CHAPTER 263 BETRAYAL
The Navy reigned as the ocean's hegemon. This was consensus throughout the seas. Though the pirate emperors of the New World possessed formidable strength, their influence remained confined to the New World's corner. Only the Navy could spread its influence worldwide, making the entire world tremble at its existence.
Yet now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, commanding this global power, furrowed his brow deeply.
Two others in the office shared his troubled expression. Admiral Garp, the Iron Fist, revered as a hero for his legendary deeds years ago. Admiral Tsuru, whose brilliant strategizing earned her reputation as the Navy's brain. Three who had walked together as comrades since joining the Navy decades ago now sat in grim silence.
The reason: a newspaper resting on Sengoku's desk.
The office door suddenly burst open, kicked violently inward.
All three's expressions shifted simultaneously.
"Sengoku!! What the HELL is this?!" The enraged beast strode through, his voice seeming capable of shattering the ceiling itself.
Sengoku lowered his head, unable to meet his old friend's gaze.
"Answer me, Sengoku!!"
Black Arm Zephyr's usually sleek purple hair stood nearly on end from his fury. He resembled a roaring lion.
"Why has that bastard—that scum, the man who murdered so many of my students—become a new Shichibukai?!"
The newspaper displayed before them showed a photograph. The man grinned foolishly, thin curved mustaches adorning his upper lip like a crescent moon.
The seas knew him as Weevil. The man who attacked Zephyr's naval training ship and severed the admiral's arm.
Facing Zephyr's rage, Fleet Admiral Sengoku chose silence. What else could he say? Tell his old friend that justice had betrayed him?
Zephyr's fury intensified at the silence. Like wind itself, he rushed forward, stepping onto the desk, seizing Sengoku's collar and yanking him upright.
"Answer me! Sengoku!"
Zephyr's voice was nearly hoarse with rage. At the doorway, Ain followed her most respected teacher, suddenly realizing that the man who always faced any difficulty with composure—her most admired instructor—was trembling.
"Zephyr—"
The man who had guided the Navy as its pillar since the previous era, the Fleet Admiral commanding all naval forces, now found even speaking monumental. His lips moved with great difficulty.
He stammered, finally managing only to call his old friend's name, pitifully.
"It's not his fault, Zephyr. Not Sengoku's," Admiral Tsuru's voice emerged low from the sofa. "We've fought together since our youth—you know us. We would never allow this."
Zephyr's grip on Sengoku loosened slightly.
"We only received the government's summons today," Fleet Admiral Sengoku said quietly. "While we were completely unaware, they'd already contacted Edward Weevil privately and successfully recruited him as a new Shichibukai."
"You know we need more power to counter Brett."
"..."
Zephyr fell silent.
Then he released Fleet Admiral Sengoku, letting him collapse back into his chair. "I'm going to Mariejois!"
He left that cold statement hanging, striding out the door.
"Please let me accompany you!" Ain hurried after him.
The footsteps gradually faded, yet the three in the office remained silent.
"Something terrible will happen," Admiral Tsuru sighed.
"I'm going with him," Admiral Garp stood, retrieving his Justice cloak before following.
If something did occur, his presence might help mediate.
"That man occasionally proves reliable," Fleet Admiral Sengoku muttered, watching Garp's departing figure. He sighed quietly. "Zephyr, stay calm!"
Deep worry consumed him.
Zephyr strode through Marineford. As he walked, increasingly more people gathered behind him—students who'd experienced that pirate attack alongside Zephyr chose to follow their teacher.
"Teacher Zephyr, let us come too!"
"Right! How can we accept the man who murdered our comrades becoming a Shichibukai?!"
"Let's go to Mariejois together! Demand answers from the government and the Five Elders!"
They departed, boarding a military vessel from the docks, setting course directly for Mariejois. As they left port, a figure descended from the sky.
"Hahahaha, mind if I tag along?" the Naval Hero grinned. "If the argument goes badly, I can lend a hand."
Zephyr merely grunted, saying nothing. He understood this man wanted to help.
The distance from Marineford to the underwater base below the Red Line wasn't great. Soon they arrived, boarding the bubble ship ascending directly to Mariejois.
Pangaea Castle drew closer. Zephyr's internal turmoil intensified. His fists clenched unconsciously, his gaze toward that white building filled with boundless rage.
He would demand an explanation from the Five Elders.
But—
"The Five Elders are currently occupied with pressing matters and lack time to receive you, Zephyr," Zero blocking the entrance spoke without inflection.
"What joke is this?!" Zephyr growled through gritted teeth. "You treating me like a fool?"
Zero remained unmoved, his tone entirely unchanged. "Believe it or not, that is the situation."
"Everything has been decided. Our duty is merely to obey the government, to follow the Five Elders' commands. As a military man, surely you understand this better than I, Zephyr."
"You bastard!!"
Zephyr's eyes were bloodshot, their whites dense with burst capillaries.
"Get out of my way!"
Zephyr stepped forward. When his foot descended heavily, the solid floor outside the Castle itself cracked. Invisible air currents erupted from his body, his clothing fluttering violently.
Yet Zero didn't budge. His voice remained as calm as ever. "Zephyr, please don't be rash. This is Pons Castle, the dwelling of the divine."
"If you have grievances, I can discuss them with you. But remember—never act recklessly here."
"Zephyr!"
A hand pressed on Zephyr's shoulder. Behind him, Admiral Garp's expression was grave. "Don't do anything rash!"
"..."
Zephyr fell silent.
He lifted his gaze toward the pristine, immaculate white structure.
"Ha."
Zephyr laughed. "Hahahaha hahahaha!"
Then he turned and walked away.