Meanwhile, in the Ryugu Kingdom, Chloe had returned to Ryugu Palace and told Nereus about the incident.
“Dad, I think his current condition is extremely complicated. There’s no need to send someone of Admiral-level strength against him at all.
As long as someone is fast enough or has enough endurance to stall until his condition flares up, then steal his asthma medication, he’ll be left with no more than half his strength.”
Recalling what had happened, Chloe gave her assessment and raised a new question.
“Dad, there are still many powerful people from that era around, right? It seems only Zephyr is like this?”
“He’s a special case. His asthma is one factor. As for the other… perhaps it’s because of the different paths they took. Unlike those born with extraordinary talent, Zephyr was very ordinary when he was young—merely a regular soldier who was somewhat stronger than most.
Over the course of his growth, his body probably suffered more irreversible injuries.
Your innate gifts are something many people can only envy. Even Devil Fruit users may not measure up to you.”
Nereus set down the documents in his hands, stood up, and stretched slightly.
“Come on. Let’s go to the Sea Forest. It’s been a while since I last tested you. Let me see how much you’ve grown lately.”
If he wanted to test her at full strength, they would have to go somewhere else. Causing too big of a disturbance inside Fishman Island’s bubble membrane would become a matter of public concern.
Several months later, in the year 1530 of the Sea Circle Calendar, everything seemed to have returned to normal. However, in this new year, Zephyr made some slight changes to the recruits’ graduation exam.
Instead of leading the operation alone, he arranged for other units to assist. His physical condition was gradually making him realize that frontline combat was becoming increasingly difficult for him.
The personnel changes within the Marines following the appointment of a new Fleet Admiral and Admiral was also drawing to a close. However, the Marines were not the only ones undergoing personnel changes. Fishman Island was doing the same.
Otohime completed her term as Governor-General of North Blue and returned to Fishman Island. Her successor was a newcomer named “Whirlpool” Gard.
As for the East Blue, although Arlong remained there, Jack had already concluded his journey in the East Blue. Arlong and the others saw him off to the entrance of the Grand Line, arranging for him to board another ship back to Fishman Island.
According to Arlong’s assessment:
[Aside from getting carried away in battle, this kid isn’t stupid at all. Most of the time, he just can’t be bothered to think!]
“Work hard once you get back. The Grand Line is where you belong. When you’re fighting, don’t just charge straight ahead, and stop taking every attack head-on.
You’re a Devil Fruit user who can fly. Use that ability to maneuver around your opponents.”
Arlong had always treated his fellow Fish-Men well, and when faced with such a gifted youngster, he offered him some advice. He said nothing about how Jack should actually fight, though, since he genuinely could not beat Jack himself.
“Okay. Goodbye, Senior Arlong.”
“Go on, then. It’s not as though we’ll never see each other again. I’ll be heading back before long too, so don’t get so sentimental…”
“But I’m not feeling sentimental.”
After unloading the cargo from the ship that had arrived from the Grand Line and placing it on Arlong’s side, Jack cut Arlong off mid-sentence, or rather, put an end to Arlong’s self-indulgent sentimentality.
“…”
Arlong, who had been working himself into an emotional mood, was not surprised. In a sense, he had already grown accustomed to it.
Jack only displayed remarkable emotional intelligence when matters involving Nereus came up. Arlong strongly suspected that the kid was doing it deliberately, but he had never found any proof.
“But if you don’t come back for a long time, I’ll still come visit you.”
“This kid…”
Arlong waved his hand, then returned with Hachi and the others to their ship, the Shark Superb, carrying the goods transported from the Grand Line back to Cocoyasi.
During their time in East Blue, Arlong and the others had already discovered several more efficient sea routes. These routes were extremely dangerous for ordinary humans.
For Fish-Man helmsmen, however, navigating a ship through such waters posed no difficulty whatsoever.
By using these routes, Arlong and the others had greatly reduced the time required for their voyages.
“Nyuuuuu, Boss Arlong, I think I heard someone calling for help.”
As the Shark Superb passed a massive, cauliflower-shaped rock, Hachi scratched his ear and spoke uncertainly.
“Did you? You must’ve imagined it. Why didn’t I hear anything?”
Arlong sat up from his beach chair, removed his sunglasses, and carefully thought back over the past few moments.
Aside from the sound of the sea breeze, he truly had not heard anything. Even so, he picked up binoculars and looked in the direction Hachi was pointing.
Ocean voyages were inherently dangerous, and there was an unwritten rule among ships sailing the open seas that they should help one another whenever possible. In recent years, however, following that rule had become dangerous in itself.
Some pirates exploited the compassion of others by pretending to be shipwreck survivors, only to rob those who came to their aid.
Still, under the Ryugu Kingdom’s directives, Arlong would extend a helping hand if he genuinely encountered someone in trouble.
“You really did hear something. There are people on that rock.”
Through the binoculars, Arlong saw a child desperately waving his arms at their ship. From his emaciated appearance, it was easy to tell that they had been stranded there for a long time.
“Kuroobi! Signal them with flags!”
Whether the other party could understand flag signals was unimportant. The main purpose was to show that they had been spotted. When the flags began waving, the people on the rock finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey! Ol’ geezer! Wake up! A ship’s coming! A ship spotted us!”
The two people on the rock were none other than Zeff and Sanji, who had become stranded there by accident.
As captain of the Cook Pirates, Zeff had confidently entered the Grand Line years earlier, only to realize what a terrifying stretch of ocean it truly was.
After adventuring in the Grand Line for a year, Zeff decided he had had enough and risked crossing the Calm Belt to return to East Blue. In the end, his crew was fortunate enough to make it back to those waters.
Sanji had been in Germa when it accepted a mercenary assignment for an expedition to East Blue. With the help of his elder sister Reiju, he escaped the Vinsmoke family and later became an apprentice cook aboard a passenger ship called the Orbit.
After returning to East Blue, Zeff led the Cook Pirates in an attack on the Orbit, only for a storm to strike. Sanji was swept into the sea.
Moved by Sanji’s dream of finding the “All Blue,” which was also Zeff’s own dream, Zeff chose to rescue him. Afterward, the two became stranded on this enormous rock, which could not even be considered an island.
Even though Zeff gave all the food to Sanji, their ordeal dragged on for far too long for those provisions to last until they were rescued.
One day, five days, one month…
It was not until the seventieth day of their isolation that Sanji discovered the truth: Zeff had kept no food for himself and had given all of it to Sanji.
Zeff had eaten his own leg, while the huge sack beside him contained nothing but inedible treasures.
From that day onward, Sanji learned of Zeff’s dream and began to see the “Ol’ geezer” in a different light.
Today marked the eighty-third day since their shipwreck, and they happened to encounter Arlong and the others on their return voyage.
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