Weevil was easy to fool, and he had absolute trust in Buckin.
With just a few words, Buckin got Weevil to stop asking about the matter.
On the Marine warship, Zephyr was in no mood to ask questions either. There was spare asthma medication in the cabin, and after Buckin and Weevil left, the surviving crew brought it to Zephyr.
But the shipload of recruits…
Three-quarters of them had been killed. That was considerably better than the tragic outcome in the original timeline, where only two survived, but it was still an unacceptable result for Zephyr.
“Treat the wounded and wait for assistance from headquarters.”
Given the extent of damage to the warship and the number of casualties, attempting to sail the ship back in weather like this was no longer realistic; just braving the upcoming weather would be a major problem.
Let alone the students who had already died, even those who survived were all injured. Facing the combination of Weevil and Buckin, they hadn’t just sat by waiting to die—they had just been no match for them.
There were also two “outliers” aboard the warship.
After confirming that Buckin had left with Weevil, Chloe flew another circuit and brought Yamato down onto the deck as well, intending to rest for a while before leaving.
There was no need to worry about their safety. Even if Zephyr suddenly lost his mind, the two of them could do far more terrifying things than Weevil and Buckin.
From the moment she boarded the ship, Yamato kept her kanabo clutched in her hand. She looked ready to bash anyone with it the instant something seemed wrong.
What puzzled Chloe, however, was that Yamato found the warship’s mess hall with practiced ease and brought out some food.
“You… How did you know where the food was?”
“Oh, this? All warships have the same layout. That rotten old man of mine was always bragging about how he used to treat warships like all-you-can-eat buffets when he was young.
I heard him talk about it so many times that I memorized it. Want some? This canned food tastes pretty good.”
“No. It’s time to go. Put down those unnecessary things.”
In the distance, another warship was approaching. From what Zephyr said, it was clearly a Marine ship coming to provide support to them.
“Just a moment.”
After finishing the can in her hand and stuffing several more into her pockets, Yamato grabbed Chloe’s arm and let Chloe carry her away.
The storm had little effect on Chloe, and she would soon be able to leave its area of influence. Yet the unexpected rescue by the black-winged angel left the surviving recruits rather curious.
“Teacher Zephyr, who are they…?”
Ain, who had suffered relatively minor injuries, was tending to Zephyr’s wounds. If Zephyr had not continued fighting despite the effects of his asthma, the casualties aboard the ship would have been even worse. Complete annihilation would have been the most likely outcome.
“Princesses of the Ryugu Kingdom.”
Zephyr did not know Yamato. Neither the Marines nor the World Government—not even many members of the Beasts Pirates—knew that Kaido had a daughter.
But that did not matter. It was enough that Zephyr recognized Chloe. Perhaps he assumed Yamato was Chloe’s attendant or sister, so Zephyr simply gave a sweeping answer.
“Ry… Ryugu Kingdom?!”
Just as Fishman Island held stereotypical views of the Marines, the Marines held similar stereotypes about the Ryugu Kingdom.
Zephyr’s training camp was not completely isolated, and its students also interacted with Marines from outside. Naturally, they knew how terrifying Nereus had been back then.
Zephyr did not stop them from reacting that way. He did not want his students to end up crossing Nereus in the future. Fearing him and keeping their distance was not a bad choice.
“Yes.”
“…”
“Then why did she…?”
“Ain, you’re still young. What you know may be true, but it may not be the whole truth. Being able to remain true to your heart and uphold the justice within it… That is what makes a qualified Marine.”
Zephyr said nothing more and merely leaned wearily against the side. Sensing his mood, Ain asked no further questions and silently continued cleaning his wounds.
When Marine reinforcements arrived, they brought Zephyr and the others back to Marine Headquarters.
After years of development, Zephyr’s disciples now made up the majority of the Marines’ ranks. The Marine higher-ups all knew that exceptionally talented individuals occasionally emerged from Zephyr’s recruit training camp.
This incident was also a major loss for the Marines.
However, the report Zephyr submitted afterward struck Sengoku as rather bizarre.
Not because of the power Weevil possessed, nor because of Buckin’s identity, but because Chloe had intervened at the end.
“Zephyr, are you sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else?”
“How many people on the seas look like Lunarians but aren’t Lunarians?”
“This may be the only good news amid all this misfortune.”
Sengoku sat down beside Zephyr. Ever since taking over as Fleet Admiral, he had become utterly swamped with work.
Although he had handled many matters on his behalf in the past, Kong had still been the one who dealt directly with the World Government. It was not until Sengoku truly assumed the position that he learned just how troublesome it was.
The New World was a powder keg. Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido had already become its three most powerful forces.
Aside from them, there was also Wang Zhi of Fullalead Island and several pirate alliances. Fighting broke out almost daily along the borders of their territories.
On top of that, Sengoku also had to deal with internal problems. Previously, Kong had relayed the World Government’s orders, but it was only after Sengoku began dealing with the Five Elders personally that he truly understood what profound helplessness felt like.
Many of the Five Elders’ decisions were genuinely made on a whim. They paid no heed to causes or consequences and simply demanded that the Marines carry them out.
Sengoku hoped that Chloe’s actions had been some kind of signal sent under Nereus’s instructions. That would make things considerably easier for the Marines.
Even though no large-scale conflict had erupted between the Marines and the Ryugu Kingdom in all these years, Sengoku had not forgotten what had happened before.
If Nereus stirred up trouble at a time like this, Sengoku figured he really would start losing his hair.
“Do you really think that’s possible, Sengoku? Who are the biggest buyers behind those slave ships? Now that you’re Fleet Admiral, don’t tell me you don’t know what the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise do every day.”
Zephyr sat up in his hospital bed and continued, “We both lived through that era. Such naive words shouldn’t be coming from you.
The Marines safeguard the Celestial Dragons. Unless that changes at its very foundation, Nereus and the Marines will always be enemies.
I don’t know why she did it. Maybe she was merely acting on a whim, or perhaps she had some issue with that Weevil, but…”
“…”
“I understand what you mean.”
Sengoku raised a hand to interrupt Zephyr, signaling that there was no need to continue.
“It was merely a personal hope of mine. With Fishman Island’s geographical location and that man’s monstrous strength…
No wonder the government agreed to those agreements. If he is willing to cooperate, more than half of the pressure in the New World could be relieved.”
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