Rumble...

A deep, low tremor spread from beneath their feet as gravel began to shudder and bounce, sending chills down the spines of every Marine present.

"So this is the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi..."

Zephyr's eyes were now completely bloodshot. He pressed his lone arm to the ground, veins bulging across his forearm and the back of his hand as he panted heavily.

"...What an annoying power."

Daren let out a quiet chuckle.

Everyone knew—men like Zephyr, legends from a bygone era—never held Devil Fruits in reverence. In fact, most of them viewed such powers with thinly veiled disdain.

To them, true strength came from Haki.

Flesh and bone clashing in life-or-death combat—that was the ultimate romance of a warrior.

Back in their time, even figures like Whitebeard or Shiki only used their Devil Fruit abilities to bolster their own raw strength or amplify the destructive force of their attacks. Between opponents of equal standing, battles still came down to fists, blades, and Haki.

Compared to the strange and flashy powers of Devil Fruits, the old guard trusted their fists and the steel in their hands far more.

The ground trembled beneath them. Unease grew in the eyes of the watching Marines.

From a collapsed military stronghold in the distance, Sengoku climbed to his feet, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Daren and Zephyr.

"Daren, do you know something?"

Zephyr suddenly spoke.

He gasped for air, clearly still trying to adapt to the new, unfamiliar power coursing through his body. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at Daren.

"All these years... I've always regretted not being at God Valley."

"I regret never getting the chance to fight a monster like Rocks, never standing alongside Garp to take down one of the greatest pirates in history... never becoming a true hero of the Marines."

Daren's eyes flicked to Zephyr's missing arm. A flicker of sorrow passed through his gaze.

"I'm sorry... for dragging you into this."

But Zephyr just smiled and shook his head.

"No. It doesn't matter to me anymore."

"Because I've finally realized—what lies behind the Marine hero's title is far more brutal than I ever imagined."

"Genocidal slaughter gave birth to those so-called heroes... And Marines like us were ordered to protect the very butchers who carried it out."

"Daren... you did the right thing."

He laughed freely.

"Those damn Celestial Dragons deserve to die!"

As if sensing something, Zephyr slowly turned his head to look at the mansion behind him—still intact, still untouched after all the chaos and bloodshed.

Deep inside the mansion, on the second-floor terrace, a graceful figure stepped out into view.

Her long, pale green hair flowed like a waterfall, dancing gently in the breeze.

Wearing a loose pink kimono, the gentle woman looked out across the battlefield. Her clear, bright eyes fell on the Marine Vice Admiral before her, full of quiet warmth and tenderness.

Amidst the howling wind and rain, she stood fragile yet unyielding, her smile as beautiful as falling cherry blossoms.

"Toki..."

Daren whispered.

Their eyes met.

Even through the storm, it felt as if nothing could cloud their gaze.

Zephyr watched them with a gentle smile. For a brief moment, his aged eyes seemed to drift into memory.

And somehow, just for that instant, the pain in his severed arm didn't seem quite so sharp.

"...At least this way, I won't have so many regrets, right?"

Zephyr muttered softly.

In his dazed eyes, it was as if he could see a scene that had visited him countless times in his dreams.

"Then... let's begin."

He smiled and exhaled, a flash of resolution glinting in his eyes as he clenched his lone fist.

Rumble...

The ground beneath him began to tremble even more violently.

But just then, a firm, knuckled hand suddenly rested on his arm.

"I told you, your final lesson isn't today."

Zephyr blinked, then looked up.

He met the calm, unwavering gaze of the Marine Vice Admiral.

"You're the only one I can trust... Zephyr-sensei."

"So please."

"Take Toki away—first."

Those words hit Zephyr like a bolt of lightning. His pupils shrank, his whole body trembling.

He stared wide-eyed at the young man before him—his most exceptional student—completely stunned.

"You damn brat... you're not saying—"

His chapped lips moved, but he couldn't bring himself to speak the thought out loud. The idea in his mind was too overwhelming, too unthinkable.

The rain had finally stopped.

But the world now felt darker than ever, a heavy gloom pressing over everything.

Zephyr looked at the quiet determination on Daren's face. He was silent for a long moment—two full seconds—then opened his mouth, as if to protest.

But no words came.

He could only let out a long sigh and shake his head.

"You're insane."

With a sudden motion, he clenched his fist.

Crack!

The ground split beneath him.

Zephyr's eyes flared with intensity. The once-white cloak on his back, now soaked with dried blood, had turned pitch-black—silent, grim, and chilling.

Dust exploded outward. A huge section of land, including the traditional Japanese-style mansion behind him, rose into the air under the power of buoyancy and began to float skyward.

Seeing this, Sengoku's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he roared,

"Stop him!!"

Dozens of Sengoku's personal guards leapt from their positions, launching a coordinated assault toward Zephyr using Soru.

And then—

BOOM!!

A monstrous surge of power erupted from Daren's body, shaking heaven and earth. It blasted outward like a gale from the depths of hell, sweeping across all of Marineford in an instant.

Black and red lightning crackled and intertwined, stretching across the sky in thick, jagged streaks.

Under the weight of this pressure, the countless seagull flags flying above Marineford shuddered and drooped, as if paralyzed with fear.

Even Sengoku's elite bodyguards, seasoned and strong, were overwhelmed. Their eyes lost focus—and with a dull thud, they dropped to one knee.

"To everyone here..."

The Vice Admiral slowly turned, blood staining his face, his eyes calm but sharp, filled with quiet menace. His voice was low and steady.

"We've known each other a long time. Maybe next time we meet, we'll be enemies locked in battle to the death."

"So today—let me see it."

Daren tilted his chin slightly and grinned.

"Let me see your justice."

Sengoku stood frozen in place, his mind blank.

Not far away, Gion, Tokikake, Doberman, Yamakaji, and the others stared at Daren in stunned silence, as if looking at a complete lunatic.

"W-Wait... this has got to be a joke, right...?" Tokikake clutched his head, face pale with panic.

Gion's lips parted slightly, her complexion ghostly.

"This is getting interesting..." Borsalino said, a gleam of amusement curling at the corners of his lips.

Sakazuki snapped his head up. Beneath the brim of his cap, his usually cold eyes now burned with an indescribable intensity.

Kuzan trembled with excitement, his eyes glowing, mumbling to himself over and over,

"...This is so damn cool!"

And around them, nearly every Marine officer and soldier present froze at first... then slowly began to grasp what was happening. Their expressions twisted into shock, awe, and rising disbelief.

They swallowed hard.

And when they looked at the Vice Admiral again...

Their eyes were filled with an unprecedented weight.

A solemnity.

And an uncontrollable—frenzy, admiration, and reverence.

In that moment, everyone finally understood.

A storm erupted in their hearts.

That man...was going to challenge the entire Marine Headquarters—alone.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon(.)com/PinkSnake

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.