West Blue.
On a certain island.
Beside the harbor, a brand-new building was under intense construction.
Every resident passing by the construction site cast strange looks in its direction.
But those gazes were not filled with disdain or rejection.
They were filled with curiosity, unease, and anticipation.
Inside the unfinished building, in a modest office yet to be furnished, Zephyr sat quietly, dealing with official documents.
The expansion of the Neo Marines in the West Blue was proceeding smoothly.
Just as Zephyr had predicted, the World Government had been heavily damaged by the Beasts Pirates, and their control over the Four Seas had dropped to an unprecedented low.
To make matters worse, monsters from the New World had begun pouring into both the North Blue and the West Blue.
With the balance shifting, the situation in these two seas was already slipping out of control.
Under Zephyr's command, the Neo Marines had successfully gained the support of several non–World Government nations and secured a foothold in the West Blue.
But compared to Zephyr's true goal, such progress was still far too insignificant.
Setting down his pen, Zephyr rubbed his throbbing temples.
He walked over to a window that had yet to be fitted with glass and gazed out toward the harbor in the distance.
No matter how calm he appeared, deep down, he knew that the chances of him and his Neo Marines shaking the world were painfully slim.
For now, only the Beasts Pirates and the World Government had the power to decide the course of this world.
"Hm?"
Zephyr suddenly furrowed his brow.
A breeze blew against him, making him narrow his eyes slightly.
The wind passed through his body, filling the empty room.
"Dragon?"
Zephyr turned around in surprise.
Even though it had been years since they last met, he could never mistake that power.
"It's been a long time, Uncle Zephyr."
The wind gathered before Zephyr's eyes, finally condensing into the form of Dragon.
"Hmph, brat."
Zephyr let out a cold laugh. "You don't even call me sensei anymore?"
The man before him had once been his disciple.
In fact, he had been one of his most prized students.
Just like Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino, he was part of the very first recruit training camp. Back then, the three of them were all called monsters.
But unfortunately, Dragon had later left the Navy.
No—perhaps it shouldn't be called unfortunate anymore.
Now, Zephyr only felt that Dragon's departure had been for the best.
"Very well then, Zephyr-sensei."
Dragon chuckled softly. "When I heard the news that you too had betrayed the Navy, I truly felt relieved."
For a righteous man like sensei, it was indeed wrong for him to remain within the Navy.
"Such lofty words, Dragon."
Zephyr also smiled. "But now, I can somewhat understand your thoughts."
"The World Government—this world order ruled by the Celestial Dragons—truly should not exist."
"I knew it!"
Excitement flashed across Dragon's face. "I knew you would think the same way, and that's why I came to find you!"
"You should also be very clear, Zephyr-sensei. Compared to the World Government or the Beasts Pirates, the strength we command is far too weak."
"So then—let us work together! Your NEO Navy, and our Revolutionary Army!"
"That does sound… interesting."
Wano Country, Onigashima, along the coast.
Teach swallowed down the strange substance in his mouth with a troubled expression.
"It's normal to find it unpleasant."
Ian smiled as he spoke. "But fortunately, unpleasant taste or not, the power granted by a Devil Fruit is more than strong enough."
Teach wanted to curse.
But all he could do was force a wide grin. "I will never let you down, Lord Ian!"
"You had better not."
Jack, who had personally delivered the Devil Fruit, glared at Teach. "If I ever find out you intend to betray Brother Ian, I'll never forgive you."
"Zehahaha…"
Teach laughed awkwardly.
"Alright, Jack, don't make things too hard for him."
Ian said with a smile, "From now on, Teach is one of our crewmates too."
"Yes, Brother Ian."
Jack naturally followed Ian's orders to the letter, but even so, his gaze remained fixed on Teach, never leaving him.
Not making things difficult was one thing. Keeping an eye on him was another.
"Go ahead and show us your ability."
Ian encouraged him, "You should be able to use it by now, right?"
Teach sighed inwardly. The Devil Fruit was already eaten, and there was no turning back. Since he couldn't change it, he might as well try to accept it.
On second thought, wasn't having an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit actually pretty good?
The next moment, his body began to transform.
His stout, heavy frame expanded and elongated, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into a massive python dozens of meters long.
"Oh, a bit darker and fatter than the last guy I took down with this fruit," Ian remarked with a chuckle.
Even the same fruit could manifest differently depending on who ate it.
Teach's serpent form was indeed darker—and fatter.
"Zehahahaha! I feel so powerful now!"
Since he had already decided to accept this ability, Teach tried earnestly to grasp it.
His enormous tail slammed lightly against the ground, yet the impact shook the coastline with the force of a small earthquake.
Cracks spread across the hardened earth.
Then, Teach shifted into his Human-Beast Form.
A man with a serpent's tail, towering at several dozen meters tall, his bulk remained massive and unchanged.
Honestly, the sight of the dark, overweight Teach as a snake-man was a little hard to take seriously. His belly was far too big.
"Ugh—!"
He stumbled, unsteady in this new form, nearly toppling over. "Suddenly turning into another species… it feels way too strange!"
"Get used to it," Ian said with a grin. "Don't waste the power of that Devil Fruit."
Teach's grin froze stiffly once again.
"Just one ancient fruit, and you talk about betrayal?"
Honestly, he really wondered if Ian was doing this on purpose.
But in the end, all he could do was meekly say, "I understand, Lord Ian."
Ian smiled.
If Teach could only eat two Devil Fruits, then even if he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, he wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
Of course, if, like the rumors on the internet from his previous life, he truly had three hearts and could eat three Devil Fruits, that would be a different story.
Brrr… brrr… brrr…
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Ian was a little surprised. Could it be that the government had launched an attack?
He pulled out the Den Den Mushi and connected the call.
"Ian, I have a situation over here."
Unexpectedly, the voice of Enel came through from inside the phone.
"Oh?"
Ian was slightly taken aback. "What situation?"
It was rare—this arrogant, untamed guy actually took the initiative to contact him.
Even Ian couldn't help but wonder what exactly Enel had encountered.
**********
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