Electric arcs danced in the air as Momonga's face slowly took shape, forged from searing-hot plasma. His neatly trimmed mustache and rigid expression gave him an air of stern formality.

In one hand, he held a gleaming mechanical arm. With the other, he raised a crisp salute to Zephyr.

"Zephyr-sensei."

The moment he appeared, the lightning flickering across the sky faded away, and the skies returned to a calm, clear blue.

"Oh, it's that electric rodent!"

Tokikake muttered under his breath when he saw Momonga, then scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Damn it! Nearly scared me to death!"

Yamakaji stood beside him, arms crossed, wearing a half-amused smirk.

"I just slipped, alright?" Tokikake muttered, not even bothering to look embarrassed.

Compared to their calm reactions, officers like Shuzo—fresh out of the academy—were visibly stunned by Momonga's sudden arrival.

"That's him!"

"The deputy commander of the North Blue Fleet!"

"The man who led the flying fleet to bomb Mary Geoise!"

"What terrifying presence… That speed just now—was that the Goro Goro no Mi? The strongest of the Logia class?"

"No wonder he had the guts to fire on the Holy Land!"

"..."

They stared wide-eyed, inching forward in fascination, eager to catch a closer glimpse of the man before them.

Unlike Tokikake and Yamakaji, who were well-acquainted with Momonga, for Shuzo and the other newer officers, he was a living legend.

They knew Daren well enough, but they had never seen the man who actually commanded the North Blue Fleet. Their curiosity was natural.

After all, what this man had accomplished was beyond belief—things that no one else in these seas had dared to do, except for Instructor Daren.

"What brings you here, kid?"

Zephyr's face lit up with a rare smile when he saw Momonga approach.

"Shouldn't the North Blue Fleet be swamped right about now?"

Hearing the nearby murmurs from the younger officers, Momonga couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

Now he finally understood why Daren used to visit the academy so often—even after graduation. It had to be those admiring eyes from the "junior cadets." That feeling really was addictive.

Still, with Zephyr in front of him, Momonga maintained the composure befitting the North Blue Fleet's second-in-command. He gave a modest smile and shook his head slightly.

"Not particularly busy. It's just that everything has to be handled with extreme caution."

Zephyr looked him over and nodded, his expression turning thoughtful.

"Now I understand why that brat Daren never let you go, no matter how many times I asked."

"A man like you—running the fleet so efficiently on your own—he's got a much better eye for talent than I ever did."

Zephyr knew exactly what Momonga meant.

That "extreme caution" referred to the fact that the North Blue Fleet's structure and size had matured to a stable point.

Given their current power and resources, further expansion wasn't realistic—at least not in the short term.

More importantly, under the current strategy of mutual deterrence with the World Government, the North Blue Fleet's existing size was already enough.

When both sides are armed with weapons of mass destruction and ready to press the red button at any moment, the number of weapons becomes irrelevant.

The true chess match happens outside the battlefield. The real deterrent lies in what's unknown and unseen.

And to maintain that strategic mystery—that feeling of "an aerial strike could come from anywhere at any time"—Momonga, as the fleet's frontline commander, had to ensure absolute secrecy at all times.

You have to stay sharp every second—no room for even a moment's carelessness. You need to keep your subordinates in strict order and can't afford a single mistake… The energy and talent that takes is beyond what most people could handle.

"If Daren heard you say that, he'd be smug about it for weeks."

Momonga smiled.

"But really, not getting the chance to become your student is one of my biggest regrets."

"Hahaha…"

Zephyr laughed, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.

"I'm not the chief instructor anymore. But that brat Daren is my student, and he's basically half a teacher to you… So in a way, that makes you one of my students too."

He gave Momonga a playful wink.

"And besides, haven't you always called me Zephyr-sensei?"

Momonga's face lit up with joy.

"Thank you, Zephyr-sensei!"

Zephyr smiled and asked,

"So, what brings you here this time?"

Momonga raised the mechanical arm in his hands and said seriously,

"Zephyr-sensei, this arm was specially built for you."

The moment he brought it out, it instantly caught the attention of Tokikake and the others.

"So cool!"

"A mechanical arm!"

"That's badass!"

"I kinda want to cut off my own arm now!"

"..."

The mechanical arm was a deep matte black, with bulky pressure pumps and springs exposed at the shoulder. Its large palm and clearly defined joints gave off a rugged, cold, metallic vibe—a brutal kind of beauty.

"A mechanical arm…"

The second Zephyr laid eyes on it, he was locked in, unable to look away.

"Yes,"

Momonga nodded with a smile.

"It incorporates the most advanced tech from Germa 66. It's equipped with a self-locking laser cannon system and a rapid-fire gun loaded with Seastone bullets. On top of that, each finger is embedded with high-purity Seastone, enough to pose a lethal threat to most Devil Fruit users."

"And that's not all—this arm has its own independent power system. Every strike it delivers is boosted with the force of a Giant Race warrior. It multiplies your raw strength with every blow…"

As Momonga explained, the others around him—especially Tokikake—stared wide-eyed, practically drooling.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying Zephyr-sensei's strength would be if the arm worked as described.

"A Devil Fruit user's worst nightmare. Designed to patch up long-range weaknesses, while massively boosting close-combat destruction. That's the concept behind this mechanical arm…"

"That's why it's named: the Battle Smasher!"

Zephyr's eyes gleamed at the sound of it.

"Battle Smasher… An arm to crush all evil!"

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