Chapter 199The purple-haired man clearly hadn't expected this sudden attack; his body stumbled from the blow, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into the cabin of Bonney's pirate ship, kicking up a cloud of dust.Luffy withdrew his fist and stood on the bow of the thousand sunny. He grinned at the somewhat dazed Bonney, then without a word, stretched his arm out, grabbed her by the waist, and hauled her directly onto the deck of the thousand sunnyamidst her startled cries."Sorry about that, old man,"Luffy shouted toward the hole in the cabin, "I'm protecting this one!"Then he looked at the panicked crew members on Bonney's ship: "Do you want to come over yourselves, or should I help you?"The crew members looked at each other. Seeing that their Captain had already been taken and having witnessed Straw Hat's power, they quickly shouted: "We'll come over ourselves! We'll come over ourselves!"With that, they began frantically lowering the small boats.A red light flashed in Luffy's eyes as he stretched his hand out toward Bonney's ship.At that moment, at the hole in the cabin of Bonney's pirate ship, the dust was blown away by an invisible surge of energy.The purple-haired man walked out slowly. He cracked his neck with a light click, and his massive mechanical arm rotated its wrist flexibly.He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as it locked onto Luffy."I never agreed to that."His voice carried a suppressed rage.Luffy met his gaze without fear and asked: "Who are you?""Who am I? My name is Zephyr,"Zephyr grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, though his smile carried a cold fighting spirit: "You look familiar. I remember now—you're that dangerous bloodline Garp left behind in the East Blue."He paused, his tone carrying a hint of complexity, "Back in the day, your old man used to call me 'Instructor Zephyr.' But looking at it now, both father and son have become the most vicious criminals in this world that need to be eradicated. Since that's the case, I'll take it upon myself to arrest you right here!"On the thousand sunny, although no one besides Luffy knew Bonney or understood why Luffysuddenly wanted to protect her, since it was the Captain's order, there was no need to ask questions; they had to obey.Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and the others immediately entered a combat state.Because the aura emanating from that purple-haired old man on the opposite ship was quite terrifying.Bonney's face was still pale as she anxiously shouted at the Straw Hat crew: "You idiots, you'd better get out of here while you still can!"Nami looked at her with some annoyance: "Hey! Our Captain only acted to save you!""That's exactly why you need to leave quickly!"Bonney stomped her foot in frustration, "This is on the ocean. If the two of them start fighting, my ship will definitely be the first thing destroyed! Out at sea, that man has a natural advantage, and Straw Hat is at a disadvantage as an ability user! At the very least, you can't fight him on the water!"She clearly recognized Luffy and believed that Luffy would not have the upper hand fighting this old man on the sea.That at least indicated that this old man possessed strength on the same level as Luffy, or perhaps even stronger!Robin spoke up calmly, asking the key question: "Miss Bonney, who exactly is that old man?"Bonney took a deep breath and said, emphasizing every word:"Former Marine Admiral, known across the seas as 'Black Arm' Zephyr, the man who never kills!!"This name struck most of the Straw Hat crew like a bolt of lightning.A former Marine Admiral!That was a monster on the same level as Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu!Chapter 284: Recognition from the Marine Chief InstructorEveryone's expression instantly became incredibly serious.They hadn't expected to encounter such a monster so close to the Sabaody Archipelago.Hearing that Zephyr was a Marine Admiral, Luffyinstead became excited; this sounded much more interesting than a Shichibukai.Sensing Luffy's mood, Zephyr rotated his mechanical arm and lunged to grab him.Bang!His foot, coated in Armament Haki, collided with the mechanical arm, and then he used the momentum to stomp it down onto the ground.Luffy stood on Zephyr's massive mechanical arm, his Rubber sole making a dull thud against the cold, hard metal.He looked down at the former Marine Admiral, his face showing not a trace of fear."If you're a former Marine Admiral, old man, you should know Conquerors Haki Infusion, right?!"The question was so abrupt and direct that even Zephyr, who had fought a hundred battles and seen countless storms, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.He stared intently at Luffy for a long while before he seemed to remember something and said in a heavy voice: "Conqueror's Haki, eh? As expected, just like that old man Garp, you're a man with the qualities of a king. It's precisely because you're dangerous and uncontrollable existences like that that you need to be captured and locked in prison!"Hearing this, the expectant look on Luffy's face instantly collapsed, and he made no effort to hide his disappointment, "What? Even a Marine Admiralhasn't mastered this power?"Did this, from a certain perspective, indirectly prove that Marine Admirals were inferior to the Four Emperors?Even that old Golden Lion Shiki, who was so old his teeth were falling out, knew that move."I suspect you're having some very impolite thoughts,""Others can do it and you can't. Isn't it obvious?" Luffy said.Zephyr gritted his teeth: "So you think I'm inferior to pirates?""That's the fact."Zephyr was choked by Luffy's blunt attitude. However, based on Luffy's precise question and the faint aura he was emitting, he could roughly judge the kid's current level.He hadn't expected someone so young to not only master Conqueror's Haki but to have already begun touching the high-level domain of Infusion.What made him even angrier was that this kid actually thought he was inferior to pirates.He could guess who the 'others' Luffy mentioned were.Those on the sea who could use Conquerors Haki Infusion could be counted on one hand. On the Marine side, only Garp and Sengoku had that kind of aptitude."You want to learn this top-tier power? I can teach you,"Luffy looked Zephyr up and down, especially at his mechanical arm, his eyes full of doubt: "Old man, are you joking?"How