The Marine bigwigs finally pieced everything together.
So-called "Whitebeard assaulting Marineford"?
Just a hilarious misunderstanding.
But among these "enlightened" individuals…
one overly enlightened old man reacted in a way that was truly fresh and unique.
"Whitebeard the Third?!"
Garp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his jaw almost hitting the ground.
"So that bastard Newgate had a grandson?
Zephyr! You killed Newgate's grandson?!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Sengoku covered his face,
Aokiji facepalmed,
Kizaru's mouth twisted into a wry smirk…
Even the stoic Tsuru let out a long, weary sigh.
Ian sneaked a glance at Zephyr.
A moment ago, the man's face had been black with anger—
the "Armament Haki" kind of black.
Now it was turning into a dangerous blend of deep black mixed with red and purple—
the unmistakable aura of "Conqueror's Haki headache."
Before Zephyr could explode—
Sengoku lunged in with a perfect "Strong Man Lock."
The Fleet Admiral hooked an arm around Garp's neck,
massive biceps clamping down like a human sound suppressor.
"Sengoku—stop me—my grandson—"
Sengoku dragged the old menace away,
and the other high-ranking Marines gradually dispersed as well.
Marine HQ always had its hands full—
If not for a rumor as ridiculous as "Whitebeard at Marineford,"
none of them would've gathered at the training grounds.
Now that everything was cleared up, naturally everyone returned to their duties.
Only one high-ranking officer stayed behind—
The currently semi-retired instructor, Zephyr.
"Right and wrong all mixed up!
Impersonating pirates!
Spreading confusion!
Shaking the morale of the troops!"
Zephyr's voice blasted like cannon fire.
"How dare you disguise yourself as Whitebeard in front of so many Marines?!
Ian, you've grown too bold!"
Seeing Zephyr so furious, Peacock—who had just ratted him out earlier—stuck out her tongue guiltily.
"Teacher… instructor… uh… actually, Ian and I were just playing around…"
"Playing around?"
Zephyr's cold chuckle was more terrifying than a punch.
His sharp gaze pinned Peacock in place.
"The sea is not a playground.
If you two like playing around so much—fine!
I'll play with you!"
He jabbed a finger toward the ground.
"Rest where you are for thirty minutes.
After that, I'll see just how much you two have improved."
Leaving that threat behind, Zephyr strode off across the wide training field.
"Your stance is sloppy!"
"Your guard is weak!"
"Your footwork is loose!"
"Your reaction time is embarrassing!"
He walked past trainee after trainee,
scolding each of them while demonstrating hands-on "corrections."
Ian and Peacock watched the man enter full "Instructor Mode."
They exchanged a brief look—
"Is Teacher Zephyr planning to fight us later…?"
"Fight? Peacock, you're overestimating yourself… and me."
Ian shook his head, sat down cross-legged, and began restoring his stamina.
Peacock clutched her still-aching stomach and sat down as well.
A "match" with Zephyr was no joke.
Ian sank his consciousness into the System Chest interface, summoning the Silver Chest he'd earned earlier.
A normal Star Chest could either grant a wish or increase a stat—one choice.
But a Silver Chest, a three-star chest…
meant he could raise any ability or attribute to three stars instantly.
He could wish for a three-star item or skill,
but with Zephyr looming over his near future…
Ian quickly decided—
he'd use this chest to strengthen himself.
Aside from basic stats like Physique and Haki,
he had a set of abilities already graded with star ratings:
[Soru: ★★★]
[Tekkai: ★★☆]
[Kami-e: ★★☆]
[Geppo: ★★]
[Rankyaku: ★★]
[Shigan: ★☆]
[Swordsmanship: ★☆]
[Marksmanship: ★]
All standard Marine combat skills…
And his newly obtained—
[Clay-Clay Fruit: ☆]
Ian rubbed the Control Ring on his thumb.
He'd already made his choice.
"My power comes from hard work… and system chests doing the heavy lifting!"
He slammed the Silver Chest onto [Clay-Clay Fruit].
Under his gaze, the star rating rippled—
[Clay-Clay Fruit: ★★★]
"…That's it?"
He closed his eyes and focused.
No sudden enlightenment.
No spiritual surge.
No mystical whisper of "you have awakened the Dao of clay."
"…Huh?"
Frowning, Ian opened his eyes and raised his hand.
A clump of white clay burst from his palm.
But this time—
Inspiration flooded his mind.
Shapes, structures, textures—
countless ideas poured into him,
as if a door had swung open.
The clay shifted rapidly:
A fierce dragon head,
layered scales,
powerful wings,
whipping tail…
A perfectly formed miniature Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood proudly on Ian's palm.
If his previous "Whitebeard III" was a crude toy—
this was the kind of clay figurine crafted by a world-class artisan studio.
His creativity overflowed—threatening to spill out entirely.
Meanwhile—
"THIS is supposed to be Whitebeard?"
BOOM!
Zephyr casually punched another giant clay Whitebeard into dust.
"This lump of mud dares call itself Whitebeard III?"
CRUNCH!
The Crusher Arm swept across the ground, blasting another doll apart.
"And Edward Teach—my ass!"
A downward smash from the Crusher shattered the clay-covered ground,
sending several more Whitebeard dolls flying upward.
Zephyr jumped, swung his left fist,
and his invisible Armament Haki storm erupted—
The airborne clay dolls were caught in the whirlwind,
spinning like ragdolls before disintegrating completely.
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