but saw no sign of Zephyr. "Where's Instructor Zephyr?"
"He hates this assignment more than anyone. He's probably off somewhere drinking," Ain replied.
He truly despises the Government… echoed the same thought in the minds of many of the guerrilla troops standing nearby.
"If one day I should vanish from this world, the guidance of the sea will still remain, no need to panic, for it stays with you, no need to fear, your comrades wait as well, press forward toward the vast blue horizon…"
More than a kilometer away from the docks, on the far side of the island, Zephyr sat alone on a rocky outcrop, drinking his favorite Jerez wine and humming the verses of The Guidance of the Sea.
For the first time in his entire career as a Marine, he was shirking his duty.
Sigh…
When the bottle was empty and the song came to an end, he stared out at the setting sun. Its fading glow mirrored the state of his own aging body — a bitter joke, really.
If not for that "gift" from Grimm, he would never have been able to stand on the front lines in the New World again.
The Marines exist to fight pirates and protect the people.
The World Government exists only to exploit them.
And yet the Marines serve under the Government.
"Ha ha ha… Ridiculous! Completely ridiculous!" Zephyr burst out laughing, his voice growing rough.
"I want to change it all! Let the pirates rot, and let the World Government rot right alongside them!"
He roared, hurling the empty bottle far out into the waves.
SWISH!
A high‑pitched whine cut through the air, jolting Zephyr back to calmness.
His pupils narrowed behind his glasses as he looked upward, toward a bright light descending from the sky.
As dusk settled over the horizon, a figure of glowing golden light slowly took shape.
"Night is about to fall — does the darkness frighten you? But do not worry… I am the sun that shines even in the dark."
Grimm spread his arms wide. He had heard every word Zephyr had just spoken.
If the old warrior feared the shadows, Grimm was more than happy to bring him a little light.
"How did you find this place?" Zephyr's face darkened.
"The Government may be greedy and incompetent, but when it comes to secrecy, they are usually thorough."
"True enough… but the Holy Light guided me here."
Grimm's hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and the cross hanging around his neck glowed with a brilliant golden radiance, giving him an almost holy appearance.
The last rays of sunlight vanished, and the deep black of night spread across the sky.
Zephyr knew Grimm could never have found this place on his own, nor with the resources of his crew.
The waters around Punk Hazard were geographically chaotic — no Log Pose could navigate them reliably.
Even Violet's far‑reaching Observation could not scan such a vast, uncharted stretch of ocean.
There was only one possible explanation: there was a traitor within the Marines or the Government itself.
Holy Light my foot…
Zephyr clenched his right fist, and the skin of his mechanical arm turned pitch‑black, hardening with Armament Haki.
"Oh? You can still use your Haki so effectively?" Grimm bared his sharpened teeth.
Even for legends of Whitebeard's generation, maintaining strong Armament Haki had become a great strain with age — it demanded not just willpower, but a body capable of sustaining it.
"Is it the vitality coursing through that cursed arm that keeps you going?"
"RAAAAAAGH — YOU BASTARD!"
Zephyr roared and charged, throwing a punch straight at his enemy.
BOOM!
Grimm shifted his body just in time, dodging the blow.
The force of the wind from the strike tore across the ground, sending up clouds of dust and showers of rock.
More than a kilometer away, the Marines and Government agents still counting the tribute stumbled and nearly fell.
Ain's head snapped instantly toward the source of the disturbance. "Instructor Zephyr!"
Fufufufufu…
A familiar, mocking laughter drifted down from above. The CP‑0 agents were the first to look up, their masked faces twisting in shock.
"It's Heavenly Demon — Donquixote Doflamingo!"
Doflamingo descended slowly from the sky, landing firmly on both feet.
His overwhelming aura exploded outward, and in an instant, more than eighty percent of the young recruits still fresh from the Academy collapsed unconscious, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure.
"He has the Quality of a King!"
"Conqueror's Haki?!" Binz drew the massive katana from his back and turned to Ain.
"Ain, get ready! This is the most notorious pirate in the New World!"
CRASH!
Suddenly, a wall of earth and mud surged upward like a tsunami, sweeping across the area.
Doflamingo's glasses flashed, and his right hand shaped into a claw, slashing sideways through the air.
The force of his cut tore through the flying debris, clearing a path for those still conscious beneath his Haki.
SPLASH!
Zephyr's feet sank deep into the ground, dragging a furrow tens of meters long before he came to a halt — roughly twenty meters to the right of Ain and the others.
"T‑Teacher!"
Ain and the rest stared in disbelief.
Zephyr's entire body was flushed a deep red, his short hair standing straight up like spikes, and a murderous aura radiated from him so thick it made their skin crawl.
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind swept past, and in the split second they blinked, Grimm descended from above, swinging a heavy shield down toward Zephyr's head.
Zephyr, still clinging to his awareness, raised his left arm hardened with Armament Haki to block the blow.
The impact shattered the ground beneath them, opening a crater several meters wide.
"Wait a minute… is that really a man nearly sixty‑five years old?"
Doflamingo watched the exchange with a look of disbelief.
He knew Zephyr's strength had long since declined to the level of a near‑Admiral — yet now it seemed he had surged far beyond that limit.
And what was that strange red glow spreading across his arm?
The shockwave from the collision threw both combatants apart, leaving them standing more than ten meters from each other.
Back at the docks, the faces of the Marines and Government agents turned ashen.
"One fearsome pirate… and now an Emperor as well? How did this happen?!"
Fufufufufu… Doflamingo smiled, content to stay on the sidelines and watch the fight unfold between Grimm and Zephyr.
"Instructor Zephyr!"
Ain took a step forward, but Zephyr called out sharply without turning around.
"Stay back!"
Though they could only see his back, the concern in his voice was clear.
"This is not a battle you can interfere in. It is my fault for bringing you into this assignment in the first place — I take full responsibility."
"Ain, Binz — as the top students of this class, you two are in command. Order everyone to evacuate the wounded and return to headquarters immediately. I will deal with Doflamingo and Grimm myself!"
They had thought guarding the Heavenly Tribute would be nothing more than a routine delivery.
Now it was clear how wrong they had been.
But right now, Zephyr cared far less about the so‑called "tribute" than he did about the safety of his students.
__________________
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