could someone who couldn't even do it himself teach him?"You'll find out when the time comes."Zephyr's face showed a smile tinged with obsession as he chuckled: "After I arrest you and lock you in Impel Down, I'll naturally have plenty of time to teach you slowly."His tone carried an unquestionable certainty, as if Luffy were already in the palm of his hand."I've taught so many students, and every one of them has become a pillar of the Marines. It just so happens that your father was the most rebellious one! He actually ran off to become a Revolutionary!"At the mention of Dragon, Zephyr's tone became complex, filled with regret and a hint of resentment at being betrayed.He had a particular obsession with guiding and educating—correcting promising young talents who had gone astray.And he wasn't boasting.Regarding Conquerors Haki Infusion, although he wasn't a user himself and couldn't command it as easily as Garp,As a former Admiral who stood at the peak of the Marines alongside Garp and Sengoku, had he not faced many Conqueror's Haki users in his life?Whether it was the Pirate King Roger's first mate, Dark King Rayleigh, or the world's strongest man with the power to destroy the world, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, or even Golden Lion Shiki... he had personally experienced their terrifying attacks, infused with Conqueror's Haki, capable of shattering mountains and seas.In terms of theory, insight, and even the experience of how to counter and guide such power, he was definitely among the top tier in this world.From the perspective of teaching and understanding, he really wasn't lying to Luffy.No one was more suited for the profession of a Marine instructor than him."I'm not interested in being caught by you. I'm not like you old guys who are about to retire."Luffy just curled his lip, looking completely uninterested.Rescuing Ace, heading to Laugh Tale to become the Pirate King, and his dream... there were too many things to do.Their voyage had already taken them halfway around the Red Line. Another half-circle and they would achieve the feat of circumnavigating the world. He didn't have time to play arrest games with a retired old man.The exchange between the two sounded casual.Bonney looked at Luffy and Zephyr, her gaze shifting.She didn't dare clash with Zephyr's mechanical arm at all, yet Luffy dared to stomp directly on it."The power of Haki?" Bonney murmured.Haki was still a high-level power for pirates on the Grand Line. At least Bonney hadn't mastered it yet, and she would be at a disadvantage when encountering Logia-type Devil Fruit users.Bonney had only recently set out to sea. This kind of power related to willpower could only be mastered through battles with the strong.However, her Devil Fruit ability wasn't weak either!In a way, it was a very troublesome existence.She thought for a moment; what she wanted to know more right now was why Straw Hat was willing to help her.They were all pirates, after all.At most, they had seen each other in newspapers and on bounty posters before.Radiating goodwill upon a first meeting meant either he had an ulterior motive, or... he had an ulterior motive.She thought it over and over but couldn't see what value she possessed.Straw Hat wasn't a pirate in the usual sense.She couldn't help but become curious.Luffy was also very curious.Compared to sparring and learning, Luffy was more concerned about another issue right now.He remembered the deal with Kuma regarding the young girl pirate named Jewelry Bonney.A Shichibukai was willing to make a deal with him just to have him look after her, and now this person was being hunted by a former Marine Admiral. No matter how you looked at it, it was unusual.So he asked directly:"Hey, old man, why are you chasing Bonney? Did she do something?"Zephyr seemed a bit surprised by Luffy's sudden change of topic, but then answered as if it were a matter of course: "Marines chasing pirates—is there a problem with that? Does it need a reason?"Luffy wasn't so easily fooled. He had read many logs and wasn't entirely ignorant of the world's power structure.He questioned: "You're a former Marine Admiral! Someone of your level should be stationed in the New World where the strong gather, or be chasing those great pirates with bounties in the billions. Why would you come to the first half of the Grand Line to catch a small pirate with a bounty of just over a hundred million?"Zephyr moved his massive mechanical arm, which emitted a slight hydraulic sound, and said indifferently: "I'm currently leading the Marine Guerrilla Unit. I can catch pirates anywhere; I'm not limited to the first or second half of the Grand Line.""I was just patrolling nearby waters and happened to encounter that group of arrogant pirates, so I acted. As for that female pirate..."He paused and looked back at Bonney:"Her Devil Fruit ability is a bit strange; it seems to affect a person's age. Such an uncertain factor needs to be captured and studied carefully.""Is it just a coincidence?"Luffy understood.It turned out Bonney just had bad luck. She must have forgotten to check her horoscope before heading out, resulting in her running into this formidable former Marine Admiral.Since it wasn't some special conspiracy or a trap targeting Kuma, he was relieved.With his question answered, Luffy was satisfied."So,"Luffy's aura surged once more, his fighting spirit burning bright, "Old man, do you want to spar with me?"He looked at Zephyr, his eyes burning with intensity.The aura emanating from the man before him was as steady as a rock, yet as full of power as a volcano about to erupt. At a glance, he was clearly a tough customer who shouldn't be provoked—and he was a former Marine Admiral!To Luffy, this was simply a perfect experience package delivered to his doorstep.Powerful opponents were hard to find.Zephyr grinned, a smile carrying the confidence and majesty of a veteran powerhouse:"Do you think I would allow you lawless pirates to just walk away right in front of me?"Before his voice had even faded, a heavy aura mixed with powerful Haki spread from Zephyr like something physical, firmly locking onto Luffy and the thousand sunny behind him.Sensing this dangerous aura that far exceeded an ordinary Marine's, Luffy shouted to Nami and the others behind him without looking back: "Nami, take the ship further away!""I've got it!" Nami immediately responded.
