Zephyr took the mechanical arm from Momonga, a spark of barely contained excitement and delight flashing in his eyes.
For someone of his caliber—one of the mightiest figures to ever sail these seas—losing an arm wasn't exactly a setback. For a soldier, scars weren't just marks of pain; they were marks of honor.
Still, Zephyr had to admit, ever since he lost his arm, close-quarters combat had felt... off. Not in terms of raw power, but in terms of how awkward and inconvenient it had become.
Oddly enough, ever since he chose to confront the World Government and face his inner pain and fear head-on, his Haki had become stronger than ever. It was as if, for much of his life, something invisible had shackled him—restraining his strength, stifling his will.
Now, he felt liberated.
He could finally fight the way he wanted. Freely. Without hesitation.
And with the overwhelming power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi on top of that, Zephyr realized that, even with one arm gone, his overall combat strength hadn't declined—it had climbed higher.
Now, standing before him was the "Battle Smasher"—a mechanical arm built to eliminate the discomfort and limitations caused by his loss.
With this at his side, Zephyr had no doubt: he could reach new heights.
That thought made his eyes burn brighter, filled with renewed resolve and anticipation for the battles yet to come.
"This design came from Daren. He asked me to contact Germa 66 and have it developed," Momonga explained, nodding. "All its functions have been tested and verified—no tampering."
Seeing Zephyr's satisfied expression, Momonga couldn't help but smile with pride.
"This is a gift I truly appreciate!" Zephyr let out a hearty laugh.
He accepted the mechanical arm without hesitation.
He was a man of principle, not a stubborn fool.
And given his relationship with Daren and Momonga, there was never any need for formalities.
A warm feeling surged quietly in Zephyr's chest. From the design to the form to its capabilities, this mechanical arm was tailored perfectly to his needs. There was no doubt that Daren and Momonga had poured serious time and care into its creation.
Momonga smiled and nodded again.
"As long as you like it, Zephyr-sensei."
"Hey, hey!" Tokikake suddenly leaned in, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Is it true that the leader of the God's Knights is dead? Was it really that Daren guy who did it?"
The moment he asked, everyone fell silent and leaned in, ears pricked, waiting for Momonga's reply.
Momonga gave a helpless sigh.
"Who else could it be?"
Hissss—!
Everyone gasped in unison, eyes going wide in shock.
Tokikake's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Sure, after what Zephyr had hinted at earlier, he'd mentally prepared himself. But hearing it directly from Momonga still left him stunned.
That was the leader of the God's Knights!
The most powerful—and mysterious—figure among the Celestial Dragons!
Zephyr shook his head with a deep sigh.
"That kid Daren… he's really come a long way."
He had never doubted that Daren was a genius—a monster, even.
But to think that he could defeat the leader of the God's Knights in a one-on-one fight?
Zephyr had once encountered Michael, the leader of the God's Knights, back when he still held the title of Marine Admiral.
He remembered it clearly.
That silver-haired Celestial Dragon had radiated one thing above all else—pure, terrifying danger.
"He sure got off easy, but now I'm stuck cleaning up the mess."
Momonga rubbed his temples with a sigh, clearly exasperated.
"Oh?"
Zephyr's interest was instantly piqued.
He'd always been curious about the North Blue Fleet.
Back in the day, the flying fleet led by the infamous Golden Lion Shiki had placed enormous pressure on the Marines, sending the upper ranks into chaos. And now, with the North Blue Fleet's audacious bombing of Mary Geoise, the world had once again witnessed the terror of airborne warfare.
With Zephyr now wielding the power to make warships float, he too had the potential to one day replicate Shiki's feat—perhaps even levitate entire islands.
In short, he already had the foundation for forming a new flying fleet.
But building a fleet from scratch was no easy task. No matter how strong Zephyr was, he'd never done something like this before.
If he could learn from the experience of the North Blue Fleet, borrow some of their methods and systems, it could save him a lot of time—and even more headaches.
"The World Government is in a rush to prepare for the inauguration ceremony to fill the vacant seat of the God's Knights' leader."
As the topic turned serious, so did Momonga's expression.
"Each of the Member Nations is sending representatives to Mary Geoise for the event. That means there's been a lot of movement in the Government's fleets."
"The Marines are also deploying escort ships for the Member Nations. The seas have been especially busy these past few days."
"Even though this has little to do with the North Blue, which is no longer part of the Member Nations' political system, with this scale of military mobilization, I have to stay alert."
In truth, he also knew that Dragon's Freedom Fighters were planning to spark revolts in three of the Member Nations on the day of the inauguration.
But he didn't say a word more.
That was confidential military intel. Even if Zephyr-sensei wasn't exactly an outsider, Momonga couldn't go around spilling secrets.
"…Inauguration ceremony…"
Zephyr frowned slightly and murmured,
"Looks like this new leader of the God's Knights is one ambitious man…"
Momonga nodded.
"Yes. Figarland Garling, winner of the God Valley Hunting Tournament twelve years ago… According to Daren, he's even more dangerous than the last one—Saint Michael."
Zephyr fell into thought, his voice low.
"His Conqueror's Haki… is formidable."
"Even stronger than Sengoku's."
Compared to Admiral Sengoku…
Something seemed to cross Momonga's mind, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Who's going to be the deputy leader of the God's Knights?"
Zephyr asked suddenly.
Momonga's face twisted into something downright bizarre.
He hesitated for a moment before finally answering:
"Donquixote Doflamingo."
Doflamingo?
Zephyr blinked, stunned.
"The government's actually taking Doflamingo back?"
"That vicious little pirate?"
Momonga just shrugged.
And quietly thought to himself, "That 'vicious little pirate' happens to be the godson of your favorite student."