When Zephyr came out of the Fleet Admiral's office and strode toward the port, many Marine officers quickly surrounded him.
Dozens of rear admirals and nearly ten vice admirals gathered around.
The most prominent among them were the two elite vice admirals, Doberman and Yamakaji.
It wasn't that the others didn't want to come, but each had their own duties. Only these few were able to appear.
"Zephyr-sensei, are you really leaving?" Yamakaji asked reluctantly.
"Sensei, please stay. Let's keep hunting pirates together," Doberman said in his heavy voice, trying to persuade him.
The other officers looked at Zephyr with the same eagerness.
"Forget it. The Navy doesn't need an old man like me anymore. It's time I retired," Zephyr replied gently.
He didn't want his departure to weigh on his students.
Whatever he thought of the Marines now, he didn't want to pass that burden onto them.
They would have to decide for themselves what was right or wrong.
"Sensei, I want to go with you," Yamakaji said softly.
The others didn't speak, but if Zephyr gave the word, they would follow.
That was the prestige Zephyr had built over decades as their instructor. He might not have absolute followers, but it was close.
Of course, his reputation was one reason. Another was the disappointment many felt after Weevil was recruited into the Shichibukai.
"Nonsense. Why would you follow an old man like me?" Zephyr snapped, glaring. "You're still young. Do what you're supposed to do!"
He had no intention of stealing men from the Marines. He owed Sengoku that much.
Besides, he himself had no place to go yet. Dragging his disciples along would only ruin their futures.
If he managed to establish something later, then he could call them over.
Zephyr valued his bonds too much to let his disciples suffer with him now.
Seeing his resolve, Yamakaji lowered his head. "I understand, Sensei."
He truly wanted to leave with Zephyr. He had grown disillusioned with the current Marines, and Zephyr was already over seventy. The thought of him fighting pirates alone worried him.
The others remained silent, though their feelings were the same.
They weren't ungrateful. They loved and respected Zephyr like a father.
Seeing him forced to leave filled them with resentment. Today it was Zephyr. Tomorrow, it could be them.
Zephyr read their thoughts, sighed, and said, "Don't act on impulse. When I've established myself outside, if you still feel the same, I'll call you then."
Though he said it, he only meant to comfort them.
In truth, he could never bear to let his disciples suffer for his sake.
"Sensei, as long as you need us, we'll always be here for you," Yamakaji and Doberman said together, their voices heavy with sincerity.
If Zephyr gave the order, they would abandon the Marines without hesitation.
"The wind is strong today. The sea spray is stinging my eyes," Zephyr said, his gaze lingering on his disciples as his eyes burned with emotion.
The Navy under the World Government might be rotten.
But these soldiers who fought for justice were the finest of men.
The disciples he had taught were the best of the best.
Zephyr straightened and saluted them. Then he turned and strode away.
"Goodbye, Zephyr-sensei!"
Yamakaji and Doberman led the others in bowing deeply. They did not rise for a long time.
In the distance, in the shadows, Aokiji in his white suit and Kizaru in his golden one stood watching side by side.
Aokiji, usually so lazy, wore a rare look of seriousness.
The reflection of light in Kizaru's pale yellow glasses hid any expression in his eyes.
"Zephyr… what a kind man you are," Sengoku murmured as he watched the warship carrying his old comrade sail away.
He felt both relieved and crushed by guilt.
The Marines had wronged Zephyr. Yet Zephyr had not tried to pull his disciples away.
Even in leaving, the old man was still thinking of him.
Damn those Five Elders. Because of them, he had lost such a good comrade.
In his heart, Sengoku silently cursed their entire family line, from their mothers to their great-grandmothers, not sparing a single ancestor.
…
Two days later.
A lone warship drifted aimlessly on the sea, with no destination.
"Zephyr-sensei, where are we going?" Ain asked.
Having left the Marines, they could no longer return to their bases.
"Let's just find an island to rest on first. I'll think about the rest later," Zephyr said, his brow furrowed in thought.
He had left the Marines, and now he felt a deep emptiness.
Should he continue hunting Devil Fruit users like before?
If so, then what difference did it make whether he stayed or left?
No. He had to do something more.
If the Marines were false justice, then he would create the Navy he had always dreamed of.
The thought had been with him for years. Now, at last, he had the chance.
"While we hunt pirates, we'll also build a new Navy. A Navy of absolute justice," Zephyr said firmly to Ain and Binz.
Hunting pirates was something they could never abandon. But building a new force—that was their dream.
"Alright! That's a wonderful goal!" Ain's eyes lit up, full of hope.
"This goal will definitely come true!" Binz clenched his fists, brimming with energy.
To create an absolutely just Navy with their own hands was a dream worth chasing.
"It's great to be young," Zephyr thought as he looked at their hopeful faces.
But deep down, he knew it was nothing but a fantasy.
His aging body was already weak. He would not live long enough to see a new Navy surpass the old.
Still, if he truly did succeed, he would summon his disciples to join him, to broaden their horizons.
The thought filled him with longing. What a sight that would be.
But Ain's voice interrupted his dream. "Sensei, what should we name our new Navy?"
"Let's call it the Neo Navy," Zephyr said without thinking, blurting out the name he had carried for years.
Neo Navy, a new Navy, symbolizing justice rising like the morning sun.
"Sensei… that name is already taken," Ain said awkwardly.
The Neo Navy was already the faction led by the famous God Slayer.
With former admiral-candidate Momousagi Gion, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, Gecko Moria, and other powerful figures, it was a force rivaling the Yonko.
Even without Caelan, the God Slayer himself, they were already top-tier.
And with Caelan, their strength surpassed the Four Emperors, for everyone agreed he could defeat any one of them singlehandedly.
"…"
Zephyr froze, embarrassed.
The name he had clung to for so long had already been taken.
And not just taken, but raised to unimaginable heights.
What should he call his own force now?
Neo Neo Navy? The New New Navy?
That would sound like nothing but a pale shadow compared to Caelan's power. Like a child imitating his father.
As he pondered, Binz suddenly called out. "A warship is approaching. It's flying the flag of the Neo Navy!"
(To be continued.)
***
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