Ten seconds later.
The terrain within several hundred meters of the town's port had been completely transformed. Sharp stone pillars crisscrossed the area, soaring tens of meters high, as if stabbing toward the heavens.
Pirate corpses lay in pieces, skewered through by the pillars—some still "hanging" in midair, their muscles twitching involuntarily.
"Evil Axe" Panama was barely clinging to life, impaled on one of the stone spires. His lower body had sunk into the rock, completely immobilized. His face was drenched in blood, his head limp, gasping heavily for breath.
He was still alive.
"D-Damn it…"
Panama's right hand still clutched the shattered black battleaxe, his voice hoarse as he let out a guttural growl.
Thud... thud... thud...
Steady, powerful footsteps approached. Soon, a pair of black military boots, caked in dust, appeared before him.
"Any last words?"
The voice was low and resonant, carrying a weight of cold, decisive violence.
"Last... words?"
Panama mumbled faintly, then suddenly began panting harder.
He jerked his head up, bloodshot eyes locking onto the purple-haired man before him. A deranged grin twisted across his face.
"Aren't you the one they call 'Black Arm Zephyr'—the Admiral who doesn't kill?!"
"And now you're reduced to asking pirates for their last words?!"
"What's the matter, Zephyr… have you abandoned the convictions you held so dear all these years?!"
His laughter was filled with venom and ridicule, sharp and unrelenting.
Tokikake and the others immediately flew into a fury, teeth clenched as they prepared to rush in and silence him. But from behind Zephyr, Gion suddenly raised her hand, gesturing for them to stop.
Tokikake, Yamakaji, and the other Marine officers paused in confusion, but then saw Gion calmly shaking her head, her eyes burning with quiet determination.
One by one, they fell still.
Before the mocking pirate, Zephyr's expression remained unchanged.
He stood quietly amid the drifting dust, his empty sleeve swaying in the wind.
But Panama took that silence as hesitation—a crack in his resolve. His twisted grin widened even further.
"So it's true then..."
"Hahaha! The great 'no-kill Admiral'—after defecting from the Marines, you've finally sunk into darkness!"
"You've betrayed your justice! Hahaha!"
"What makes you any different from a pirate now?! Hahahaha!"
Panama burst into mad laughter—but within seconds, it began to fade.
The grin on his face stiffened.
Because the man before him—this self-proclaimed "Z," the former Marine Admiral—remained completely unmoved. Not provoked, not angered, not shaken in the least.
He simply continued to look at him… calmly. Waiting.
"So, that's your last words?"
Zephyr spoke quietly.
Panama's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Before he could respond, Zephyr reached into his coat, pulled out a plain cigar, placed it in his mouth, and lit it.
He took a slow drag from his cigar before speaking softly.
"You're right. I'm no longer the 'Admiral who doesn't kill.'"
"But that's not because I've betrayed justice. It's because I've come to understand—this sea isn't filled with people worth saving."
"Some are beyond redemption. Even when shown the most merciful form of justice, they don't feel remorse. They don't even believe they've done anything wrong."
Zephyr paused for a moment, as if lost in memory. Behind his sunglasses, his weathered eyes flickered with a trace of distant sorrow.
"Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty to yourself… to your comrades… and your family. That's a hard, painful truth I learned the hardest way."
He drew in a deep breath. Towering above the pirate below, his voice turned sharp and cold, carrying the weight of judgment.
"Panama, the 'Evil Axe.' Bounty: 230 million Belly. Responsible for the deaths of over 1,400 civilians. Repeated attacks on towns, mass destruction... Your crimes are beyond forgiveness."
He exhaled, a plume of smoke curling from his lips like a dragon's breath. His tone was unwavering—resolute and final.
"In the name of 'Z,' Commander-in-Chief of the Neo Marines… I deliver justice!"
With those words, he waved his hand gently, as if brushing away the smoke before him.
And then, something incredible happened.
The stone pillar impaling "Evil Axe" Panama began to shift and writhe like a living creature. It grew rapidly, swallowing him whole as he stared in pure despair.
One after another, the towering stone spikes across the battlefield retracted, reshaping the shattered terrain into smooth, level ground. Even the pirate corpses were buried beneath the rock, erasing all trace of blood and death.
"This ability's ridiculously handy... even cleans up the mess," Tokikake muttered under his breath—only to be swiftly kicked in the rear by Gion.
The waves lapped rhythmically along the shoreline as peace returned to the town.
From behind broken walls and ruined corners, the townsfolk cautiously emerged, eyes wide in disbelief before turning to awe.
"It's the Marines! They saved us!"
"No, not the Marines! Didn't you hear? They're the Neo Marines!"
"The Marines wouldn't lift a finger to help us!"
"That purple-haired man... He's Admiral Zephyr, the one who once shook the New World!"
"Our hero… he's back!"
"Long live the Neo Marines!"
"Z-sama!"
...
The people erupted in cheers. The joy of survival, the reverence for their savior—it all poured out in a thunderous roar.
Zephyr raised a hand and waved at them, a faint, distant smile on his face.
How long had it been… since he'd felt this?
To be surrounded by the people. To lead his men to victory. To bring justice into the light.
"Remember this, people—justice will come!"
He raised a clenched fist and shouted, his voice soaring.
The vast black cape behind him billowed in the wind. Though dark as night, it shimmered like a blade under the sunlight.
Then, he turned sharply and raised his arm. A sleek black warship dropped from the sky, crashing into the sea with precision.
Waves surged as the gangplank descended.
Gion and the others boarded first. Zephyr followed last, his fist still tight, his spirit burning bright.
It had been far too long...
Since he stood again on the battlefield of the sea!