Seeing Zephyr's hesitation, Caelan sighed and decided to start with Ain and Binz.
"Zephyr, you're still going to go out and fight pirates in the future, right?"
"Of course, I have a mortal enemy against pirates!"
Zephyr nodded and said seriously.
Hearing this, Caelan smiled. "I know you still have a heart of justice. But if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your two beloved disciples, right?"
"The world is so vast and filled with pirates. If you run into Weevil again, you might lose both of them."
In fact, Caelan was speaking in a roundabout way.
The real meaning was clear. For Zephyr at his age, encountering Weevil would be overwhelming.
Of course, Weevil might spare Zephyr because of his position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But being spared by his mortal enemy would be humiliation worse than death, at least for someone with Zephyr's strong will.
"Are you threatening me?"
Zephyr's face suddenly darkened.
He had been a little hesitant before, but if Caelan dared to threaten him with his disciples, he wouldn't hesitate to fight him.
"No, no, no." Caelan shook his finger and said sincerely, "As long as your disciples don't provoke me, I will never take action against them. I greatly admire Miss Ain."
Zephyr's expression softened. He didn't think Caelan was joking. Based on his reputation, Caelan wouldn't do something so shameful.
Still, whether people admired Ain for her abilities or her beauty was another matter.
"I think your two disciples are very young and talented. They deserve a safer space to grow."
As he spoke, Caelan slowly approached Zephyr and said, "Zephyr, you don't want these two excellent students to live such a dangerous life with you, right?"
You don't want your two disciples to live in danger with you, do you?
Caelan's words echoed in Zephyr's ears again and again.
He glanced at Ain and Binz, his eyes filled with conflict.
He felt particularly guilty toward these two disciples.
Out of hundreds of students, they were the only two who survived that tragic incident. Zephyr had always seen them as the embodiment of all the others who had died.
Because of his guilt toward the countless dead disciples, he had always taken special care of Ain and Binz.
What Caelan said was true. He was old now, no longer the admiral he once was. If he encountered a powerful pirate, he might not survive.
It didn't matter if he died, but he could never allow his two disciples to die with him.
"Sensei, don't worry about us. We followed you to destroy pirates. It's normal to die in battle!"
Ain and Binz spoke in unison, their eyes filled with determination.
As Marines, they had long accepted the possibility of dying in battle.
Although they leaned slightly toward joining the Neo Navy, they didn't want to sway Zephyr's judgment because of themselves.
What sensible and loyal children.
Zephyr looked at the two determined faces and felt deeply moved.
His once hesitant heart finally became fully resolute.
He had been hesitant only because of the bond he had shared with the Marines for so many years.
But Caelan had spoken with sincerity, while the Marines' indifference stood in stark contrast.
Since the Marines had treated him so unfairly, there was no need to hold back.
Zephyr sighed and said, "Since you have come personally, I won't be pretentious. I will join the Neo Navy."
"Welcome aboard, Chief Instructor Zephyr."
Caelan extended his left hand toward him.
Zephyr was stunned, then reached out with his own left hand.
That small detail made him respect Caelan even more.
"That's great. With Zephyr-sensei joining us, I can finally relax a little."
Gion said happily from the side.
At last, she could breathe easier.
The most difficult part, Zephyr, had been settled. The others would just be a matter of time.
"I wonder, what exactly will I do after joining the Neo Navy?" Zephyr asked doubtfully.
"In the Neo Navy, you will have authority equivalent to that of an admiral. You can do anything to help its development." Caelan said with a smile.
Anything could be done, or rather, everything needed to be done.
The Neo Navy was still new, and there was much work ahead.
Zephyr was like a brick, ready to be placed wherever needed.
"So good?"
Zephyr said incredulously.
He didn't notice Caelan's cunning, he only felt deeply trusted.
To be given such high authority immediately after joining showed how much they valued him.
"Of course. If you employ someone, you must trust them. If you doubt them, then don't employ them."
Caelan said seriously.
In other words, he already knew the script, so he dared to use people this way.
It wasn't like he lacked other methods, such as transforming people into Heroic Spirits and controlling them with Command Spells.
But of course, he wouldn't casually resort to that. After all, he wasn't a devil.
"That's so grand and admirable!"
Zephyr gave Caelan a thumbs up, impressed by his magnanimity.
Having received such trust, he couldn't wait to devote himself to the Neo Navy's construction.
Suddenly, Zephyr thought of something. "Lord Caelan, shall we have a sparring match?"
He was very curious about how strong Caelan really was, the man who had defeated the three admirals and even Garp one after another.
At the same time, he also wanted to show his own strength, to let Caelan know that even in his old age, he was still a formidable general.
(To be continued.)
***
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