The townsfolk stayed inside their homes, watching everything unfold through their windows.
But no one dared step outside — the blood‑soaked chaos of the previous night was still fresh in their minds.
Clop, clop, clop…
At that moment, the steady sound of marching footsteps echoed through the streets.
Grimm looked back at the broadcast to see Zephyr — wearing a tattered black tank top, his body crisscrossed with fresh wounds — leading several hundred men toward King Riku and his officers in the middle of the road.
"M‑Marines…?"
The people of Sius whispered to themselves from behind closed doors.
Though these men were not in full Marine uniforms, the seagull emblem of the organization was clearly visible on their gear.
Behind Zephyr walked none other than Vergo and the forces of G‑5, who had rushed over as soon as they received the call.
When Vergo first laid eyes on Zephyr upon landing, he quickly pieced together what had happened.
Though he burned with the desire to kill the old warrior, he kept his true feelings hidden and maintained a respectful demeanor.
"You are…?" King Riku, still kneeling, lifted his head and looked at Zephyr with confusion.
"Please rise, Your Majesty. It is not you who should be kneeling," Zephyr said in a hoarse voice, helping the king to his feet.
"Your Majesty — this man drove off Doflamingo last night, after you fell unconscious…" Commander Tond explained from behind Riku.
"Is that so? I am deeply grateful…" Tears welled up in the king's eyes.
"No — please allow me, on behalf of the entire Marine force…"
Zephyr suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed his head low to the ground. "I must offer you my sincerest apologies!"
The Marines behind him — including Vergo — were stunned. After a few seconds of hesitation, they too fell to their knees.
Even suspended from duty, Zephyr was still Zephyr — a man held in equal esteem to the Iron Fist Garp and the Buddha Sengoku.
If he knelt, how could any of them dare to remain standing?
The men of G‑5 had no idea what was going on, but they followed suit anyway.
"Sir Marine… what is the meaning of this?" Riku asked, his voice trembling in disbelief.
Zephyr kept his head bowed and gave a bitter smile. "I have been suspended from active service… but you may call me Z."
"Then… Mr. Z — why must you do this?" Riku asked, still confused.
Still kneeling, Zephyr continued: "If I had not happened to hear of this plot while traveling, Sius would almost certainly have fallen under pirate rule. This is a failure of both the Marines and the World Government."
"I may have stopped it today, but we failed to prevent it in the first place — and that is a grave mistake. Please allow me to make amends. I will have my men explain the full truth to your people immediately."
---
"Zephyr actually went and did that?!"
Back in Artemis, watching the broadcast, Jaina, Yasuo, Indigo, and the others were equally shocked.
For a former Marine Admiral to take such responsibility and apologize on his knees — it was almost unheard of.
"I'm more curious about what's happening to Doflamingo and his crew right now," someone commented.
"Good question. Even as a Warlord, he can't just seize an entire kingdom and get away with it, can he?"
"Which means he'll probably lose his title!"
"Could well be."
"Only just appointed a few months ago and already stripped of his rank — what a joke! Hahaha!"
Grimm watched Zephyr bowing deeply, then turned to Jaina behind him.
"Immediately resume patrols across the first half of the New World. You will go and make contact with Zephyr — take Yasuo with you. There is no one better suited than the two of you to understand the dark side of this world."
With the orders given, Jaina and Yasuo set off at once.
Bruuu‑bruuu‑bruuu…
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang out. Grimm turned to see its familiar shape — curved glasses, pink skin, and a feathered cape — unmistakably Doflamingo's.
Grimm smiled and picked up the receiver, but said nothing, letting the other man speak first.
"Is that you?"
After half a minute of silence, Doflamingo's voice came through — cold and menacing, even though he tried to keep it under control.
"Who knows? Zephyr isn't one of my men," Grimm replied, and hung up before Doflamingo could respond.
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo listened to the dial tone, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white.
The battered officers of his family, still recovering from their fight with Zephyr, dared not make a sound.
"Y‑Young Master…" Baby 5 stammered.
SMASH!!
Doflamingo slammed the receiver down hard onto the table, veins bulging on his forehead. "That bastard — he broke our agreement!"
Meanwhile, Grimm remained silent for a moment, then let out a quiet chuckle. He could not see or hear Doflamingo's expression, but he could easily imagine it.
I never broke any promise — I didn't lift a single finger myself.
Doflamingo was seething with rage, yet powerless to do anything about it.
Outmatched in both strength and influence, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and keep his grievances to himself.
---
Back in Sius, Zephyr explained the full truth of what had happened.
Word spread quickly from person to person, and by the end of the afternoon, King Riku had begun to regain the trust of his people.
At the same time, Vergo reported the incident up the chain of command, and local journalists caught wind of the story.
It was only a matter of time before tomorrow's headlines would reach every corner of the world: "Former Admiral Kneels in Apology — Warlord Attempts Coup."
As expected, the news broke the next day. The story of Zephyr's apology took the front page, while Doflamingo's failed scheme was reported further inside.
Zephyr was promptly recalled to Marine Headquarters. This time, he did not delay; he boarded Vergo's ship and made the journey without hesitation.
Not out of fear of the Marines or the Government, but simply because he wanted to see how they would respond and explain themselves.
---
"Ah, Teacher — what a magnificent thing you've done! Setting such a shining example for us all~"
At Marine Headquarters, Borsalino — now the Base Commander of G‑2 — greeted Zephyr with his usual lazy, mocking tone.
Like Commander Gilbert of G‑5, he had been called back to the capital ahead of the World Summit.
Borsalino had not yet begun bringing his ZP units everywhere he went — especially not in front of Zephyr.
But Zephyr already knew the truth. Seeing Borsalino's face again brought back the memory of those look‑alike "clones" he had seen at G‑2.
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself and spoke in the same stern, familiar way as before.
"Borsalino — I will remind you once again: do not rely too heavily on the powers of your Glint‑Glint Fruit."
__________________
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