He glanced at Robin, then leaned right into Ian's ear and waggled his brows. "By the way, a pretty marine girl asked me to deliver you a gift!"
Ian: "..."
Could he act any more suspiciously? His voice was still loud even with his mouth next to his ear.
Was he trying to sabotage their relationship?
Ian glared at him. "We already know. So what is it?"
"You knew? Boring."
Garp looked disappointed that he didn't get to stir up trouble. He waved his hand and shouted. "Bring it down! That thing's heavy! I don't even know what's inside. See for yourself!"
Four marines on the ship struggled to carry down a massive crate. Then they set it down heavily with a booming thud.
It really was heavy. Ian eyed the large box before him, curiosity lighting in his eyes.
Just what was inside?
"Open it yourself!"
Garp waved his hand casually and said, "This thing has a special code. No one else can open it, only you!"
Ian: "...?!"
Ian became even more curious. He walked up to the box, and before he even touched it, the box suddenly emitted a beam of light, scanning him.
Then with a crisp click, the box unlocked and opened.
A radiant golden light burst out from inside!
…
Time shifts slightly forward, to the other side.
Marine Headquarters, at the Fleet Admiral's office.
"You're going to regret this, Sengoku!"
A furious roar echoed, followed by a loud slam as the door shut.
Zephyr stood outside, face dark as steel while burning with silent rage.
"Zephyr-sensei."
A voice called out.
Zephyr quickly pulled back his anger and looked at his two students approaching him.
As if nothing had happened, he put on his usual cheerful smile. "You two? Not training?"
Although it happened in an instant, the earlier scene was not so easy to overlook.
Ain and Binz exchanged a glance, worry reflected in their eyes as they looked at their teacher, who acted like everything was fine.
"Zephyr-sensei..."
Binz scratched his head, looking like he wanted to speak but didn't know how.
After a moment of silence, he finally squeezed out: "Are you alright?"
"Hahahaha, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Zephyr folded his arms and laughed. "I am the Chief Instructor at Marine Headquarters, Black Arm, Zephyr. How could anything happen to me?"
He grinned, stretching out his big hands to roughly ruffle their heads. "It's just some stupid nonsense within the Marines Headquarters. No need to worry. Enough about that."
Seeing his two students smiling again, Zephyr wasted no time shifting the topic.
His eyes landed on Ain. "Where's your gift? Did that old bastard, Garp, deliver it yet? That bastard... Hahaha... He ran off right after, enough to make Sengoku grit his teeth in anger!"
Despite his words, thinking of Garp's carefree nature stirred a bit of envy inside him.
Ain, whose head she was patting, nodded. "I already asked Vice-Admiral Garp to deliver it."
"That mysterious weapon you mentioned? I don't know what it looks like, but the box seemed heavy!"
Binz frowned. "Also, the box is long... Doesn't look like a one-handed axe. Will Ian even like it?"
A hint of worry flickered in Ain's eyes.
Before she could answer, Zephyr narrowed his eyes and said boldly, "That kid better not complain about Ain's gift or say some nonsense. I'll show him what Black Arm, Zephyr, means!"
He bared his teeth with a chilling grin and raised a fist.
Ain's lips curved slightly upward. Her mood brightened as she answered: "Yes, Zephyr-sensei!"
"Hahaha!"
Zephyr laughed as he watched the two kids smile along with him. Some of the gloom weighing on him lifted, and he once again rubbed their heads roughly.
While Binz helplessly tried to protect his head, Zephyr suddenly paused, a thought rising from deep inside.
"Ain, Binz... If I were to do something terrible one day... What would you do?"
The abrupt and cryptic question froze their smiles. Seeing his serious expression, they didn't hesitate.
"I will follow Zephyr-sensei forever."
"Ain's right. No matter what you do, Zephyr-sensei, we will support you!"
"You two... Hahaha!"
Zephyr laughed again, but his eyes grew misty. He rubbed their heads once more.
His tone is still warm, yet with a faint, hidden sternness. "If you want to become strong, you must make your own decisions. Don't just obey everything your teacher says."
Ain and Binz opened their mouths to respond, but Zephyr cut them off.
"Enough. I've been in meetings all day. I'm starving. Come, eat with me!"
He turned them around and marched forward. "Haha! Also, I still don't know what that weapon looks like. We should go take a look later!"
…
Meanwhile, at the Sibia River Archipelago's dock.
The golden light pouring from the box drew everyone's attention.
Ian stared just like the rest, eyes filled with confusion.
What exactly was inside?
Through the glowing light, he finally saw the item within, and he froze in place.
A long axe.
A long golden axe!
The handle had a semi-curved guard with golden spikes, like a rising sun barely peeking over the horizon.
Attached to the sturdy shaft was the axe head.
It too resembled a blazing sun.
The back of the axe held a spear-like spike, and the blade was far more curved than ordinary ones.
A graceful arc flowed along the golden, razor-sharp edge, like a scorching sun radiating heat.
"An axe?"
Garp leaned in, stroking his chin. "Looks kinda weird for an axe... But shiny and pretty! Don't tell me it's actually made of gold!"
As he spoke, he seemed to notice Ian staring blankly at the axe beside him and grinned broadly.
"Hahaha, looks like you're very satisfied with it. If Ain saw you like this right now, she would be thrilled! After all, she traded her Devil Fruit for it!"
"Devil Fruit?"
Ian seemed to snap back to his senses after hearing that, then stared at Garp in surprise. "You mean Ain traded her Devil Fruit for this?"
"Hahaha, did I say something just now?"
Garp immediately put on a confused expression while picking his nose as he chuckled. "What Devil Fruit? Forget that. Aren't you going to pick it up and try it? By the way, that thing is pretty heavy. Can you even lift it?"