Chapter 225: A Reminder
Axel looked at the appointment letter in front of him with a displeased expression.
Naturally, he saw through Sengoku's intentions.
He could only silently curse that damned old man.
Specifically assigning him to the sea area near Dressrosa was equivalent to using a single appointment letter to disrupt his plans in one stroke, throwing him right back into the center of the storm.
And that was not the only problem.
Once he left, he would no longer be able to stay here and observe whether history would return to its original trajectory.
He would have no way of knowing what Zephyr and the others' ultimate fate would be.
But since the appointment letter had already been issued, Axel could not change Sengoku's decision.
All he could do now was warn Zephyr in advance and have him make preparations.
That way, even if history continued along its original course, that tragedy would not be allowed to happen.
After making up his mind, Axel headed straight to Zephyr's training camp and found him on the training ground.
At this moment, Zephyr was supervising the Marine recruits with a stern face.
"Teacher Zephyr."
Axel did not call him old man Zephyr as he usually did.
There were many Marine recruits on the field, and Axel was still willing to give him that much face.
Zephyr turned his head.
When he saw who it was, he only frowned slightly and said sternly, "What are you doing here?"
Axel heard the hostility in Zephyr's tone and understood why.
In the end, it was because he had hidden the matter regarding Vergo.
Ain and Binz had been sent there personally by Zephyr.
Didn't that mean Zephyr had nearly caused the deaths of his own students with his own hands?
Knowing that Axel had been aware of the situation, it was only natural for him to feel angry.
The change in Zephyr's attitude also caused the other recruits to turn their heads.
When they saw Axel, their expressions became complicated.
There was envy.
Respect.
Admiration.
And jealousy.
News of Axel's appointment as a Rear Admiral had already spread, along with the fact that he had arrested a pirate who had been posing as a Vice Admiral.
That was something unheard of.
Although Captain and Rear Admiral seemed to be only one step apart, that one step was a barrier many people could not cross in their entire lives.
Even those with strength often needed more than ten years of hard work before they could possibly make that leap.
Yet now, it had been crossed so easily by a child.
Naturally, it left many people amazed.
"Teacher Zephyr, during your next training voyage, you will encounter a pirate, and you will lose."
Axel's voice was soft.
At the same time, he controlled the direction of the sound so that only Zephyr could hear him.
"The price will be the lives of your students. Can you still afford not to take this seriously?"
This was a last resort.
If possible, Axel did not want to inform Zephyr this way, because it would be difficult to explain the source of his information.
But if he did not say it like this, he would not be able to make Zephyr take the matter seriously.
Zephyr froze.
A flash of confusion crossed his face.
However, he knew Axel's temperament.
This brat would not say something completely groundless.
Although Axel joked around often, he was not the type to make jokes at critical moments.
So Zephyr said in a low voice, "Come with me."
After they entered a private room and locked the door, Zephyr finally asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said," Axel replied. "Don't worry about how I got the news. Just know that it's true."
His expression became solemn.
"Someone stronger than you has set their sights on you."
To be honest, Axel did not know the exact extent of Edward Weevil's strength.
But judging from the original outcome, there was no doubt that Weevil had won.
Zephyr frowned.
Although he had neglected his own training somewhat over the years while teaching others, he was not someone just anyone could defeat.
Had some famous pirate set their sights on him?
Or was it a pirate he had arrested before?
"Who is it?"
"I don't know," Axel lied.
If he told Zephyr about Edward Weevil, with Zephyr's personality, there was no way he would not go looking for trouble.
That would instead push history back toward its original trajectory.
"Then how do you know?"
"Hyper Intuition."
"Hyper Intuition?" Zephyr asked. "What is that?"
"A combat intuition originating from the Vongola Family that allows one to see through the nature of things," Axel said with complete seriousness.
Zephyr looked at him.
He knew this brat had started talking nonsense again.
"Forget it," Zephyr said. "Just tell me what I should watch out for."
"Don't conduct the recruit training voyage as usual this year."
"No."
Zephyr rejected it firmly.
"This is a tradition and a matter of principle. It absolutely cannot be stopped."
"Then if you encounter any pirates other than the selected targets, choose to avoid them," Axel offered another suggestion.
Unsurprisingly, Zephyr rejected that too.
"You're saying a Marine of justice should avoid pirates and choose to retreat?"
His voice was firm.
"I can't do that."
Axel was not surprised by Zephyr's answer.
How could such a stubborn person choose any of those methods?
"Then you'll just have to bring support when you go out for training."
This time, Zephyr did not oppose it.
He only lowered his head and thought for a moment.
With that matter settled for now, Zephyr recalled Axel's current assignment and gave him a reminder of his own.
"You should be careful too."
His tone was heavy.
"Being deployed to Doflamingo's sea area this time is not a simple matter."
Zephyr looked at Axel.
"Based on the information you provided, we have confirmed that Vergo was Doflamingo's subordinate. However, Vergo himself still hasn't confessed."
"For a pirate to keep a secret to that extent, while also possessing such solid strength, one can imagine how terrifying the man behind him must be."
Zephyr frowned.
"No wonder even Tsuru finds him troublesome."
"He still hasn't talked?"
Axel's eyes shifted slightly.
"Then what's happening with Vergo now?"
"He's a pirate, so of course he's being sent to Impel Down."
Zephyr's expression was not pleasant.
"Originally, considering the severity of the matter, execution should have been carried out. But the Marines cannot allow such a scandal to be known by outsiders, so they chose to imprison him in Impel Down instead."
He sighed.
"The Marines don't even have the courage to admit their own mistakes. I don't know what that fellow Sengoku is thinking."
Then his voice turned heavier.
"And as I've said before, the Seven Warlords system was wrong from the start."
"A pirate is still a pirate in the end."
"This time, they even planted a mole inside the Marines who reached the rank of Vice Admiral. One can only imagine how terrifying Doflamingo's plans truly are."
Axel understood.
Doflamingo's plans were indeed interlocked layer by layer.
With his temperament, if Luffy had not appeared and disrupted everything, allowing Doflamingo's plans to continue might really have stirred up the world and dragged the Celestial Dragons down from their pedestal.
"But you as well," Zephyr said, turning his attention back to Axel. "Hiding such an important matter."
How did the conversation come back to me?
Axel was stunned for a moment.
"I just wasn't certain. If I had guessed wrong, wouldn't that have turned into me spreading rumors?"
Zephyr knew Axel was lying again.
But this time, he did not continue pressing.
"Forget it. Since you won't say, I won't force you."
He looked at Axel seriously.
"I only hope you can become a qualified Marine and not do anything that violates discipline."
Then, after a pause, Zephyr added, "Also, be careful."
He reminded Axel again because he knew how dangerous battles at sea could be.
Even though Axel had grown, in Zephyr's eyes, he was still an immature student.
It was indeed a very low requirement.
Axel silently nodded.
.....
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