"Third," Sengoku went on, "I'm sure you'll run into all kinds of incidents out at sea. If you obtain any important information or items, you can choose to trade them with the Marines."
White Ghost rubbed his chin.
"Information, sure," he said. "I don't mind selling you intel. But important items… that's another story. If it's useful to me, I'm keeping it."
Sengoku ignored that.
He'd never expected this brat to hand over all his treasures anyway. What he really wanted was intel.
White Ghost clearly had his own channels. Whitebeard's son had barely died before the Devil Fruit appeared in White Ghost's hands. "Traded for it," he'd said.
Right. And I'm a mermaid princess, Sengoku thought.
"That's it?" White Ghost asked, a little surprised. "No more conditions?"
"That's it," Sengoku said, shaking his head. "Headquarters will assign replacements for your positions within a week. Once they arrive, you're free to go."
"Alright then. Clean break is fine by me." White Ghost shoved his hands into his pockets and pushed his chair back.
Zephyr spoke up.
"I've got a question for you, kid."
White Ghost paused and looked over.
"Where," Zephyr asked slowly, "do you stand?"
Click.
White Ghost lit a fresh cigar.
He took a long drag, blew out a thin stream of smoke, and let his gaze sweep over the high command.
"I stand with the winner," he said calmly. "My original dream was just to live in this world the best I can.
"As long as nobody shoves me, I'm perfectly happy living quietly in some corner."
He walked to the door, hand on the knob.
Then he stopped and glanced back at Zephyr.
"If the day ever comes you can't stay in the Marines anymore," he said, "come retire with me."
His gaze was steady.
"Because you're one of the people I respect most in this world.
"Compared to you, Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp… they've all given their lives to the Marines too, but in my eyes—
"You've borne more than any of them."
With that, White Ghost opened the door and stepped out.
A moment later, the roar of a dragon shook the air outside as he launched himself away from Marineford.
The office fell silent.
All those "terms" they'd just agreed on… were really just a formality. Both sides knew it.
Zephyr suddenly laughed.
Really laughed—from the chest, not the throat.
"Ha… hahahahaha!" he burst out. "So I didn't disappoint him after all, huh?
"I never taught him much, but he still calls me 'teacher'… Fine. I'll accept that disciple."
He pulled out a small box White Ghost had palmed to him earlier.
The old man smiled as he opened the lid.
"Getting old means you should stop trying to act tough," the note inside read. "How you use this is up to you.
"Paramecia-type: Tune-Tune Fruit. Lets you 'tune' everything in range to strengthen yourself. My guess is, once awakened, it can even tune Haki."
Zephyr picked up the apple-shaped fruit and slowly turned it in his hand.
"You can see the brat thinks highly of you," Sengoku said, eyeing the fruit. "Paramecia, huh…"
"Yeah," Zephyr replied. "According to him, before awakening you can tune everything within about a hundred meters to buff yourself. After awakening… who knows how far it'll reach."
"That strong?" Sengoku's eyelid twitched.
Tuning everything around you to empower yourself—and potentially adjusting Haki itself.
That wasn't just "useful." That was monstrous.
"Er, Zephyr," Sengoku began carefully, "maybe you should cons—"
"Don't even think about it," Zephyr cut in instantly. "This was my disciple's gift to his teacher."
Sengoku choked on his words.
He'd been about to say, You're already old, maybe we should give it to a promising young officer instead.
One phrase—"disciple's gift"—shut him up.
"Ah la la… White-bro really is thoughtful," Kuzan said quietly.
The value of that fruit was enormous. In the hands of a seasoned veteran…
Kuzan could already imagine what Zephyr's enemies would suffer.
"He's right, you know," Zephyr said, tucking the box carefully into his coat. "A man has to accept getting old. This year's training camp just graduated. I won't be taking another class.
"There aren't any real prodigies in this batch. Half of them are just here to polish their résumés—not to train. No point continuing."
He pushed himself to his feet.
"My new disciple's right," he said. "A man should know when to bow to age. I've poured my whole life into the Marines. It's about time I rest these old bones."
Tsuru smiled gently.
"You've worked hard, Zephyr."
Zephyr just waved a hand and headed for the door, keeping only the small Devil Fruit box in his arms.
Sengoku watched him leave.
"Are we really that old, Tsuru?" he asked quietly.
Watching Zephyr's back, it was like the burden on the man's shoulders had finally lightened. He looked… freer.
"Yes," Tsuru said. "We are."
If Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp and the others had all given their lives to the Marines…
Then Zephyr had given even more.
He'd never asked for rewards. Never asked for thanks.
And that one incident…
"Pirates" somehow infiltrating the Marine family housing district? Everyone knew what that really meant—but no one could say it aloud.
Afterward, Zephyr had still gritted his teeth and taken on the training camp.
Kizaru, Akainu, Aokiji, and so many of the new generation's monsters had come from his hands.
Zephyr stepped out of the office and nearly ran into Gion and Garp's niece, Kaji, coming down the corridor.
"Zephyr-sensei, let us help you with that," Gion said, hurrying forward when she saw the bundles in his arms.
"Yeah, give us some, sensei," Kaji added, grabbing part of the stack.
Zephyr didn't argue and let them take most of it, keeping only the small Devil Fruit box for himself.
"Who sent all this?" Kaji asked curiously.
"My new disciple," Zephyr replied. "Arakaki. White Ghost. A gift from him."
"That guy?" Kaji curled her lip. "I've known him for ages. Never seen him be this generous to me…"
Well, that wasn't entirely fair; he treated his own people pretty lavishly.
"So he came to Headquarters this time to deal with those rumors?" Gion asked.
"More or less," Zephyr said. "But mainly… he came to resign."
"Resign?" Both women stopped dead.
Zephyr nodded.
"Him, Ain, Kuro, and Jango," he said. "He said, 'The world is too big. I want to see it.'"
He chuckled.
"Interesting kid."
Gion thought back to how White Ghost always seemed to dodge her every time he came to Headquarters—like she'd eat him alive if he lingered. A cursory greeting, then gone.
"When is he leaving?" she asked.
"Once Sengoku arranges replacements for him," Zephyr replied.
Kaji's eyes narrowed.
Before he goes, I am getting a free meal out of him, she thought. At least one.
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